ms. larsen's classroom library: progress report

Back in September during the first week of classes, the school that my sister Ginny (or Ms. Larsen to her students) teaches at experienced flooding.  Everyone is/was safe, but classes were canceled for several days, and then held off-site for a couple more at a local high school.  They had to gut classrooms, and replace ceiling tiles and drywall in others. My sister's room was one of the ones affected.  The displacement, construction and confusion were a lot to deal with, but on top of that, much of her classroom library was destroyed.  I wrote a post about the whole thing at that time, and solicited titles of books I should send to replace what she lost.

The rest of this post is happy, I promise!  As you can see from the photos, Ginny has recreated the entire thing exactly as it was before the flooding.  She repainted the classroom and has done beautiful new chalkboard designs for each season.  AND, books!  I have been ordering and sending the titles you suggested in small batches directly to her school.  Some of you even sent your own copies!  THANK YOU!  As you can see, Ginny's library is back in business, and her students are reading a great new selection of titles recommended/donated by book bloggers.

I have still more books I plan to give her from my own collection, but I'll sort that out when I'm back in Seattle over the holidays.  In the meantime, check out this partial list of titles donated to Ms. Larsen's 9th Grade English classroom:

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach
Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
Mexican WhiteBoy by Matt de la Pena
Monster by Walter Dean Myers
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
White Cat by Holly Black
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
The Only Alien on the Planet by Kristen D. Randle

I'll be scouring my fellow bloggers' "Best of 2013" lists for more titles to add to her collection.  In the meantime, if you have any further suggestions of books that belong in a 9th grade classroom (for self-directed reading), please mention them in the comments.  Ms. Larsen and I thank you!

how to replace a classroom library

I may be the book blogger in my family, but all of my siblings love to read, and my sister (and best friend!) Ginny is a huge fan of YA lit – and not only does she love reading it, she teaches it!  She’s a 9th grade English teacher in Washington State.  Ginny is an amazing teacher and inspiration, and this was her first week back teaching after an intense summer of volunteering.  Last night severe storms caused parts of the roof of her school to collapse, and classrooms flooded.  When she went in to work this morning, there was standing water 2" deep in her classroom, and part of the ceiling had fallen.

The good news is that she and her kids are safe – all of the major damage happened overnight.  They closed down the whole school, as around twelve classrooms were affected (here's the video news segment).  The bad news is that there’s a ton of work to do to make it safe for classes again, and part of that work means ripping out walls she’s spent hours decorating. 

The flooding also destroyed Ginny’s classroom library, which she has collected over the past 7 years (with my help!).  Her 300+ books were sitting at ground level and soaked up the water and debris.  Visualizing all of that hard work and those lost books made me cry, and I know I’m not even close to feeling what she feels, and I can’t imagine what her students will lose out on.

My heart is aching for her, and I need to do something to help. 

I can’t do anything about the walls of her room, but I can do something about the books.  I’m going to donate from my own shelves and fill a couple of boxes to send to her.  I’d also like to solicit your help, dear readers.  In the comments, please tell me what books you’d put in a 9th grade classroom library.  I’ll search for used copies of those titles on Amazon and other sites and put together a big order for Ginny and her kids.

Do you know other ways to help?  Please mention them!  Thank you!

(If by some miracle you’d also like to donate appropriate books, you can send them to Ferrucci Junior High in Puyallup, Washington, care of Miss Larsen.  The mailing address should be easily searchable on the interwebs.)

*All photos (before and after) by Ginny

leviathan – guest post by ginny of ginnylou studio

Today’s guest blogger is Ginny of GinnyLou Studio (my sister, in other words).  She paints her nails obsessively and has an overly large accessory collection.  She’s also my best friend.

*ahem*

hi--it's Cecelia's favorite sister (never mind the only part) here with a post about steampunk.

why, oh why, would Cecelia ask her crafty sister to do a post?  

...

