Waiting on Wednesday is, of course, brought to us by the lovely Jill at Breaking the Spine.
Another theme! And this time it was on purpose and everything, not just a lucky accident.
The Mermaid's Mirror by L. K. Madigan - To be released October 4th, 2010
Lena has lived her whole life near the beach — walking for miles up and down the shore and breathing the salty air, swimming in the cold water, and watching the surfers rule the waves — the problem is, she’s spent her whole life just watching.
As her sixteenth birthday approaches, Lena vows she will no longer watch from the sand: she will learn to surf.
But her father – a former surfer himself – refuses to allow her to take lessons. After a near drowning in his past, he can’t bear to let Lena take up the risky sport.
Yet something lures Lena to the water… an ancient, powerful magic. One morning Lena catches sight of this magic: a beautiful woman — with a silvery tail.
Nothing will keep Lena from seeking the mermaid, not even the dangerous waves at Magic Crescent Cove.
And soon… what she sees in the mermaid’s mirror will change her life…
(Summary from goodreads.)
Why I want to read it: Mermaids!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Like... nope, just MERMAIDS!!!
And my second pick is:
Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings by Helene Boudreau - To be released December 1st, 2010
First zit. First crush. First ... mermaid’s tail?
Jade feels like enough of a freak-of-nature when she gets her first period at almost fifteen. She doesn’t need to have it happen at the mall while trying on that XL tankini she never wanted to buy in the first place. And she really doesn’t need to run into Luke Martin in the Feminine Hygiene Products aisle while her dad Googles ‘menstruation’ on his Blackberry.
But ‘freak-of-nature’ takes on a whole new meaning when raging hormones and bath salts bring on another metamorphosis — complete with scales and a tail. And when Jade learns she’s inherited her mermaid tendencies from her late mother’s side of the family, it raises the question; if Mom was once a mermaid, did she really drown that day last summer?
Jade is determined to find out. Though, how does a plus-sized, aqua-phobic mer-girl go about doing that, exactly... especially when Luke from aisle six seems to be the only person who might be able to help?
(Summary from goodreads.)
Why I want to read it: Still MERMAIDS!!! But also mystery, cute boy, and a plus-sized character!! Plus I kinda think it's neat that these two books are so different even though they have the same sort of theme, you know?
Okay, so, I think that's everything. Comments?
Peace and cookies
Laina
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Picture This (1)
Picture This is a brand new feature at Laina Has Too Much Spare Time that I'm hoping to make a weekly thing if you all like it. Thanks goes to Alea at Pop Culture Junkie for inspiring this feature. (Go tell her she's awesome, guys.)
Rabbit Pie by Penny Ives (author and illustrator)
Page count: 32 in the hardcover copy according to goodreads.
Genre: I think this would be a humorous fiction book, but I'm not sure. Suggestions? Do picture books have genres?
Reading level: Easy/Juvenile Fiction (this is what my library calls them.)
Storytime Themes: Rabbits, bedtime, recipes, families, Easter, spring.
Summary:
6 small rabbits
1 bath
6 pairs of pajamas
6 cups of milk
1 story
A sprinkling of kisses
6 large carrots
These are the ingredients for rabbit pie, a mama rabbit's recipe for tending to her six little ones.With warm and cuddly illustrations and a simple text, Rabbit Pie will appeal to parents, grandparents, and children alike. The youngest readers will be fascinated by the big rabbit family and their going-to-bed ritual. Best served at bedtime or wake-up-in-the-morning time, this book is sure to be a favorite read-aloud treat.
(Summary from goodreads.)
(Bear with me while I figure out what I'm doing here, okay? Haha.)
This is seriously one of the cutest books I've ever read. The illustrations are just beautiful, with enough colour and energy to keep younger childrens' attention. The pictures are fairly detailed, which, combined with the shorter text, is good for a younger audience. Oh, and since the text is so large, it's easy to upside down or at an angle (always a bonus).
Depending on the mood of the group, you could spend time on each page giving the child/children time to point out different things on each page, or get through it fairly quickly if their attention spans are fading or they're getting restless.
I think this would go over great with the age group I get for my Storytime (generally, three to five), and would also be a good book for beginner independent readers. The recipe-style of the storytelling is also pretty unique, as far as my experience.
I've already had a rabbit-themed week, but I'll probably use this one later during a bedtime-themed week. It's so cute, I honestly can't resist using it. Another thing I like about it is that the cover is solid, with the spine being covered in fabric (think hardcover Lemony Snicket books), no dust jacket. I think that would go over really well with younger kids who are still a little rough on books.
4 and a half out of five carrots? I'm not sure how to rate picture books, and I don't think I will anyways, because I haven't read these to a kid yet, so I don't know how they'd like it, I'm mostly just guessing.
Okay, so, I think that's everything. Sorry about the writing on the picture, picture book covers are hard to find. Even the author's website didn't have one.
Let me know what you guys think of these new posts! Good idea for a weekly thing? Also, do you like the new darker purple for reviews?
Peace and cookies,
Laina
Rabbit Pie by Penny Ives (author and illustrator)
Page count: 32 in the hardcover copy according to goodreads.
Genre: I think this would be a humorous fiction book, but I'm not sure. Suggestions? Do picture books have genres?
Reading level: Easy/Juvenile Fiction (this is what my library calls them.)
Storytime Themes: Rabbits, bedtime, recipes, families, Easter, spring.
Summary:
6 small rabbits
1 bath
6 pairs of pajamas
6 cups of milk
1 story
A sprinkling of kisses
6 large carrots
These are the ingredients for rabbit pie, a mama rabbit's recipe for tending to her six little ones.With warm and cuddly illustrations and a simple text, Rabbit Pie will appeal to parents, grandparents, and children alike. The youngest readers will be fascinated by the big rabbit family and their going-to-bed ritual. Best served at bedtime or wake-up-in-the-morning time, this book is sure to be a favorite read-aloud treat.
(Summary from goodreads.)
(Bear with me while I figure out what I'm doing here, okay? Haha.)
This is seriously one of the cutest books I've ever read. The illustrations are just beautiful, with enough colour and energy to keep younger childrens' attention. The pictures are fairly detailed, which, combined with the shorter text, is good for a younger audience. Oh, and since the text is so large, it's easy to upside down or at an angle (always a bonus).
