100 Follower Giveaway Winners!

I've finally got email confirmations from all my winners for my blog's 100 Follower Giveaway, so now I can officially announce the winners! This was so much fun to do, and I just want to thank all of my followers. I can't believe I hit 100 so fast, and that I'm almost to 200. Looks like I might have to start planning another big giveaway soon. ;D But without further ado, here are the winners!

Grand Prize

Cialina! 2010 Top Picks

Lindsay H.!
Girls That Don't Fit In

Lisa S.!
Edgy Girls

Jessica!
2011 Releases

Rie C.!
Edgy, Dark, & Possibly Violent

Smash!
*Note: All winners have already been notified, and have sent confirmation within the allotted 48 hour time period! Prizes should be going out soon, hopefully! Like I said, this was a lot of fun, and I can't wait to do it again! Since this was my very first giveaway, I've kind of learned what I like and what I don't like. Here's hoping I'll be hosting a 200 follower giveaway soon. ;D

In My Mailbox { 13 }

I'm finally doing another IMM! It's been a while - I've received some really cool stuff over the last couple of weeks. 

{ FOR REVIEW }

• Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson
• Mishap and Mayhem by M. M. Shelley
• The Girl Who Circumnaviagted Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente
• The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma
• Plus a copy of The Time Machine by H. G. Wells

{ BOUGHT }

•  Sisters of Isis: The Summoning by Lynne Ewing
• Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton
• Abandon by Meg Cabot

{ BORROWED }

• The Body Finder by Kimberley Derting   

{ WON }

• Born at Midnight by C. C. Hunter (signed!) from Girl About Books
• plus a whole goodie bag of cute stuff
• Desires of the Dead by Kimerley Derting (signed!) from Novel Novice
• plus some awesome swag as well!

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So that's what I got this week. What's in your mailbox?

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren

Free Comic Book Day Today!

from weheartit.com

So, in case you didn't know, today is the annual celebration of Free Comic Book Day! Free Comic Book Day is an amazing event held the first Saturday in May of every year - and it's been going on since 2002. Every year, comic book shops in North America (and even some around the world) participate by offering at least one free comic to every person that happens to walk into their shop today.

One of my biggest loves when I was a teen were Japanese graphic novels, or manga. Since then, my tastes have grown to include all kinds of illustrated works. Buffy Season 8 anyone?

To check and see if your local comic book shop is participating, hit up http://freecomicbookday.com and use their store locator in the sidebar. I'm so excited that my local store is actually participating. Hopefully I can swing my after work and peruse a little.

And in honor of comic books, here's the trailer of "Thor" for you to drool over, since it comes out this weekend. ;D

Hop, Follow, & TGIF { 14 }

This week, I'm participating in three different Friday memes! Crazy for Books hosts the Book Blogger Hop. Parajunkee's View hosts Follow Friday. And a new Friday question to the block, TGIF at Greads! These are all wonderful opportunities for bloggers to get to know each other.

Today's question from the Hop...

Which book blogger would you most like to meet in real life?
How can I pick just one of you guys? There are so many of my fellow book bloggers I'd love to meet in real life, there's no way I could pick just one!

Today's question from Follow Friday...

Circle time! Time to share. What character in a book would you most like to be, what character in a book would you most like to date?

Wow, there are billions. So I'm totally going with the most obvious two. I'd love to be Hermione from Harry Potter, and have Won-Won all to myself. But I'd also love to trade places with Claire from the Outlander series, and have the gorgeous Jamie Fraser as my hubby. [insert dreamy sigh]

Today's question from TGIF...

Book Blogger Identity: What occupies your time when you are not reading and/or blogging?

Well, work-wise, I work part-time at a library and that occupies half of the week (plus a couple hours de-stressing). If I'm not on the computer, I'm usually snuggled up on the couch with my dogs and/or boyfriend watching movies, or tv, or watching him play video games. The gym gets about 3 - 5 hours a week, and we're always going out with friends it seems like. I also love shopping, so I spend quite a lot of time doing that too. :-P Really, I'm just a normal girl outside of blogging. I work, I go to the gym, I hang out with friends, I enjoy my time with my family, and when I'm not...my nose is stuck in a book. ;D

Waiting on Wednesday { 14 }

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Want to participate?

•  Head on over to Breaking the Spine.
• Grab the logo, or make your own!
• Post your WoW entry on your blog.
• Sign the Mr. Linky.
• Visit all the other linked blogs, and watch your TBR pile grow to ginormous proportions!

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 Sisterhood Everlasting

by Ann Brashares

(June 14, 2011 -- Random House)

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Ann Brashares comes the welcome return of the characters whose friendship became a touchstone for a generation. Now Tibby, Lena, Carmen, and Bridget have grown up, starting their lives on their own. And though the jeans they shared are long gone, the sisterhood is everlasting.

Despite having jobs and men that they love, each knows that something is missing: the closeness that once sustained them. Carmen is a successful actress in New York, engaged to be married, but misses her friends. Lena finds solace in her art, teaching in Rhode Island, but still thinks of Kostos and the road she didn’t take. Bridget lives with her longtime boyfriend, Eric, in San Francisco, and though a part of her wants to settle down, a bigger part can’t seem to shed her old restlessness.

