New Blogger on the Block

Hey y'all!  I have to tell you about a new blog I found tonight, thanks to Laura.  You have to check out Melange's Book Reviews.  It's a brand new blog with tons of good things going on.  Right now, she's looking for blog love.  In exchange, she's giving away books.  I know that got your attention!  Now head on over there and check it out!

Wednesday Wanderings - 2/11/09

I wander around the blogosphere and bring you what I find.

This week I have a new-to-me-blog to share, giveaways, and a request. 

I happened on this blog and am so glad I did.  If you haven't visited Writing for Kids (While Raising Them), you need to.  This week she even has a giveaway going on.  You can enter to win a signed. 4 book set of the Howie I Can Read series.  She has posted a great interview with author/illustrator Aaron Zenz.  Stop by, read the interview, comment, and enter the giveaway.  Make sure to stop by often as great things are going on over there.

There are some great giveaways going on over at 5 Minutes for Giveaways.  This is a sister site to 5 Minutes for Mom, another great blog.  Two that I thought were great are the Roku Player with a 6 month Netflix subscription and The Amazing Box-o-Box.

My friend Kathy, who blogs at Bermudaonion's Weblog has listened to her favorite audiobook so far and she wants to share it with some of you.  She has 3 copies of Little Pink House to give away.  Stop by and get yourself entered.

Gwynne at Connecting2Give helps fulfill needs for people, but she also posts about gives on her blog.  This give is her personal one.  She recently bought a Targus Grypton Tripod for her new video camera, and she bought an extra one to give away to someone else.  She wants to know why you want it, what you would do with it, etc.  Well, this is something I would love to have!  For my birthday last year, I got a great new Fuji camera.  It does so many things that I have yet to figure out, but one thing is that it has a timer on it, so I could set it to take pictures.  My husband and I need a new picture together, but there is not usually anyone around to take it.  Having a tripod for my camera would help with this.  I could really put it to good use!

Now, for my request.  I entered a photo in a contest over at 5 Minutes for Moms, Horsing Around Photo Contest.  Well, the finalists are out today and I am 1 of 20.  WOW!  So, there will be 3 winners chosen to receive a $100 gift certificate to A Rocking Horse to Love.  First prize goes to the entry with the most votes, and I need your votes.  My picture is #9.  Please vote by clicking on the link above - thank you!!  I will be posting a new giveaway tomorrow, and voting gets you an extra entry. 

That's all for this week...until next week, enjoy the blogs, read alot and happy entering!

Wednesday Wanderings - 2/4/09

I wander around the blogosphere and bring you what I find.

There are a lot of good things happening all over the blogs this week.  I've put together an assortment of giveaways, posts, and new blogs that I think you'll enjoy.

Giveaways

Happy Blogiversary to Charlotte's Library!  In honor of this event, she is giving away 3 children's and 1 YA book.   Click here to see which books you could win!

Reviewer X has an awesome giveaway going on in honor of the release of The Dust of 100 Dogs.  All you have to do to enter is purchase the book and let her know by sending a copy or snapshot of your receipt to her via email.  I've got mine coming; will you go out and get yours?

I recently reviewed a Barefoot Book - Listen, Listen, which I enjoyed.  Imagine my excitement when I found this giveaway for pick your favorite Barefoot Book that is going on at Blessed Nest Perch.  This is also a new blog I found thanks to Brimful Curiosities.

Edited to add:  Mabel's Labels is offering a giveaway on The Ark Adventure.  You can win a Custom Neat Freak Combo by donating to The Ark Adventure.  You earn 1 entry for every $1 donated. Click here to go to the giveaway post.

Posts of Interest

Grow Wings needs your help.  In a recent post, Young Readers Online, she wrote about connecting kids with the kidlitosphere.  Do you have any thoughts on the topic that you could share with her?

The Book Chook is a great blog full of all things children's lit.  Susan had a great post this past week: No Time to Read to Kids.  This is a topic near and dear to this early childhood teacher's heart; what do you think?

What's New?

On Sunday, I posted about a new charity program that I am involved in called The Ark Adventure.  If you missed the post, you can read it here.   I am honored to be a part of this group and hope that you will help out when and if you can. 

Many book bloggers have other hobbies.  I know, who has time for something else when you have so many books to read?  It is possible!  Many book bloggers enjoy knitting when they're not reading.  I got involved in a Twitter discussion about it, and then got followed this week by KnittingHelp, which led to me to a new blog, KnittingHelp, where you can learn to knit via free videos.  Maybe I'll take up a new hobby.

I've saved the best for last.  This past week, MotherReader introduced us to Kidlitosphere Central.  Pam, along with Elizabeth Burns, Kelly Harold, Jen Robinson, and Anne Levy, have collaborated on this great new website.  Here are some excerpts from the website:  

What started as individuals blogging independently about children’s and young adult books became a collective of like-minded people. While maintaining our own sites and unique perspectives, shared activities made us a thriving community. Now — with weekly celebrations of poetry and nonfiction, an online literary journal, a shared database of book reviews, discussion groups, contests, social networks, an annual conference, and our own book awards — we’ve become a society.

KidLitosphere Central strives to provide an avenue to good books and useful literary resources; to support authors and publishers by connecting them with readers and book reviewers; and to continue the growth of the society of bloggers in children’s and young adult literature.

Welcome to KidLitosphere Central: The Society of Bloggers in Children’s and Young Adult Literature at www.kidlitosphere.org.

I hope you've enjoyed this week's edition of Wednesday Wanderings.  What did you "wander" upon this week?