Dreaming of Books Hop Winners

Dreaming of Books Hop

Dream Guy by Candy Halliday - LeAnn Voyer
Haunted Dreams by Charlotte Lamb - Leanna Morris
Only My Dreams by Rowan Kirby - Renee Grandinetti
Perchance To Dream by Robert B. Parker - Marcie

What Are You Reading Monday? #28

Books I completed in the last week are:
*Reading a lot of children’s book – I’m going to make a challenge of the titles found in 1001 Children’s Books to Read before I Grow Up (just need help with a button)
There’s A Bear in My Bed by Emma Parker (ebook)
Daisy, Maisey and Lazy by Emma Parker (ebook)
The Not So Scarey Scarecrow by Emma Parker (ebook)
The River Between Us by Richard Peck (Audio)
The Chocolate Snowman Murders by Joanna Carl
The Cat In The Hat by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Kelsey Grammer)
Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Dustin Hoffman)
The Grinch That Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Walter Matheau)
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Ted Danson)
Civil War on Sunday by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House #21)


Bookmarks are still living in the middle of:
*Reading a lot of children’s book – I’m going to make a challenge of the titles found in 1001 Children’s Books to Read before I Grow Up (just need help with a button)

Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks (Audio)
Revolutionary War On Wednesday by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House #22)



Up Next:
The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham
The Election-Day Disaster by Ron Roy (Capital Mystery #10)
The Ghost at Camp David by Ron Roy (Capital Mystery # 12)
How Santa Got His Job by Stephen Krensky
Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel

Reviews posted this week:
The Lion and the Mouse by Emma Parker (ebook)
There’s A Bear in My Bed by Emma Parker (ebook)

Author Guest Posts/Interviews:
Book Tour - Review - Sandra J. Gerencher - Second Chance: How Adoption Saved a Boy with Autism & His Shelter Dog (January 18)
Guest Interview & Giveaway - J. D Holiday - The Great Snowball Escapade (January 19)
Author Interview - Said the Spider by Earle E. Van Gilder (January 30)
Author Interview - A Birth of Freedom: the Visitor by Robert Pielke (Feburary 2)
Book Tour – Letters From Home by Kristina McMorris (February 21)

Special Blog Hop Giveaways
Dreaming of Books Hop (January 14 – 17)
Love Hop (February 8-13)
Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop (March 17 – 20)

Books still needing to have reviews written (as opposed to the ones that are simply awaiting posting):
The Cat In The Hat by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Kelsey Grammer)
Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Dustin Hoffman)
The Grinch That Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Walter Matheau)
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Ted Danson)
Civil War on Sunday by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House #21)
Daisy, Maisey and Lazy by Emma Parker (ebook)
The Not So Scarey Scarecrow by Emma Parker (ebook)
The River Between Us by Richard Peck (Audio)
The Chocolate Snowman Murders by Joanna Carl
The Moovers and the Milkshakers by Emma Parker (ebook)
The Butterfly Race by Emma Parker (ebook)
Teddy Is Real I Think by Emma Parker (ebook)


Giveaways on the blog this week:

Dreaming of Books Hop (1/14-17)

Hosted by Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf
& I Am A Reader, Not A Writer


What is a giveaway hop?
Simple - Each participating blog hosts a giveaway and then we link up together allowing our followers to hop easily from one giveaway to another.
For followers that means lots of chances to win free books.
For host blogs it means lots of new visitors and followers.
It's a win-win!

The Dreaming of Books Giveaway Hop will run from 12:01 AM Friday, January 14th to 11:59 PM Monday, January 17th.

Each participating blog will host their own giveaway. There is no requirement on the minimum or maximum value of your giveaway. It's up to you to decide. You can give away books, swags, amazon gift cards, or anything else you can think of that has to do with books. Your giveaway can be as simple or as elaborate as you want.

All participating blogs will be linked up through a Dreaming of Books Giveaway linky. You will be given the linky code to add to your blog so that readers can jump from one giveaway to the next.

Please keep the process to enter your giveaway as simple as possible.

