Grounds for Change Coffee Gift Box Giveaway

30. December 2008 · 457 comments · Categories: Creature Comforts for Bookworms · Tags: , ,

Nothing beats relaxing with a good book and your favorite cup o’ joe.  For coffee connoisseurs, the joy of testing new brews is equivalent to the wine taster’s experience.  This is the great pleasure I’ve been having lately with the Grounds for Change Songbird Gift Box.  Grounds for Change is a unique coffee company; all of their coffee is organic and fair trade, and they roast to order and ship fresh daily.  That means really fresh coffee!

Grounds for Change is giving away one Songbird Gift Box to one of you!  Their Songbird coffees aren’t just your average bean.  These days when coffee is grown, the fields are clearcut and the beans are grown in full sun.  But the coffee shrub is a shade-loving plant.  After scientific tweaking, coffee was developed to handle full sun.  But truth be told, nothing is better than coffee grown as coffee should be – in the shade, surrounded by a wide variety of trees.  These coffee farms, second in biodiversity only to the rainforest, quickly become the home to a wide variety of animals, including migratory birds whose songs surround the farms.  Hence, the Songbird coffees of Grounds for Change.

But are they good?  I’m telling you, I’ve not enjoyed coffee so fresh and wonderful in a long time.  Peru “Cafe Femenino”, Agate Pass Blend, and Bolivia “Los Yungas” have been in my mug every morning for the past week, and every cup has been a pleasure.  I love to prepare cappuccino, and in my opinion that can’t be done properly without a full wonderful coffee that lacks bitterness.  All three of the Grounds for Change flavors have been smooth and delicious, perfect for cappuccino.  

Now that you’re jonesing for joe, it’s your turn to enter to win!  The Songbird Gift Box includes the following:

  • Three 8 ounce bags of Fair Trade Organic coffee (Regular or Decaf; Ground or Whole Bean; Coffee Varieties Your Choice)
  • One Fair Trade milk chocolate bar
  • One Fair Trade copper & brass coffee scoop from Chile

1.) Just visit Grounds for Change and tell me something you liked or learned there. (You may enter once a day – following entries don’t require you to answer the question.) Remember, leave an interesting comment.  If I cannot contact the winner, you might be chosen instead based on your comment.

2.) Email subscribers get an extra entry for as long as their subscription is active.

     Already a subscriber?  Leave me a separate comment on this post to let me know you’re interested in this giveaway.

     Want to subscribe?  Just enter your email address in the “Subscribe” box on the left. (Please make sure to verify your Feedburner subscription by responding to the email they send you. If you do not receive it, check your junk mail. Only verified subscriptions are entered for all the giveaways.)

3.) Blog about this giveaway on your blog with a link back to this post.  Come back and leave me a Comment with a link to your blog post. (If your comment doesn’t show up right away, don’t worry – I may have to approve it first.  My blog might think it’s spam but gosh darn, I certainly don’t!)

4.) I’m feeling Twittery.  If you Twitter a link to this giveaway, come back and comment here to let me know your Twitter name for another entry! (I’m dkmommy if you want to follow me.)

Feel free to do all four, plus enter once a day, and you can gain up to 9 entries to win! You have until midnight EST on Sunday, January 4, 2009, to enter.

Check out all current giveaways for both my blogs here.

“A Life Well Read” Set Giveaway

12. December 2008 · 146 comments · Categories: Creature Comforts for Bookworms, Non-Book Giveaways · Tags: ,

Congratulations to Lisa!  Enjoy the set!

I’m happy to tell you carp(e) libris reviews is taking a new turn!  In addition to the usual great book reviews and giveaways, I’ll also be publishing reviews and giveaways featuring items for the book lover.  Our very first giveaway for the book lover would make a fantastic Christmas gift.  A Life Well Read – My Personal Journey Through Books from A Life Unplugged is exactly the sort of thing many of us bookish types drool over.  Made to help you catalog your thoughts and ideas on books you’ve read, keep track of what you have, what you want, what you leant, A Life Well Read prooves to be a little piece of bookworm heaven.

