Everyone's a Winner! Late winner announcements and apologies

Hello Readers,

I want to start this post off with a big fat humongous "I'm sorry!" I haven't been able to blog for a while now, which happens and is not usually the end of the world, but in this case it meant that winners of two of my competitions were not announced, and this is totally unacceptable. I feel really bad for keeping you waiting and, for that reason, I have decided that it is my responsibility to make it up to you.

So, instead of choosing one winner for my Department 19 competition, and my Feeling Sorry for Celia giveaway, I have decided to award a prize to anyone who has entered, just for the fact that you've waited a while for your prize.

Guest Post: Department 19 by Will Hill + Competition

Possibly one of the biggest fans of Will Hill and Department 19, KamzKool is a young school-aged blogger and motoring fanatic. Will Hill's novel instantly captured him, and his super-fan-status was sealed when he was able to attend the secret event to celebrate the second book in the series, The Rising.  KamzKool has been kind enough to share on EBT a few words on his favourite book and the event he loved so much. Also there's a competition at the end to WIN YOUR OWN COPY!

Review: Feeling Sorry for Celia by Jaclyn Moriarty + Giveaway

Feeling Sorry for Celia
Author: Jaclyn Moriarty
Published by Macmillan Children's Books, Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 9780330397254 (2010 Paperback Edition)

Visit Jaclyn Moriarty's Website
Feeling Sorry for Celia on the Pan Macmillan website

"Dear Ms Clarry,
It has come to our attention that you are incredibly bad at being a teenager.
Yours sincerely,
The Association of Teenagers"


It isn't just the story, but also is the pleasure of reading this book due to how it was written, that makes this book wonderful. So wonderful, in fact, that I want to share it with you and have included a giveaway at the end of this review.

Feeling Sorry for Celia is a beautiful story about being a teenager, looking at friendship, family, love and school life. It is fun to read, for the most part non-judgemental, and most of all it shows that real life and real people are just not perfect. It was a real pleasure to read: funny, heart-warming and very honest. I think many people will recognise some part of their teenage self in this book and its characters.

Shelf Clearance: YA Giveaway

This competition is now closed and the winner has been announced at the bottom of this post.

If you're reading this, it hopefully means that you have seen my blog post all about my shelf clearance mission in an attempt to bring back some sanity to my life. If you haven't read it yet and are interested, then head over to my article Shelf Clearance, Kindle and Giveaways, but if you just want to win some stuff and don't really care why, keep reading.

I have this bundle of books to give away, which includes Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shephard, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephanie Meyer (both published by Atom), Bite Club by Rachel Caine (published by Alison and Busby), The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff, and Raising Demons by Rachel Hawkins (both published by Simon and Schuster UK):

Shelf Clearance, Kindle and Giveaways

I have so little space (well none actually) for my many books that even I am going crazy because of it. The fact is, at this rate, I'll never get to read all the books that I have because it will take me too many years to unearth them from all the boxes, storage trunks (I wish I was kidding) and bookshelves around my house. Also, I may have to substitute furniture in my room for boxes and trunks of books if I do not find a solution soon (I reckon the bed will be first to go - storage trunks with a mattress on top will do the job just fine). I know many of you are thinking 'you can never have too many books', and I agree, as would my Mum. Or at least she would have agreed until I started to transform myself into a modern day Don Quijote (or should that be Doña Quijote in my case).

#Kindlestones: Amazon & Waterstones sign Kindle deal

So, the main news of the day is that Waterstones has signed a deal with Amazon to sell Kindle ebooks through its store. I kid you not. You can read about it for yourself on the Bookseller or watch James Daunt making the announcement on this YouTube video:

There have been many mixed reactions in the publishing world and beyond, but overall there has been a lot of confusion. I stand amongst the confused, and the reason for that is partly due to an article posted only yesterday on the Guardian website which finishes up with '"We'll be different from Amazon," he [Daunt] says, with characteristic ebullience, "and we'll be better."' Furthermore, Daunt is the last person I would have imagined making a deal with Amazon.

Now, I am no expert in ereaders or the digital revolution; though I am passionate about it, I know there is so much for me to learn and understand. But that is the whole point: the majority of readers are probably equally, or even more, ignorant of the detailed mechanics and politics of the digital reading revolution, and many probably don't particularly care – they simply want good books at a good price. As far as many are concerned, Amazon is a force not to be competed with, and it is the best company because it is so cheap, and many of them will be happy with this new partnership. On the other hand, there is a significant body of readers who do not want to be tied to Amazon, who have other e-readers, and who are desperate for those other e-readers to be given a fair chance - I know this for a fact because I have come across them.

Whitney Houston Songs on Love, Hope and Friendship

This morning we heard the sad news that Whitney Houston passed away. There are, and will be, many articles, posts and reports about the person Whitney Houston was, her life and her death.  I am not going to do that here. The truth is that, like most of us, I did not know her personally, I never met her, and most of what I knew about her personal life came from the media, which always has an agenda. I will respect her memory by commenting on that side of Whitney that she did happily, publicly, constantly share with us - her music - for that is the only part of her that I can truly claim any knowledge or connection with, and I believe that is what she wished to be remembered for.

