HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

On this day of thanks I felt I would list who/what I am thankful for.  But before we get to that, have a history lesson on Thanksgiving by the History Channel.

And now here is who/what I am thankful for:

My family:

• My sister, Melissa - She is always there for me, each day every day.  I wouldn't be here without her.  She is my rock, my friend, the person I judge myself by.
• My father, David - He is my champion.  He believes I can do anything, even when I'm screaming I can't.  I am engulfed in his love, and he makes my world feel safe.
• My mother, Michele - I am just like her: smart, stubborn, emotional, righteous, strong.  I take my strong sense of self from her and I hope I am as great of a woman.
• My brother, Raymond - He is the light in my life.  I can't imagine my life without him; I can't imagine a day where I don't get to see or hear about him growing up.  He is going to be a fantastic man one day.
• My puppy, Jeb - He is my baby, my everything.  I rescued him, but at the same time he has rescued me.  He is just a little fur ball of love!

My friends:

• Kaylynn - I've known her since we were babies.  We've gone through birthdays, homecomings, graduations, and soon-to-be marriages together.  I am so happy she has found such a great man to be with, and that I am one of her Bridesmaids!
• Apryl - 7th grade she came into my life in Home Economics.  She knows EVERYTHING about me and I know the same about her.  She is my sister from a different mister.
• Katy - I wouldn't be surviving college without this girl.  Because of an ex-friend I have one of my best friends.  I love her so much.
• Desi - I've only known her for 2 years now, but she is a bright spot in my day.  Always able to make me laugh, she is like a younger sister to me.
• David - I met him around the same time as Desi (it helps that they're best friends), but he is my Deputy Mayor.  David is my intellectual soul mate and I love him.

My Job:

• Financial Aid - This job came into my life at just the right time.  I was working in a dead end position, but now I've found people and work that I actually care about.  I am so thankful for this opportunity.

My blog

• Eli to the nth - With my 2 year blogoversary coming up this Sunday, I am so happy to have had such an amazing experience!  All of my followers make it enjoyable for me to keep going, I have had some cool opportunities, and I have read some terrific books!  Can't wait 

I hope you've all had an amazing Thanksgiving and leave me a comment about what you're thankful for.

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500+ Followers Giveaway - Choice of 2012 Favorite (US/INT)

This giveaway is for BOTH my US and International followers!  There will be a US winner and a INT follower, so I need to know where you hail from!  

I really wanted to give away some of my favorite 2012 books!  These are all books that were published this year up through October (just due to crazy pre-order biz, I prefer not to have any listed).  So pretty much each winner will pick ONE book from the list to get in their hands!  The two winners can pick the same book, but no substitues.  

Books to Choose From:

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler

Starters by Lissa Price

Immortal City by Scott Speer

The Difference Between You and Me by Madeleine George

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

Revived by Cat Patrick

Mothership by Martin Leitch & Isla Neal

The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jensen

To enter just fill out the rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 Rules:

Must be 13 years old to enter. 

Must be a blog/Youtube follower to enter.

There will be TWO winners.

One winner will be from US, the other winner INT.

Winners must be able to get books from The Book Depository.

Winners will be contacted by email. 

Winners have 48 hours to respond with mailing address. 

NO PO BOXES.

Each winner will pick ONE book from the provided list!

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500+ Followers Giveaway - $25 Worth of Books (INT)

This giveaway is for my amazing International followers!  I know that I have a lot of followers out there in the world outside of the US, and I can't thank you enough!  I also know a lot of times you are left out of giveaways because of shipping costs!  This is why I love the Book Depository; while it may not ship EVERYWHERE in the world, it comes pretty close, and let's me give books to others!

So here's the deal: I am giving ONE winner the chance to pick out $25 worth of books.  Now if the total ends up being $26-$27 don't freak out, that is perfectly alright.  Anything more than that, you'll have to pick different books.  I'd suggest checking the prices on Book Depository before you email me with your picks!

To enter just fill out the rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rules:

Open to International residents ONLY!

No US entries! 

Must be 13 years old to enter. 

Must be a blog/Youtube follower to enter.

There will be ONE winner.

Winner must be able to get books from The Book Depository.

Winner will be contacted by email. 

Winner has 48 hours to respond with mailing address.

NO PO BOXES!

All books chosen must total to $25!

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500+ Followers Giveaway - Box of Books (US)

This giveaway is for my awesome American followers!  I have all these extra books and ARCs lying around that I want to give to a good home!  Who better than one of my followers?

This giveaway is for a big box of ARCs, signed books, and finished editions plus some swag.  I'm not sure exactly what will be in it, but I can tell you there are some cool things!  I kind of want it to be a surprise, but I know how that annoys me sometimes, so I will post a partial list very soon!

A little teaser - SIGNED copy of Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

To enter just fill out the rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rules:
Open only to US residents!
No INT entries! 

Must be 13 years old to enter. 

Must be a blog/Youtube follower to enter.

There will be ONE winner.

Winner must have a mailing address within the US.

NO PO BOXES!

Winner will be contacted by email. 

