Monday, December 1, 2008

Celebrating the 200th Post!!!

This is my 200th post!!!!

How exciting! When I started this blog back in May, I had no idea it would be so much fun! I have enjoyed sharing my thoughts about books, learned about so many other books that I never would have picked up but now are tops on my list, and have made some new friends! Yea Me! LOL

To celebrate, I am having a giveaway! I will be giving away a $10 gift card for Borders bookstore!

I am also giving away three of my latest reads. Each book will go to a different winner. The books are (with links to my reviews): Blackbird, Farewell by Robert Greer; The Brass Verdict by Michael Connolly; and Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell. If I have over one hundred entries for the giveaway, I will be adding another $10 gift card! That means there could be up to five winners!

To enter:
Today is the beginning of December and, for many, the beginning of the Christmas season. To enter, you need leave a comment* about the traditions your family follows during this season. Do you have specific foods to eat, gifts that get passed all over the family, a cookie swap with friends, or what?

Other rules:
- If you don't answer my traditions question, your comment will be deleted and you will not be entered.
- Please let me know which book you prefer to win. If it's all three, say that too.
- Please include your email address within one click of your comment. That means either include it in your comment or make sure it's on your Blogger profile. If I can't find you, you won't win.
- If you blog about my giveaway, you will earn two more chances to win. But you must put that in a separate comment so it's easy to remember and count.
- This giveaway is not restricted geographically. However, no matter where you are, I am shipping this as inexpensively as I can. In the US or Canada, that's not a big deal, but outside of that, it may be awhile depending on the method the postal service uses.

The contest ends on Tuesday, December 8th at 11pm EST. I will be posting the winners on Wednesday, December 9th.





*If you don't know how to leave a comment, email me at mawshimp at gmail dot com, replacing 'at' with @ and 'dot' with . and eliminating the spaces. I will send you directions on how to leave a comment.

36 comments:

Re said...

Great giveaway - i'd like to be entered for the one YOU would choose as the best book -i like surprises :)

Traditionally around this time of year, the family sits around eating homemade tea cakes and donuts and play the "what if" and "i wish" game on saturdays. Its a great time to just bond with the family without any judgements and get lost in the 'wish' or 'what if' scenario each family member has. Its great fun :)

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on your 200th post! We always get a name from an angel tree and we always try to make it a male about the same age as our son. He's 21 now, but when he was younger we felt it meant more for him to shop for someone similar to him. I'd like to be entered to win The Brass Verdict. Thanks! milou2ster(at)gmail.com

jessi said...

Congratulations on your 200th post! I'd like to be entered, but I don't have a book preference - they all sound interesting.

My family's tradition is having a cookie swap with some of my mom's friends. We usually go to a nice restaurant, exchange ornaments, and then everyone shares the different cookies they've created. We all come with Tupperware containers full of cookies we've baked, and leave with our containers full of cookies baked by others. It's a yummy tradition. :)

Ang said...

Congratulations! I love your blog.

Traditions - we always go over to my sister's house on Xmas eve night and exchange gifts w/in the family. We have dinner, unwrap gifts and then usually play a game.

As for which book - you choose! :)

Shana said...

CONGRATULATIONS, Michele!!!

No need to enter me in the contest - I'm swamped and trying desperately to catch up. They look like great books though!

Shana
Literarily

Anonymous said...

I love to read and all three of these books look great! I'd love to win them! All three!

windycindy said...

Hello, I would be a happy camper with any of the 3 books! We try to make both sides of our families happy, but not be too stressed. On Christmas Eve, we either meet at our home or my sister's after the candle light service. We have snacks and play family games. On Christmas morning, we head to my in-laws for opening gifts and breakfast! Then, for dinner, we go to my sister's for a traditional Christmas meal and open gifts there. Our family opens our gifts on Christmas morning before going to my in-laws. Please enter me in your delightful book drawing. Many thanks, Cindi
jchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com

Lenore Appelhans said...

