Finished: Princess Diaries Series by Meg Cabot

Just finished the Princess Diaries Series the other day.

Before a couple of months ago I had never read the books. I enjoyed the movies, but never considered picking any of them up. Then I went to the library one day, and decided what the heck. I wanted to see what happened between Princess Mia (HRH Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldi, Queen of Genovia) and Nicholas Devereaux. I wasn't disappointed to find, that that wasn't the case. I discover that I like the characters in the book more than the ones portrayed in the film.

Okay, who doesn't like Anne Hathaway or Julie Andrews, but anyone who has read the books know how much more fun they are in the series. Grandmere is hilarious and so original. It was nice for her to have a little more grit. Mia, didn't differ much from the film. If it weren't for Anne, I probably wouldn't have liked her very much.

The series is now one of my favorites. Before it I had only read a few of Meg Cabot's books. I look forward to rereading them, so I can give the best possible reviews.

May Finally Get A Bike

I entered this today. It seems like this bike could come in handy. Maybe I'll get lucky and win it. If you go to the Madsen Cycles site you'll be able to learn how it works, and how to enter.

They have a few attachments; the bucket (shown in image), wooden flatboard, and taxi seats. I couldn't really find that much about it, but you might. The least expensive of the bikes is $1,099.

You have to spread the word. Bringing traffic to the site is your entry ticket. The contest ends on July 15, 2009. Winners will be randomly selected.

Affiliate Love Project

Are you involved in affiliate marketing, or interested? Why not give to charity while you're at it. When you sign up for affiliate networks through their site, they get a percentage of your commissions for life (on top of what you already are earning) that they donate to a different charity each month. According to the site, they don't earn a dime because they exist to help people. You don't have to sign up for any networks to donate, but if you would like to, go ahead. Also, they choose a different charity every month.

I'm thinking I might do it, but I'm not much of a salesperson. There's probably more to it than that, but I figure it deals with marketing.

Now, the part I'm really excited about-a contest-isn't that hard. You go over to the Affiliate Love Project site, and follow the instructions. You have to have a Twitter account, but by now, I'm sure you might already have one. There will be a random drawing, and the winner will receive a $250 Amazon Gift Card.

The Affiliate Love Project Contest - Ends Thursday, June 18, 2009 11:59pm PST

Just Found a Good Site Today

I use my GoodSearch toolbar almost everyday. Today I found a new site. At Better the World.com you earn points for charity for performing certain tasks. The only negative I have so far is that there is a limited selection of charities to donate to. Other than that it seems fine. My username is Kayvlntrsg.

Go ahead and Better the World .

Long-winded

I am extremely long-winded. It's a shame. I talk so freakin' much. That's a trait I find very unattractive, yet, I do it.

One year I had to deal with a teacher who worked my nerves. Her opinions seemed to be the only thing that mattered. She talked way too much. I could go on, but that was the past. At present I found a new giveaway.

The Pixel Boutique is having a really good, useful giveaway. The winner will receive a one year subscription to Carbonite, a completely automatic online backup system. So, if you never want to lose anything, well, almost anything again, enter.

I have to supply an anecdote. My computer hard drive has never crashed, and hopefully never will. Last year I was deeply depressed. For the past two or three years I had been storing my stories on a thumb drive. It was most convenient. One day the thing broke apart. I lost all my work. I never want that to happen again. Now I write my stories in a binder. No one can argue that word processing isn't more convenient. It would be nice to type up something, without having to worry about losing it forever. (What I wanted to write in the comments for my entry, but didn't for obvious reasons.)

Here's the link: Peace of Mind: A Giveaway - Ends Friday, May 22 at midnight

Smoke

This is probably another reason why this blog may never be a book blog. I'm still sticking with it though.

Everytime I ask my brother in law, 'Why do you smoke?' he gives me the same answer, 'Because I can.' That is about one of the dumbest things. I really can't stand him some times. Now, on to a more important matter. Not that I don't care about his health, though I admit, not as much as my sister's and her childrens, it's just that he needs to take better care. They have two young children, and even though he doesn't smoke in the house, the residue can still lay in furniture and carpets.

I got him some of that nicotene gum, that's supposed to help, no good. He has to want to commit to the change. He has to want it. He doesn't. Smoking is like unprotected sex; we all know it's risky, but some of us feel like 'screw the consequences, just give me pleasure.' Since I don't smoke, and never have I, and hopefully, never will; the love of it is beyond me.

I remember when I was twelve, maybe. One day I just decided to get rid of my father's cigarettes. He always smoked. If he wasn't smoking, he was getting drunk. If he wasn't getting drunk, he was eating. If he wasn't eating, he was sleeping. If he wasn't sleeping, he was working. You get the point. He's a good man though. It's a shame he had to have a heart attack to quit smoking. Now, there are probably plenty of other things that factored in to that, but I won't get into specifics. You shouldn't have to have a heart attack, or something else awful happen for you to stop smoking. When he initially quit smoking, my father felt better. He got into shape for the first time; started exercising and just generally being more active. He has recently suffered a relapse - the exercising, not the smoking- but we're working on that.