Winner has 48 hours to respond with mailing address. 

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500+ Followers Giveaway

I am so blown away that I have so many awesome followers!  In almost two years, this little blog and little Youtube page I started has grown into something that means so much to me.  That is all due to you!

While I do this for me, it's nice to know that there are people out there that read my reviews and my features, and watch my videos; I'm not alone!

So in order to give back, I wanted to hold a 500+ Followers Giveaway!  There will be THREE giveaways; one exclusively for US residents, one exclusively for International residents, and one for both!

US only - A box of signed books, finished copies, ARCs and swag will be mailed off to ONE lucky winner (I'm not sure which books yet, but there are some lovely signed ones!).
INT only - $25 worth of books from the Book Depository will be shipped off to ONE lucky winner (If the price ends up being a little over that may be negotiable.).
US/INT - TWO winners will get to pick ONE book each from my list of 2012 Favorites (These will be shipped from the Book Depository, so keep that in mind.).

That's just a little summary, more information will be available on each giveaway page.  These will be posted on September 6 and run through October 6, so you have a month to win!

I just want to say THANK YOU one more time!  Without you all it wouldn't be the same!  DFTBA!

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The Book I Am Most Thankful For

Over the years I have read MANY books.  Young Adult, Middle Grade, and Adult like.  Some have been fiction, and some have been Non-Fiction.  Funny, sad, serious, lyrical, scary, or all of that and more, each book has made some sort of impact on me.  But one book has stuck with me since 2001 when I read it for the first time, sitting in Language Arts in 8th grade.

That book is Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger.

Since his parents' divorce, John's mother hasn't touched him, her new fiancé wants them to move away, and his father would rather be anywhere than at Friday night dinner with his son. It's no wonder John writes articles like "Interview with the Stepfather" and "Memoirs from Hell." The only release he finds is in homemade zines like the amazing Escape Velocity by Marisol, a self-proclaimed "Puerto Rican Cuban Yankee Lesbian." Haning around the Boston Tower Records for the new issue of Escape Velocity, John meets Marisol and a hard love is born.

While at first their friendship is based on zines, dysfuntional families, and dreams of escape, soon both John and Marisol begin to shed their protective shells. Unfortunately, John mistakes this growing intimacy for love, and a disastrous date to his junior prom leaves that friendship in ruins. Desperately hoping to fix things, John convinces Marisol to come with him to a zine conference on Cape Cod. On the sandy beaches by the Bluefish Wharf Inn, John realizes just how hard love can be.

With keen insight into teenage life, Ellen Wittlinger delivers a story of adolescence that is fierce and funny — and ultimately transforming — even as it explores the pain of growing up.

Because of this book I found some amazing things: J. D. Salinger, Art Journaling (my version of 'zines), Ani DiFranco, Acceptance, GLBT Issues, Independence, and Appreciation.  I've read Hard Love over 30 times in the span of the last 10 years, and each time I can relate to in a whole new way.  Not only is it an amazing coming of age story, it is an amzing coming out story as well, for both Marisol and for John.

Last year I even got to meet Ellen Wittlinger through a college class, Authors & Their Works, as well as at the National Council of Teachers of English Conference.  During class I was assigned to read ALL of Ellen's books (not a hardship), and then at the conference, she signed my three favorites including Hard Love.  I was barely able to speak to her I was so excited.  It was an amazing dream come true.

Hard Love is an amazing book that has gotten me through some hard times over the years, and I still keep my beloved first copy on the shelf, tapped up because it's falling apart.  If you ever wonder what book to read next, I urge you to pick Hard Love.

Now I'm sure many of you have a book you're thankful for, and Beth Revis, author of Across the Universe and A Million Suns, wants you to share the thanks!  She is hosting an AMAZING giveaway on her blog where you can win 19 SIGNED books.  Check it out by clicking the graphic below and enter yourself!  And don't forget to leave me a comment with a link to your post!  The more thanks the better!

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Follow Friday (02)

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee at Parajunkee's View.  It is an awesome opportunity to network other book blogs.  Here's a blurb about it from her site!

Hi, welcome to Follow Friday! Let me tell you what is going on today. First PJV will be featuring one blogger from this great community each Friday along with having the Follow My Book Blog feature. Each week one blogger will be selected as a feature, so sign up for the Follow Feature. Future features are picked randomly.

 This week's question is: What makes up your non-human family?? My non-human friendly consists of this guy: 

His name is Jebbery (pronounced like Jeffery, but with Bs), Jebbers/Jib-Jab/Jeb for short.  

He is a Beagle/Basset Hound mix.  

I got him for my 22nd birthday, and will have had him for a year on January 20th.  

He is a rescue dog from the Tampa Bay Beagle Rescue (WARNING: don't view webpage unless you're yearning for a puppy.  They tug at your heart), and I could not have gotten a better dog.  My sister and I went to an adoption event with a different dog in mind, who turned out to be a little too hyper for us.  But as we were walking to leave, Jeb nudged up against my leg and I immediately fell in love.  

God gave Jeb to me that day, and I thank him for it always.

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