Congrats! I'm on post 270 myself :)

We always celebrate with my grandmother on the 24th and then have christmas dinner on the 25th. We usually drive around to look at the christmas lights people put up too.

I'd prefer Beat the Reaper.

Cristina Alves said...

Well, there's no special tradition - we normally travel in order to gather all the family and we eat octopus or cod fish for dinner. Then we'll wait almost until midnight and start opening the gifts.

I would prefer to win Beat the reaper or Brass Verdict.

My email address is acrisalves AT gmail DOT com.


Thanks !

Cristina Alves said...

Oh
I blogged about your giveaway in here
http://acrisalves.blogspot.com/2008/12/one-more-giveaway.html

Thanks !

Susan Helene Gottfried said...

No need to enter me, my friend. I'm just dropping in to say I've got this posted at Win a Book. Apologies for the delay getting to your e-maill; it's been a saga. To say the least.

darbyscloset said...

Family tradition during December is that we all meet at my Mom and Dads house Christmas morning for Christmas Breakfast which among other things always includes "monkey bread". After Christmas we open our gifts.
I would like the "Blackbird Farewell" book or "Beat the Reaper". Of course I'd love a gift card!!!
Congrat on your 200th post!!!!
Darby
darbyscloset at yahoo dot com

a real librarian said...

Congratulations on your 200th post!!! I'd love to be entered for whichever book you think is best!!

We always used to have Christmas Eve at my Grandma's place, and Christmas Day at my mom's. Now, things are different, because both my brother and I have to split time with our in-laws.

Thanks for the giveaway!
areallibrarian[at]gmail[dot]com

Alyce said...

Congrats on the 200th post!

We have a few family traditions (like spending two days making Christmas cookies, decorating them and then collapsing in a heap) but my favorite is simply decorating the inside of the house while listening to Elvis Christmas music.

My order of preference would be:
1. Brass Verdict
2. Blackbird Farewell

Thanks!
akreese (at) hotmail (dot) com

Dina said...

Woohoo, congrats on your 200h post!!

Traditions here are only to spend some time together eiother Chrsitmas eve or day, for personal reasons, that is all that is needed for me, so see my little grandkis faces light up. I also cook even if it's for me only.

Any book is grat.

Thank you,
Dina

dlsmilad(at)yahoo(dot)com

Alyce said...

I blogged about it here:

http://athomewithbooks.blogspot.com/2008/12/weekly-giveaway-roundup.html

Michele said...

Great giveaway! And congratulations on your 200th post!

Our little family tradition each Christmas includes one evening set aside to go see the local holiday decorations in a nieghborhood called "Winter Haven"...followed by hot chocolate and cookies. Then we also set aside another night to go up to Mesa to see the Temple lights.

P.S. I love the name of your blog! I'm a one "l" Michele too!

Anonymous said...

Congrats on your 200th post! I'd like to win Brass Verdict — I've never read any of his books, but it sounds like something I might like.

We always give a special gift to causes we feel are important, as a way to help remember that it's not all about us.

WordLily AT gmail

Anonymous said...

Congrats on your 200th post! I'd like to win Brass Verdict — I've never read any of his books, but it sounds like something I might like.

We always give a special gift to causes we feel are important, as a way to help remember that it's not all about us.

WordLily AT gmail

Linda said...

Congratulations, Michele! Eight or nine years ago I created a "wild goose chase" for my grandchildren, hiding clues around the house to lead them to a gift that was too large and bulky to easily wrap. They had such fun doing that, that it has become a Christmas Eve tradition, even before we eat.
I would love to read Brass Verdict.
Thanks. lcbrower40 at gmail dot com

Alicia said...

Please enter me :0) and congratulations on your 200th post!

Well this year we are starting a new tradition of a Christmas Eve dip dinner, where my mom, sister and I will just have dips (buffalo wing dip, dill dip, crab dip, etc) for dinner and we exchange presents with just us. Then on Christmas we always go watch my younger cousins open their presents from Santa and have a big family breakfast! Then we have a big family (same one) dinner at my grandparent's and do the gift exchange again. We also get together in Early December and make tons of Christmas cookies!

