Giveaway! Hades

Day five of our week long giveaway blitz has arrived.  We are giving away one ARC copy of Hades by Alexandra Adornetto.  This ARC was donated by the lovely Angel from Mermaid Vision Books.

Title: Hades (Halo #2)
Author: Alexandra Adornetto
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication Date: August 30, 2011

Synopsis

Heaven Help Her.

Bethany Church is an angel sent to Earth to keep dark forces at bay. Falling in love was never part of her mission, but the bond between Beth and her mortal boyfriend, Xavier Woods, is undeniably strong. But even Xavier’s love, and the care of her archangel siblings, Gabriel and Ivy, can’t keep Beth from being tricked into a motorcycle ride that ends up in Hell. There, the demon Jake Thorn bargains for Beth’s release back to Earth. But what he asks of her will destroy her, and quite possibly, her loved ones, as well. 

The story that Alexandra Adornetto built in her New York Times-bestselling debut, Halo, comes alive in action-packed and unexpected ways, as angels battle demons, and the power of love is put to the test.

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This contest will run  from 12:01 am on December 2, 2011 - 12:01 am on December 4, 2011.  This contest is only open to residents of Ontario.  


Winners will be notified within 24 hours of the giveaway closing and have 48 hours to respond.  

Giveaway! Ember

Day four and we are giving away one copy of Ember by Carol Oates .  This book was donated by Angel from Mermaid Vision Books!

Title: Ember
Author: Carol Oates
Publisher: Omnific Publishing
Publication Date: July 19, 2011

Synopsis

When Candra Ember wakes up in hospital after a dangerous encounter with a red-haired woman, she is shocked to discover that seeing a winged boy wasn’t her imagination. Candra is exposed to a world of rivalry and sacrifice she never knew existed, and the aftermath of a war to save humanity thousands of years ago. Soon she finds herself relentlessly stalked by Sebastian, a beautiful and arrogant Watcher Angel and romantically pursued by his darkly seductive rival, Draven. Ultimately, dubious about her own goodness, Candra’s very existence compromises a tentative peace in the city of Acheron.

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This contest will run  from 12:01 am on December 1, 2011 - 12:01 am on December 3, 2011.  This contest is only open to residents of Ontario.  


Winners will be notified within 24 hours of the giveaway closing and have 48 hours to respond.  

Giveaway! The Fox Inheritance

Day three of our week long giveaway blitz and we are giving away on ARC copy of The Fox Inheritance by Mary E. Pearson .  This ARC was donated by Angel from Mermaid Vision Books.

Title: The Fox Inheritance
Author: Mary E. Pearson
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
Publication Date: August 30, 2011

Synopsis

Once there were three. Three friends who loved each other—Jenna, Locke, and Kara. And after a terrible accident destroyed their bodies, their three minds were kept alive, spinning in a digital netherworld. Even in that disembodied nightmare, they were still together. At least at first. When Jenna disappeared, Locke and Kara had to go on without her. Decades passed, and then centuries.

Two-hundred-and-sixty years later, they have been released at last. Given new, perfect bodies, Locke and Kara awaken to a world they know nothing about, where everyone they once knew and loved is long dead.

Everyone except Jenna Fox.
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This contest will run  from 12:01 am on November 30, 2011 - 12:01 am on December 2, 2011.  This contest is only open to residents of Ontario.  


Winners will be notified within 24 hours of the giveaway closing and have 48 hours to respond.  

Giveaway! Death Sentence

On to day two of our week long giveaway blitz.  Up next we have one ARC of Death Sentence by Alexander Gordon Smith.  This was donated by Angel from Mermaid Vision Books.

Title: Death Sentence
Author: Alexander Gordon Smith
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication Date: August 2, 2011

Synopsis

Alex's second attempt to break out of Furnace Penetentiary has failed. This time his punishment will be much worse than before. Because in the hidden, bloodstained laboratories beneath the prison, he will be made into a monster. As the warden pumps something evil into his veins--a sinisterly dark nectar--Alex becomes what he most fears . . . a superhuman minion of Furnace. How can he escape when the darkness is inside him? How can he lead the way to freedom if he is lost to himself?

