Thursday, March 15, 2012

75 Days Blogging + Birthday GIVEAWAY!!

As of today, I have officially been a book blogger for 75 days!  At two and a half months, I can honestly say I am humbled and stunned at what this small little corner of the web has turned into.  Like most others, I began the blog to find people who shared the same bookish likes as me. At best, I was hoping for conversation; and at worst, it would just be an anonymous little site to track what I read and what I felt.

I've gotten so much more than that. The people I've connected with, authors I've chatted with, books I've discovered...this is an absolute dream.  It still weirds me out that there are ~150 followers out there who willingly subject themselves to my rambling every day, and I appreciate them more than I could ever say.

I also happen to be turning the big 2-5 next week!  (The 19th, to be exact.)  I've preeettty much been in a quarter-life crisis the last 3 years, but I decided to refuse being depressed at the thought of getting "older." Because, let's be real: I'm 25! Young, alive and healthy!  Not much better than that. (is this a weird time to say I finally put together my Wish List on Amazon? Just sayin'...)

And there isn't a better way to celebrate both these milestones than a Giveaway!!

Two celebrations = two prizes = two winners :)
(Please read my Giveaway policy here before entering!)

And because I'll be shipping from The Book Depository, this is open INTERNATIONALLY! 
(As long as TBD ships to you - check here!)

Prize #1:
ANY book I've rated 4.5 or 5 stars on the blog! (max $25)
These books are:
*includes any books I rate 4.5-5 stars up until the giveaway ends.

Prize #2:
Any April release book! (max $25, available for order on TBD)
April is promising to be a big month in releases, and I want to spread the excitement.  You can choose ANY release you want, even if it'll be a pre-order! These are a few I'm excited for:
but of course, it'll be entirely up to you. And it doesn't have to be YA, just as long as it's available on The Book Depository for max $25.

Use the Rafflecopter below to enter. Because this is to celebrate the blog and those who have supported my blog, being a Follower is mandatory. Plus additional entries!

*If you are reading this in a Reader, the Rafflecopter below may not show up - please click through to the blog post here.

Contest ends Sunday, April 8, 2012!
*12:01am EST April 9 to clarify. Even though I'm PST, I can't change rafflecopter. That's time zonist, rafflecopter.
- must be 13 years or older
- winners will be notified via email
- winners have 48 hours to respond until a new winner is selected
- be honest! I will be checking blog & twitter followers

a Rafflecopter giveaway

91 comments:

  1. 25 was easy for me! It's the big 3-0 that didn't happen last month. I skipped it. 29 forever! Haha. And congrats on 75 days of blogging! You've done great!

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    1. And book released before 2012. Jellicoe Road by Australian novelist Melina Marchetta. AWESOME contemporary! Tough at first, but so good.

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  2. I'll recommend Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton b/c that's what I'm reading right now :))

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  3. Have you read the Fever series by Moning? Great giveaway and happy birthday! We're the same age! :)

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  4. I would recommend the book An Off Year by Claire Zulkey. An underappreciated YA novel, in my opinion.

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  5. I recommend Beautiful Creatures (which I'm re-reading atm) and Die For Me by Amy Plum :)

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  6. Wooohoo! Congrats on blogging for 2 1/2 months! I just hit the 2 month mark myself. And Happy Birthday a few days early! 25 really isn't bad at all - you're definitely still in the prime of your life! Thanks so much for the giveaway - I want to read so many of those books. As far as a book published before 2012, I'd recommend the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld if you haven't read those, or Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan. Some of my favorites!

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  7. I always recommend Sunshine by Robin McKinley. It's the most unconventional and wonderful vampire book I have ever read. Amazing world building and characters. And I dare you not to fall for Con (the vampire:) Congrats on your achievement!

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  8. Oh, 25! One year more for me. ;) Happy early Birthday!

    And my recommendation is (as always) Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness. I just want all people to read it, I'm lame. xD

    Agnieszka @ Nook of Books

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  9. The night huntress series from Jeanienne Frost I love cat and bones.

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  10. So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld

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  11. That's an easy one. I can definitely recommend DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth. It's one of my favourite books:)

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  12. i recommend the iron fey series

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  13. Hm... The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima is a fave of mine.

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  14. 100 Cupboards by N. D. Wilson - amaaaaazing books!! :D

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  15. I would recommend... The Poison Diaries by Maryrose Wood. Very exciting. :) Happy birthday!

    - Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl

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  16. As white as Milk, as Red as Blood (Bianca come il latte, rossa come il sangue) by Alessandro D'Avenia*

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  17. Happy belated birthday! :) Hope you've had a fabulous day and got lots of very awesome presents (books?!). :D

    I would recommend the book that I'd love to force everybody to read: ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS. But considering you've already read LOLA, I'm sure you read ANNA, too, so I'd recommend... THE IRON FEY series (Julie Kagawa), UNEARTHLY (Cynthia Hand), THE DAY BEFORE (Lisa Schroeder), THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER (Michelle Hodkin) and FORGOTTEN (Cat Patrick). Yes, I know, you asked for one book, but well... can't favor any of my favorites. ;)

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  18. Happy Early Birthday! I hope you have a great day next week on the 19th and get lots of great birthday presents...like books!