For a few years now, I’ve written down every book I’ve read, keeping track in a journal.  I leave weird little pieces of scrap paper in books where I found something quotable or memorable, but it’s always a hassle to keep it all in line.  Using online sources and computer programs hasn’t really worked well for me.  After all, I read on the couch.  Not at my computer desk.  A Life Well Read includes handy notecards shaped for use as a bookmark so it’s right there where you need it.  Genius!  I hadn’t ever thought of that.  And for someone like me who reviews books?  This could prove a sudden addiction.  Here’s what this set includes:

An elegant, premium-quality keepsake box in the shape of a book which fits easily on your bookshelf to keep your personalized impressions for years to come. Share them with family and friends anytime!

50 pre-printed note cards to use as bookmarks and also record your “a ha’s!” about your favorite books 

Record your notes and impressions, quotes and page references, your personal rating, where you got the book, book club notes, lending history by title and author.

5 pre-printed (and 7 blank) dividers to organize your note cards into a an evolving readers’ journal of your best book content

(All) My Books, My Favorites, Books I Want, Books On Loan, Books To Give and three additional customizable blank categories for you to define for your own needs. Categorize by title, author and subject.

A classic, heavy weight ballpoint pen which fits neatly into your keepsake box so you are always prepared to capture a lifetime of reading!

56 elegant bookplates to personalize your books in your own personal library.

24 color gift labels to add a personal touch to your gifts of books to friends and family and fellow book club members.

3 double-sided gift-giving reminder cards which help you track to who and when you gifted a book

A Life Unplugged, makers of the A Life Well Read set, are offering one carp(e) libris reviews reader their own set!  (Note it includes a pen – I love pens.) 

4 Ways to Enter (Only US entries on this giveaway, please):

1.) Just visit A Life Unplugged.  Then come back here and tell me what interests you most about this set.  Feel free to share if this is for you or someone you know. (You may enter once a day – following entries don’t require you to answer the question.) Remember, leave an interesting comment.  If I cannot contact the winner, you might be chosen instead based on your comment.

2.) Email subscribers get an extra entry for as long as their subscription is active.

     Already a subscriber?  Leave me a separate comment on this post to let me know you’re interested in this giveaway.

     Want to subscribe?  Just enter your email address in the “Subscribe” box on the right. (Please make sure to verify your Feedburner subscription by responding to the email they send you. If you do not receive it, check your junk mail. Only verified subscriptions are entered for all the giveaways.)

3.) Blog about this giveaway on your blog with a link back to this post.  Come back and leave me a Comment with a link to your blog post. (If your comment doesn’t show up right away, don’t worry – I may have to approve it first.  My blog might think it’s spam but gosh darn, I certainly don’t!)

4.) I’m feeling Twittery.  If you Twitter a link to this giveaway, come back and comment here to let me know your Twitter name for another entry! (I’m dkmommy if you want to follow me.)

Feel free to do all four, plus enter once a day, and you can gain up to 10 entries to win! You have until midnight EST on Wednesday, December 17, 2008, to enter.

Want to buy your own A Life Well Read set?  It’s now on sale for $20 plus $5 Shipping & Handling.

Want more giveaways?  Visit my Contests & Coupon Codes page on dkMommy Spot.

Silent Thunder by Iris Johansen & Roy Johansen – Giveaway

28. July 2008 · 159 comments · Categories: Book Giveaway, Thrillers · Tags: , ,

PhotobucketCongratulations to Susan of Oregon – enjoy the book!

Last week I posted my first-ever podcast. It was an interview with bestselling author Iris Johansen and her son, award-winning author Roy Johansen. They wrote a great thriller novel called Silent Thunder that promises to be a best seller. If you love books that beg to be movies, you’ll love Silent Thunder. It’s all that a thriller-lover wants in a fun summer read, so I’m happy to be able to offer one copy to a carp(e) libris reviews reader!

3 Ways to Win:

1.) Leave a comment telling me whether or not you like thrillers and mysteries. Who are your favorites?

2.) Email subscribers are entered into this and all future giveaways, for as long as their subscription is active. Simply place your email address in the little white box at the top of my sidebar on the right. (Please make sure to verify your Feedburner subscription by responding to the email they send you. If you don’t receive it, check your junk mail. Only verified subscriptions are entered for all the giveaways.)