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This contest will run  from 12:01 am on November 29, 2011 - 12:01 am on December 1, 2011.  This contest is only open to residents of Ontario.  


Winners will be notified within 24 hours of the giveaway closing and have 48 hours to respond.  

Giveaway! The Future of Us

Hey everyone it's Nicole kicking off our giveaway week blitz.  First up is a giveaway for The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler.  This ARC was donated by me, Nicole from All I Ever Read.

Title: The Future of Us
Author: Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler
Publisher: Razorbill Books
Publication Date:  November 21, 2011

Synopsis

It's 1996, and less than half of all American high school students have ever used the Internet.

Emma just got her first computer and an America Online CD-ROM.

Josh is her best friend. They power up and log on--and discover themselves on Facebook, fifteen years in the future.

Everybody wonders what their Destiny will be. Josh and Emma are about to find out.

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This contest will run  from 12:01 am on November 28, 2011 - 12:01 am on November 30, 2011.  This contest is only open to residents of Ontario.  


Winners will be notified within 24 hours of the giveaway closing and have 48 hours to respond.  

This Week On...

Hey Everyone, Nicole here once again!  So this week is going to be a giveaway blitz here on the blog.  I have lots and lots of books & ARC's to giveaway!  These books & ARC's have been donated by my fellow Ontario Blog Squad contributors and some of our very, very fabulous Canadian Publishers.

Each of these giveaways will be run for 48 hours only.  That's right, 48 hours!  Feel free to enter them all and check the blog often as there will be a new giveaway starting everyday. You can view the giveaway schedule below.

Monday

The Future of Us 

Tuesday

Death Sentence

Wednesday 

The Fox Inheritance

Thursday

Ember

Friday

Hades

All of the books available this week are ARC copies.  They have been donated by myself and the lovely Angel from Mermaid Vision Books.  Have fun and good luck!

Giveaway! The Space Between

Hey Everyone!  It's Nicole again back to bring you the first of three giveaways being offered this week.  Up first, we have are giving away an ARC of The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff courtesty of the Ontario Blog Squad and Penguin Canada.

Title: The Space Between
Author: Brenna Yovanoff
Publisher: RazorBill
Publication Date: November 15, 2011

Synopsis

Everything is made of steel, even the flowers. How can you love anything in a place like this?

Daphne is the half-demon, half-fallen angel daughter of Lucifer and Lilith. Life for her is an endless expanse of time, until her brother Obie is kidnapped - and Daphne realizes she may be partially responsible. Determined to find him, Daphne travels from her home in Pandemonium to the vast streets of Earth, where everything is colder and more terrifying. With the help of the human boy she believes was the last person to see her brother alive, Daphne glimpses into his dreams, discovering clues to Obie's whereabouts. As she delves deeper into her demonic powers, she must navigate the jealousies and alliances of the violent archangels who stand in her way. But she also discovers, unexpectedly, what it means to love and be human in a world where human is the hardest thing to be.

This second novel by rising star Brenna Yovanoff is a story of identity, discovery, and a troubled love between two people struggling to find their place both in our world and theirs.

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This contest will run  from 12:01 am on November 22, 2011 - 12:01 am on November 26, 2011.  This contest is only open to residents of Canada. 


Winners will be notified within 24 hours of the giveaway closing and have 48 hours to respond.  

Good Luck!

Kelley Armstrong Event

I was at Chapters in Guelph last night for the Kelley Armstrong signing. I got there late as the traffic on the 401 was insane and the drive should have only taken 25 minutes but took over an hour. The line up was crazy! At least 250 people. I remember about 8 years ago attending an event for one of her adult books and there was only 20-25 people. It's amazing and fabulous how far she's come. 

A few pictures from the event:

Thanks to Chapters Guelph for hosting and Kelley!!

Giveaway! We've Got that Fever!

Hey everyone, Nicole here!  On the heels of our epic Ontario Blog Squad meetup that was held this past Saturday (re-cap here) we have some giveaways for those of you who were unable to attend.  First up, we are giving away two ARC copies of Fever by Lauren DeStefano courtesy of Simon & Schuster Canada.