For me, what I remember most about Whitney Houston's career is not just her amazing voice - a great loss in a time where such an incredible vocal ability seems to have become a rarity and a lower priority in the music industry - but also what the lyrics of her songs had to say about love, friendship and hope. I know we are two days away from Valentine's Day, but I do not mean just romantic love, but love as a much greater force, one that can be platonic, and that one should have for oneself and for mankind, a love that, if you are at all spiritual or religious, you may hold for a Higher Force  - be it Mother Nature, God, or the Universal Spirit.

Below I have selected some Whitney Houston's songs that were most precious to me on the topics of love, friendship and faith. I hope you remember them or, if you were never familiar with her music, that these will give you a little insight into what she did and possibly who she was. I would love to hear your memories of any of these, or your general thoughts on them. If anyone came to this page looking to find out about her life, or death, then this is as honest a depiction that I believe I can give for a woman who I did not know, but did listen to, did learn from and was influenced by. This is the way I wish to remember Whitney Houston, and I hope you will share these memories with me.

Burns' Night 2012

It is 25th January 2012, marking the annual celebration of the life and birth of Scotland's National Poet, the lyrically brilliant word-smith Robert Burns.

Although I am not Scottish, like many Brits and people all over the world, I do have an extremely high regard for the poetry of Robert Burns. It is hard to pinpoint exactly what I love about Burns' work, seeing as it is something I have enjoyed since I was young, and never had to really analyse. One of my favourite aspects is his great command of rhythm, the lyrical nature of his work, alongside the use of Scottish dialect - which is why one of the best ways to enjoy his work is to listen to it recited. 

One of my all time favourite poems, and one of, if not the first, poem I ever memorised was My Love Is Like A Red, Red Rose. I cannot describe how much I love this poem. For last year's Burns' Night I posted My Love Is Like A Red Red Rose, and this year I decided to treat you to some of my other favourite poems from Burns. Enjoy!

John Anderson My Jo

John Anderson my jo, John,

When we were first acquent;

Your locks were like the raven,

Your bony brow was brent;

But now your brow is beld, John, 

Your locks are like the snaw;

But blessings on your frosty pow,

John Anderson my Jo.

John Anderson my jo, John,

We clamb the hill the gither;

And mony a canty day, John,

We've had wi' ane anither:

Now we maun totter down, John,

And hand in hand we'll go;

And sleep the gither at the foot,

John Anderson my Jo.

The Eclectic Bookshelf's 2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge

Last year I began to read a lot more Young Adult fiction and enjoyed a number of brilliant titles and series, including Michelle Harrison's 13 series published by Simon and Schuster UK, Hayley Long's Lottie Biggs series and Amy Kathleen Ryan's Glow, published by Macmillan. This year I wanted to keep that going and get through some of the YA titles on my shelves, as well as some of the exciting new titles coming out this year.

I needed a challenge that was not too specific about the type of YA and would be good for non-expert YA bloggers like me (I have seen such accomplished YA blogs!). Then I found The Eclectic Bookshelf's 2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge. There are four levels:

1. The Mini YA Reading Challenge – Read 12 Young Adult novels.
2. The "Fun Size" YA Reading Challenge – Read 20 Young Adult novels.
3. The Jumbo Size YA Reading Challenge – Read 40 Young Adult novels.
4. The Mega size YA Reading Challenge – Read 50+ Young Adult novels.

I will be taking the "Fun Size" Challenge. While I am being cautious about not overstretching myself with reading challenges this year, as I wish to focus on my blog and on maintaining the "fun" element of blogging and reading, I have decided that 20 YA novels, based on my shelves and some of the titles publishing this year, is manageable. Also, as I have made a target of 50 blog book reviews at least this year, and have dedicated almost half to another challenge, this will help me almost complete the other half.

Book Chick City Mystery and Suspense Reading Challenge: Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012

Last year I took part in the Book Chick City Mystery and Suspense Reading Challenge, which involved reading 12 mystery and suspense novels during the year. I was far too smug about how achievable I thought this would be for me, given that I mostly read crime fiction at the time. However, I only read 9 books that I counted as falling under that category (I suppose if you include YA books like The 13 Trilogy by Michelle Harrison, then I actually did reach my target, but I think it is a good lesson for me to be harder on myself.)

I don't think I entered into my challenges with the right frame of my mind last year - I took on too many and I sucked the fun out of it. Also, I lost sight of my main objective - improving and engaging more with my blog. This year and am being more cautious about challenges, but I am definitely entering this challenge again, because I do love mystery and suspense, and I know that with the right frame of mind this challenge will be fun for me.

So, the Mystery and Suspense Reading Challenge 2012 is slightly different as there are now two levels; one can choose to read either 12 or 24 mystery and suspense novels between 01 January and 31st December 2012. I am going for 24 novels. I have set myself a target of reviewing on my blog 50 books this year, and it seems more than likely that at least half of those will be crime fiction, so 24 seemed a reasonable enough number. Fingers crossed, this time round I can do it. I feel a lot more positive after reflecting on last year's challenges and I think this challenge is so right for me. I am really looking forward to it, and not being too over-confident, while at the same time determined to have fun and keep the focus where it ought to be - on my blog (and getting through my TBR shelves).