3.) Blog about this giveaway on your blog with a link back to this post. Come back and leave me a Comment with a link to your blog post.

Do all three, and you’ve got three entries to win! You have until midnight EST on Thursday, July 31, 2008, to enter.

A Peculiar Feeling of Restlessness – Review & Giveaway

03. June 2008 · 47 comments · Categories: Book Review and Giveaway, Short Short Stories · Tags: , ,


What holds people back from reading these days? I hear it all the time: “I love books, but I’m too busy” or, “I used to read, but now with the kids I can’t get much further than the first page.” Whenever I review and give away a book of short stories, I see many similar comments from readers who love shorts because they’re able to get something artistic back into their lives in the small amount of time they’re able to eke out. If you hang out on carp(e) libris reviews, chances are you wish as I do that you had hours of every day to devote to artistic pursuits, whether it be reading or slapping paint on a canvas. But if all you’ve got is a minute or two, all is not lost to you.

A Peculiar Feeling of Restlessness: Four Chapbooks of Short Short Fiction by Four Women is just what the muse doctor ordered. These stories are truly short short; all under 1,000 words each, some no more than a paragraph or two, and each one brilliantly written by one of four highly creative women. This book is divided into four sections or “chapbooks” highlighting the work of one of the writers: Amy L. Clark, Elizabeth Ellen, Kathy Fish, and Claudia Smith. All four were nominated for Rose Metal Press’s first annual short short chapbook contest, Claudia Smith being the winner.

If you like the unusual, if you like to see the mostly unspoken fragments of life brought forth in an uneasy yet entertaining manner, if the art part of your mind is starving for attention, A Peculiar Feeling of Restlessness will bring you brain food in small but fulfilling pieces. These are not wishy-washy shorts, oh no! They cover all the uncomfortable ramblings, the hidden and forbidden fragments that have rammed through most of our lives, either wanted or unwanted but there nonetheless. As a whole, this book pulls us together into a secret sisterhood of “I’ve been there and darned if I didn’t like it either.” If I had to pick one word that describes all these stories, it would be “powerful.” I was fascinated and inspired by how much all four authors were able to fit into each story, as I am sure you will be too.

Now that you’re properly aching for this book, I’ve got one extra copy of A Peculiar Feeling of Restlessness to give away. Enter to win by midnight EST, June 6, 2008.

1.) Leave a comment telling me something about the level of art you’re able to fit into your day, if any. Are you able to read a lot? Do you search for ways to feed your creative brain? (Something more than “I want this book” is kindly suggested.) Here’s your shot at creativity for today; if the randomly chosen winner doesn’t reply to my email telling them they’ve won, I often choose the #2 winner based on their comment.

2.) or Subscribers are automatically entered into this and all future giveaways. Just enter your email address in the little white box on the upper part of the right hand column. (Please make sure to verify your Feedburner subscription by responding to the email they send you. If you don’t receive it, check your junk mail.)

3.) or Blog about this giveaway on your blog with a link back.

Do all three, and you’ve got three entries to win!

Schuler Books & Music $10 Gift Certificate Giveaway

29. May 2008 · 64 comments · Categories: Independent Booksellers · Tags: ,


Several years ago, my husband decided to buy me a special unabridged dictionary for Christmas. He headed to a large bookstore chain and asked a young sales clerk for help. When confronted with the task of searching for the dictionary, she seemed confused and headed for the computer to help her find this so very unusual book.

“No,” she said, “we don’t carry those.”

“You don’t carry an unabridged dictionary?” my husband asked in surprise.

Leaning over her computer to take a better look, my husband saw what the sales clerk had typed in: “On a Bridge Dictionary.”

This is why we shop at Schuler Books & Music. I’ve shopped there since childhood, back when there were no large chain bookstores, and it’s still my favorite. They’ve got a wide selection of books, the biggest assortment of magazines and newspapers I’ve seen, and a great cafe. But more importantly, their sales staff is filled with readers who actually know what their talking about. They understand books. And dictionaries.