 

Title: Fever
Author: Lauren DeStefano
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: February 21, 2012

Synopsis


Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but danger is never far behind.

Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.

The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary.

In the sequel to Lauren DeStefano’s harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price - now that she has more to lose than ever.


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This contest will run for one week and is open from 12:01 am on November 7, 2011 - 12:01 am on November 14, 2011.  This contest is only open to residents of Ontario.  Not a resident of Ontario?  Stay tuned as in the coming weeks we will have some giveaways for you as well.


Winners will be notified within 24 hours of the giveaway closing and have 48 hours to respond.  

Good Luck!

November 5th - First Annual Blogger Meet & Greet

On Saturday November 5th 2011, 38 Book Bloggers came together for an afternoon of food, drinks, book talk, networking and finally a chance to meet each other. It was wonderful to have so many book lovers in one place! Our hope is that this will be the beginning of a supportive network of friends, who all love the same thing- Reading!

We have so many people to thank-

Penguin Canada for giving us several ARCS, T-shirts and book marks for use as prizes.

Chapters Indigo for donating 40 reusable Indigo bags

Jennifer from Kobo for donating Kobo swag including awesome T-shirts and a Kobo E-Reader for Door Prizes

Nikole at Scholastic Canada who gave us a book for every attendee, including the coveted Scorpio Races.

Michelle from Simon & Schuster for the Fever by Lauren DeStefano ARCS for every attendee.We heard many squeals of delight with that one.

Hatchette Book Group Canada for giving a book for every attendee along with some cool swag.

Shannon at Harper Collins Canada, who not only gave us a book for every attendee, but also included a letter and a post it note in each and every book.

Lindsey from Random House Canada who we were fortunate enough to have join us for the event! Also gave us, a goodie bag for every attendee with a book, mug, pen, and bookmarks.

We also want to thank all of the wonderful bloggers who joined us on Saturday!!

Getting Ready

Indigo and Kobo

Harper Collins Canada

Simon and Schuster -"You give me Fever!!"

Jackie and Mel and Wendy's Arm

38 bags full

Hatchette and Harper Collins

At the event:

Sara (on left) Won the Kobo E-Reader as a  Prize but since she already has one -she gave it to Hayley!

The Ontario Book Blog Squad 

Liz, Wendy, Christa, Mel, ME (Jen), Jackie, Nicole and Angel

Link your event posts below!!!

Author Event: Cecil Castellucci at Mabel’s Fables bookstore

Becca Fitzpatrick & Elizabeth Miles

I raced after work to Brampton for this event and I got there just in time to hear the authors speak and line up in the CRAZY long line (almost 2 hour wait). It was a fantastic turn out for these two authors (of course) and it was just incredible to meet them both in person.
My camera decided to die so I don't have any great pictures to share, (just a few- you'll need to visit my blog to see them) but I do have this short video of Becca talking about how she started writing. (Sorry for the video quality)

Big thank you to Chapters/Indigo, Simon & Schuster and of course Becca and Elizabeth.

Jen

Author Event: Philippa Gregory

Another author event is coming up soon!

Historical fiction superstar, Philippa Gregory is coming to Toronto on November 1st!

She will be talking about and signing her epic new novel.

The Lady of the Rivers tells the story of Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford - the real-life mother of the white queen.

Where: The Church of St Barnabas, 361 Danforth Ave, Toronto ON

When: 7pm November 1st

 This is a ticketed event!

Tickets $5 online or $8 at the door.

To purchase tickets, visit: www.ticketweb.ca or call 1-888-222-6608.

Will I see you there?

Ontario Book Blog Directory

Here at Ontario Blog Squad we are creating an Ontario Book Blog Directory.

If you are a book blogger and would like to be listed please email me with the following information:

• your blog name & link
• the age/genre you focus on ( if you'd like that listed)
• which part of Ontario you live in - southern, central, northern etc.

my email:

librarygal(at)hotmail(dot)ca

Jen

Book Launch with Jennifer Hillier

There's another great event upcoming, if you live in the Greater Toronto Area. Jennifer Hillier, a Canadian author, will be launching her debut novel, Creep,  on November 7th. Check out the flyer below for more info:

To read more about Jennifer's work, check out her website here. She's already got a second book in the works and let me tell you, any book that has Jeffery Deaver telling you to lock your doors, sounds like a win to me! Hope you can make it out to the event.