Depending on the mood of the group, you could spend time on each page giving the child/children time to point out different things on each page, or get through it fairly quickly if their attention spans are fading or they're getting restless.
I think this would go over great with the age group I get for my Storytime (generally, three to five), and would also be a good book for beginner independent readers. The recipe-style of the storytelling is also pretty unique, as far as my experience.
I've already had a rabbit-themed week, but I'll probably use this one later during a bedtime-themed week. It's so cute, I honestly can't resist using it. Another thing I like about it is that the cover is solid, with the spine being covered in fabric (think hardcover Lemony Snicket books), no dust jacket. I think that would go over really well with younger kids who are still a little rough on books.
4 and a half out of five carrots? I'm not sure how to rate picture books, and I don't think I will anyways, because I haven't read these to a kid yet, so I don't know how they'd like it, I'm mostly just guessing.
Okay, so, I think that's everything. Sorry about the writing on the picture, picture book covers are hard to find. Even the author's website didn't have one.
Let me know what you guys think of these new posts! Good idea for a weekly thing? Also, do you like the new darker purple for reviews?
Peace and cookies,
Laina
Sunday, March 28, 2010
In My Mailbox (22)
As always, In My Mailbox is brought to us by The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea. So I only have one book this week and it's from the library.
Ex-mas by Kate Brian
Two Exes. One holiday adventure. Merry Ex-Mas? Seventeen-year-old Lila Beckwith's parents just left for vacation, and Lila's all set to throw the holiday party of the season. But when her Christmas-obsessed little brother, Cooper, discovers that global warming is melting the North Pole, he and his best friend, Tyler, take off on a runaway mission to save Santa.
Lila has to get Cooper safely home before her parents get back on Christmas Eve. But the only person who can help her is Tyler's older brother, Beau -- a.k.a. Lila's musician, anti-everything ex-boyfriend.
It'll take more than a Christmas miracle for Lila and Beau to overcome their differences and find their fugitive brothers. But could a journey destined for disaster help these polar opposites fall in love...all over again?
(Summary from goodreads.)
It took a while to get here. Which is weird because it only came from about fifty miles away. Anyways, it sounds cute.
Well, that's it! What'd you guys get this week?
Peace and cookies,
Laina
Oh, and don't forget to enter my contest!
Ex-mas by Kate Brian
Two Exes. One holiday adventure. Merry Ex-Mas? Seventeen-year-old Lila Beckwith's parents just left for vacation, and Lila's all set to throw the holiday party of the season. But when her Christmas-obsessed little brother, Cooper, discovers that global warming is melting the North Pole, he and his best friend, Tyler, take off on a runaway mission to save Santa.
Lila has to get Cooper safely home before her parents get back on Christmas Eve. But the only person who can help her is Tyler's older brother, Beau -- a.k.a. Lila's musician, anti-everything ex-boyfriend.
It'll take more than a Christmas miracle for Lila and Beau to overcome their differences and find their fugitive brothers. But could a journey destined for disaster help these polar opposites fall in love...all over again?
(Summary from goodreads.)
It took a while to get here. Which is weird because it only came from about fifty miles away. Anyways, it sounds cute.
Well, that's it! What'd you guys get this week?
Peace and cookies,
Laina
Oh, and don't forget to enter my contest!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Fun Friday: Give Me Something to Sing About (29)
Fun Friday: Give me something to sing about! is where you guys get to see a song or two I like or that I want to talk about each week. Thanks as always goes to J.J. at Random Musings for help with the title.
This week I'm going to do two that I've had on my computer for ages but only recently listened to and fell in love with. They're both by The White Tie Affair and the first one is Take It Home.
The second one is called The Letdown.
Okay, so that's it for me for this week.
Peace and cookies,
Laina
Oh, and enter the contest that I can't link to yet because I'm scheduling posts. Please and thank you. :)
This week I'm going to do two that I've had on my computer for ages but only recently listened to and fell in love with. They're both by The White Tie Affair and the first one is Take It Home.
The second one is called The Letdown.
Okay, so that's it for me for this week.
Peace and cookies,
Laina
Oh, and enter the contest that I can't link to yet because I'm scheduling posts. Please and thank you. :)
Thursday, March 25, 2010
250 Followers Contest - CLOSED
Peoples, do you know what? I have 250 followers!!! 259, actually, but 250 made me squee! I know it's been at that number for a while, but it took me a bit to get prizes for this contest.
So what's up for grabs?
Being the first female werecat enforcer isn't easy. Scars accumulate, but I'm stronger in so many ways.
As for my personal life? It's complicated. Choices worth making always are. Ever since my brother's death and my father's impeachment, it's all I can do to prevent more blood from spilling. Now our Pride is under attack by a flight of vicious thunderbirds. And making peace with our new enemies may be the only way to get the best of our old foe.
With the body count rising and treachery everywhere, my instincts tell me to look before I leap. But sometimes a leap of faith is the only real option...
(Summary from goodreads.)
And:
(Not my picture. I only have four bottles to give away. But my pictures isn't as pretty and don't show the gorgeous colour of the nail polish as well. You can see it here if you want to, though. Oh, and with the bottles I have, the handles are silver.)
I wish I had more to give away, but unless you guys want random Saskatchewan library bookmarks, I'm all out of stuff.
There will be four winners chosen.
Winner number one will receive Shift and a bottle of nail polish.
Winners number two, three, and four will each receive a bottle of nail polish.
This contest is going to be *gulp* open internationally until... how about five weeks? Which is *checks calendar because it's 6am* April 29th. Sounds good to me.
To enter:
Leave a comment on this post with your email address. No email address, no entry. I won't go to your profile to look it up or accept any other form of contact. If you aren't comfortable leaving your email address in the comments, you can of course email your entry to me at Laina1312@gmail.com but I ask that you please make the subject of the email "250 Followers Contest".
Extra entries:
+5 A theme in The Dark Divine is forgiveness. Tell me about a time it was difficult for you to forgive someone or post your opinion on why forgiveness is important.