So you’re not from these parts? No need to fear. This family owned business not only encompasses five of the nation’s largest indie bookstores, they have a wonderful online presence as well, featuring $1 shipping. Schuler Books & Music is providing a $10 gift card to one of you if you’d like to give them a whirl. You’ll enjoy shopping online with them, and you’ll have no problem finding what you’re looking for. They’ve got everything.

Even unabridged dictionaries.

Enter by midnight EST June 1st, 2008.

Three ways to win:

1.) Visit the Schuler Books & Music website. Leave a comment telling me what you like about the site. (Something more than “looks good” is kindly suggested.) Could be a feature of the site, what you found you’d spend the gift certificate on, or a nice little tidbit about the company.

2.) Subscribers are automatically entered into this and all future giveaways. Just enter your email address in the little white box on the upper part of the right hand column. (Please make sure to verify your Feedburner subscription by responding to the email they send you. If you don’t receive it, check your junk mail.)

3.) Blog about this giveaway on your blog with a link back.

Do all three, and you’ve got three entries to win!

April Winners and a Link to LOTS More Book Giveaways

07. May 2008 · 1 comment · Categories: Interesting Links · Tags: , ,

Here are the winners for April, and I’ve got plenty lined up for May as well, so get ready! In the meantime, congratulations go out to the following people:

Voice of Ice – Elise
Plan Z by Leslie Kove – Andy
All Over Coffee – Elizabeth
Sandrine’s Letter to Tomorrow – Laura
Voices of the Lost and Found – Melissa
The Unforeseen – Denise

While you wait for my next review, here’s some book giveaway fun:

A Book Blogger’s Diary

This one’s a biggie – take a look through all the books A Book Blogger’s Diary is giving away now! I can’t imagine what her living room must look like with all the books waiting for mailings. This giveaway list is really long, and multiple, multiple winners will be chosen on May 11 (Mother’s Day in case you’ve forgotten!)

The Baker’s Boy by Barry Kitterman – Review & Giveaway

02. May 2008 · 62 comments · Categories: Book Review and Giveaway · Tags: , , ,


Everyone has a skeleton in the closet, and Tanner’s has been dogging him for over 20 years. It followed him from Belize after a two-year Peace Corp stint that was supposed to help him do something good. But Tanner wonders if some people do good things naturally while others have to work a little harder at it.

In The Baker’s Boy, a tragic event on Tanner’s first day back to college after a 25-year break, pushes him to the brink. The trauma of the present conjures up images of a past he’d rather forget, teaching boys in a school for Belize delinquents. As he tries to figure out how to deal with marriage and impending fatherhood, he lapses into the past, unburdening his story bit by bit to his best friend and his pregnant wife.

Author Barry Kitterman doesn’t paint the picture of the lush green Belize you’d find in the travel brochures. Kitterman’s Belize is real to the core, impoverished, and gritty. His descriptions of the New Hope School for Boys and those who live there are achy, sometimes funny, always able to hold the reader’s attention. As the narration progresses, the book gains more and more momentum right up to its unexpected ending.

I have one copy of The Baker’s Boy that I’d like to give away to one of you. Enter to win by midnight, May 6, 2008.

3 Ways to Enter:

1.) Leave a comment telling me what interests you about the book. (Something more than “sounds good” is kindly suggested.) Don’t worry -you don’t have to share the skeletons in your closet – unless you want to!

2.) Subscribers are automatically entered into this and all future giveaways. Just enter your email address in the little white box on the upper part of the right hand column. (Please make sure to verify your Feedburner subscription by responding to the email they send you. If you don’t receive it, check your junk mail.)

3.) Blog about this giveaway on your blog with a link back.

Do all three, and you’ve got three entries to win!

A Giveaway of a Different Sort

29. April 2008 · 1 comment · Categories: Interesting Links · Tags: ,

We interrupt your book reading to bring you an important bulletin…

Even we bookworms have to stop reading long enough to clean the house, so I thought I’d let you know about the giveaway on my other blog, dkMommy Spot. I’ll be giving away a Living Home Starter Kit from Seventh Generation, a value of $44.99. So swing by and enter to win before midnight, May 5, 2008.

Okay, you can get back to that book now.