Then Tibby reaches out to bridge the distance, sending the others plane tickets for a reunion that they all breathlessly await. And indeed, it will change their lives forever—but in ways that none of them could ever have expected.

As moving and life-changing as an encounter with long-lost best friends, Sisterhood Everlasting is a powerful story about growing up, losing your way, and finding the courage to create a new one. (from Goodreads)

How come I didn't know about this ages ago?! I found out about this one maybe a week or so ago, and I swear, my jaw hit the floor. Another Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants book? With the twist of them all being adults? My inner tween and young woman can finally party together comfortably. 

Seriously though, I love these books. The stories are all about friendships and hardships, and that's what made me connect to them so well when I was a just a girl. I'll even admit to loving the movies as one of my guilty pleasures. ;D I cannot get enough of these girls, and I can't wait to reunite with them again in June.

What are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Finding my balance...

So some of your may or may not have noticed that I kind of fell off the face of the planet for almost two weeks. I really wish it hadn't happened, but I kind of lost all my inspiration for a little while, and I feel into a pretty bad reading slump. Luckily I had a few reviews stocked up to carry me through for a little while, but it wouldn't last forever.

Basically, I'm struggling with finding the balance in my life right now. I kind of just threw myself into the whole blogging world thinking it would be easy peasy, but it is a lot of work. It's almost like a second job, and while I love it, it was kind of taking over my life.

My real job is kind of crazy at the moment, and maybe just a little bit stressful. I tend to not want to look at a computer anymore when I get home, and that's kind of what blogging is all about! But I think if I pick a day and just get all my posts lined up then, and I don't have to worry about posting the rest of the week, I might not feel so burnt out.

I'm also just trying to balance my real life right now. I've taken some steps to trying to be healthier by joining a fabulous gym, and trying to get gym time in, but still hang out with friends and socialize is taking some getting used to. Though the awesome yogurt place a block from my gym kind of makes up for it, lol! I'm also starting to plan some house-y stuff, which is really fun, and one of my passions, so I've been spending all my time researching color palettes and room inspirations. Not to mention I may or may not be working on getting my creative writing spark back, and spending some time researching various subjects. ;D

And, seriously, the weather has been all over the place. After the absolutely terrible tornadoes that ripped through the Southeast, Mother Nature did a 180 and is giving us the most beautiful spring weather I've ever seen. I want to be outside allllll day. I can't wait for summer.

So, basically, I'm trying to find my balance, and if I fall off the wagon every now and then, don't hurt me, kay? ;D But, here's what you can look forward to soon on the blog:

• 100 follower contest winners!
• Review for Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs
• Review for Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
• Review for Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
• Review for BBC mini-series of Wuthering Heights
• Thoughts on City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare
• Monthly R.A.K. wrap up post
• And, of course, the weekly memes we all love!

And also a little other thing that's been bothering me. You see, I thought up the most perfect blog name a couple of weeks ago. The problem is I already have a blog name I like, but this one has been eating away at me. It's (drum roll) "The Noveltea Shelf", or some variant thereof. Basically, "noveltea" was the word I thought up, and it's perfect, because I do books and tea on the blog. And now I'm torn. So, that's where you guys come in. Vote in the poll below and set my mind at ease!

Should the blog name change?

• The Tealeaf Review (stay the same!)
• The Noveltea Shelf (time for change!)

View Results
Create a Blog Poll

(The lovely pictures I used are from http://weheartit.com)

Waiting on Wednesday { 13 }

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Want to participate?

•  Head on over to Breaking the Spine.
• Grab the logo, or make your own!
• Post your WoW entry on your blog.
• Sign the Mr. Linky.
• Visit all the other linked blogs, and watch your TBR pile grow to ginormous proportions!

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 The Steampunk Bible: An Illustrated Guide to the World of Imaginary Airships, Corsets and Goggles, Mad Scientists, and Strange Literature

by Jeff VanderMeer

(May 1, 2011 -- Abrams Image)

Steampunk—a grafting of Victorian aesthetic and punk rock attitude onto various forms of science-fiction culture—is a phenomenon that has come to influence film, literature, art, music, fashion, and more. The Steampunk Bible is the first compendium about the movement, tracing its roots in the works of Jules Verne and H. G. Wells through its most recent expression in movies such as Sherlock Holmes. Its adherents celebrate the inventor as an artist and hero, re-envisioning and crafting retro technologies including antiquated airships and robots. A burgeoning DIY community has brought a distinctive Victorian-fantasy style to their crafts and art. Steampunk evokes a sense of adventure and discovery, and embraces extinct technologies as a way of talking about the future. This ultimate manual will appeal to aficionados and novices alike as author Jeff VanderMeer takes the reader on a wild ride through the clockwork corridors of Steampunk history.

How have I not known about this?! There are few things in the world I love more than steampunk, so this is probably going to be a must-buy for me. I'm already salivating over the pictures and illustrations that must be inside, and I haven't even seen them yet. Luckily, I only have to wait until May 1st!

What are you waiting on this Wednesday?