+3 Fill out this survey. You must either use the same name as you're commenting under or include your email address for this to count towards your entry. I'd prefer if you include your email address in case more than one person with the same name fills it out. And you have to answer at least 3 questions, not counting name/email. Also, be honest!
+1 Become a follower through my Google Friend Connect widget. (If you follow through a feed reader such as Google Reader, that's fine, just let me know in your comment.)
+2 Current followers.
+1 Link to this post somewhere. You can do that in a blog post, in your blog sidebar, on Twitter, on a message board, whatever you can think of, but it only counts once per place. A sidebar link and a blog post link do, however, count as seperate entries. Leave a link to that here or it won't count.
Remember, you do not have to do any of the extra entries if you don't want to. You only need to either leave me a comment with your email address or and email me your address to enter. That's it. The rest is completely optional.
And please do try to keep it in one comment. Obviously if you forget something or need to change something in your entry, you can post again, but please don't comment once per entry as that fills up my inbox like crazy and makes me slightly crazy(er).
Quick recap:
Prize: 1st place - One copy of Shift by Rachel Vincent and a bottle of The Dark Divine nail polish. 2nd, 3rd, and 4th places - One bottle of nail polish each.
Open to: Everyone!
End date: 11:59pm, Thursday April 29th, 2010. I'll schedule a post for you guys in case I'm not here/exhausted because Thursdays are work days, so you know when it ends.
Okay, so I think that's everything. Thank you guys so much for following me and commenting and everything. You guys are awesome!
Peace and good luck cookies,
Laina
So what's up for grabs?
Being the first female werecat enforcer isn't easy. Scars accumulate, but I'm stronger in so many ways.
As for my personal life? It's complicated. Choices worth making always are. Ever since my brother's death and my father's impeachment, it's all I can do to prevent more blood from spilling. Now our Pride is under attack by a flight of vicious thunderbirds. And making peace with our new enemies may be the only way to get the best of our old foe.
With the body count rising and treachery everywhere, my instincts tell me to look before I leap. But sometimes a leap of faith is the only real option...
(Summary from goodreads.)
And:
(Not my picture. I only have four bottles to give away. But my pictures isn't as pretty and don't show the gorgeous colour of the nail polish as well. You can see it here if you want to, though. Oh, and with the bottles I have, the handles are silver.)
I wish I had more to give away, but unless you guys want random Saskatchewan library bookmarks, I'm all out of stuff.
There will be four winners chosen.
Winner number one will receive Shift and a bottle of nail polish.
Winners number two, three, and four will each receive a bottle of nail polish.
This contest is going to be *gulp* open internationally until... how about five weeks? Which is *checks calendar because it's 6am* April 29th. Sounds good to me.
To enter:
Leave a comment on this post with your email address. No email address, no entry. I won't go to your profile to look it up or accept any other form of contact. If you aren't comfortable leaving your email address in the comments, you can of course email your entry to me at Laina1312@gmail.com but I ask that you please make the subject of the email "250 Followers Contest".
Extra entries:
+5 A theme in The Dark Divine is forgiveness. Tell me about a time it was difficult for you to forgive someone or post your opinion on why forgiveness is important.
+3 Fill out this survey. You must either use the same name as you're commenting under or include your email address for this to count towards your entry. I'd prefer if you include your email address in case more than one person with the same name fills it out. And you have to answer at least 3 questions, not counting name/email. Also, be honest!
+1 Become a follower through my Google Friend Connect widget. (If you follow through a feed reader such as Google Reader, that's fine, just let me know in your comment.)
+2 Current followers.
+1 Link to this post somewhere. You can do that in a blog post, in your blog sidebar, on Twitter, on a message board, whatever you can think of, but it only counts once per place. A sidebar link and a blog post link do, however, count as seperate entries. Leave a link to that here or it won't count.
Remember, you do not have to do any of the extra entries if you don't want to. You only need to either leave me a comment with your email address or and email me your address to enter. That's it. The rest is completely optional.
And please do try to keep it in one comment. Obviously if you forget something or need to change something in your entry, you can post again, but please don't comment once per entry as that fills up my inbox like crazy and makes me slightly crazy(er).
Quick recap:
Prize: 1st place - One copy of Shift by Rachel Vincent and a bottle of The Dark Divine nail polish. 2nd, 3rd, and 4th places - One bottle of nail polish each.
Open to: Everyone!
End date: 11:59pm, Thursday April 29th, 2010. I'll schedule a post for you guys in case I'm not here/exhausted because Thursdays are work days, so you know when it ends.
Okay, so I think that's everything. Thank you guys so much for following me and commenting and everything. You guys are awesome!
Peace and good luck cookies,
Laina
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Waiting on Wednesday (37)
Waiting on Wednesday is, of course, brought to us by the lovely Jill at Breaking the Spine.
Hey, I made a theme! That totally wasn't on purpose. Anyways, check it out!
My first choice is:
The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June by Robin Benway - To be released August 3rd, 2010
Three sisters, three extraordinary, life-changing powers!
I hugged my sisters and they fit against my sides like two jigsaw pieces that would never fit anywhere else. I couldn’t imagine ever letting them go again, like releasing them would be to surrender the best parts of myself.
Three sisters share a magical, unshakeable bond in this witty high-concept novel from the critically acclaimed author of Audrey, Wait! Around the time of their parents’ divorce, sisters April, May, and June recover special powers from childhood—powers that come in handy navigating the hell that is high school. Powers that help them cope with the hardest year of their lives. But could they have a greater purpose?
April, the oldest and a bit of a worrier, can see the future. Middle-child May can literally disappear. And baby June reads minds—everyone’s but her own. When April gets a vision of disaster, the girls come together to save the day and reconcile their strained family. They realize that no matter what happens, powers or no powers, they’ll always have each other.
Because there’s one thing stronger than magic: sisterhood.
(Summary from goodreads.)
Why I want to read it: Robin Benway. Fantasy. ZOMG.
Beautiful Malice by Rebecca James - To be released July 2010 in the UK, May 2010 in Australia, and September 2010 in the US.
So. Were you glad, deep down? Were you glad to be rid of her? Your perfect sister? Were you secretly glad when she was killed?
Following a terrible tragedy that leaves her once-perfect family shattered, Katherine Patterson moves to a new city, starts at a new school, and looks forward to a new life of quiet anonymity.