Sandrine’s Letter to Tomorrow by Dedra Johnson – Review & Giveaway

21. April 2008 · 92 comments · Categories: African American Literature, Book Review and Giveaway, Goldfish Award Books · Tags: , , ,


Ever read a book that haunted you? One that would not, no matter how you tried, allow you to put it down until the last page was read? If it’s been awhile since you’ve had that type of a reading experience, then it’s time to read Sandrine’s Letter to Tomorrow by Dedra Johnson.

Sandrine, a girl of nine living in New Orleans in the mid-1970′s, has had to grow up much faster than any little girl should have to do. Her mother makes it painfully clear she was never wanted and has interfered in her mother’s life in every way possible. Her father loves her, but only from a distance. She seems to be tossed aside carelessly by everyone who is supposed to love and care for her; no one protects her.

Written in first person, Sandrine is a very real character from page one. Despite the fact that it is told through the eyes of a child, the voice is intelligent and mature for her years. But Sandrine is still only a child. The reader will understand much more of what is happening in Sandrine’s life than she does. Sandrine is taken through difficulties no child should experience, including racism (even among her own family due to her light skin) sexual assault, and child abuse.

Dedra Johnson has a unique voice, and with her skills at writing page-turning narrative, I’m certain it’s only a matter of time before we hear more from her. Her work has an appeal that can easily hook you; with the right promotion, hers will become more than just another book on the shelf. I’m not the only one who feels this way – she’s been compared to Toni Morrison, and I have to agree it has that beautiful yet heartbreaking quality Morrison is known for.

Dedra Johnson is a New Orleans native. Dedra was a finalist for the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Award for College Writers and Sandrine’s Letter to Tomorrow was a finalist for the 2006 William Faulkner-William Wisdom Creative Writing Award. Check back tomorrow to read my interview with Dedra where she’ll give us some insight on her book.

I have a copy of Sandrine’s Letter to Tomorrow to give away to one reader. As always, subscribers are automatically entered in this and all future book giveaways. (If you’re not subscribed, please type your email address in the box in the right-hand column. Make sure you add Feedburner to your address book so you can verify your subscription.) You can also enter by leaving a comment telling me what interests you about the book, or link to this giveaway from your own blog. Do all three, and you have three entries. I’ll draw a winner on April 24, 2008, 12 midnight. (***Note: Contest is now extended to April 25, 2008 midnight. This drawing is now listed on Bloggy Giveaways, which is having a huge giveaway carnival. If you like giveaways, this is the place to be this week!)

A carp(e) libris reviews goldfish award book.

“Plan Z by Leslie Kove” by Betsy Robinson – Review & Giveaway

09. April 2008 · 35 comments · Categories: Book Review and Giveaway · Tags: , , ,


Nothing makes for a more absorbing story than a great main character. Leslie Kove is as entertaining as a protagonist can hope to be. A funny, self-conscious girl who sees herself as ordinary (you certainly will not!), Leslie is plopped right in the middle of the ’60s. Living in an era that was already turbulent enough, she has the added stress of a hippie sister, a brother killed in Vietnam, and parents who set new lows for dysfunctional families everywhere.

In “Plan Z by Leslie Kove“, Leslie goes from her teen years into adulthood, finding herself bouncing from job to job, even country to country. Robinson’s writing style is very entertaining and fun to read, but there’s also a subtle underlying depth to her main character. In between all the laughs and unusual situations, the reader gets to see there’s more to Leslie than meets even her own eye.

Robinson spent a lot of time developing the character of Leslie, who first appeared in Darleen Dances, a one-woman, one-act play Robinson wrote in 1986. She was so attached to the main character of the play that she decided to use her as Leslie Kove in Plan Z. It proved to be a good move – the book has even won a First Series Award for the Novel.

I’m happy to say I have an extra copy to give away to one of you. As always, subscribers are automatically entered to win this and all future giveaways. Or leave a comment telling me what intrigues you about the book. You can put a link to this giveaway on your blog for an entry as well. Do all three, and you’ve got three chances to win. A winner will be randomly selected on Saturday, April 12, 2008, 12noon EST.

Published by Mid-List Press.

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