The Poison Diaries: Nightshade WINNER!

Thank you to everyone who participated in The Poison Diaries: Nightshade contest sponsored by . The publisher has just sent me the winner, and that person is...

Joanna Ward!

Joanna, please follow this link to claim your prize.

Gratitude Giveaway

It's the time of year to give thanks, and that is what the Gratitude Giveaway is all about - thanking my blog followers. For this swap, I will be passing on the CD of Jennifer Weiner's short story, The Half Life that I won earlier this year, and I will be adding in something every reader needs - a handmade bookthong!

To enter:

Fill out the Form.

Follow me via GFC

Don't forget to check out the other great giveaways:

In My Mailbox 11/6-11/12

For possible review (on Bookloons):

Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

Won:

Popular by Alissa Grosso

Her Dear & Loving Husband by Meredith Allard

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Swaps on Swap-bot:

Otherworld by Kenneth G. Flint

A Family Christmas by Joan Hohl, Elizabeth Bevarly, & Marilyn Pappano

Requested from Paperbackswap:

Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls

The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz

This fun weekly meme comes from The Story Siren.

All images come from Goodreads.

The Weight of Silence

Title: The Weight of Silence

Author: Heather Gudenkauf
Publisher: Mira
ISBN: 978-0-7783-2740-0
Why Read?: Book Club
Challenges: n/a

Thoughts: I was not really sure what to expect with The Weight of Silence, but I liked it. It was kind of a mystery (think The Lovely Bones), but it was more of a character piece told from various points of view. It is a rather emotional tale of two girls lost in the woods, one who doesn't speak. But it is so much more than that. Over the course of a day, we get to know the full lives of these characters, making it an excellent character study.
Rating: 4 stars

Enter Win a Signed Copy of The Poison Diaries: Nightshade

I was asked to offer my readers a really cool giveaway - a chance to win a signed copy of The Poison Diaries: Nightshade by Maryrose Wood, the Duchess of Northumberland. Soon I'll have a review of both it and the first book in the series, The Poison Diaries. Pretty exciting, huh? But I bet you are interested in figuring out how to snag a copy for yourself. Do all of the following for your chance to win a signed copy (click on the pics):

1. Tweet @poisondaries with a reference to "signed copy" and the name of my blog (Reading

Challenged).

2. Like The Poison Diaries Facebook fan page and leave a comment with a reference to "signed copy" and the name of my blog (Reading Challenged).

3. Visit The Poison Diaries website to find the plant "Arum Maculstum". Add it to "my poison diary" and then tweet about it, mentioning the name of my blog (Reading Challenged).

Good luck!

In My Mailbox 10/30-11/5

For review:

Nightshade by Maryrose Wood, The Duchess of Northumberland

Won:

Dark Souls by Paula Morris

She Smells the Dead by E. J. Stevens

Spirit Storm by E. J. Stevens

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody

The Call from Within by Eri Nelson

Swaps on Swap-Bot:

Intensity by Dean Koontz

The Olive Harvest by Carol Drinkwater

This fun weekly meme comes from The Story Siren.

All images come from Goodreads.

Summer Breeze

Title: Summer Lovin' Anthology: Summer Breeze

Author: Carol Oates, Jennifer Lane, Susan Kaye Quinn, Hannah Downing, Nicki Elson, Killian McRae, & Sarah Glover
Publisher: ebook
ISBN: n/a
Why Read?: For Fun
Challenges: n/a

Thoughts: This was a collection of sweet love stories, some YA, some adult, that was put together to benefit Save the Ta-tas. All of the seven stories in it were a light as a summer breeze, but the two that stood out the most were Jennifer Lane's "Swim Recruit" and Nicki Elson's "Sway". "Swim Recruit" was an excellent YA contemporary (and the only story that did not take place in summer) that with some tough topics in a short amount of time, but never felt overburdened. "Sway" could almost be put on the opposite end of the spectrum. It concerned an elderly lady who is mysteriously serenaded every night and her two sisters who want to get to the bottom of their younger sister's new dreamy look. The end was a complete surprise and made a delightful story simply perfect.
Rating: 4 stars