But when Katherine meets the gregarious and beautiful Alice Parrie her resolution to live a solitary life becomes difficult. Katherine is unable resist the flattering attention that Alice pays her and is so charmed by Alice’s contagious enthusiasm that the two girls soon become firm friends. Alice’s joie de vivre is transformative; it helps Katherine forget her painful past and slowly, tentatively, Katherine allows herself to start enjoying life again.
But being friends with Alice is complicated – and as Katherine gets to know her better she discovers that although Alice can be charming and generous she can also be selfish and egocentric. Sometimes, even, Alice is cruel.
And when Katherine starts to wonder if Alice is really the kind of person she wants as a friend, she discovers something else about Alice - she doesn’t like being cast off.
(Summary from goodreads.)
Why I want to read it: Dead sister. Katherine Patterson reminds me of Katherine Paterson, the author. And the cover is gorgeous, although this is the UK cover. I couldn't find a picture of the US one that I could use for this post, but you can see it on the author's website.
Okay, that's all I've got! Look out for something special happening tomorrow around 5am (I was up really early today and couldn't be bothered to change the time on the post.)
Peace and cookies,
Laina
Edited to add: I forgot to put in the amazon link for Beautiful Malice. Sorry, guys! It's linked now. :)
Hey, I made a theme! That totally wasn't on purpose. Anyways, check it out!
My first choice is:
The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June by Robin Benway - To be released August 3rd, 2010
Three sisters, three extraordinary, life-changing powers!
I hugged my sisters and they fit against my sides like two jigsaw pieces that would never fit anywhere else. I couldn’t imagine ever letting them go again, like releasing them would be to surrender the best parts of myself.
Three sisters share a magical, unshakeable bond in this witty high-concept novel from the critically acclaimed author of Audrey, Wait! Around the time of their parents’ divorce, sisters April, May, and June recover special powers from childhood—powers that come in handy navigating the hell that is high school. Powers that help them cope with the hardest year of their lives. But could they have a greater purpose?
April, the oldest and a bit of a worrier, can see the future. Middle-child May can literally disappear. And baby June reads minds—everyone’s but her own. When April gets a vision of disaster, the girls come together to save the day and reconcile their strained family. They realize that no matter what happens, powers or no powers, they’ll always have each other.
Because there’s one thing stronger than magic: sisterhood.
(Summary from goodreads.)
Why I want to read it: Robin Benway. Fantasy. ZOMG.
Beautiful Malice by Rebecca James - To be released July 2010 in the UK, May 2010 in Australia, and September 2010 in the US.
So. Were you glad, deep down? Were you glad to be rid of her? Your perfect sister? Were you secretly glad when she was killed?
Following a terrible tragedy that leaves her once-perfect family shattered, Katherine Patterson moves to a new city, starts at a new school, and looks forward to a new life of quiet anonymity.
But when Katherine meets the gregarious and beautiful Alice Parrie her resolution to live a solitary life becomes difficult. Katherine is unable resist the flattering attention that Alice pays her and is so charmed by Alice’s contagious enthusiasm that the two girls soon become firm friends. Alice’s joie de vivre is transformative; it helps Katherine forget her painful past and slowly, tentatively, Katherine allows herself to start enjoying life again.
But being friends with Alice is complicated – and as Katherine gets to know her better she discovers that although Alice can be charming and generous she can also be selfish and egocentric. Sometimes, even, Alice is cruel.
And when Katherine starts to wonder if Alice is really the kind of person she wants as a friend, she discovers something else about Alice - she doesn’t like being cast off.
(Summary from goodreads.)
Why I want to read it: Dead sister. Katherine Patterson reminds me of Katherine Paterson, the author. And the cover is gorgeous, although this is the UK cover. I couldn't find a picture of the US one that I could use for this post, but you can see it on the author's website.
Okay, that's all I've got! Look out for something special happening tomorrow around 5am (I was up really early today and couldn't be bothered to change the time on the post.)
Peace and cookies,
Laina
Edited to add: I forgot to put in the amazon link for Beautiful Malice. Sorry, guys! It's linked now. :)
Contest and Privacy Policy
(Written March 24th, 2010. Updated September 2016.)
Contests are open to those 13 years of age or older. If you're under 13, you must get your parents' or guardian's permission to enter. If you join, I will take it that you are either above 13 and/or you have their permission to enter the contests. Please don't get me sued.
I hold the right to end a contest before or after its original deadline without any prior notice and to disqualify any entry I see fit. Each person only gets to enter a contest once. Additional "entries" are often given in contest for doing things like following, posting, etc., but consider those bonus points. Basically, one email address/name per person. Don't enter multiple times under different names.
Winners are contacted by email after drawing and have a certain amount of time to reply with their mailing address or another will be chosen. I will specify in the Terms and Conditions of each contest when those deadlines are.
Neither I nor anyone else providing contest prizes are responsible or liable for any item(s) lost in the mail. But if you don't receive your prize within a reasonable time, please do tell me. (And keep in mind that if I'm the one sending the prize out, it does have to come from Canada and can take a bit longer because of that. This isn't my fault. Please don't blame me for it.)
Email addresses, mailing addresses, or any other personal information will never be shared, rented, sold, or distributed in any way by me.
I used to ask that people leave email addresses in the comment sections for contests. I no longer do this, now using Rafflecopter to run all contests, and I have closed the comments on those posts and hidden them. If people can get around that, I cannot guard any further against those people using the information or other information from that, because I am not that tech savvy. This is why I now use Rafflecopter.
If you win a contest, I will need a physical address to which I can send the prize. This will never be shared or made public, other than being used to mail said prize. If you are under 18, please have parental permission to share your address and your real name. Obviously, I don't have any way of confirming your age, but please be honest.
I will email you ONLY from Laina1312@gmail.com. I will ask ONLY for the name and address you wish to use to have your prize mailed to. I will NEVER ask for credit card numbers, money, or any other kind of personal information. You will not have to fill out a link or a survey or anything like that. Please don't fall for scams. If you get a suspicious email, please email me directly at Laina1312@gmail.com and I will try to help sort things out.