'cuz i'm a teacher.

of kids.

in the english language.  and various historical events.

and i'm smart.

(even though the last few sentences may have painted me in an unflattering light.  and please disregard the fact that i wrote the aforementioned sentences.)

...

or it might have something to do with the fact that i really like steampunk literature and have actually read quite a few books that fit the category.

yeah, that must be it.  okay, back on track here.

…

so i'm going to share a few of my thoughts on one of the first steampunk books i ever read: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld.

see, back when my sister lived in Washington (state), we went to this book signing/ book talk event because she was still a book nerd back then.  i was her plus one, because let's face it, i'm the best plus one EVER, and i'm pretty sure she told me we could have food on the way up.

so, we went to this event and saw THE Scott Westerfeld, listened to him promote his book, saw the book trailer, asked questions, got in line for the book signing, got a picture with him, and walked out of the store with a free cardboard cutout of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days."  it was fun.

it was also my first exposure to steampunk.

i was impressed.

if you haven't seen the book trailer for Leviathan, you should really check it out.  it's one of the best book trailers i've ever seen, and i know legitimate school librarians with real school jobs who use that trailer when they talk about books to kids.

there's this combination of sound effects/ music that makes the video engaging, and somehow all of it unwittingly piques your interest in the entire world that Westerfeld creates.  it's mesmerizing.  you see and hear and can almost smell the machines clanking around the screen.  go watch it.  *phew* and i haven't even started talking about the illustrations.  (well, i guess now i've mentioned it.)  

so the book not only has a stellar author in Westerfeld, but also an amazing illustrator.  i'm not talking doodles with stick-like figures.  these pictures are full blown, 24"x36" print-worthy illustrations.  these illustrations give life to the machines and beasts and contraptions, and imagery in the steampunk book.  (please also note that the following two books in the series sport their own full page pictures as well--AWESOME-SAUCE!)  some of the illustrations pop up in the book trailer, but they're really best seen in person in the pages of Leviathan... they stand out when you're flipping through your book, reading little captions below pictures to see what's coming ahead (but not in a "give it all away" type of way).

i must admit, i think Leviathan was the perfect introduction to steamunk.  it has the pictures, it has great story elements (more on that later).  AND, it just happens to be historical fiction (albeit extreme historical fiction).  basically, right up my alley!

lots of things i liked about this book:

1.  action scenes.  this book isn't too heavy on the expository sections... Westerfeld shows us the world, but he also doesn't bore us to death with detail-overload.  the action scenes were fun for me because i've always been a fan of war movies... my dad used to borrow war movies from the library and i swear i've probably seen 3/4 of all the war movies ever made.  the action wasn't gratuitous either, i mean, the setting of the book is a war.  it's the clankers vs. darwinists--machines vs. beasts.

2.  there's a good mix of fantasy/ history.  the Darwinist animals in this story are some of the most interesting elements in my humble opinion.  not that i don't enjoy a piece of machinery as much as the next guy, but Westerfeld made the 'beasties' likeable even if they were those attacking bat/ bird things.  and the title "Leviathan" actually refers to the name of the Darwinist ship, a huge honking whale/ blimp.  it's awesome.  and like the book trailer says, it's 1914, Europe is close to war, but this story is a re-working of the history of WWI... it both follows the main points, yet doesn't.  sorry for being cryptic.  you should just read the book.

3.  there's this awesome guy/ girl thing.  it's that painfully truthful representation of girls... or one girl in particular: Deryn (who poses as a boy so she can work on the ship).  she over thinks her relationship with Alek, the son of the assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand.  and she doesn't just do a little bit of over thinking, she does the adolescent version of over thinking.  i know this because it sounds just like the kids i teach in school.  *le sigh*  and then there's Alek... he's a typical guy--he's still figuring out life, he doesn't know what he thinks about girls, or his role in the war, and he's clueless.  there are plenty of hints throughout the book that point towards the truth about Deryn.  does he pick up on them?  of course not.  he's a guy.

