Joyce DiPastena's Blog, page 82

Update On My 2010 New/Old Reading Challenge

How are you doing with your New/Old Reading Challenge this year? I thought the least I could do is keep you updated on how I'm doing with my own challenge.

I recently finished reading my first new book of 2010: Missing, by Ronda Gibbs Hinrichsen. A review and author interview (and possibly a giveaway) will be following soon, so stay tuned! (My reading of Haunts Haven by Joan Sowards didn't quite count towards my challenge, as I began my reading of Joan's book in 2009.)

I will not be reviewing e...

Winner of "Haunts Haven"

Congratulations to Rachelle Christensen of Utah! Rachelle thinks Arizona rocks, and has won a copy of Haunts Haven , by Joan Sowards.

Thank you to everyone who entered. Don't forget that my OOPS! giveaway is still in progress for another week, so it's not too late to jump into that drawing. And coming up soon, I'll be posting a review and giveaway of Missing , by Ronda Hinrichsen, so stay tuned!

Lovely Blog Award

Thank you so much to Mozette (isn't that a pretty name?) of My Reading List for awarding my blog this lovely award! Mozette has a lovely blog of her own which, if you're a reader (and why are you following me if you're not?--just kidding!), might lead you to some intriguing new titles if you check it out.




Now that I have humbly and appreciatively accepted this award, I  have the privilege of passing it on to others in accordance with the following rules:

Accept the award, post it on your blog t...

Win a Copy of Loyalty's Web and Chase Away Those Winter Blahs

Cami Checketts is holding a drawing for a copy of my medieval romance, Loyalty's Web , over on her Cami's Books Blog. Deadline to enter is January 25th! And while you're there, check out all the other wonderful books she's giving away this month to help you chase away the Winter Blahs!

Book Review of "Haunts Haven", by Joan Sowards

Why is it that in a Church with over 13.5 million members spread throughout North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and many "isles of the sea", all LDS novels continue to be set in Utah (or occasionally Idaho)?

Oh, wait. They're not! Finally, an LDS novel that I can relate to! Haunts Haven , by Joan Sowards, is set in my own home state of Arizona. I can't tell you how excited I was to read a book with references to Tucson and Sierra Vista, places I've actually been...

Books I Read in 2009

Here are the books I read in 2009. Those marked with double **'s were re-readings of an old favorite. My favorite "new" book of the year is marked with three ***'s, in red. Though I read more fiction than non-fiction, once again it was a non-fiction book that won the title of "favorite" for 2009.

The Great and Terrible: Clear As the Moon, by Chris Stewart (fiction/begun in December 2008)
The Death of a Squire: A Templar Mystery, by Maureen Ash (fiction)
The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre...

2010 Reading Challenge Update

Okay, some of you are finding my 2010 Reading Challenge too hard already, so I'll simplify it for all of us by breaking the challenge into three categories.

(1) Read a minimum of 4 "old favorites" this year and be entered to win a $5 Amazon gift certificate on January 15, 2011.

(2) Read a minimum of 8 "old favorites" this year and be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift certificate on January 15, 2011.

(3) Read 12 or more "old favorites" this year and be entered to win a $25 Amazon gift certificate ...

Come Join Me in My New/Old Reading Challenge for 2010!

January is a popular time to kick off new reading challenges. I have seen challenges to read 100 books in a year. Challenges to read 12 YA books before the end of the year. There are Speculative Reading challenges. Thriller and Suspense challenges. Historical Reading challenges. Romance reading challenges. Even an A-Z Reading challenge.

Google the words "2010 book reading challenge" and you are sure to come up with additional reading challenges you never even dreamed existed!

Well, I've...

OOPS! Giveaway

Oops! I recently opened a new box of copies of Illuminations of the Heart and inadvertently cut a big "scratch" in the cover of the copy on top. (See that white line parallel to Siri's chin? Oops!) I could give this copy away to a place like Deseret Industries or Goodwill...or I could see if any of you out there would be interested in winning this slightly marred copy for yourself. Only the cover is scratched (and yes, it's a pretty big scratch), but the text is entirely new and fresh and com...

What Do We Call the New Year?

So is it going to be Two Thousand Ten or Twenty-Ten on New Year's Day? I vote for Twenty-Ten. How about you?