Saturday, September 26, 2009

BBAW Giveaway Winner!!

A million thank you's to everyone who participated in this giveaway! I'm excited to help add a little boost to our economy, as well as offer support to local booksellers.

A great advantage to being in the book blogging industry is the free books we're able to score, but as we move towards the holiday shopping season, I want to encourage you to give the gift of books and become familiar with your local book retailer. I really do fear the loss of these local treasures.

Alright. I've probably beleaguered that point long enough now. ;-)

I took all of the entries, plugged them into Random.org's True Random Number Generator and was given #36, which makes Elizabeth of As Usual, I Need More Bookshelves the winner! Congratulations, Elizabeth!

Send me a confirmation email to onlinepublicist [AT] gmail [COM] by September 30 to claim your prize! If I do not hear from Elizabeth by then, I will choose another winner on October 1.

Thanks again and keep an eye on my blog for future giveaways, project announcements, and bookish queries!

Sunday, September 20, 2009

BBAW Giveaway!

**THIS CONTEST HAS NOW ENDED. THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ENTERED!!**

You know how much I love to give books away, so I could barely contain myself when it came to planning my BBAW giveaway! What I've come up with this time is super special: A family pack of books AND a gift certificate!

As book lovers, I often feel that we are part of a larger group of concerned citizens. We love our local independent book shops and do all we can to support them. I was blown away with how many people commented about the closing of Schwartz Book Shop, a family owned bookshop in my city, after 82 years in business. People from all over the world lamented the loss on Twitter. It was very touching. With that said, in addition to the four books in this giveaway, I will also be giving away a $25 gift certificate to a bookshop in your area! (Because of this, I will only be offering this giveaway to US residents. BUT, I also have an international giveaway that will be posting at the BBAW site. I will post the link once it is offered over there.)


Books in the bundle are:
German for Travelers: A Novel in 95 Lessons by Norah Labiner
Tanker War: America's First Conflict With Iran, 1987-1988 by Lee Allen Zatarain
Invisible Lines by Mary Amato (ARC)
Sammy & Sue Go Green Too! by Suzanne Corso

All you have to do is...subscribe to my feed, then post a comment that you did it. That's it! If you are currently a follower, just leave a comment that you would like to be entered in this giveaway.

Contest ends Friday, September 25 at 12am, Central time. I will use Random.org to choose the winner and will announce it on Monday, September 28. Winner must contact me (onlinepublicist [AT] gmail [DOT] com) by September 30, or the prize will go to the next person on the list. Once we make contact, we will choose a bookshop in your area and I will organize the purchase of the gift certificate for you there.
**Please note that I extended the dates of this giveaway from what they were originally.**

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful BBAW!

A Must for Kids!

**I am currently out of review copies for this title. Links for reviews of it can be found on the left sidebar.**

The Handy Answer Book for Kids (and Parents) 2nd Edition
by Gina Misiroglu
Published by Visible Ink Press (October 2009)
Paperback, 352 pages Reading level: Ages 9-12
--

Why do dogs bark?

Why is the sky blue?

Why?

Why.....?


Do you care for or have kids? Then chances are you've encountered the 'Why' query now and again. Maybe you know how tunnels are built, or how clouds float, but what if you don't?


Well, lucky for you there's
The Handy Answer Book for Kids (and Parents). This book has the answer to those and nearly 800 additional queries with enough depth and detail to both satisfy the curiosity of persistent young inquisitors and provide parents with a secure sense of a job well done.

Written with a child's imagination in mind, this easy-to-understand book permits kids to help themselves because it's organized by simple topical chapters: Outer Space; Planet Earth and Our Moon; Creatures Big and Small; Plant Life; People around the World; Politics and Government; How Things Work; Math, Measurement, and Time; All about My Body; and Daily Life.
This book invites parents/grandparents/caregivers to turn those uncertain opportunities into valuable one-on-one learning experiences.

Gina Misiroglu is a fourteen-year veteran of the West Coast publishing industry, specializing in the development and editing of popular culture, reference, and women's studies titles. Misiroglu has edited and developed hundreds of books in her publishing career for a number of presses, including Price Stern Sloan/HP Books, New World Library, Lowell House, Visible Ink Press, Macmillan Reference USA, and Adams Media Corporation. Misiroglu is the author of Girls Like Us: 40 Extraordinary Women Celebrate Girlhood in Story, Poetry, and Song (New World Library, 1999), winner of the New York Public Library's "Best Book for Teens" Award, and Imagine: The Spirit of Twentieth-Century American Heroes (New World Library, 1999).

--

To request a review copy for coverage on your online outlet, please email me at onlinepublicist [AT] gmail [DOT] com. Do not forget to include your URL and use 'Handy Answer Book' as the subject of the email. Mailing is available to US and Canadian addresses only.

--

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

BBAW '09, topic #2 (Blogger Q&A)

I signed up to trade an interview with a fellow blogger and was thrilled when I was paired up with someone who was new-to-me! So I scoped out her blog, nosed through some posts and came up with some questions. She was a real sport about it and came up with great responses.