Please no long lists of dozens of different things followers can do to gain extra entries

Please help spread the word. The more blogs participating the better! It will mean more visitors and new followers for your blog.

Giveaways can be US, US & Canada or International.

Please create your giveaway post before the giveaway starts and then set it to be posted at 12:01 AM EST on January 14th.




*Dream Guy by Candy Halliday
Video game designer Annie Long decides if she can't find the perfect man, she'll create him. Available on interactive DVD, Joe Video is the ideal boyfriend for the modern woman. But soon Matt, Annie's ex and boss, is proving himself to be more perfect than Joe Video ever could be. Original.



*Haunted Dreams by Charlotte LambHe had achieved success that others could only dream about - and envy. Was that why Ambrose Kerr held everyone at arm's length? Emilie assumed that he would never want her, because she was so young and naive. But then she discovered the reason why Ambrose was so wary -- he hid an incredible secret. The truth only made Emilie want Ambrose more, but it was also dynamite ... if others got to know the real story, their new-found happiness would explode ...


Only My Dreams by Rowan Kirby

Perchance To Dream by Robert B. Parker
In a sequel to Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep, Marlowe takes on a case involving General Sternwood, who is six feet under, Vivian, who is dating a blackmailer, and Carmen, a sanitorium escapee

Book Review: The Lion and the Mouse by Emma Parker

Title: The Lion and the Mouse
Author: Emma Parker
Publisher: www.SecondEditionPublishers.com
ISBN: 978-1-877547-45-4
Release Date: 2010
Pages: 20
Genre: Children’s
Format: ebook
Source: iPhone

Review from Goodreads:
Will the lion eat the mouse? The traditional fable. A new range of brightly coloured and imaginatively written children's picture books, which will captivate the attention of children from age 4-7 (and some adults too)!

Mine:
This is a cute story, that is similar to the parable of the same idea. In this the Lion is caught and caged, not that a thorn has to be pulled out of his paw.

The wonderful thing about these stories is the colorful illustrations and wonderful voices that read the stories. The characters are brought to life and almost come off the page.

Book Review: There's a Bear In My Bed by Emma Parker

Title: There’s A Bear In My Bed
Author: Emma Parker
Publisher: www.SecondEditionPublishers.com
ISBN: 978-1-877547-97-3
Release Date: 2010
Pages: 16
Genre: Children’s
Format: ebook
Source: iPhone

Review from Goodreads:
Why is there a big bear in the bed? A new range of brightly coloured and imaginatively written children's picture books, which will captivate the attention of children from age 4-7 (and some adults too)!


Mine:
A shorter version of Goldilocks and the 3 Bears with just one bear that befriends the little boy. The bear is nice enough to finally give up the bed for the chair so he can watch over the boy for the night when he goes to bed.

The wonderful thing about these stories is the colorful illustrations and wonderful voices that read the stories. The characters are brought to life and almost come off the page.

What Are You Reading Monday? #27

Books I completed in the last week are:
*Reading a lot of children’s book – I’m going to make a challenge of the titles found in 1001 Children’s Books to Read before I Grow Up (just need help with a button)
The Lion and the Mouse by Emma Parker (ebook)


Bookmarks are still living in the middle of:
*Reading a lot of children’s book – I’m going to make a challenge of the titles found in 1001 Children’s Books to Read before I Grow Up (just need help with a button)

The Chocolate Snowman Murder by JoAnna Carl
The River Between Us by Richard Peck (audio)



Up Next:
The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham
The Election-Day Disaster by Ron Roy (Capital Mystery #10)
The Ghost at Camp David by Ron Roy (Capital Mystery # 12)
Civil War on Sunday by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House #21)
Revolutionary War On Wednesday by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House #22)
How Santa Got His Job by
Frog and Toad Together by
Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks (Audio)


Reviews posted this week:


Author Guest Posts/Interviews:
Book Tour - Review - Sandra J. Gerencher - Second Chance: How Adoption Saved a Boy with Autism & His Shelter Dog (January 18)
Guest Interview & Giveaway - J. D Holiday - The Great Snowball Escapade (January 19)
Author Interview - Said the Spider by Earle E. Van Gilder (January 30)
Author Interview - A Birth of Freedom: the Visitor by Robert Pielke (Feburary 2)
Book Tour – Letters From Home by Kristina McMorris (February 21)

