Tag Archives: won

Pretties & Kitties: Spring Equinox Edition

Kitties & Pretties

Kitties & Pretties is my version of the various weekend book haul show-off memes such as Stacking The Shelves, The Sunday ShowcaseIn My Mailbox, Owl Post, etc. It goes like this: I set up and arrange the various books I’ve received lately, wait for one of my curious kitties to come investigate, then start snapping pictures. Or I let my husband pick up Winky, my blog mascot, put her in a bag (she likes being carried around in a bag – she’s weird and awesome like that) and place her on the table next to said book haul. Which is what happened above. 🙂

(Kitties & Pretties is free for anyone to use, with a link back to my blog)

Winter is nearly over and it’s time for another edition of Pretties & Kitties. These are all the books I’ve acquired so far in 2014. And this time I’ve got an extra-special surprise because Grrr, my beautiful but attitudinal girl is making an appearance!

Grrr Of Poseidon

Isn’t she gorgeous?

So one morning I opened my book-shaped package and found a copy of Of Poseidon, but I had to leave so I just left it on the back of the couch. That’s totally Grrr’s spot, so I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised to find her next to it, but when I tried to move it she reached out and grabbed it. So I just left it there. Most days I find her cuddled up next to it, and though I’m super-grateful to Janae’s Book Obsession and would  really like to read it, she’s made it clear that it’s hers now!

Since Jack is enamored of Grrr, (though sadly their relationship is decidedly Dickensian – meaning he’s Pip and she’s Estella), he likes to lay near her on the puffy couch. So while he was doing that, I thought I’d place a book or two on him. He didn’t mind.

2 Jack The Sowing

The Sowing by K. Makansi. Thank you to The Best Books Ever!

3 Jack Paris Cravings

Paris Cravings by Kimberley Montpetit.

Thank you to the author, Kimberley Montpetit. She even included a bookmark that smells like chocolate! How cool is that?!

I decided I had to get a picture of both of them with their books.

4 Grr + Jack & their books

So I gave Jack the copy of Allegiant I bought, since it matches his fur.

This next picture is Winky (dark) and Vinnie (light) with all the stuff I got from Amazon with Swagbucks.

5 Wink + Vinnie licks Allegiant

Yes, Vinnie is licking Allegiant. Maybe he thinks if he licks it, that makes it his. Either way it was adorable.

Anyway, I got Allegiant and all three seasons of Avatar: The Last Airbender just from doing online surveys for Swagbucks. Check it out if you want, it’s actually legitimate. I earn at least $25 a month. (Yes, that’s my referral link. You don’t have to use it.) 🙂

I also have to show you guys this picture, with Vinnie in mid-yawn.

5 second

He’s such a goofball. 🙂

And here is Wink with my new copy of Insurgent (and Vinnie’s tail).

6 Wink Insurgent

Next we have a box of ARCs with a Vinnie!

7 Vinnie ARCs

He’s a kitty, so of course he loves boxes. I won these beauties from Two Chicks On Books‘ Blogoversary. Thank you so much!

Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd I did a little happy dance when I saw this one. I’ve wanted it forever. Just look at the ridiculous gorgeousness of that cover!

Independent Study by Joelle Charbonneau I already have an ARC of this one, so guess what that means? It means GIVEAWAY. Stay tuned. 😉

Salvage by Alexandra Duncan I’d just heard about this one and it sounded really interesting. I think I’ll be starting it soon. Not sure I can get a review done before it releases April 1st, but I can try!

White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout I actually wasn’t interested in this one at first, but I read the first page and was hooked. You can read my review here.

Now we have Wink with my new reiki textbook.

8 Reiki Wink

Looks like she’s meditating, huh? Appropriate. 🙂

Here we have Vinnie on top of the bookshelf with my penguin robe and my pretty new copy of Asunder.

9 Vinnie Asunders

Asunder by Jodi Meadows won from A Dream Within A Dream. Thank you!

So those are my books! Pretty, aren’t they?

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Pretties & Kitties: 2013 Edition

Kitties & Pretties

Kitties & Pretties is my version of the various weekend book haul show-off memes such as Stacking The Shelves, The Sunday ShowcaseIn My Mailbox, Owl Post, etc. It goes like this: I set up and arrange the various books I’ve received lately, wait for one of my curious kitties to come investigate, then start snapping pictures. Or I let my husband pick up Winky, my blog mascot, put her in a bag (she likes being carried around in a bag – she’s weird and awesome like that) and place her on the table next to said book haul. Which is what happened above. 🙂

(Kitties & Pretties is free for anyone to use, with a link back to my blog)

So. Guys. I won A TON of books in 2013, courtesy of my new found obsession: stalking following book blogs. I know that normal people post their book haul weekly, but since I didn’t get into blogging myself until close to the end of 2013, and seeing as I still want to show off thank all the awesome bloggers who gifted me these books, I hereby present my 2013 Kitties & Pretties Overview!