Laina Has Too Much Spare Time may contain content that is not appropriate for children under 13 as it is not directed to children under 13.
Cookies are not currently used on the site to track or store any information about site visitors by me on purpose. Blogger, and other add-ons I use like Google Analytics may use them for information about what you guys look up to find me and stuff.
This blog contains links to other sites. I am not responsible for the content or privacy practices of other sites, which may be different from mine.
Contest Policy:
Contests are open to those 13 years of age or older. If you're under 13, you must get your parents' or guardian's permission to enter. If you join, I will take it that you are either above 13 and/or you have their permission to enter the contests. Please don't get me sued.
I hold the right to end a contest before or after its original deadline without any prior notice and to disqualify any entry I see fit. Each person only gets to enter a contest once. Additional "entries" are often given in contest for doing things like following, posting, etc., but consider those bonus points. Basically, one email address/name per person. Don't enter multiple times under different names.
Winners are contacted by email after drawing and have a certain amount of time to reply with their mailing address or another will be chosen. I will specify in the Terms and Conditions of each contest when those deadlines are.
Neither I nor anyone else providing contest prizes are responsible or liable for any item(s) lost in the mail. But if you don't receive your prize within a reasonable time, please do tell me. (And keep in mind that if I'm the one sending the prize out, it does have to come from Canada and can take a bit longer because of that. This isn't my fault. Please don't blame me for it.)
Privacy:
Email addresses, mailing addresses, or any other personal information will never be shared, rented, sold, or distributed in any way by me.
I used to ask that people leave email addresses in the comment sections for contests. I no longer do this, now using Rafflecopter to run all contests, and I have closed the comments on those posts and hidden them. If people can get around that, I cannot guard any further against those people using the information or other information from that, because I am not that tech savvy. This is why I now use Rafflecopter.
If you win a contest, I will need a physical address to which I can send the prize. This will never be shared or made public, other than being used to mail said prize. If you are under 18, please have parental permission to share your address and your real name. Obviously, I don't have any way of confirming your age, but please be honest.
I will email you ONLY from Laina1312@gmail.com. I will ask ONLY for the name and address you wish to use to have your prize mailed to. I will NEVER ask for credit card numbers, money, or any other kind of personal information. You will not have to fill out a link or a survey or anything like that. Please don't fall for scams. If you get a suspicious email, please email me directly at Laina1312@gmail.com and I will try to help sort things out.
Laina Has Too Much Spare Time may contain content that is not appropriate for children under 13 as it is not directed to children under 13.
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This blog contains links to other sites. I am not responsible for the content or privacy practices of other sites, which may be different from mine.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
In My Mailbox
(This is In My Mailbox 21, by the way.)
In My Mailbox is brought to us by The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea.
So I went to the city last weekend with my aunt and while we were in Walmart, I picked up a couple books.
Thirst No. 2 by Christopher Pike - Paperback
What Alisa has desired for five thousand years has finally come true: She is once again human. But now she is defenseless, vulnerable, and, for the first time in centuries, emotional. As she attempts to reconcile her actions as a vampire with her new connection to humanity, she begins to understand the weight of life-and-death decisions. Can Alisa resolve her past and build a new identity, or is she doomed to repeat her fatal mistakes?
(Summary from goodreads.)
I've actually read these, a long long long time ago, and quite liked them. I think I missed a couple of the books, though, because they were hard to find around here, so... I bought it. Plus I love the covers of these (I own the other one) and my mom likes them, too.
Dark Visions by L. J. Smith - Paperback
Kaitlyn Fairchild has always felt like an outsider in her small hometown. Her haunting eyes and prophetic drawings have earned her a reputation as a witch. But Kait's not a witch: She's a psychic. Tired of being shunned, Kait accepts an invitation to attend the Zetes Institute, where she can have a fresh start and study with other psychic teens.
Learning to hone her abilities with four other gifted students, Kait discovers the intensity of her power -- and the joy of having true friends. But those friendships quickly become complicated when Kait finds herself torn between two irresistible guys. Rob is kind and athletic, and heals people with his good energy. Gabriel is aggressive and mysterious, a telepath concealing his true nature as a psychic vampire, feeding off of others' life energy. Together, Rob and Gabriel's opposing forces threaten the group's stability.
Then one of the experiments traps the five teens in a psychic link. A link that threatens their sanity and their lives. And Kaitlyn must decide whom to trust...and whom to love.
(Summary from amazon.)
I've read the first book of this series a dozen times. I actually own a copy with this cover. I've read it more times than I can count. I haven't read them in a long time, but I peeked at the first couple pages of the bindup and it seems like it's held up over time. And the second and third books are really hard to find around here.
Plus I just like the cover!
Shift by Rachel Vincent - Paperback
Being the first female werecat enforcer isn't easy. Scars accumulate, but I'm stronger in so many ways.
As for my personal life? It's complicated. Choices worth making always are. Ever since my brother's death and my father's impeachment, it's all I can do to prevent more blood from spilling. Now our Pride is under attack by a flight of vicious thunderbirds. And making peace with our new enemies may be the only way to get the best of our old foe.
With the body count rising and treachery everywhere, my instincts tell me to look before I leap. But sometimes a leap of faith is the only real option...
(Summary from goodreads.)
This one I got from the drugstore. I couldn't find any YA, but would you guys be interested in me giving this away? I've seen this series on a lot of YA blogs and so it seems like it has crossover appeal. Yes, no?
Okay, that's it for me for this week! And be on the lookout for good stuff from my next week.
Peace and cookies,
Laina
In My Mailbox is brought to us by The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea.
So I went to the city last weekend with my aunt and while we were in Walmart, I picked up a couple books.
Thirst No. 2 by Christopher Pike - Paperback
What Alisa has desired for five thousand years has finally come true: She is once again human. But now she is defenseless, vulnerable, and, for the first time in centuries, emotional. As she attempts to reconcile her actions as a vampire with her new connection to humanity, she begins to understand the weight of life-and-death decisions. Can Alisa resolve her past and build a new identity, or is she doomed to repeat her fatal mistakes?
(Summary from goodreads.)
I've actually read these, a long long long time ago, and quite liked them. I think I missed a couple of the books, though, because they were hard to find around here, so... I bought it. Plus I love the covers of these (I own the other one) and my mom likes them, too.
