Win a Kindle, books and lots more! (Giveaways elsewhere)

Bibliofreak is giving away 15 Kindles! Contest ends Dec 18, 2009. Open worldwide. Click on the link or picture above to go over there and find out how to win a brand new Kindle II. Hurry!!!

Park-Avenue Princess is holding The "Giveaway to Sell Your SOUL For...". You stand the chance to win your choice of a Kindle, Nook or Sony eReader. Other prizes include signed copies of Liquid Soul by Matthew Carter and a Gift Card for $20.00 to Amazon.com. Open worldwide. Ends Dec 24, 2009.

Park-Avenue Princess is also giving away a hardcover signed copy of Violet Wings by Vicotira Hanley. Open worldwide. Ends Dec 22, 2009.

Becky from The Bookette is giving away five copies of The Dresskeeper by Mary Naylus. Open worldwide. Ends Dec 06, 2009.

Alessandra from Out of the Blue is giving away a book of your choice. Open worldwide. Ends Dec 06, 2009.

Nely from All About {n} is giving away 11 books. Some books are eligible for international entries. Contest ends Nov 28, 2009.

Lori from Pure Imagination is giving away a copy of Fallen by Lauren Kate. Open worldwide. Contest ends Nov 25, 2009.

Running for Fiction is giving away a YA book of your choice. Open worldwide. Contest ends Dec 01, 2009.

Brizmus Blogs Books is giving away:

[as copied from her blog post]
-one lightly used copy of Hush, Hush
-one lightly used copy of Evermore
-one lightly used copy of Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
-one used copy of the City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clark
-one lightly used copy of the Over the Holidays
-lots of surprise goodies

As she gets more and more followers, she'll be adding in more winners! Her contest ends Dec 18, 2009. Open worldwide.

A Pregnant Pause is giving away:

• ONE free bag of YOUR choice
  
  
• FIVE pursehooks as consolation prizes (random design)

FREE delivery to Malaysia and Singapore

Giveaway extended to 21st Nov (Sat) at 9.30 pm (GMT+8).

In My Mailbox (23 Nov 2009)

Won from a giveaway held at Lizzy's Literary Life:

The Luminous Life of Lilly Aphrodite by Beatrice Colin



Decadent, tantalizing Berlin in a Germany torn apart by war at the turn of the 20th century...

The illegitimate, orphaned daughter of a cabaret dancer, Lilly Nelly Aphrodite's early life - and that of her only friend Hanne - is one of reinvention. Transformed from maid to war bride via tingle-tangle nightclub girl, she lands in the heart of the glamorous motion picture world and quickly becomes one of Germany's leading silent film stars. But when she falls in love with a Russian director, she has no idea that the affair will span decades, cross continents and may ultimately cost her everything.

Swap books and gifts for the holiday

I've decided to participate in the Book Blogger Holiday Swap this year. I have heard of it last year but didn't get the chance to join in the fun. Perhaps I heard about it a little too late. Not gonna make the same mistake again!

Don't know what it's about? Visit their FAQ page. The main idea is that you get the chance to be Secret Santa to another blogger from anywhere in the world. Also, somebody else will be YOUR Secret Santa. Therefore, you will not miss out on the fun of getting a Christmas gift.

Are you getting excited about the whole idea? Wait not anymore and sign up before tomorrow, Nov 12, 2009, which is the closing date!

Recently watched movies

The Time Traveler's Wife (2009)

A romantic drama about a Chicago librarian with a gene that causes him to involuntarily time travel, and the complications it creates for his marriage.



He's Just Not That Into You (2009)

The needy Gigi Haim is a young woman seeking her prince charming somewhere amongst her unsuccessful dates. After dating estate agent Conor Barry, Gigi anxiously expects to receive a phone call from him. However Conor never calls her. Gigi decides to go to the bar where he frequents to see him, but she meets his friend Alex who works there. They become friends and Alex helps Gigi to interpret the subtle signs given out by her dates. Written by Claudio Carvalho

Gracie (2007)

This is the story of a teenager named Gracie Bowen, who lives in South Orange, New Jersey, is crazy about soccer, as are her three brothers and former soccer star father. Although Gracie wants to join her brothers and father in the nightly practices, she is discouraged by everyone except her elder brother, Johnny. Her father does not believe that girls should play soccer and tells her that she is neither tough enough nor talented enough to play with the boys team.