4.  the occasional caper-ish type of scene.  this is different than the action scenes.  i guess it's more about the main characters actually acting like teenagers.  Westerfeld must have a really good model to study in terms of teenaged behavior, because he does a really truthful telling of what they're like.  almost painfully so.

all in all, i guess i didn't really hit on too many "steampunk" elements, but don't worry, this book is squarely/ firmly/ concretely in the steampunk genre, and will be for a long long time.  but never fear, there are tons of fun steampunk-y slang phrases ("Barking spiders!" and "You're a bum-rag" which is really just an insult, not a steampunk phrase...) and there are also lots of gadgets too... guns, tools ,machines, that type of thing.

recommended for: adventure fans, coming-of-age stories, slight romance lovers, gadget geeks, and other people that are easily swayed by book trailers, fancy covers, offers of food, and book blogging sisters.  so pretty much everyone.

It is the cusp of World War I, and all the European powers are arming up. The Austro-Hungarians and Germans have their Clankers, steam-driven iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition. The British Darwinists employ fabricated animals as their weaponry. Their Leviathan is a whale airship, and the most masterful beast in the British fleet. Aleksandar Ferdinand, prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battle-torn Stormwalker and a loyal crew of men. 

Deryn Sharp is a commoner, a girl disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She's a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered. 

With the Great War brewing, Alek's and Deryn's paths cross in the most unexpected way...taking them both aboard the Leviathan on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure. One that will change both their lives forever.

If you'd like to see more steampunk goodness, check out the Steampunk Week in September calendar of events!

get to know cecelia bedelia

I’ve mentioned before that I have younger-sister-slash-best-friend-ever; she’s the one who inspired me to start blogging.  Today, she’s posted on her blog about…ME.  So if you’re curious, head on over.  Warning: she loves me, so it’s biased. 

I'm on the left, Ginny's on the right

Aside from the odd post about family, Ginny does gorgeous crafts and nail art posts and is too funny, really, so if you’re into that, check out her blog.

sometimes the conversation takes the cake

I used to write a lot more about my daily life on the blog. Actually, this thing started as a personal blog, and I talked about coffee, and sometimes my siblings (they’re awesome), and sometimes really embarrassing stories. But books are a huge part of my life, and after a while they took over the blog. That’s fine, but I still have a couple of people out there who request ‘normal stories.’

Behold, an email conversation with my sister yesterday on this very topic.

ginny: you are hilarious. i want to see some 'regular' life stories. like you used to. so how about posting about the sounders game [I went to a Sounders v. DC United game last night]? LOVES you bunches of bananas!

Me: I don't post about 'regular' life stuff because I don't know what to say anymore. Like, I don't know if it's funny or why anyone would want to read it. You know? If you gave me a way to spin it I might...Hugs!

ginny: just say: my sister demanded a 'real life' update. or if you want to post about the sounders game, you could say that although you like posting things about yummy recipes, you also like posting things about yummy looking males (cuz who doesn't??). and you could link to the cute guys w/ cats, hot guys w/ books, and then segue into the sounders game, and how yummy some of them are (cuz didn't you tell me that one of them was an ex-model?) and how you got to see them LIVE!!! easy peasy lemon squeezy.

ginny: and after reading that, i realize: 'why am i not an agent?' *big smile*

photo courtesy of CBC sports

There you have it, folks. Go check out Cute Boys with Cats, Hot Guys Reading Books, and Freddie Ljungberg, a Seattle Sounders star and former underwear model. If, you know, you want to. But my sister is pretty sure you’ll want to. *le sigh*

And, because I couldn't resist - Library Old Spice guy. Ah-MAZ-ing!

glittery undersea cupcakes and a winner

To celebrate the release of the second book in her Théâtre Illuminata series, author Lisa Mantchev is instigating (I mean, hosting) a cupcakeathon. I will be posting my review of Perchance to Dream and results of any baking on Tuesday, which is publication day. BUT. In the meantime I have the results for my giveaway of a paperback copy of Eyes Like Stars, an ARC of Perchance to Dream, and some fairy-glittery-cupcakey goodness.