Special Blog Hop Giveaways
Dreaming of Books Hop (January 14 – 17)
Love Hop (February 8-13)
Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop (March 17 – 20)

Books still needing to have reviews written (as opposed to the ones that are simply awaiting posting):
Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen
The Moovers and the Milkshakers by Emma Parker (ebook)
The Butterfly Race by Emma Parker (ebook)
Teddy Is Real I Think by Emma Parker (ebook)
The Lion and the Mouse by Emma Parker (ebook)


Giveaways on the blog this week:
Naughty Neighbor by Janet Evanovich (ends 1/14/11)

Freebie Friday #1 - Naughty Neighbor by Janet Evanovich (ends 1/14)

From Goodreads:
Louisa Brannigan's neighbor is a handsome hell-raiser—and he's driving Louisa crazy. He makes terrible coffee, steals her newspaper, and listens through her walls. But when she's fired from her government job, Louisa is persuaded to join his undercover investigation. Sneaking around in the shadows is more fun than she ever imagined, especially when the getaway car is a Porsche.

Pete Streeter never figured on finding such an attractive partner in crime. Louisa is all he ever wanted in a woman, and more. But once he's taught her to enjoy living on the edge, will she finally feel safe in his love?

More Reading Challenges

Here are some more challenges I've signed up for. Thank goodness most of them allow cross over books.

Comic Book Challenge


Off The Shelf


Pages to Screen Challenge


Whisper Stories In My Ears




Romance Reading Challenge

Guest Blog - Barefoot Books - Storytime Tips for Kids

Making Storytime Magical and Memorable: Tips for Families from Barefoot Books
Storytime offers a perfect opportunity for family bonding at its best, while helping children to develop essential literacy and cognitive skills, spark their imaginations, and create cherished memories that will last a lifetime. Here are some simple ways families can make storytime a magical part of the day, everyday:

• Ask your child for suggestions about what books to read. Suggest some of your own favorites from when you were a child. Don’t forget about classic tales and adventures, such as myths and legends about knights and castles. You can also choose to read bi-lingual stories, or stories from different cultures as a way for children to experience different languages and cultures.

• Don’t feel like you have to read an entire book. Reading one chapter a night at bedtime or even a few pages at a time will keep your child engaged and excited for the next storytime with you.

• Reading time doesn’t have to be at bedtime. Consider other times of the day when you can read together. Some families enjoy reading with their children early in the morning as a special way to start the day.

• Keep your child engaged. Ask questions along the way. Point out words that might be new to their vocabulary and talk about how the words are used and what they mean. Are there far-off lands that are featured in the book? Find them on a map together. Ask questions that evoke emotion and reflective inquiry, such as, “What would you do in this situation?” “Why do you think the character behaved in that way?” “Have you ever encountered a similar situation?” “Who does the character remind you of?” “How does the character feel?”

• Read along together. If you have an experienced reader, ask them to read a page aloud and then you read a page. Children of all ages enjoy being read to. Sharing the story in this way will help you discover new things about each other and elicit dialog.

• Be creative! Storytime is a time to let true personalities shine! Using different voices for each character, or acting out parts of the story can make story time even more memorable and enjoyable for you and your child.

• Find a special location for storytime. Under the trees in the evening with a blanket and flashlight; swaying on a hammock; cuddled up on the favorite couch; at the breakfast table; sitting on the front step watching the world go by…the locations can be just as unique as the stories themselves.

• The story doesn’t have to end on the last page. Look for creative ways to extend the learning of the book. Some ways to do this may be listening to music that is in some way related to the story, researching recipes from where the story is located and cooking them together, acting out the story with your child and some of their friends, writing a sequel to the story together, etc.

• Keep a storytime journal together: Note the book or story shared, the date, the reactions of the family members. Younger children may wish to draw a picture representing the book. Older children can help complete the journal entry. The journal will become a beautiful memory piece as time goes on to look back on all of the stories shared together.

