Mundane Mondays: Where have all the Mondays gone?

For the past few weeks I have looked at the calendar and realized it is Monday, but for various reasons, that might sound like excuses, I haven't found the time to write. I've also lacked motivation, but that is not your fault . . . well the first isn't either.

The mind (should we be worried I talk about my mind as a separate entity?) has been caught up in a web of Google+ madness, reading like mad on my Kindle (for some reason), trying to catch up on sleep and other menial tasks that make up my life.

I've gained a crazy 800 followers in the past 2 weeks on Google+. Wow! Huh? How? Wow!?! I don't know either; you let me know if you find out.

The Kindle is feeding on my soul. I'm looking around worried someone is going to find out and add more kindle (pun intended) to my heretic fire planned for these ‘traitorous’ acts against the REAL book world. I'm devouring books left and right. eBook authors! You need to stop writing series and making them so darn good.

Sleep? Ha, ha, ha . . . don't make me laugh. I have a faint sense that the Kindle has something do to with this, but I'm not one to point fingers.

In other news . . .

I have the winners of the Reading Road-Trip: Indiana! (I apologize for the delay.)

• Randi M.
• Erika W.
• Christina T-S.
• Brooke DeSpain

Your emails will be coming shortly; requesting mailing info, etc.

Sadly no one requested the other two books* I was giving away (give classics a chance folks (insert sad face)). In lieu of the lack of interest, I decided the winners can pick from the other two, more popular, books, John Green's The Fault In Our Stars and Mike Mullins' Ashfall. I'm not too surprised, but I guess I was hopeful it would have turned out differently. However, I'm never one to force or disappoint, so I opted for this path. (Of course if two additional people want to give these classics a chance, leave a comment, I'm more than willing to supply the risk takers (insert smile).)

Thank you to everyone who participated in my give away and the overall Reading Road-Trip experience! It really blessed my heart to see the amazing feedback I got and encouraged me greatly. I just hope you continue to follow the adventures of my blog!

And she is off . . .

If by some miracle I have WiFi access this week, I will try to post. I leave for my annual Ohio trip on Wednesday, bright and early. This means my wallet is about to harbor moths and dusts because . . . well . . . there are always numerous book buying adventures when I go to Ohio. Ohio must see me coming and put all the stops in place. Hello book wealth and hello real world poverty! (insert grin)

Thanks again everyone!

*A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter and The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington

Reading Road-Trip: Indiana!

Here's a way to travel the United States book style. This giveaway is the brain child of I Like These Books and IceyBooks. Be sure to check out their blogs as well for more awesomeness!

Welcome to . . .

I'm sure you have heard it before, at least if you live in Indiana, "There's more than corn in Indiana." While corn is in fact the predominant crop in Indiana we have other things to brag about.

• Indiana became the 19th state in 1816. We are home to more than 6,500,000 Hoosiers.

• People such as legendary actor James Dean and Garfield creator Jim Davis were born in Indiana. As well as famous popcorn entrepreneur Orville Redenbacher. 
• In 1880 Wabash, Indiana was the first city in the nation to have electric street lights.

• Warsaw, Indiana (my hometown) is known as the "Orthopedic Capital of the World."
• Indiana has nearly 450 public libraries!
• In 2009 the Association of College and Research Libraries named the Indiana University of Bloomington's library system the top research system in the country. The University supports 19 library facilities!

Here's what you could win . . .

A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter

Gene Stratton-Porter was born in Wabash County, Indiana in 1863. Her passion for nature, music and art is evident in all of her books. If you ever visit Indiana, I would highly recommend visiting one or both of her homes here.

Ashfall by Mike Mullin

Mike Mullin lives in Indianapolis, Indiana and his debut novel was named 2012's Best Fiction for Young Adults.

The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington

Booth Tarkington was born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1869. He is one of only three novelists to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction more than once. The Magnificent Ambersons won the Pulitzer in 1919 and has been made into film twice. Most recently with the gorgeous Jonathan Rhys Meyers! The novel follows an aristocratic family's ups and downs during early 20th century life in Indianapolis.

Last, but not least  . . .

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

John Green lives in Indianapolis, Indiana and The Fault in Our Stars is his fourth solo novel. I'm sure he doesn't need any more introduction than that . . .

Enter to win below!

Rules

*Must live within the continental United States.

*Must love books!

*Must be 13 or older.

*Ends July 31

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to check out other Reading Road-Trip Giveaways Here!

Celebrate Good Times Giveaway!

Remember the giveaway I told you about yesterday? I wasn't fibbing!

This is just the first round of prizes. If I reach 375 followers on Twitter, I will add 4 more titles to the pot (a secret for now). Help me reach 400 and I will add 2 more books in addition to the 4, plus music! Tell your friends. I've added the Rules and Details again to this post, if you don't want to read yesterday's post.

The Rules and Details
1. You must follow me on Twitter. I will also accept followers on Google+, if for some reason you can't on Twitter. Even if you only follow my blog, that's fine too. (Are we noticing how badly I want to give something away?)
2. It would be nice if you followed my blog, but it is not necessary to be a winner.
3. Winners must live within the continental US. (Sorry)
4. I will do the final check of followers on June 30, 2012, at midnight EST. (Yes I will be awake.)
5. Whether or not I reach 375 or even 400, I will still be having a giveaway. I need to, to sate the need to GIVE. (insert smile)
6. Tell all your friends!
7. Winners will be contacted by email, be sure to follow the process below using Rafflecopter. (Thanks IceyBooks for the recommendation and help.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Prizes and You're Invited!

I have wanted to do a giveaway (muffled cough: successful giveaway) for a long time. Now is that time!

What's the catch? Nothing really, I just want to give things away. I have a pile of books that are destined for fallen glory at a local thrift store, if I can't find people to give them to. They are not 'bad' books or books unworthy of reading. They are just books I've read and don't want to keep or in the case of one I have the box set and don't need a separate copy of book one.


There's more. The giveaway is to celebrate and to encourage. As I type this, I now have nearly 340 followers on twitter! On Google+, with the help of some awesome people, I'm slowly climbing in numbers there too (currently at 181). Facebook doesn't count because well . . . it just . . . yeah. The celebration is for those who are already following me. However, I will add to the pot, so to speak, substantially if you can help me reach 375 or even 400 by the end of the month on Twitter. I know it is asking a lot, but I'm so excited about where the social networking scene can take things, that I might be inclined to 'bite off more than I can chew'. It would be nice to rise in popularity on Google+ too, but let's focus on one at a time. (insert smile)

If I can picture the pile of books right now, I think we are looking at 6 titles.

Reach 375
I will add 4 more titles to the list for winners to pick from!

Reach 400
I will add 2 more titles (in addition to the 4 mentioned previously) and music! Music is a little tougher to entice people with, so it will most likely be in the form of iTunes gift cards.

The Rules and Details
1. You must follow me on Twitter. I will also accept followers on Google+, if for some reason you can't on Twitter. Even if you only follow my blog, that's fine too. (Are we noticing how badly I want to give something away?)
2. It would be nice if you followed my blog, but it is not necessary to be a winner.
3. Winners must live within the continental US. (Sorry)
4. This post is just the enticement, more details about the actual giveaway and winners will come later.
5. I will do the final check of followers on June 30, 2012, at midnight EST. (Yes I will be awake.)
6. Whether or not I reach 375 or even 400, I will still be having a giveaway. I need to, to sate the need to GIVE. (insert smile)
7. Tell all your friends!
8. In a follow-up post tomorrow I will list the current titles up for grabs. At the moment I'm not at home to see what books I have to give.