The extra-lovely paper goods (read: set of 6 beautiful cards) were crafted by my sister, Ginny. She has more photos on her blog. I just gave her some parameters about what I wanted (blue/green/lovely/fairy/glittery/undersea), and she came up with these gorgeous specimens. I think they fit Perchance to Dream to a T.

And now what you’ve all been waiting for: the winner! Help me congratulate...

Bianca of Wicked Good Books

Who answered the question “What is your favorite play or dramatic work?” with:

“Since I'm always always going to plays and musicals it’s really hard for me to choose an all-time favorite, so I'll pick my favorite that I've seen THIS year.

John Lennon & Me was an amazing show I saw at a high school back in February. Dealt with a girl living with cystic fibrosis. Made me cry.”

Many thanks to all who entered! Your comments about plays and operas and films were inspiring and wonderful. In other words? You rock. Keep it up.

on naming things (but especially book characters)

Don’t let the title of this post fool you. I am not writing a book. I sort of was for about half of National Novel Writing Month, but no more. This post is about names and likeability and originality. What that means in real world terms is that’s they’re actually just my random thoughts, but I want to let them out into the world, to see if any of you think the same things (sometimes).

I have an uncommon-ish sort of name: Cecelia. It doesn’t show up much in art or literature. Fanny Burney, a contemporary of Jane Austen, wrote a novel called Cecilia, which I own but have never read. Forgive me – it’s 1,200+ pages of romance, counter-romance and mystery. I tried that with Anna Karenina and failed miserably. But there’s also a Simon & Garfunkel song called Cecilia, and I’d estimate that half of the people I meet for the first time spontaneously serenade me with it – regardless of the strength or quality of their singing voices.

And on top of that, my sister is called Virginia, or Ginny for short. Very slightly more common than Cecelia, but still an old-fashioned name, and rare in literature. It’s really no surprise then that when we find a novel, not to mention a GOOD novel, with one of our names in it, that we get a little excited. I can think of three shining examples of this (though I’m sure there are more and I’m just forgetting them).

The first is Kristen D. Randle’s The Only Alien on the Planet. The main character is Virginia, but she goes by Ginny, just as my sister does. I simply loved that book, and would have done so regardless of what the character’s name was. But since her name was Ginny, I could read it, discover its merit, and then pass it on to my sister, all the while knowing that she wouldn’t be able to resist a good book AND a character with her name (this was at a point where she refused to read anything I’d read).

And the second case is Robin McKinley’s The Blue Sword. The main character’s name in this novel is Harry – which is my dad’s name – and she’s a bit of a tomboy. But the book starts slowly, and I may have never gotten into the intense and adventurous bit if I hadn’t been caught by the mention of a ship called the Cecilia in the first couple pages. It’s the little things that keep you reading sometimes, and I’m very glad that I did read that book – it’s become a comfortable standard and McKinley one of my favorite authors of all time.

And the third example – another book that I haven’t read but have always meant to (as it was co-written by two seriously talented/favorite authors) is Sorcery and Cecelia, by Caroline Stevermer and Patricia C. Wrede. I’ve always wanted to cross-examine these authors, and ask how they came up with Cecelia – I mean, the name with my less-common spelling and everything! And also why I was unlucky enough at age 9 to have my mother find that book in my library stack and disapprove of it on sight. May have had something to do with ‘Sorcery’ in the title…but still. No excuse for why I haven’t read it since!

So – I have a few questions. Have you ever seen your name in a book? Did it make an impression? Were you more willing to like the book? If you haven’t found your name in a book yet, which genre will it most likely be found in?