• Take pictures! There is nothing sweeter than family pictures curled up listening to stories together. You can use these pictures to illustrate the passage of time as family members grow, tastes in books evolve, the books become longer as the children grow older, etc.

Hope you find these tips useful as you discover your own ways to bond with your child through sharing timeless stories.

Thank you to: Leah Lesser, Communications Director, Barefoot Books

Barefoot Books

What Are You Reading Monday? #26

Books I completed in the last week are:
*Reading a lot of children’s book – I’m going to make a challenge of the titles found in 1001 Children’s Books to Read before I Grow Up (just need help with a button)
Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen
*A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck (Audio)
*Hedgehogs by Emma Parker (ebook)
*Hullabaloo at the Zoo by Emma Parker (ebook)
The Moovers and the Milkshakers by Emma Parker (ebook)
The Butterfly Race by Emma Parker (ebook)
Teddy Is Real I Think by Emma Parker (ebook)
*The Yellow Hummer by Ivet Graham-Morgan


Bookmarks are still living in the middle of:
*Reading a lot of children’s book – I’m going to make a challenge of the titles found in 1001 Children’s Books to Read before I Grow Up (just need help with a button)

The Chocolate Snowman Murder by JoAnna Carl



Up Next:
The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham
The Election-Day Disaster by Ron Roy (Capital Mystery #10)
The Ghost at Camp David by Ron Roy (Capital Mystery # 12)
Civil War on Sunday by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House #21)
Revolutionary War On Wednesday by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House #22)


Reviews posted this week:
A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck (Audio)
Hedgehogs by Emma Parker
Hullabaloo at the Zoo by Emma Parker
The Yellow Hummer by Ivet Graham-Morgan

Author Guest Posts/Interviews:
Book Tour - Review - Sandra J. Gerencher - Second Chance: How Adoption Saved a Boy with Autism & His Shelter Dog (January 18)
Guest Interview & Giveaway - J. D Holiday - The Great Snowball Escapade (January 19)
Author Interview - A Birth of Freedom: the Visitor by Robert Pielke (Feburary 2)
Book Tour – Letters From Home by Kristina McMorris (February 21)

Special Blog Hop Giveaways
Dreaming of Books Hop (January 14 – 17)
Love Hop (February 8-13)
Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop (March 17 – 20)

Books still needing to have reviews written (as opposed to the ones that are simply awaiting posting):


Giveaways on the blog this week:

Book Review: The Yellow Hummer by Ivet Graham-Morgan

Title: The Yellow Hummer
Author: Ivet Graham-Morgan
Publisher: Outskirts Press, Inc.
ISBN:978-1-4327-4784-8
Release Date: March 11, 2010
Pages: 26
Genre: Juvenile Fiction/Readers/Beginner
Format: Paperback
Source: For Review

Back Cover:
A shiny yellow Hummer! It is a gift that would please any little boy, and Jordan is excited to show it to his beloved grandmother. But a terrible mishap occurs, and Jordan is very sad-that is, until he makes a very important discovery. Are things more important than people? It is a lesson that will forever stay with him.

Mine:
Jordan is so happy to get a Yellow Hummer as his new toy at a Christmas party. In his hurry to start playing with remote control Hummer he has his Grandma help him open the package. Oops – Grandma where are your glasses. She cuts through the remote cord. Jordan is disappointed and crying.

After spending time in his room and having time to think he comes out to forgive his Grandma. He realizes that the person is more important than the prize of the new Yellow Hummer. What a wonderful story about material things not being all there is.

Book Review: Hedgehogs by Emma Parker

Title: Hedgehogs
Author: Emma Parker
Publisher: www.SecondEditionPublishers.com
ISBN: 978-1-877561-80-1
Release Date: 2010
Pages: 16
Format: ebook
Source: iPhone

Review by Goodreads:
Can you find the hedgehogs at night? A new range of brightly coloured and imaginatively written children's picture books, which will captivate the attention of children from age 4-7 (and some adults too)!