We’ll start with the books I got for myself, during the first half of the year. Bought with a combination of Christmas gift cards and the weekly online bargains at BooksAMillion. Wink is taking her duty as Official Book Presenter very seriously.

Wink books intent stare

Books obtained include:

The Selection and The Elite by Keira Cass

The Chemical Garden trilogy by Lauren DeStefano

The Matched trilogy by Ally Condie

The Mortal Instrument series by Cassandra Clare

Beta by Rachel Cohn

Blood Magic by Tessa Graton

Immortal by Gillian Shields

Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Lost Voices by Sarah Porter

Sweep: Volume 1 by Cate Tiernan

The Secret History of Elizabeth Tudor, Vampire Slayer by Lucy Weston

The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman

Next I’ll showcase the books I won during the first part of the year from awesome generous bloggers, authors and publishers. Wink is generously voting for The Adoration of Jenna Fox with her total adorableness.

wink tail books

Books won include:

The Jenna Fox Chronicles by Mary E. Pearson

The Testing and Indepedent Study by Joelle Charbonneau

Every Other Day and Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Cinder & Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancy

The Program by Suzanne Young

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Mermother: An Account of What Happened In The Sea by Elizabeth Jane Wolfe

Snow Whyte and the Queen of Mayhem by Melissa Lemon

Marking Time by April White

Winky’s tail and I also felt the need to point out how freaking awesome it is that I won a personalized copy of Incarnate by Jodi Meadows!

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Yes, my first name is Julia. Rain Jeys is my pen name, though it’s also my middle/maiden name. 🙂

During the first half of the year, I also won Queen of Kings by Maria Dahvana Headley and Reaper by L.S. Murphy. I have to just use the Goodreads image, since I’ve lent both books out. 🙂

Next we have the awesomeness that awaited me when I arrived at my new house (well, kind of new – I lived here with my Grama as a kid) in California. After a certain date, I just had any books I won sent to my new address and my mom collected them into a book pile for me. Here they all are, lined up beautifully on the shelf of my new housewarming-gifted bookshelf!

Shelf

Books awaiting me included:

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

The Archived by Victoria Schwab

Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson

Innocent Darkness by Suzanne Lazear

Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers

A Darkness Strange & Lovely by Susan Dennard

Of Beast & Beauty by Stacey Jay

Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo

If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan

Plague in the Mirror by Deborah Noyes

Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakely-Cartwright (and the movie!)

Also awaiting me in California was this unexpected present

Mystery Book

I have no idea who gave it to me, but thank you!

Shortly after arriving in California, my amazing husband purchased these beauties for me

House of Hades

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This next pile is displayed by my adorable assistant, Captain Jack (yes, Harkness), who seems to wish me to read The Burning Sky next.

Jack loves The Burning Sky

I kind of forgot to divide these into piles (I was distracted by Jack’s immense cuteness!), but anyway:

The Sea Inside by Vickie Johnstone (won from the author’s blog)

Rampant by Diana Peterfreund (purchased)

The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas (purchased)

Marked, Betrayed, Chosen &Untamed by P.C. & Kristen Cast (gift from  my husband)

And here is Vinnie, from atop his favorite perch, on top of the bookcase, and never too far from his penguin robe, to present the first book I’ve ever won from a Goodreads giveaway!

The Vinnie Kingdom

The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson

I was lucky enough to have won the grand prize for the Indelible giveaway, which was this beautiful real copper rose (as in a rose – coated in copper) and a feather quill, ink and inkwells. Gorgeous.

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Vinnie says we need a close-up of the copper rose

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I didn’t win the actual book though! Even though I really want to read it!

It would take half my life to thank each individual blogger for each individual book here (especially since I’m still typing one-handed), so instead I shall list each blog and author here. Thank you so much!

Erica Hayes

My Friends Are Fiction

Literary Meanderings

Christy’s Love of Books

DJ Librarian Dishes

Jean Book Nerd

Short & Sweet Reviews

Lili Lost in a Book

Bookaroo-Ju Blog

The Quiet Concert

The Secret Writer

Ex Libris Kate

Kate Tilton

Readers Confession

Forever 17 Books

YA Romantics

Vade Mecumbt

Ensconced in YA

Kismet Book Touring

 I Love to Read and Review Books 

The Attic -YA Book Reviews

The Book Belles

Tressa’s Wishful Endings

BookHounds YA

Fiktshun

Vickie Johnstone

2013 was definitely the year of books, but I want 2014 to be even better! So I’m off now to read some more. Tell me your thoughts in the comments. Have you read any of these? Do you want to? Any you especially recommend? Some I’ve read already and some I haven’t. Either way, I love your input. Thanks for reading!

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