Tell me your name and character stories!

things to muse about

NaNoWriMo has taught me a couple of things. I know, I know. You’re like, ALREADY?! It’s been…nine days. But these are pretty basic, so I’m going to get them off my chest.

First, I only have a certain number of non-academic words in me per day. In my hey-day, I could pull off a fifteen-page paper in one sitting, if the occasion arose (and I’d been that bad about procrastinating, which was almost always, truth to tell). But as I’ve been blogging over the last six months and writing fiction for the last nine days, I’ve come to the conclusion that I now only have about 2,500 words in me at any given time. After that threshold I get irritable and unhappy and start taking coffee breaks (even if it’s just to stand in front of the coffeemaker, and not actually refill my cup) every five minutes or so. Very Maddening Behavior. So I’m behind on NaNo, and I’m behind on my blog, and I don’t really know that I can do both well at the same time. This is sort of an apology/excuse in advance, in case you weren’t picking up the hints. I may be around a little less for a couple of weeks while I try to salvage my word count.

Second, it’s almost Christmas. I know, I know. Not really a revelation. But it hit me when I came downstairs and Ginny was crafting and listening to Christmas music. NaNoWriMo is a November thing. Followed by a December thing. December = holidays. So we put in Love Actually, a fun and modern holiday film, and had a little bit of Christmas cheer. I can’t imagine what my word count will look like in a couple of weeks when Thanksgiving rolls around and all the attendant merry-making, food-preparing and house-cleaning. Erm…maybe I’d better get going now…

Photos are of Ginny’s (best sister ever) work space & latest project. Guess the theme?

(my) most embarrassing moment

You know you have one. It’s the kind of thing that you drag out and show old friends, or reminisce about with your family, or try to forget and NEVER bring up again. Sort of like baby photos, actually. I’m an easily embarrassed person, but I also have the lucky ability to forget most everything mortifying that I’ve ever done. With one major, story-worthy exception.

In 2004 I spent the second half the year abroad doing college exchange programs. I traveled to Chile and Spain, and by the end I was getting pretty good at Spanish. I thought so, at any rate. And to cap off all that studying my sister came to visit – she met me in Madrid and we did a little whirlwind European Christmas vacation. To start it off, though, she missed her connection in Philly, and had to meet me there a day late.

So to keep to my master schedule, we had to fit it all in during ONE grueling day in Madrid. And we certainly tried. I took her to the Palacio Real (the royal family’s official residence in the city), on a plaza tour ending at the Plaza Mayor, and to the Prado (only one of the most famous art museums EVER, don’t you know). We were seriously tired by Prado time. I was also starved for a little bit of Americana, so when I spotted a Starbucks across the street, I was able to convince Ginny to stop there to rest our feet and so we could write postcards. Because you know that postcards are the best and cheapest souvenirs, aside from a Latin lover. But that’s a whole different story…

We got our drinks (oh, the bliss!), I chatted and flirted with the barista, and we lounged for a bit (and scribbled to friends and family, after all). Ginny convinced me to go and try to charm another drink out of the guy at the counter. So I did. Grande mocha! After a sufficient revival period, we decided to move on to the next tourist attraction.

We got up to leave. I was reveling in my newfound ‘skills’ and turned to say goodbye to cute Mr. Barista.

And walked straight into the sliding glass door.

SPLAT.

Before you ask, yes, it was functioning perfectly. I just came at it at an angle, so it didn’t have the time to sense me before I engaged it in a full frontal assault.

Pretty sure a blush covered my entire body.

The most humiliating thing? I could hear the barista LAUGHING behind me.

I hauled Ginny the rest of the way out of the store in utter mortification,

and almost MOWED OVER an innocent little old lady on the sidewalk.

After that I slowed down and tried to breathe. In and out. Ginny was laughing and exclaiming and generally trying not to die of excess amusement. I, of course, was actively trying to melt into the sidewalk.