If you quit smoking, you and your family will probably have a few less diseases to deal with. I know, not the most convincing argument.

Whether you can do better than this or not, head over to the site. They have a lot of tips.

http://cigarest.info/cigarest/cigarest-contest/

What You Can Win By May 15, 2009

This isn't a whole lot, but these are a few things you can win, if you're eligible.


Chuck E. Cheese's Where A Kid Can Be A Kid Photo Contest - Today, May 11, 2009 - Just vote to see if you're instant winner.

Subscribers Contest Win $5 Cash - May 12, 2009 - Really self-explanatory, simply subscribe via email, and come back, and say "Hey, I entered the contest. Give me five dollars. " You might not want to say that, but that's all you have to do.

The Big Welcome from Hyatt - May 13, 2009 - This is an amazing prize. You have to be a Hyatt Gold Passport member, it's free. After you register, go to the site. Once you get there there are some questions that need to be answered. Don't worry, you can save and come back later if you have too. The Grand Prize is 365 Hyatt Gold Passport Free Night awards valid through June 30, 2014 at Hyatt Hotels worldwide of winner’s choice and 1 million frequent flyer airline miles to be applied to a Gold Passport travel partner program of winner’s choice, subject to the terms and conditions of the selected program. (They'll help the winner as much as possible with it's selection and paying off the taxes.)

Win Nickycakes’ 40″ Samsung 1080p LCD HDTV - Ends Midnight, May 15, 2009 - You have to follow him on twitter. Then you head on over to his site to get your own personalized link to the contest. After you get your link you twitter it. After the initial twitter you can do like I'm doing now. Place your link in as many places a possible. Having the most doesn't mean you'll win, but it increases the odds, I suppose. He clarifies things better on the site.

The Hunger Games Writing Contest - May 15, 2009 5 p.m. EST - How would you survive the Hunger Games? If you can answer that question in 500 words, or less, and meet all of the other eligibility requirements as well, you could walk away with a nice prize. There's an ARC of Catching Fire (Which I'm still hunting for by the way), An autographed copy of The Hunger Games, a mockingjay pin, and of course the chance to meet Suzanne Collins, all up for grabs. Enter Today.

Drive of Your Dreams Sweepstakes - May 15 , 2009 - There are two grand prizes that consist of: A trip to Birmingham, Alabama for winner and one guest to attend Porsche Sport Driving School North America. Includes hotel for four days/three nights; $200 in spending money; round trip air transportation and two (2) tickets to the Porsche Sport Driving School North America.

I'll be sure to gather as many of these as I can within the next few days for May 30, 2009.

Love Hate Relationship - Giveaways

Sometimes I really have a love hate relationship with giveaways. I understand that it would take a very long time to read all the entries posted on a blog, but jeez, can't you read them. There are times when I get really creative. It doesn't matter because they are just going to go to random.org, or whatever it is. When I have money or resources to have giveaways/contests etc. I will take the time to read comments. If it's done that way I'll have to put a cap on it at a certain amount though. Man, I wish I could have a giveaway. Oh well, maybe in the future.

Written after another defeat.

I want a Kindle 2, too

Enter Today

Ends on 6/1/09 at 11:59 pm PDT

Everybody is raving about the Kindle, Kindle 2, and now the Kindle DX. That's all fabulous. Now, where is my Kindle?

Yeah, you should really go and get a job if you want the gadget. That's hard to do if you are trying to save money for school. So, what I try to do is find Kindle contests/giveaways/
sweepstakes a few times a month. Well, a few times a week actually. They are sent to me via GoogleAlerts. Most of the time they arrive a little to late, or I simply don't check my email. Now I've gotten in the habit of using Twitter search. It doesn't always yield the results I want, but it's effecient enough.

To make a long story short. I want a Kindle 2, or Kindle DX. Again, I might win one if this What Would You Do 4 A Kindle 2? (WWYD4AK2?) Contest hosted by Bitten by Books goes well.

Need a babysitter? Use Sittercity

This site has probably been on the web for a while. I just didn't know it. Maybe I'll register at SitterCity.

I have been babysitting since I was ten. I know, that's a little too young, but I have. The only negative thing I have to say is that they all where family. Which means, that sometimes, when I should have insisted on payment, they (my siblings) ended up getting away for hours at a time for gratis. Now, that just sucks.

Since I'm going to college. A debate I had many times the past three years, I need money. Saving should have started years ago. I asked my mom why she didn't start a 529 or something like that. She gave me the Poor people's excuse, 'what money did we have to save,'and I couldn't argue that. I guess only saving $1000 after, how many years, isn't going to put a dent in tuition. Especially not at a private college. Even though we poor people, my parent's want me to go where I want to go. So, I'll be going. Hopefully, those scholarships will come pouring in. Not that I'm really exceptional or anything, but a girl can dream. If only my school had a tuition lock.

