Bouquets of Sharpened Pencils

Remember when I entered this contest to win $500 in books from Chronicle? Weeeeeell, alas I did not win. Again. What can I say - I'm not very lucky I guess.

Ah well, there's always next year! And congrats to the winner! Besides, that's not all they wrote because - as a thank you for participating in the promotion - Chronicle is giving a great discount on book orders:

up to 35% off + Free Ground Shipping

Enter HAULIDAYS at checkout

Go forth and purchase books at a discount! For some reason this statement makes me think of Joe Fox - "I sell cheap books! I do! So sue me". (completely off-topic but You've Got Mail is one of the cutest movies ever).

Speaking of books, I sorta found out about one of my big Christmas gifts a little early...

AHHHHH - that's right, baby. It's a Kobo Vox e-reader (for my American friends, this is basically the Canadian Kindle - the Canindle?). I just love the concept of these things - I love having hundreds of books and magazines and newspapers right at my fingertips with no wasteful piles of paper and ink (or sagging, space-sucking bookshelves). I take the bus every day and always have a book with me to read, so this thing will definitely get some use. Very handy for the morning commute.

Ok, so it's not really a surprise but my mom had to tell me I was getting it so she could make sure to get me the one I wanted. And this is my big gift - I find now that I'm no longer a kid (well, at least not in age) I am more interested in getting one main gift every Christmas than piles and piles of gifts. It's more about quality - i.e. getting one gift that will be really useful to me - than quantity - i.e. getting as many gifts as possible. Last year I asked for a Tassimo coffeemaker. Next year I'll probably ask for a vacuum or something similarly lame.

So, what are you asking for for Christmas? Do you have an e-reader? If so, what do you think of it? What are your thoughts on e-books vs. paper books?

Happy Haulidays, all! Only one week away (as hard as it is to believe).

Happy Haulidays (take two)

One of my favourite gifts to get for Christmas (well, anytime really) is new books. I especially like books that teach me about quirky things I didn't know before. Chronicle Books publishes a lot of books like this - I love perusing their site and checking out their new fun books. There are so many of their books that speak to my passions and interests, I could EASILY spend $500 in one-go.

Speaking of spending $500 in one-go: Last year I entered the Happy Haulidays contest to try and win $500 of books - alas, I was not successful but it was still fun to shop around and write the post, so I thought why not do it again?!

The cool thing about the contest this year is that they are not only awarding one lucky blogger AND one lucky commenter $500 in books, but they will also donate $500 worth of books to the winner's chosen charity! Cool, huh?

If I were to win, choosing a charity to receive the donation would be tough because there are so many organizations that I think are deserving. But if I had to choose, I would probably split the $500 donation prize between my two best friends, who both teach elementary school. One works as a resource teacher in a school in my city, and the other teaches a kindergarten class in Cold Lake, Alberta. They both work so hard at their jobs, and they are always spending their own money on much-needed supplies for their classroom (I'm sorry, but whoever says teachers make too much money and get too much time off have NO idea what their job actually entails) so I would love to help them buy some educational and fun books for their kids (like perhaps this one, or this).

I feel that fostering a love of reading and learning at a young age is so important, and it makes me proud that my friends are helping so many students do this. A few hundred dollars worth of books would be a great help for them. I'm not sure if this technically counts as a "charity" but I think they are deserving.

Behold my list of chosen books (I think it's safe to say I would have no problem spending $500 on this site. No sir). If you like what you see, don't forget to comment below for your chance to win too! And stay tuned  in case we win! Happy Haulidays, y'all :)

One Line a Day Memory Book * Creative Inc * The Exquisite Book * Paper + Craft * A Very Merry Cookie Party * I Was Here * 18-mth Moleskin Planner * Rubberneckers * Wanderlust * Places To Check Out * Paint By Number * Coffee * 52 Relaxing Rituals * Soul Catcher * Lotta's Printing Studio * Mexicocina (my bf would love this book) * Penny Saving Household Helper * Same Place, More Space * Anne Taintnor 2012 Wall Calendar * The Writer's Toolbox * Copywriting

Un-Happy Haulidays

Well, alas I did not win the Chronicle Books Home for the Haulidays contest I wrote about here, which means no free books for me or for anyone who commented. WAH!

However, twas not all in vain! Chronicle is offering we bloggers + our readers the following deal:

35% off + free shipping through December 16, 2011

Use this promo code at checkout: HAULIDAYS

Huzzah! So, you can still pick up some books and if not for free, at a reduced cost.

Thanks to everyone who commented! It was fun to search the site and make some picks (and daydream). Until next time...what are you waiting for?! Go read something!

If You Could Read My Mind, Love

I recently discovered a sweet company through one my favourite bloggers, Bakerella. For those of you who haven't heard of her, she's a "cake pop" maven! If you like baked goods and fun, easy recipes check out her blog ASAP!

Anyway, Chronicle Books (@ChronicleBooks) is the publisher of her cake pop book, and I stumbled upon their website through following her book tour. I'm hooked! They publish really fun, quirky, witty books with some of the coolest graphic cover art I've ever seen. I could spend hours perusing their site. I ordered this book for my mom for Christmas (she makes the best whoopie pies).

So, given how much I love this company, and the fact that I'm a huge book-worm, I was soooo excited to learn about their Happy Haulidays contest.

By blogging a list of Chronicle books (valued at up to $500!) I would love to see under my Christmas tree, I'm automatically entered to win said list! Better yet, anyone who comments on my post will win the list too! (ahem, hint hint)

It would be so amazing to win up to $500 in books - I wouldn't have to buy a book for two years! I mean, I love me some books, but they can be pricey and I'm one of those wierdos who likes NEW books and therefore frequents bookstores and Amazon.ca when I really should be visiting the library (oh hello, budget, haven't seen you in a while!). Feeding my habit can get pricey so needless to say, winning a huge stack of lovely books would be very much appreciated. If I won, I probably wouldn't leave my apartment for, oh, a month or two because I'd be too busy caressing all the cute covers and absorbing every whimsical word.

The only issue is there are so many books on the site that I'd love to read, it was hard to narrow it down (believe it or not the list below IS in fact a narrowed down list!). Don't say I didn't warn you ahead of time about the book greediness (what?! All they said was $500 limit, and I'm well within that! Don't judge me!). This means there are too many for me to write a little blurb about every single one, so photos (and short comments here and there) will have to suffice. Photos are better anyway because you can get an eyeful of the aforementioned gorgeous cover graphics! Behold the awesomeness (and pray to the book gods for me to win - draw is Dec 13th)! *remember to comment below if you want to be entered to win too!*


I am CONSTANTLY writing myself notes, so this would be very handy

Yes, Kerry, please help me 

Such a sweet story behind this one!

Meow!

Considering my financial sitch I'll be renting, oh, forever so new decor tips would be great!

BEAUTIFUL

I love to doodle and colour!

 

Frida Kahlo is one of my fav artists. I just read a novel that features her and really enjoyed it

Bahahaha. Oh cat lovers and their silliness

I really miss doing yoga, and lets be honest, we could all use a little "om" in our workday once in a while, am I right?

J'adore dips, and everyone loves the person that brings dip to the party!

Just something I wanna learn more about...

In conclusion, I'd just like to say that books are the shiz. Listen to Levar Burton kids, "take a look, it's in a book!"

Happy Reading!