Road Trip Wednesday

This Week's YA Highway Road Trip Topic:


Where do you buy most of your books? No one is judging!




I have to admit to being a scurge of the publishing industry since I get almost all of my personal reads/listens from the library, thrift stores and used bookstores (LOVE Half Price Books).

I do contribute extra in frequent late fees to the library (oops), but all this second-hand reading/listening does leave me at a disadvantage for new-release listens as a blogger. So...this year I broke down and joined Audible...which means I'm finally a direct personal monetary contributor to the industry I hope to become a part of :)

I do make up for this in gifts. At Christmas and birthdays, all of my neices and nephews get at least two books from us. My mother-in-law is also a reader and gets books from us as gifts.

I get most of the child gifts from Scholastic (LOVE Scholastic from my teaching days).

For my mother-in-law, a specific book for a child, or gift certificates, I go to Barnes & Noble. I also browse my warehouse store (BJ's) for periodic gift buys.

Oh, and Marshalls/T.J. Max is a surprising cheap resource for baby's board books (for showers and such).


What about you? What are your book-buying habits?

Up To My Ears In Gingerbread

To explain why I've been pretty much MIA again this week, I'm going to repost some pics from the Gingerbread party we had last year...the annual event I'm getting ready for this Saturday...only I'm not  even done rolling out the dough yet...eek!


BEFORE:



AFTER:

Okay...back to rolling out dough!

Hope everyone is having a fun holiday season!!!!

Debut Author Challenge #11

Sorry I was MIA last week...I had two sets of company come into town...one expected, one unexpected. Both welcome, of course, but I feel like I lost a week worth of doing all the things on my extra long holiday to-do list.

Anyway, the winners for my How Many Have You Read /Heard contest are: Meredith and Karla. I'll be sending out emails to them later today.

For anyone interested, Here's the link for the 2012 Debut Author Challenge.

BLOOD RED ROAD- Moira Young

Saba sets off into the unknown to save her twin brother who was taken from their isolated family farm by cloaked horsemen.


My eleventh debut book (an audiobook from the library) also ended up one of my favorite November listens. It surprised me, quite pleasantly. I'm not much for Western-style Historical or Dystopian books, but this one hooked me in from the beginning.

The mysterious bad boy love interest went a long way toward keeping me hooked, but the writer in me was impressed with how the author pulled off a flawed protag you still liked and wanted to root for.


What about you? Read this one? Any other debut favorites? 

How Many Have you Read/Heard Contest (My November Reads)

I had another great listening month, mostly YA.

I'm giving away this ARC and book:

(signed)



To win, let me know which of the following books you've read/listened to. You get one entry per book.

My November Listens:

I liked this one even more than Jellicoe Road...Melina Marchetta is amazing!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
Tigers that turn into hot guys...oh my.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
Love the edgy teen voice in this supernatiural series.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
Another supernatural author goes YA. And with zombie jocks...I always had my suspicions, but this book proves it :)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
A potential new were-couple with their own stories to tell adds interest to the ongoing Sam and Grace story.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
The second in this angel series answers more questions, leaving many more unanswered.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
A new YA series by the bestselling supernatural author based on Native American myths.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
Part thriller, part fantasy, part dytopian, this somewhat disturbing story has it all.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
One of my favorites this month. Paranormal boy fiction, complete with a talking head.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
A YA version of her MG book, The Kind of Friends We Used To Be. Good stuff about female friendships and change.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
Wild West style Dystopian. I don't normally like Wild West themes, but I loved this book.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Let me know which ones you've read or are currently reading. You get one entry per book. I'll announce winners this Friday morning.