Monday, November 23, 2009

The Great Kindle Giveaway, from Bibliofreak



I've just subscribed to a new-to-me book blog called Bibliofreak, and was introduced to a jaw-droppingly amazing giveaway: Bibliofreak (J.T.) is giving away a Kindle II, and has plans to give away FOURTEEN MORE Kindles -- my God, let me say that again -- FOURTEEN MORE Kindles! The blog post states:
However, while I’ve fronted some money, I’m not rich. The first Kindle I’m paying for myself. The rest will be funded through my Amazon affiliation. For every $259 I make, I will offer up another Kindle.

I confess, I'm enamored of the Barnes & Noble Nook (and will probably be more so when I see one in the store ... next week!), and am interested in Sony's E-Readers, but one advantage of Amazon's Kindles is that wireless access from almost anywhere -- and I think it's got some level of web access as well, though of course it's no laptop -- and I don't think that's true of the Nook. And since I can't afford any of these marvelous reading devices any time in the near future (unemployed husband, discussion of furloughs for state employees like me, etc.), I would be STOKED to win a Kindle!

I get an extra entry for blogging about it, but now that you've heard about it, you can enter, too! Click the banner at the top of this post to go to Bibliofreakblog and find out how to enter. Good luck to you! And good luck to me, too!! ;-)

Friday, November 20, 2009

Book Blogs Search Engine, by Fyrefly

I started wondering a few weeks ago if there was a website or database where I could find out which book bloggers had reviewed a book (or at least posted something about a given title, not necessarily a complete or "formal" review). Since I don't tend to read what "everyone else" is reading, unless it's a couple years after "everyone else" has already finished it, I thought it would be a good way to see who else has read some of the same things I've read -- or conversely, to finally admit that I really AM the only person who loves, for example, The Injured Party by Susan Fromberg Schaeffer. (Some time ago, there were five copies of that novel cataloged on LibraryThing. Two of the five are mine: one hardcover, one paperback.)

Some days after thinking that I wanted some kind of book review index for book blogs, I found a Google Custom Search Engine developed (and maintained, as time allows) by a book blogger called Fyrefly. I recognized the user name Fyrefly from LibraryThing, and anyone who's active on LT, I'm ready to support pretty much any of their book-related activities. I'm also familiar with Google's Custom Search Engines because some of my fellow transportation librarians have developed them to search specific types of transportation websites: only state DOTs, only university transportation centers, that kind of thing. Because you're ONLY searching sites and domains that are entered by the search engine creator(s), you get the familiar Google search, but usually with more relevant, targeted, and reliable results.

I've added a widget for the Book Blogs Search Engine to the side of my blog. If you're curious to see the sites that are currently included in the search engine, check this page at Fyrefly's blog -- it's a huge list! That blog page was last updated in late September, and the search engine's page says it was last updated on October 8. It seems there are always new book bloggers popping up, and even some blogs that have been around a while might be "under the radar," so it's basically impossible to include them all, especially when the search engine is a one-person operation. It's really an amazing resource. :-)

So, fellow readers, give the search engine a try, and if you like what you find, stop by Fyrefly's blog and let her know.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Family game night?

My mother-in-law is here for the night, there's nothing "must-watch" on TV, no firm plans. After dinner, I asked Jeff, "So did we decide anything about whether to play a game or something?"

Jeff says, "No, not yet. Why, Honey, what would you want to play?"

"Um...nothing."

"Oh really, nothing?" Jeff asks me, "What's your second choice?"

I collapse in laughter.

Back when I was young and single, I remember one of my guy friends talking with me about board games. He wondered why we hadn't played any, said we had to play Monopoly or something, sometime soon. The next time I talked to him, I'd thought it over, and I said, "Board games are something people do when they run out of things to talk about."

I was too harsh. I did used to love playing Monopoly and some other games when I was a kid -- usually my dad and I would play, I think, just the two of us. A game can be an "it's good just to be together" kind of thing to do.

My top choice is probably Book Lovers' Trivial Pursuit, but of course I don't have any bookish company to play it with me. I'd better close and go see if they've decided on something, or if they already gave up on me and are moving on. ;-)