Anonymous said...

One of our traditions is the Jesse Tree. Each evening we read a Bible story and pin a picture representing that story to a felt tree we have hung on the wall.

I would love any of the books. Thanks for entering me.
djecse at yahoo dot com

Becca said...

My family doesn’t really have holiday traditions. When I was little every year we would pull out the old artificial tree that you put together branch by branch and it would take all day because for some reason it was impossible to get together. Now basically we just go to the Christmas Eve service and when we get home we open our gifts and by the time we are done it’s like one in the morning on Christmas day and we all go to bed. Neither of which is much of a tradition. I’m afraid we are rather boring.

My pick would be Beat the Reaper. Thanks
rebecca.bradeen(at)verizon(dot)net

asdfjkl; said...

Congrats! :)

Please enter me for:
1. Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell

emailthebookworm(at)yahoo(dot)com

Sheri S. said...

Congrats on your 200th post! I'd love to be entered to win The Brass Verdict by Michael Connolly.

My holiday tradition is gathering around to light the Hanukkah candles with my family and having contests to see who can sing holiday songs in the best voice and then in the worst one!

Thanks for the giveaway :)

Me... said...

All the books sound great, so I have no preference.

One of our traditions involves Christmas morning. Santa always brings some special waffle mix and hot chocolate. So, after we unwrap all the gifts, we head to the kitchen and cook the waffles together. Then that night we sit around and sip on the hot chocolate.

Me... said...

And I forgot to leave my email addy:

daq_17 at hotmail dot com

I think it's on my blog too.

Shooting Stars Mag said...

Are you allowed to enter for just the gift card? If not, no need to enter me then..don't want to take the books from anyone else!!

-Lauren
lauren51990 AT aol DOT com

Shooting Stars Mag said...

oh, and if i can enter...I blogged:

http://shootingstarsmag.blogspot.com/2008/12/linky-love.html

and if not, then you might get some more entries anyway! :)

-lauren
lauren51990 AT aol DOT com

OH, and Congrats!!!

Kristie said...

Congratulations on the 200th post! Isn't it amazing how quickly they come? I would like to be entered to win any of the books as they are all new to me authors!

My holiday traditions include putting the tree up right after Thanksgiving and as we do, discussing each ornament and remembering the special significance the ornament gives. It also signals the beginning of shopping, but not for myself. I love buying gifts for others!

Each year, more and more traditions are beginning and I look forward to adding more.

mommyjen99 said...

Our tradition is to bundle the kids up (for the teenagers hehe) to go walk through the Christmas track of lights. Its just awesome. Now we have a new baby to start the tradition with!
jen62728@aol.com

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on the 200th post!

My family's traditions are not.. too traditional. We usually put up the Christmas tree really late... like a week before Christmas. But the whole family decorates it together. My sister and I would sleep in the family room every Christmas Eve with the Christmas tree waiting for Santa. And even though we no longer believe in Santa, it's a little tradition that we keep anyways. Also, we have family parties every year and since there are two sides to the family (mom and dad's), they always alternate it. So one party will be on Christmas Day, the other on Boxing Day.

Anyways, please enter me in the giveaway. Thank you.

-Carmen T
carmenalexistsang[at]gmail[dot]com

Anonymous said...

I also blogged about your contest here:
http://c-alexis.livejournal.com/30485.html

Thank you.

-Carmen T
carmenalexistsang[at]gmail[dot]com

tetewa said...

I always spend the Holidays at my moms. She makes a wonderful dinner and we open presents then we end the night by playing poker!

Anonymous said...

We have a tradition that the kids are allowed to open one gift on Christmas Eve. It's always pajamas and they know that but it doesn't damper their excitement one little bit. This way, everyone is wearing new pajamas for pictures on Christmas morning.
traymona[at]aol.com

The Giveaway Diva said...

wow great giveaway! the tradition is that everyone in the family gets to place the angel on the tree and light it up. So we each have our years and this year its mine!

i would love all the books! =)