Summer on Blossom Street Sweepstakes

Summer on Blossom Street, is one of Debbie Macomber's new releases for this year. I haven't read any of her books yet. I plan on doing so soon.

This month she has a sweepstakes with a cash prize of $10,000. If you aren't fortunate enough to win that, you could instantly win a copy of the book.

Summer on Blossom Street Sweepstakes (Daily entry) - Ends Monday, June 22, 2009

If you don't already know, she has a monthly reader's contest (I don't think trivia's involved), for those who are in her guestbook. If you like reading, knitting, and maybe crocheting by chance, you might like it. Since I haven't read her novels yet, you might want to consult with someone else about that.

Monthly Reader's Contest (Once registered, automatically entered into all subsequent Monthly Reader's Contest) - Drawing to be held, Friday, May 29.

The grand prize winner in Debbie's May contest will receive an autographed, hardcover copy of Summer on Blossom Street and the companion Leisure Arts booklet, Knit Along with Debbie Macomber, Summer on Blossom Street. A beautiful folk art bird picture, tea light holder and Greenleaf Ginger Tea room spray top off this summer-themed prize package. Two other prize winners will each receive a Blossom Street book.

New Author, New book Giveaway

Isn't this cover beautiful?

Just a few weeks ago I was thinking about writing a story that had to deal with Asia. I really like Asian culture. If I ever learn more about it, you know, other than what I read in manga and watch in anime, I might be able to write something. Yes, that is mostly Japanese, though.

There are probably plenty of minority authors in the U.S. Unfortunately, I don't think I support too many. Most of my books come from the library. Then my own collection is mostly classical literature, so, you get my point. Today, I came across, Cindy Pon. She just released her first novel, Silver Phoenix. I'm looking forward to reading and reviewing it. In honor of the release she is having a giveaway. Depending on how many people enter, there will only be one winner.

The winner will have the choice between an original framed brush painting, done by Cindy, or a $100 gift card to a bookstore of your choice. No matter what they choose, a copy of Silver Phoenix will accompany the selection.

You get raffle tickets for entry into the giveaway, by promoting this through completing simple tasks. This post is one of two entries I plan on getting.

Now, that you know what's up, head on over to enter.

Silver Phoenix Contest - Ends Monday, June 8, 2009

Before I forget. She will ship anywhere.

Found three book giveaways + a camcorder contest

These giveaways are in the order I found them.

Authors Melissa Walker and Susane Colasanti have a pretty big giveaway going on this month. This month will be the release of a few of their books. In honor of that they'll be giving away some good stuff.

They both have a first and second place prize. I won't go into all the details, because they have a video they want you to watch. It's kinda funny to me, because of the subs. (You'll have to watch it, but you might not find it funny. )

Melissa is giving away a signed copy of her new book, Lovestruck Summer, and a special treat for some lucky person. Susane is giving away a signed copy of her new release, Waiting for You, and a something extra (It's a special permanent marker and John Mayer Official Fan Club Set List Journal).

The next giveaway I came across is being hosted on BookLuver-Carol's Reviews blog. She is giving away three Jennifer Echols books to one lucky winner.

Lastly, but not least -I know how cliche that is- Toni is giving away a Vado Pocket Camcorder. It looks really cute. Comment about the memory you wish you could have captured with the Vado Camcorder.

Well, that's it for now.

Here are the links and deadlines:

Walker & Colasanti Release Giveaway Until June 1st.
Jennifer Echols Book Giveaway Not sure when it ends actually. So, you might want to enter as soon as possible.
A Daily Dose of Toni Camcorder Contest Ends Monday, May 11, at noon.

The Hunger Games Writing Contest

An update to a previous post.

The deadline to enter The Hunger Games contest is Friday, May 15, 2009 at 5 pm EST.

It must be nice to be between the ages of twelve and seventeen. I can't find an Advanced Reader's Copy of Catching Fire, to save me from the agony of patience. Being that it's Scholastic, I should have know in advance before I got my hopes up, that this contest wouldn't apply to me. Darn it. This really sucks, for me, and anyone else ineligible.

Hope you all, who can enter, win an ARC. Wish you the best.

If you are a little late learning about this, head over to http://www.scholastic.com/thehungergames/contest/index.htm to get the details.

Change

A month or so after the new year started, I finally started my blog. Unfortunately, it didn't work out the way I planned. Maybe this little change will change that. My goal is to talk about things I know, and things I really like. I read at least three books a week, and am always trying to find more. Hopefully, I'll be able to actually get an ARC of something this year. Until then, I will began writing book reviews, and criticizing films, and society in general (If I'm up to it).

Another thing I really like is contests/giveaways/sweepstakes. I'll make an effort to include more of them on this blog.

Thank you to all.