I now give you, Kate, from
The Neverending Shelf:

1. You haven’t been blogging for very long. Were you a book blog follower before a blog writer? What was the first book blog you remember coming across?


Actually, I was not much of a blog follower before deciding to become a blog writer. I have been a reader for a long time, and so when I started to discover the blogging community it was like a light bulb went off. I just kept thinking-- this would be so much fun to do and I can do this. I did however, do a lot of research before I started my blog. I wanted to make sure I knew what I was getting into, and what was expected of me. I think that has helped me be a better blogger.


I think the first book blog I came across was The Story Siren's. I am not really sure how I ended up there, but I was just fascinated by her site. It is filled with a lot of information for the new blogger, as well as great links to other fabulous blogs.


2. Why do you not read non-fiction or memoirs/biographies?


While those types of books can be interesting, they are just not my cup of tea. I have tried to read this genre in the past, and I usually lose interest. But this is actually kind of strange since I love historical fiction so much.


3. If you were a character in a book, would you rather be a memorable bad girl, or an unremarkable good girl? I would definitely want to be a memorable bad girl. This would be something that is a bit out of the norm for me. So if I am going to be a character, I would love for it to be possibly my antithesis.

4. From your first Branching Out post: “My reading obsession began when I was about 10 with my mother's old romance novels.” I, too, began reading adult material at a young age (VC Andrews) and feel it was vital to my growth as a reader. Do you think your reading tastes would be different had you not been introduced to adult material at a young age? Would you prevent your children from reading outside of their age range?


Absolutely. I think that opportunity has helped fuel my passion for reading. It also set me up for advancements in reading and English courses. For example, I remember in about the 6th grade, we had to take reading level tests. When the results came, my parents and teachers were amazed that at my young age I was reading at college level. All in all, I honestly think that if I had not began actively reading at such a young age that I may not be the book lover I am today.

I would never stop my children from reading outside their age range as long as I believe that they are mature enough to read it. I was a very mature child which helped me handle reading about sexual interactions at such a young age. But I think that it is important for each parent to take into consideration their child's maturity in regards to what they read.


5. How do you deal with hissing cockroaches?


Very carefully. (Just kidding.) They are very easy to handle and care for. We basically got them as a food source for our centipedes, and sadly, before we knew it we probably had over 100 since they breed like crazy. Thankfully, we gave them to a local pet store since there were way too many.


6. If you were writing a book about your life, what would the title be?


Wow, this is hard. I am really bad about picking names. Let's go with- Just Another Step. Life is a journey and one step at a time.


7. You speak a lot about covers and how they make you feel. What would the cover to question #6 look like? What images would you want represented on it?


Maybe some artsy with shoes. I am getting this picture of shoe prints going down a sidewalk from a shoe that stepped in wet paint.


8. You’re hosting the Alice in Wonderland week on October. You said that The Looking Glass Wars is your favorite series. How do you feel that series reflects the intentions of the original work?


I think that it upholds Carroll's message very well. It is a wonderful series regarding the use of the imagination. It challenges the reader to think outside of the box similarly to Alice in Wonderland, and gives the reader a chance to think about their own reality. Scientists often think there are other worlds out there that have yet to be discovered, and Beddor kinda builds on this theory. He wants his readers to imagine that Alice (or Alyss) is actually a real person with her own universe.


9. If you could go as a book for Halloween, what would it be and how would you pull it off?


If it was trying to be an actual book, I think would find one that has something on the cover like a fairy or something supernatural. I would dress up as that character and try to make something go around me to make it look like a book. So it would be kinda like a two in one costume. Hope that makes sense.


10. What would be your dream job once you finish school and earn your BA in English?


If I am going to just stay with my BA, then I would love to find a job in publishing. I am great organizer, so I think it would be lots of fun to be a book promoter or maybe an agent. I am right now considering my Masters in Literary Science, so maybe I will actually end up in a library somewhere which would suit me fine.


--
Thanks again, Kate! Kate's blog, The Neverending Shelf is a pretty incredible book blog, so I highly suggest you check it out. Thanks to the BBAW organizers for pairing us up. :-)

Monday, September 14, 2009

BBAW '09, topic #1

Happy BBAW '09!

Without book bloggers, there would be no Online Publicist. I feel as though I send out general thank you's ad nauseam. I want every book blogger to individually feel loved and appreciated. I tend to steer clear of singling folks out because I truly could not do my work without every single one of you!


So, today's BBAW topic is 'What book blogs mean something to you?' My approach to this came about from some research I was doing last week. I pulled out an old file and thumbed through it, seeking inspiration for an unrelated project. As I dug through the file, I caught my breath. The materials date back to 2007. And there are folks on these lists that I still work with today! So, I would like to use this post to thank the people who took a chance on me back when I was a online book blogging publicist newbie. Back when I was throwing books at the virtual wall and waiting to see where they would stick. While they're not all book bloggers, they do include book reviews when the topic is right.


Heather at Errant Thoughts has been kind enough to review for me since 2007. Some books haven't work for her. Some have. But she's always been fair and honest in her thoughts.