Dark Visions by L. J. Smith - Paperback
Kaitlyn Fairchild has always felt like an outsider in her small hometown. Her haunting eyes and prophetic drawings have earned her a reputation as a witch. But Kait's not a witch: She's a psychic. Tired of being shunned, Kait accepts an invitation to attend the Zetes Institute, where she can have a fresh start and study with other psychic teens.
Learning to hone her abilities with four other gifted students, Kait discovers the intensity of her power -- and the joy of having true friends. But those friendships quickly become complicated when Kait finds herself torn between two irresistible guys. Rob is kind and athletic, and heals people with his good energy. Gabriel is aggressive and mysterious, a telepath concealing his true nature as a psychic vampire, feeding off of others' life energy. Together, Rob and Gabriel's opposing forces threaten the group's stability.
Then one of the experiments traps the five teens in a psychic link. A link that threatens their sanity and their lives. And Kaitlyn must decide whom to trust...and whom to love.
(Summary from amazon.)
I've read the first book of this series a dozen times. I actually own a copy with this cover. I've read it more times than I can count. I haven't read them in a long time, but I peeked at the first couple pages of the bindup and it seems like it's held up over time. And the second and third books are really hard to find around here.
Plus I just like the cover!
Shift by Rachel Vincent - Paperback
Being the first female werecat enforcer isn't easy. Scars accumulate, but I'm stronger in so many ways.
As for my personal life? It's complicated. Choices worth making always are. Ever since my brother's death and my father's impeachment, it's all I can do to prevent more blood from spilling. Now our Pride is under attack by a flight of vicious thunderbirds. And making peace with our new enemies may be the only way to get the best of our old foe.
With the body count rising and treachery everywhere, my instincts tell me to look before I leap. But sometimes a leap of faith is the only real option...
(Summary from goodreads.)
This one I got from the drugstore. I couldn't find any YA, but would you guys be interested in me giving this away? I've seen this series on a lot of YA blogs and so it seems like it has crossover appeal. Yes, no?
Okay, that's it for me for this week! And be on the lookout for good stuff from my next week.
Peace and cookies,
Laina
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Survey time!
So I totally forgot about Waiting on Wednesday. Sorry :( But I promise I'll have one up bright and early next week!
I'd do it today, but I have something else for you guys to check out. I made a survey using google documents. It's going to be a bonus entry in a contest I have coming up soon, so make sure that you guys use the same name in the "Name/Nickname" spot as your blogger profile, or whatever name you happen to be commenting under or include your email address in the survey.
The only required question is the Name/Nickname one. All the others are optional, but I do ask that you answer at least three questions for this to count as an extra entry in my next contest, and Name and Email don't count.
I'm going to embedd it and link to it in case the embedding doesn't work. Thank you guys in advance for taking it!
Linkage.
Peace and cookies,
Laina
I'd do it today, but I have something else for you guys to check out. I made a survey using google documents. It's going to be a bonus entry in a contest I have coming up soon, so make sure that you guys use the same name in the "Name/Nickname" spot as your blogger profile, or whatever name you happen to be commenting under or include your email address in the survey.
The only required question is the Name/Nickname one. All the others are optional, but I do ask that you answer at least three questions for this to count as an extra entry in my next contest, and Name and Email don't count.
I'm going to embedd it and link to it in case the embedding doesn't work. Thank you guys in advance for taking it!
Linkage.
Peace and cookies,
Laina
Monday, March 8, 2010
In My Mailbox (20)
In My Mailbox is brought to us by The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea.
Wow, I haven't done one of these in ages. I haven't really gotten anything in a while. But I got a few things today and since it's only Monday, I figured I'll just do it today.
The first thing I got is a book that I'm not entirely sure how I got.
Mr Monster by Dan Wells - Paperback
From the author of I AM NOT A SERIAL KILLER... John Wayne Cleaver has always known he has a dark side but he's fought hard to oppress it and live a normal life - separating John from Mr Monster to survive. But after confronting and destroying the vicious killer that was terrorizing his town, his inner monster is getting stronger and harder to contain.
And now more bodies are being discovered...
With the police failing to catch Clayton County's second serial killer John is going to have to use his secret knowledge of the first demon-killer to trap the second...but will he be able to avoid suspicion falling on him, and, in the face of extreme horrors, will he be able to restrain Mr Monster?
(Summary from goodreads.)
I don't have the first one in this series, I Am Not a Serial Killer, but I can probably get it from the library. It sounds really really good and I'm glad I got it, but I'm just curious who sent it to me! I don't remember asking for it or getting asked to review it or entering a contest... mystery book! So to whoever sent it to me, thank you! You're awesome!
The next thing I got were these:
Aren't these beautiful? They're for the book The Dark Divine by Bree Dispain and I'm giving four of them away (one I get to keep). The contest will probably start in a few days, in partly as a celebration for getting 250 (4) followers.
Okay, now this is just fun stuff. Do you guys know what eyeslipsface is? If you follow me on Twitter (or if you use it yourself), you probably know that it's this makeup that I absolutely love. And I ordered a ton of it a couple weeks ago. Since it's eyeslipsface, I'm going to show it to you guys in that order. Okay?
Sorry if these pictures are a little blurry, my camera's not good. You can always check them out on the elf website. :)
The first four things are from the Sugar Kiss Line. The first two are these shimmer eye dusts. They're like glitter in a rolly tube. I have Dance and Ice Skate and they're really pretty and super pigmented. Those are 1.00 for each pack of two colours.
The next things are glitter eyeliners. They're clear liquid eyeliner with coloured shimmers. They're also 1.00 for each pack of two eyeliners.
The next thing is a liquid eyeshadow in Green Machine. This is a really pretty smoky grey colour and I like the liquid eyeshadows. You just have to know how to apply them. That was a dollar.
Next is a mineral infused mascara from the Studio line in black and it was three dollars. I haven't tried it, but I've heard good things about it.
The next thing in this picture is an eye widener, which is white, and it was a dollar, and two eyeliners in midnight and plum (blue and purple) that were both a dollar each.