    So many books I could recommend you! Where to begin..

    -Perfect Chemisty (Amazing!)

    -Before I Fall (My author friend recommened me this book and it was oh...gorgeous. So sad, real, brutal, honest. A must read! A little slow at the start, I nearly gave up, but keep on going as the pace DOES pick up.)

    -Saving June (If you enjoyed Amy and Roger's Epic Detour and The Sky Is Everywhere, you'll love this. Jake <3 And much talk of music!

    -Hunting Lila (Soo good! It plays on my mind ALL the time because it was that amazing! Lila is kick-ass and Alex is so swoony!

    They are just a few, I could go on much more, but I'll stop there! Enjoy!

    :)

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  19. Happy BDay. And thanks for the giveaway.

    I love Anna and the french Kiss and the Perfect chemistry Trilogy.

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  20. Thanks so much for this giveaway! I recommend Delirium by Lauren Oliver.

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  21. Blood Red Road by Moira Young

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  22. I absolutely love Meridian by Amber Kizer

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  23. I'd recommend the Tiger Saga by Colleen Houck! Absolutely amazing YA series. :')

    Thanks for the giveaway! :D

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  24. I cannot wait to read Glimmer! Thanks for the giveaway!
    Krista
    http://bookreviewclub.blogspot.com

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  25. Read Walk of the Spirits by Richie Tankersley Cusick. A girl who can see/talk to ghosts and two hot cajun boys what more could you ask for?

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  26. Thanks you a lot for this giveaway
    i would recommend psi changeling book1 by nalini singh or moon called by patricia briggs

    all the best

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  27. I recommend Anathema by Megg Jensen.

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  28. Have you read The Book Thief. That is one of my favorites.

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  29. Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta :) Or any of her books actually!

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  30. I recommend If I Stay and Where She Went by Gayle Forman! :D

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  31. I recommend Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead

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  32. definitely iron fey series must have :)

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  33. I just finished reading The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and absolutely loved it. And Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins!

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  34. I'm a freak for contemporary this year so I'll take a contemporary book for you to read(if you haven't).

    I'll definitely recommend you to read One Night That Changes Everything by Lauren Barnholdt. Or Audrey, Wait by Robin Benway. Just finished those two weeks earlier. Those books really rocked!

    Thx for the giveaway! =D

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  35. I really fell in love with Tears of the Broken by AM Hudson

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  36. 25 is a good year, I kinda miss it actually...I'm turning 27 over the summer, and at random times I hear "Charlotte Lucas" in my head, LOL! Ahem...

    Pre-2012 book...The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen.
    I L-O-V-E-D this book when I first read, and return to it often...It's just a great story. And Wes...Oh Wes, you make me sa-woon... :o)

    Congrats on 75 days & a belated happy birthday :o)

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  37. I'd recommend you Angelfall by Susan Ee or any book by Jennifer L. Armentrout :)

    Congrats and happy birthday!! :)

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  38. Anna and The French Kiss is one of my favorite contemporary reads..if you haven't read it you should totally check it out :D

    Happy reading and thanks for hosting this giveaway!!

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  39. I recently read Pink by Lili Wilkinson and am totally in love with her writing, I definitely recommend it! :)
    Thanks for the awesome giveaway and Happy 25th Birthday! I totally know what you mean about the quarter-life crisis, I've been having a lot of those too lately!

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  40. I really liked Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick I read that for the first time last year and it's stuck in my head.

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  41. +JMJ+

    Belated Happy Birthday, Ashley! =)

    I like your taste in books. The mix of Fantasy and Contemporary is really refreshing.

    At the moment, I'm on a Middle Grade kick, so I'm going to recommend Vampire Island by Adele Griffin, which is really funny and smart (Griffin is nothing if not original), and City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau, which reminds me of children's Fantasy-Adventure movies from the 80s.

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  42. I'd recommend The DUFF by Kody Keplinger! It's such an awesome book!

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  43. Thanks for this amazing giveaway! I recommend the Tiger Saga by Colleen Houck, Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead or Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. All of these books are fantastic.
    x

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  44. I recommend Matched by Ally Condie!

    Thanks for the amazing giveaway!

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  45. I recommend Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler.

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  46. I recommend Falling Under by Gwen Hayes.

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  47. I would recommend The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong.

    jennife rk

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  48. I recommend On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta.

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  49. Thank you so much for this great giveaway ^^
    I recommend Matched by Ally Condie!

    @Tibiux

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  50. I´d recommend Graceling by Kristin Cashore.

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  51. You must read Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton it's a fantastic book.
    Thanks for the chance =)

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  52. my favorite favorite series is the uglies series by scott westerfeld. if you haven't read it i'd definitely recommend it!

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  53. Thanks for this giveaway Ashley! :D And for a book released before 2012 - Anna & The French Kiss, I do love that book :D

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  54. A book released before 2012... Hmmm. THERE ARE SO MANY! Probably The Maze Runner by James Dashner. Or It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini.

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  55. Congrats! (and may many more blogging-months come!)