Motherwise Cracks: hysterical posts on parenting and daily life by a great blogger who reviewed for me a long time ago, even though she's not a book blogger.

Julie Rains is one of my absolute favorite personal finance bloggers. She blogs at
Wise Bread. If you're ever looking for a great personal finance book, you can't go wrong using one of her recommendations.

Back in '07, I approached Jason Alba because his career management blog,
JibberJobber, was the perfect outlet for a business book I was working on. He was so impressed that I had read his posts before contacting him that he said he would speak of me at a conference he was putting together in order to help marketing and PR people understand the 'blogger.' His comment of, 'You're still the best PR person to work with,' still makes me feel warm and fuzzy. If you're ever looking for a book on career guidance, I highly recommend his titles.

Do you know any blogs that are not book specific, but still utilize reviews to support their content?

Friday, September 11, 2009

9/11 and today

I initially was not going to post anything 9/11 related today. I thought and thought and thought about it. I went through the 'this site is my site for book and business related materials' and that sort of made sense. I thought that I didn't want to be sad.

I've heard/read many people's encounters and memories from that day and feel mine are unremarkable in comparison. I wasn't in the City when it happened and didn't know anyone directly affected by it, so my story is like many others from that day: shock, glued to TV, WTF, crying, feeling lost, betrayed, and afraid, deep sorrow for those who lost people or were hurt in the attack.

I was living in NYC for a 2 of the 9/11 anniversaries and know that anything I say will not have anywhere near the power or impact of the stories, images, and public affection I saw on those occasions. The raw emotion that spilled out on the streets was absolutely incredible and awe inspiring. If only we could hug so freely on every other day of the year.

With that said, I would not like to commemorate this day with those dark images that haunt us. I would prefer to mark this day with images that remind me why September 11, 2001 hurt so deeply. Because our country is beautiful. Filled with beautiful people who are full of love and embrace the fundamentals this country was founded on: Freedom to live our lives.

Now go out and enjoy some America today. Because we can!

All images are from Visions of America by Joseph Sohm and are reprinted with the author's permission.


Thursday, September 10, 2009

Cry, cry again

I picked up a book of short stories the other day to read through while I had a few minutes to spare.

6 pages in. That's about as far as I got before the water works kicked in. It wasn't sobbing crying or the heaving kind. It was silent. Wet just spilled out, ran down my cheeks and dripped off my chin. I found myself obsessively blinking, hurrying the tears out, in order to continue reading.

The story had sad elements, but also profoundly happy, beautiful ones, too. What was it? It's not like I haven't wept while reading before, but this was different.

While reading Between Me and the River, I let out the sobbing, aching type of cry. That resulted from my connection with the author and my heartfelt sorrow for her experiences as a cancer patient. It's source was tangible and made sense to me. She was in pain, I felt that pain.

Why did this short story make me cry? What was the catalyst? I've been thinking about it a lot. The only conclusion I've come to is that it was one of the finest, poetic, most beautiful pieces of writing I have ever encountered.

Thanks to Bookfoolery for the recommendation and Simon Van Booy and his story, Love Begins in Winter, for knocking me off my feet.

Have you been deeply moved by a book or story recently?

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

BBAW voting!


The shortlists are up and voting has begun! Head on over and get your votes in for your favorite book blogs now: BBAW Voting Booth. Good luck to all who were shortlisted!

BBAW kicks off next week, so be sure to stop by and check out what I'm featuring that week. Giveaways, interviews, thank yous, and thoughts. Can't wait to see you here! :-)

Screw Cupid blog tour: August 24-September 4

Reviews, Interviews, and Giveaways for Screw Cupid were hosted by the following sites/bloggers:
August 24:
20-forty.com (review & giveaway)
August 25: lemondrop
August 26:
Perhaps Reviewed
August 28:
Suite 101 (review by Angie Rayfield)
August 31:
Violet Crush
September 1:
Urban Bachelorette
September 2:
Between the Sheets (review & interview)
September 3:
My Hobbies
September 4: Bad Girl's Guide

Screw Cupid: The Sassy Girl's Guide to Picking Up Hot Guys
by Samantha Scholfield
Publisher:
The Experiment
ISBN: 978-1615190003
Paperback, 240 pages, September 2009

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Book Art

I came across the work of artist Nicholas Jones while trolling around online. I was looking into library sculptures when I discovered his book art through this article. Isn't it beautiful? I can't even imagine the time it must have taken to make such a delicate looking cut in such a substantial piece of material. He cuts, folds, tears, and sews their pages and takes that which was previously discarded and delivers it, reborn, into the world. Some may not find the beauty in this work is worth the dissection of the books. The artist addresses that idea on his website: "Although sometimes iconised for their content or historical importance, more often than not, books are discarded as cultural detritus. These transformed books aim to highlight the poetic nature of the book as form."

He speaks very passionately about books and I feel his work evokes the beauty contained within them. Each page becomes a work of art. Every sentence offered a chance to shine. The pages working together again, telling a different story.

What do you think? Is it art or a travesty against written works?