Eventually I recovered enough to act like a normal human being. Or as close an approximation as I will ever get to normal or human being. But see if I ever visit that Starbucks again (well, I might if I ever make it back to Madrid)!

only milo cover inspires card crafting

I’ve mentioned this a time or too, but my sister has a crafting blog. She makes cool cards. When I saw the cover of Only Milo, I immediately considered the paper possibilities, and asked her to craft a card (or two) inspired by the cover artwork. You see the results below.

This is the real cover. Murdered post-it man.

From what I understand, the crazy fellow on the right is a murderous Milo?

This is the inside of the above card.

This one is my favorite. The post-it look is preserved, and it's bright!

For an extra entry in the Only Milo giveaway, tell me which card is your favorite. Happy Saturday!

she made me do it!

Alas, I never got to use that excuse as a youngster. I was the oldest. The responsible one. The one supposedly behind any and all infractions. Other kids used that phrase and meant that I was the she. Okay, so maybe a couple of times I was. Not every time, though. Just wanted to get that straight (and public). This time, my talented sister Ginny was the culprit.

She had an evil plan all laid out. Thursday night she took me along on an evening errands/shopping trip. Except I didn’t know we were going to go to the craft store. You may know what I mean when I say that after entering the store, I stumbled around in a sort of daze. Those places are dangerous! First of all, you could get lost. Easily. Second of all, they’re so…PRETTY! I mean, gosh! Christmas decorations all beautifully arranged in mid-September, and just waiting for shoppers to snap them up and deck the halls. I had to keep pinching myself (or knocking over delicate displays, which is my clumsy-self equivalent) and repeating “it’s only SEPTEMBER!” in my head continuously in order to keep my hands to myself and away from the items.

So my devious sister went around stocking up on card-making things, which take pretty and fascinating to a new level. I mean, glittered/glossy paper! Punches! Ribbons and buttons and stickers, oh my! I am a sucker. This is why I can never get involved in the card-making world…my eyes would get huge, my wallet would get even smaller than it already is, and I would have another time-sucking hobby. That said, I kept picking things up and pining and generally made a nuisance of myself. Ginny was good about it, but then, it was only the first stage of her PLAN.

Said plan involved me actually stamping and card-making. I mean deluxe, Ginny-style card-making, of course. I’m rather good with scissors and over the years have made a couple funny and ridiculous amateur cards by cutting up magazines and pasting little bits and pieces together. I like that sort of thing. It’s about my limit. Or so I thought. But last night Ginny and Paulina (her marvelous, stylish friend who also goes by Pretty Pink Posh) ganged up on me after dinner and MADE me take part in their stamping fun. I mean, really…with glitter and ribbons and all sorts of other delights spread out in front of me, it was pretty hard not to. Fun version of a girls’ night in, I say. I didn’t have to paint my toes a detestable color or eat anything cheesy, but still got to make something pretty, watch a swoon-worthy movie (Meet Joe Black – young Brad Pitt!), and chat about life and guys and the week.

I’d say that I’m beyond pleased and want to do it again soon…but that would encourage them too much. Besides, I don’t need a new hobby…do I? Fun, quiet Friday night, though. Thanks, girls!

on zombies

I’ve mentioned here a couple of times that my sister Ginny is a genius at card-making and crafting. Well folks, she’s outdone herself.

I asked for a zombie bookmark to include with the copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies that I’m giving away right now, and she created TWO silly, creepy (and somewhat cute?) monsters.

So I’ve decided to tuck one in with book as promised, and give one away to another random contest entrant. Enter the giveaway now if you haven’t already - it ends Sunday!

pride and prejudice and zombies + giveaway

It’s time for a zombie book that did not disappoint. That would be Seth Grahame-Smith’s Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, of course. I picked it up for the Everything Austen Challenge put on by Stephanie’s Written Word, and then I couldn’t put it down.