(That's the same pencil as the last picture.) I bought two liquid eyeliners in plum and midnight, for a dollar each.
The next four things are cream eyeshadow duos, which are (getting the trend here?) each a dollar. I got sugar cookie which is shimmer gold and shimmery pink, black liqourice which is black and silver-grey, berry mix which is light purple and darker purple, and olive which is green and a pretty golden brown colour. I also got a powder duo in olive 'cause I like green eyeshadows, also a dollar. I own most of the duos between this order and my last one.
I bought nine of the quads for a dollar each because I really like how many colours you can get in one little package and I think they're really well pigmented and pretty. I own a fair amount of these too, except really for the browns because I don't ever wear brown eyeshadow.
These are all the lips things I got. I got a pack of Sugar Kiss lipliners in Natural for a dollar and a regular elf lipliner in Natural Blush because I don't really own lipliners.
Then there are four Super Gloss Lip Shine SPF15's in Goddess, Candlelight, Watermelon, and Honey Do. Do not trust the colours in this picture, it went weird. These smell so good. The website says the scent is grape vanilla and it smells so yummy. All of these are a buck.
Oh, and I got five lip balms because I love them and so does my mom. I got vanilla and orange for my mom and vanilla, orange, and strawberry for myself. They're only a dollar, but they're incredible. The only flavours I've tried are orange and blackberry, though.
Here I have a concealor stick that was three bucks in Ivory and two healthy glow bronzers in Sun Kissed and Luminance. I don't normally use bronzers because they look muddy on my skin, but these are really pretty and I've heard great things about Luminance. Each a dollar.
I also got a clarifying pressed powder in Ivory, four all over colour sticks in Lilac Petal, Spotlight, Golden Peach, and Pink Lemonade, a liquid concealer in Ivory, and a tinted moisturizer in Ivory. All of those smell like oranges and it's really really yummy. And, yes, they were a buck.
Last picture:
The first two things are mini pedicure sets from the Sugar Kiss line. They're each 2 dollars and I got them in Heart Jules (though the package says Heart Josh. It's a light green and dark green sparkles) and Heart You (lighter blue and dark blue sparkles).
The next three things are the elf professional line brushes. A foundation brush, and eyeshadow brush, and a lipbrush because I use my other for eyeshadow and I have a lip tin I want to use this one for. Those are each a dollar.
The last thing is a powder brush from the Studio line. That's 3 dollars and it feels like velvet. It's so so so so so soft.
Okay, that's it!! If you're wondering, I spent about 65 dollars on all this. 15 of it was shipping, though. I personally spent 15 and my mom covered the shipping and the rest. Not bad, hey?
So you probably don't care about all that. But it was fun :D
Keep an eye out for a contest soon!
Peace and cookies,
Laina
Wow, I haven't done one of these in ages. I haven't really gotten anything in a while. But I got a few things today and since it's only Monday, I figured I'll just do it today.
The first thing I got is a book that I'm not entirely sure how I got.
Mr Monster by Dan Wells - Paperback
From the author of I AM NOT A SERIAL KILLER... John Wayne Cleaver has always known he has a dark side but he's fought hard to oppress it and live a normal life - separating John from Mr Monster to survive. But after confronting and destroying the vicious killer that was terrorizing his town, his inner monster is getting stronger and harder to contain.
And now more bodies are being discovered...
With the police failing to catch Clayton County's second serial killer John is going to have to use his secret knowledge of the first demon-killer to trap the second...but will he be able to avoid suspicion falling on him, and, in the face of extreme horrors, will he be able to restrain Mr Monster?
(Summary from goodreads.)
I don't have the first one in this series, I Am Not a Serial Killer, but I can probably get it from the library. It sounds really really good and I'm glad I got it, but I'm just curious who sent it to me! I don't remember asking for it or getting asked to review it or entering a contest... mystery book! So to whoever sent it to me, thank you! You're awesome!
The next thing I got were these:
Aren't these beautiful? They're for the book The Dark Divine by Bree Dispain and I'm giving four of them away (one I get to keep). The contest will probably start in a few days, in partly as a celebration for getting 250 (4) followers.
Okay, now this is just fun stuff. Do you guys know what eyeslipsface is? If you follow me on Twitter (or if you use it yourself), you probably know that it's this makeup that I absolutely love. And I ordered a ton of it a couple weeks ago. Since it's eyeslipsface, I'm going to show it to you guys in that order. Okay?
Sorry if these pictures are a little blurry, my camera's not good. You can always check them out on the elf website. :)
The first four things are from the Sugar Kiss Line. The first two are these shimmer eye dusts. They're like glitter in a rolly tube. I have Dance and Ice Skate and they're really pretty and super pigmented. Those are 1.00 for each pack of two colours.
The next things are glitter eyeliners. They're clear liquid eyeliner with coloured shimmers. They're also 1.00 for each pack of two eyeliners.
The next thing is a liquid eyeshadow in Green Machine. This is a really pretty smoky grey colour and I like the liquid eyeshadows. You just have to know how to apply them. That was a dollar.
Next is a mineral infused mascara from the Studio line in black and it was three dollars. I haven't tried it, but I've heard good things about it.
The next thing in this picture is an eye widener, which is white, and it was a dollar, and two eyeliners in midnight and plum (blue and purple) that were both a dollar each.
(That's the same pencil as the last picture.) I bought two liquid eyeliners in plum and midnight, for a dollar each.
The next four things are cream eyeshadow duos, which are (getting the trend here?) each a dollar. I got sugar cookie which is shimmer gold and shimmery pink, black liqourice which is black and silver-grey, berry mix which is light purple and darker purple, and olive which is green and a pretty golden brown colour. I also got a powder duo in olive 'cause I like green eyeshadows, also a dollar. I own most of the duos between this order and my last one.
I bought nine of the quads for a dollar each because I really like how many colours you can get in one little package and I think they're really well pigmented and pretty. I own a fair amount of these too, except really for the browns because I don't ever wear brown eyeshadow.
These are all the lips things I got. I got a pack of Sugar Kiss lipliners in Natural for a dollar and a regular elf lipliner in Natural Blush because I don't really own lipliners.