Mine:
I was hunting for book apps for my iPhone, this can be found in Read Me Stories. This is an adorable book with wonderful pictures and a cute story about Hedgehogs. The story tells that they come out at night and what they eat grubs (yuck!). This is a wonderful book to keep a young one occupied and although my nephews are past that age they would have loved it.

Book Review: Hallaboo at the Zoo by Emma Parker

Title: Hullabaloo at the Zoo
Author: Emma Parker
Publisher: www.SecondEditionPublishers.com
ISBN: 978-1-877561-32-0
Release Date: 2010
Pages: 20
Format: ebook
Source: iPhone

Review by Goodreads: The monkeys have escaped from the zoo! A new range of brightly coloured and imaginatively written children's picture books, which will captivate the attention of children from age 4-7 (and some adults too)!


Mine:A cute story about the zoo and how the monkeys escape and cause havoc. They leave the school and cut through the school then to town and the shops. The bakery, the china shop (oops watch out plates), the grocery where they were finally caught eating bananas.

Challenges I'm Starting & Continuing for 2011

I haven't finished signing up for the challenges though, since I'm having problems with my internet connection.

Here is the start of the list.

2011 Challenges
A to Z challenge (Jan-Dec 2011) 0/26
Nicholas Sparks Reading Challenge (Jan-Dec 2011) 0/4
Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge 2011 (Jan-Dec 2011) 0/6 (more than 81)
Buy One Book and Read It Challenge 2011 (Jan-Dec 2011) 0/12
Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge 2011 (Jan – Dec 2011) 0/12
100+ Reading Challenge (Jan – Dec 2011) 0/100
Books Won Challenge 2011 (Jan-Dec 2011) 0/??
Celebrate the Author (Jan-Dec 2011) 0/12
A-Z Mystery Author Challenge (A-I) (Jan – Dec 2011) 0/12
2011 Sexy Reading Challenge (Jan – Dec 2011) 0/12
2011 Read-n-Review (Jan – Dec 2011) 0/100
2011 Romance Reading Challenge (Jan – Dec 2011) 0/12
2011 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge (Jan – Dec 2011) 0/50
2011 YA Romance Challenge (Jan – Dec 2011) 0/12
2011 Romantic Suspense Reading Challenge (Jan – Dec 2011) 0/12
50 States Challenge in 2011 (Jan – Dec 2011) 0/50
Series Challenge Season 5 (Jan – Dec 2011) 0/3



2010 – 2011 Cross Over Challenges
What An Animal III Challenge (March 1, 2010 to February 28, 2011) 13/12 - COMPLETED


Perpetual
To Be Continued…Challenge (October 20, 2008 - ???) 42/52
101 Books in 1001 Days Challenge (August 31, 2009 - April 8, 2012) 84/101
US Presidents Reading Project (November 5, 2008 - ???) 4/44
1001 Childrens book Before I Grow Up (June 1, 2010 - ???) 43 of 1001


OnThePorchSwing (Yahoo Group)
1. Read a book with a one word title (if it has The or A in it), leave that out and just count the one word after it....
2. Read a book with a number in the title.
3. Read a young adult book FROM the science fiction genre.
4. Read a mystery by an author whose last name starts with a "K"
5. Read a book with orange or pink in the title
For a fun extra - pick a book on a subject in history you are interested in, or a travel book on a place you have always wanted to visit, or an artist you are interested in, and share your experience with us.

MysteryReaderCafe (YahooGroup)
1. Read a mystery set in your state (one you live in now or one where you are originally from)
2. Read a mystery where the amateur sleuth has a craft or a hobby or a specific type of job (like working in a shop of some sort) – The Chocolate Snowman Murder by (Chocolate Shop)
3. Read a mystery with the word dark or black in the title
4. Read a mystery from the young adult section of your library
5. Read a mystery by an author whose last name starts with "M"
For a fun extra, read a mystery whose title has the first letter of your first and last name in it - like for me - I would have to have read one that had an L and an H in it (in either order) - like the Last Hollow of the Dark, or Hateful Crimes of the Lowlands (I made these titles up...)

Happy New Year 2011