    I thought I'd recommend something that wasn't mentioned before here on the comments or elsewhere on your blog (now, that kind of discarded most of my initial suggestions but it was fun to find something new!)

    -Heist Society by Ally Carter (or any of her books! this one is very entertaining)
    -The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson (because it's Maureen Johnson)
    -Underdogs by Markus Zusak (this is the omnibus of a trilogy he published years ago and it was different and interesting)
    -A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly (this is historical, which isn't really my kind of thing but it completely drew me in and I really recommend it!)

    thanks for the giveaway!

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  56. Thanks for the great giveaway! I'd recommend you read Dash and Lily's Book Of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. It's a great book and the cover is gorgeous!

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  57. I'd recommend Shifting by Bethany Wiggins, Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier, or Hourglass by Myra McEntire! :D

    Thanks for the giveaway!

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  58. I recommend Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead

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  59. I loved both books in the Lorien Legacies by Pittacus Lore. (I Am Number Four and The Power of Six)

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  60. I recommend rapture by phillip w simpson [new zeeland author]

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  61. Thank you SO much for the giveaway! I recommend Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor! The book was INCREDIBLE it's one of my all-time fave! :)

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  63. Thanks for the giveaway. There are so many books I could recommend to you! The Tiger's Curse series by Colleen Houck. Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor... Shine by Lauren Myracle. The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab... Shall I go on? ;)

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  64. Thanks for the giveaway!
    I reccomend reading The Hunted by Kristy Berridge

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  65. Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick.
    AMAZING.
    Thanks for hosting this giveaway! :D

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  66. Thanks for the giveaway!!! I would recommend Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Laini Taylor), Abandon (Meg Cabot), Graceling and Fire (Kristin Cashore), Obsidian (Jennifer Armentrout), Divergent (Veronica Roth), Warped (Maurissa Guibord), Falling Under (Gwen Hayes), and like a billion more, but I think this is a lot of books and series :D
    Thanks!!!!
    Alyssa S.

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  67. I would HIGHLY recommend Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder. It just barely makes the cut, as it was published at the end of 2011!

    Thanks for the giveaway, and congrats on joining the book blogger community!

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  68. I'd definitely recommend The Brightest Star in the Sky by Marian Keyes. :) I love her AND the book. <3

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  69. I recommend ANYTHING by Jennifer Armentrout!

    Welcome to the blogoshere and thanks alot for the giveaway!

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  70. Congrats and Happy B-Day! I would recommend Legacy by Kluver - she was just a teen when she wrote this YA fantasy book and I loved it! Her sequel, Allegiance is out now!

    Thanks for the giveaway!
    Leanne

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  71. Congrats on the great start to your blog!

    I'm going to recommend Exiled by M. R. Merrick if you haven't read it yet!

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  72. Because this year is the bicentennial of Charles Dickens, I recommend: Charles Dickens: Dickens Bicentenary 2012 by Lucinda Dickens Hawksley, which was published on December 2011. It's a lovely book with many souvenirs about Dickens. You will feel as if you're in 19th century, looking through Dickens things..

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  73. As always I recommend anything from Alyxandra Harvey. :) She's amazing.

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  74. Succubus Revealed by Richelle Mead. Actually, any of Richelle Meads books are worth a read... and you really should read starting at the beginning of the series.... that's my favorite of them all though

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  75. Great giveaway, thanks. Congratulations on your blog. I have been going 4 months now and it is so much fun. I am a big Jennifer Armentrout fan, so if you haven't read Half-Blood or Obsidian, you are in for a treat. Shelly Crane's books are awesome, Significance in particular. Abbi Glines is great to, Breathe and The Vincent Boys were published in 2011 I believe. Happy Birthday!

    Ellen @ Always YA at Heart

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  76. Congrats! And you must read Unwind!

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  77. I highly recommend The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. :)
    Also, Divergent by Veronica Roth.
    I also recommend If I Stay and Where She Went, both by Gayle Forman.

    Thanks for the giveaway! :)

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  78. have you read Archangel Consort by Nalini singh. the book is my favourite series.. thanks for the giveaway ^^

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  79. The Changeling Sea by Patricia McKilip

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  80. Fantastic Giveaway Ashley! The Ivy by Lauren Kunze and Rina Onur is my top book recommendation! Followed slightly by A Living Nightmare by Darren Shan. Then followed by Evernight by Claudia Gray. And lastly Entrances and Exits by Paul Ruditis.

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  81. I'd recommend the hunger games, bloodlines and clockwork angel all awesome books! Great giveaway!

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  82. hmm... i would recommend the maze runner trilogy by james dashner!

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  83. Great giveaway!

    A pre-2012 book I'd recommend would be S.M. Boyce's Lichgates. It's an amazing YA Fantasy. It's book one of The Grimoire Trilogy that is sure to be followed by two more great books.

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  84. Congrats on 75 days! And early happy birthday! Mine is the day after yours, and I'm also turning 25! I hope I can be as good as you at accepting the getting older part! :P

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  85. I see your blog books and its really good collection thanks for giveaway and sharing this post case study analysis format .

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