Then there are four Super Gloss Lip Shine SPF15's in Goddess, Candlelight, Watermelon, and Honey Do. Do not trust the colours in this picture, it went weird. These smell so good. The website says the scent is grape vanilla and it smells so yummy. All of these are a buck.
Oh, and I got five lip balms because I love them and so does my mom. I got vanilla and orange for my mom and vanilla, orange, and strawberry for myself. They're only a dollar, but they're incredible. The only flavours I've tried are orange and blackberry, though.
Here I have a concealor stick that was three bucks in Ivory and two healthy glow bronzers in Sun Kissed and Luminance. I don't normally use bronzers because they look muddy on my skin, but these are really pretty and I've heard great things about Luminance. Each a dollar.
I also got a clarifying pressed powder in Ivory, four all over colour sticks in Lilac Petal, Spotlight, Golden Peach, and Pink Lemonade, a liquid concealer in Ivory, and a tinted moisturizer in Ivory. All of those smell like oranges and it's really really yummy. And, yes, they were a buck.
Last picture:
The first two things are mini pedicure sets from the Sugar Kiss line. They're each 2 dollars and I got them in Heart Jules (though the package says Heart Josh. It's a light green and dark green sparkles) and Heart You (lighter blue and dark blue sparkles).
The next three things are the elf professional line brushes. A foundation brush, and eyeshadow brush, and a lipbrush because I use my other for eyeshadow and I have a lip tin I want to use this one for. Those are each a dollar.
The last thing is a powder brush from the Studio line. That's 3 dollars and it feels like velvet. It's so so so so so soft.
Okay, that's it!! If you're wondering, I spent about 65 dollars on all this. 15 of it was shipping, though. I personally spent 15 and my mom covered the shipping and the rest. Not bad, hey?
So you probably don't care about all that. But it was fun :D
Keep an eye out for a contest soon!
Peace and cookies,
Laina
Friday, March 5, 2010
Fun Friday: Give Me Something to Sing About (28)
Fun Friday: Give me something to sing about! is where you guys get to see a song or two I like or that I want to talk about each week. Thanks as always goes to J.J. at Random Musings for help with the title.
Here's a song I just discovered, but I really like. Lately, I've been really into girl power-esque music. Anyways, this one is called Break You by Marion Raven.
So, what do you guys think?
Peace and cookies,
Laina
Here's a song I just discovered, but I really like. Lately, I've been really into girl power-esque music. Anyways, this one is called Break You by Marion Raven.
So, what do you guys think?
Peace and cookies,
Laina
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Waiting on Wednesday (36)
Waiting on Wednesday is, of course, brought to us by the lovely Jill at Breaking the Spine.
It's still Wednesday! And it's only 4pm, that's not that late. I've been doing a lot of stuff for work all day. So I know it's been a little dead around here lately, but I'm working on that picture book features and hoping to get a couple reviews up soon.
Anyways, on to the waiting! My first book this week is:
Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon - Release date June 1st, 2010 (Canada day!)
At 14, Nick Gautier is an average kid who runs with the wrong crowd. But on the night he decides to go straight and refuses to mug an innocent tourist, his crew turns on him and just as he thinks his life is over... a new one begins.
Kyrian of Thrace isn't just a vampire slayer, he's a Dark-Hunter and he introduces Nick to a world that he never imagined.
With new enemies who make his old ones look like wimps, Nick must either measure up or get sized for a body bag. It's kill or be killed and this kid who was born on the wrong side finds a strength inside him that he never knew existed.
Now if he can only find someone to help battle the demons that don't reside inside him.
(Summary from goodreads.)
Why I want it: Sherrilyn Kenyon has a lot of romance novels and I haven't read many of them, but I've read a couple and a couple short stories of hers and I quite liked them, so this interests me. Plus the shades of blue on the cover are just gorgeous to me.
And my other pick is:
The Forbidden Sea by Sheila A. Nielson - Release date July 1st, 2010
When, one stormy night, a mermaid comes to take Adrianne Keynnman’s sister, Cecily, down into the depths of the sea, Adrianne knows she must fight with every ounce of her strength to protect her little sister. On land, Adrianne toils away, trying to eke out a living for her mother, sister, and aunt, after a tragic accident stole her father. Now, life takes a strange and frightening turn as Adrianne’s dreams are filled with the mermaid’s singing...
(Summary from goodreads.)
Why I want this: Dude. One word. Mermaid.
Okay, I think that's it for me for this week!
Peace and cookies,
Laina
It's still Wednesday! And it's only 4pm, that's not that late. I've been doing a lot of stuff for work all day. So I know it's been a little dead around here lately, but I'm working on that picture book features and hoping to get a couple reviews up soon.
Anyways, on to the waiting! My first book this week is:
Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon - Release date June 1st, 2010 (Canada day!)
At 14, Nick Gautier is an average kid who runs with the wrong crowd. But on the night he decides to go straight and refuses to mug an innocent tourist, his crew turns on him and just as he thinks his life is over... a new one begins.
Kyrian of Thrace isn't just a vampire slayer, he's a Dark-Hunter and he introduces Nick to a world that he never imagined.
With new enemies who make his old ones look like wimps, Nick must either measure up or get sized for a body bag. It's kill or be killed and this kid who was born on the wrong side finds a strength inside him that he never knew existed.
Now if he can only find someone to help battle the demons that don't reside inside him.
(Summary from goodreads.)
Why I want it: Sherrilyn Kenyon has a lot of romance novels and I haven't read many of them, but I've read a couple and a couple short stories of hers and I quite liked them, so this interests me. Plus the shades of blue on the cover are just gorgeous to me.
And my other pick is:
The Forbidden Sea by Sheila A. Nielson - Release date July 1st, 2010
When, one stormy night, a mermaid comes to take Adrianne Keynnman’s sister, Cecily, down into the depths of the sea, Adrianne knows she must fight with every ounce of her strength to protect her little sister. On land, Adrianne toils away, trying to eke out a living for her mother, sister, and aunt, after a tragic accident stole her father. Now, life takes a strange and frightening turn as Adrianne’s dreams are filled with the mermaid’s singing...
(Summary from goodreads.)
Why I want this: Dude. One word. Mermaid.
Okay, I think that's it for me for this week!
Peace and cookies,
Laina
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