Undeterred, Gracie finds reserves of strength she never knew existed, and persists in changing everyone's beliefs in what she is capable of, including her own. She faces an uphill battle when she fights to give women the opportunity to play competitive soccer. But as the beautiful and strong person that she has always been, she also brings her family together in the face of their own tragedy. Written by Anthony Pereyra

The Jane Austen Book Club (2007)

Six Californians start a club to discuss the works of Jane Austen, only to find their relationships -- both old and new -- begin to resemble 21st century versions of her novels.

{All movie descriptions taken from IMDb}

Giveaway at Teens Read and Write!

Listen up! Want a chance to win books? Head on over to Teens Read and Write where they're holding their first huge giveaway. What's more, it's international so anyone can join in and try their luck!

The books up for grabs are:

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine (Morganville Vampires#1)
Lost Girls by Robert Doherty
Saddled wth Trouble by Michelle Scott
The Wee Free Men by Terry Prachett
Midnight Reflections by Katrina Michaels
The Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling
Dragon House by John Shors
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Circle of Souls by Preetham Grandhi
The Shifter by Janice Hardy
The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong (Darkest Powers #1)
Marked by PC Cast
Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
Intertwined by Gena Showalter
My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent
Sea Glass by Maria V Snyder
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
Lost Girls by Robert Doherty
Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
Possessions by Nancy Holder
Fire by Kristen Cashore
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Midnight Charter by David Whitley
Maximum Ride: School's Out Forever by James Patterson
Children of the Lamp: The Akhenaten Adventure by P.B. Kerr
Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire
Fallen by Lauren Kate
The Hollow by Jessica Verday
Betrayed by P.C. Cast

Good luck!

Studying and on a Desperate Housewives Marathon

(From left: Edie, Lynette, Susan, Gabrielle, and Bree)

My final exams are coming up soon with my first paper falling on the 5th of Nov, which is this Thursday and the next paper on the 6th of Nov (Friday). My next two papers are on the 19th and 20th of Nov. After that, it's a month's holiday for me! Yay!

Last week, I spent most of my time in my university's library - studying! I don't remember the last time I have studied this hard. Well, because of too much time spent poring over books, I've been on a three-day break from Saturday till today, Monday. Yes, I've been watching Desperate Housewives (DH) and about to finish Season Three.

When I first heard of DH, I thought it was some chick-ish kind of show where the women or housewives were, um, desperate. The show was running on TV but I never bothered to watch it. Hmm, I don't even remember the first time I watched it but I knew that I was hooked right away. The housewives were desperate all right, but they sure are hilarious!

My favourite housewives are Gabrielle and Bree. Gabrielle for being a go-getter confident woman with a sharp tongue and Bree for always wanting to do the right thing and being able to keep her head held high under the most terrible circumstances. Who are your favourites?

I think the narration is very clever and there are pun lines all the time. There may be too many murders for my liking but they do spice up the show a little.

One of my favourite scenes is where Zach Young proposed unexpectedly to Gabrielle at the Scavo's pizzeria.

Zach: Ladies and gentlemen, please. I have something that I'd like to say also. Gabrielle Solis...will you marry me?

Silence. One customer begins to clap, then stops.

Customer: Should I clap?
Gabrielle: No, there will be no clapping! You, moron, come with me!

There are LOTS more funny scenes and you'll just have to watch them yourself to know what I mean. All right, I'm gonna go finish Season 3 now. G'night!

In My Mailbox (Nov 02, 2009)

Bought:

1. No Fireworks by Rodge Glass
2. Light on Snow by Anita Shreve

Read them before? If yes, let me know your thoughts in the comments section. Have a great reading week! :)

Random Quote:

A good book on your shelf is a friend that turns its back on you and remains a friend. ~Author Unknown