Here's the author with even more information:

Meet Becca Fitzpatrick and Elizabeth Miles!

In case you weren't aware, I thought I would leave a friendly reminder that Becca Fitzpatrick and Elizabeth Miles will be having a talk and book signing next Thursday evening in Brampton!

Becca Fitzpatrick is the author of the New York Times bestselling Hush, Hush saga (a fourth novel was recently announced!). Elizabeth Miles is the debut author of Fury, which is the first in a new Greek-mythology inspired trilogy.

• Thursday, October 27 from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. ~ Chapters Brampton: Market Hall, 52 Quarry Drive, Brampton, ON.

Right now, it probably looks like I won't be attending the event as Bramption is rather far for me... but if you can go, you really should! It sounds like everyone will be having a great time that evening!

Simon & Schuster Canada has also set up an event for the book signing through their Facebook page where you can also say if you'll be attending or not!

Will you be attending the event and meeting these two great authors?

Clarington Public Library - Two YA Events This Month!

In celebration of October being Canadian Library Month, the Clarington Public Library is hosting two free YA events featuring Lesley Livingston and Kelley Armstrong! These free events will be occurring on two different days, so here are the details below:

Lesley Livingston  

• Thursday, October 6th from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.  
• Newcastle Branch, George and Kathleen Vice Community Room

Advance registration is required for the event as space is limited. You can visit any branch of the Clarington Public Library to register or call 905-623-7322 extension 2712.

Kelley Armstrong

• Saturday, October 15th from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m.
• Newcastle Branch, George and Kathleen Vice Community Room

Similar to the Lesley Livingston event, advance registration is required for the event as space is limited. You can visit any branch of the Clarington Public Library to register or call 905-623-7322 extension 2712. 

Here is also the link to the Locations and Hours page on the Clarington Public Library's website.

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Thanks to Carol from The Paperback Princesses for bringing these events to my attention! If you missed seeing Lesley Livingston and Kelley Armstrong earlier in the year, then this will be a great opportunity to see them now! There are still spaces for the events, so don't hesitate to register if you can...

If you think you may be attending, I'm sure Carol would also appreciate if you left a comment on their blog post too because I think she'll also be attending both of those events! 

Upcoming Adult Events!!

Yesterday Liz was awesome enough to post a list of upcoming YA events. But today since there's a whole eclectic mix of bloggers in Ontario I've got a list of some Adult festivals and events coming up in early/mid October!







This event is actually this weekend (Sept 30-Oct 2) and there's a whole bunch of South Asian authors attending...including Toronto Book Award's Nominee Rabindranath Maharaj (author of the Amazing Absorbing Boy). It's a free festival taking place on the U of T campus. Find out more information at www.fsala11.com

Speaking of the Toronto Book Awards...the Gala for them is coming up really soon...

It's happening on October 13 at the Toronto Reference Library. This is your chance to rub elbows with some amazing local authors (like Alissa York, author of Fauna).
Find out more here

Finally, last but certainly not least is the International Festival of Authors. It blows my mind how many amazing authors are coming to this! Erin Morgentern, David Bezmozgis, Douglas Coupland, Patrick DeWitt, Miriam Toews, Colson Whitehead. The list goes on and on.

The festival stats October 19 and runs into November. If you need me during that time you my find me camping out around the various venues hoping to catch a glimpse of my favourite authors (because authors are my rock stars)

The second tent is for my books

The full schedule is posted here. But one event that you definitely shouldn't miss is on the 25th. Erin Morgentern (The Night Circus), Lev Grossman (The Magicians) and Simon Toyne (Sanctus) will be talking about Magic, Myth and Forces Beyond Reason
In the same room! Together! It's going to be epic!!!

Well that's it for this post! But stay tuned...October is a busy month and we'll have more event updates coming your way soon!