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains." So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton—and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she's soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers—and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield as Elizabeth wages war against hordes of flesh-eating undead. Can she vanquish the spawn of Satan? And overcome the social prejudices of the class-conscious landed gentry? Complete with romance, heartbreak, swordfights, cannibalism, and thousands of rotting corpses, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you'd actually want to read.

I found myself laughing and smiling through this entire kooky, cunning and amusing adaption of Jane Austen’s most famous work. You could say that a lot of unnecessary gore, sex and scandal invade a perfectly readable book. Or you could take it as one massive joke, and enjoy the little alterations, the subtle plot changes, and the ultraviolent zombie mayhem that make it something new and special.

What I liked: I had to read the text very closely to track the smallest changes to the original P&P. I was able to enjoy some of the minute details that I otherwise would have skimmed in a reread. I also think (shun me if you will) that this unique book will appeal to a broader audience than the original. Including teenage boys (and possibly grown men). Anything that will get a non-reader to pick up a classic gets an A+ in my grade book. Did I mention that it made me laugh aloud? And that the illustrations were ridiculous and hilarious?

What I didn’t like: Nothing comes to mind. Seriously.

If you’re planning on reading and reviewing the book, visit vvb32’s blog for a zombie bag o' goodies giveaway.

…….

If you’d like to win your own copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, I’m holding a giveaway for one (1) book, PLUS a hand-made zombie bookmark crafted by my sister Ginny. The bookmark may look something like this:

To Enter:

Leave a comment on this post answering the question, “Zombies are attacking. Why are you afraid?”

Please include your email address. Giveaway is open internationally. Comments will close on July 26 at 11:59pm EST, and I will notify the randomly selected winner via email.

Good luck!

what lengths would you go to to get ___________.

I follow a couple YA literature review blogs, and I’ve entered contests to win books.  I’ve even won a couple (although one is still missing in transit or someone is playing an evil joke on me)!  It’s a real rush to win a free book.  I’m a huge bookworm, and I spend entirely too much money at bookstores and time at the public library.  So it follows that I’d be willing to do quite a lot to win another book.  Today I found out just how much, because Lenore put out a challenge on her blog: say to what lengths you’d be willing to go to get a book, and you could win 3.  Book in question is Catching Fire, the sequel to Hunger Games, which I’ve blogged about here.  I want this book.  I need this book.  And unless I miraculously win a contest, I will not get this book until it’s released in September.  BUT!  Back to the important stuff: things I would be willing to do to get novel I covet.

My automatic answers: I’d go wilderness camping - sans tent and camp stove - for a week.  Or pass out fliers in a public place for an hour.  I’ve done this before: it’s extremely hard and thankless.  I’d sing karaoke or do a stand-up routine; under normal circumstances I’d be averse to any suggestion of public speaking/singing/performing.  I might give up recreational reading for a week or two.  And lastly, if I could read a sequel early, (insert your own anticipated event here) I would volunteer as the cleaning lady of whoever gave it to me.  For a week.  But that could be negotiable. 

I was amazed to discover what I would (and what wouldn’t I do, really?) do to get something relatively small and unimportant to my survival.  So I thought I’d ask a couple of my siblings what they would be willing to do if they could get their hands on an advance copy of a sequel of another favorite book of ours, Graceling.

Joey’s answer (submitted via text message):  Find a semitruck carrying the books, shoot out the tires, and tase the driver before breaking into the truck with boltcutter and portable grinder while wearing safety glasses and gloves.

When I pointed out that above plan was criminal, the next response was as follows:  Okay, so…find a copy you can download online…Or if that isn’t possible, revert to plan A, or just wait.

Ginny’s answer (also texted):  Make a YouTube video or go on a food/hunger strike, or something like they used to do for 106.1 (local Top 40 music station in Seattle area) – stay in a Porta-Potty for days.  This is hypothetical, right???

What would you be willing to do for a book/other-thing-you-crave?