Birthday Contest Winners!

First off, I’d like to give a HUGE thank you to all the lovely bloggers who helped me out with this crazy contest idea—I couldn’t have done it without you guys!! I can’t thank you all enough!!

After putting together all the entries, I had 250+!! So my thanks to everyone who took the time out to enter my contest, especially for those who tried to answer all of them! I had a fantastic birthday and really enjoyed this contest with all of you! Thanks for all your input, support, comments, & feedback! I really really appreciated all of it!

And now, without further ado, here are the winners, picked with assistance from a random # generator!

The winner of the signed copy of The Debs is Lucile!

The winner of a signed copy of Kandide and the Secret of the Mists (plus a poster & bookmark) is Mari!

The winner of a signed copy of Severed Ties is Rachael (a.k.a. The Book Muncher)!

The two winners of signed copies of The Elite are Alessandra and Jean. B.!

[EDIT] Unfortunately there was a bit of a misunderstanding so Liviania has been added to the winners' list for a copy of The Elite.

Congrats!

Winners, please drop me a line at bookvault@yahoo.com with your address so I can get your prizes out to you! Please email me by Sept. 3rd, or I'll be forced to pick new winners.

Thank you to all publishers & authors who donated copies of their book for this contest!!

Congrats to all the winners! Thanks to everyone who took the time out to enter the contest—I really wish I could’ve given you all prizes!

Oh, and since some of you were interested in the answers to the riddles, here they are, in the order that they were put up on different blogs:

1. The Book Vault

A young couple, a face-paced romance, a balcony scene, ill fated love, and death.

What book is this? Romeo and Juliet (William Shakespeare)

2. Reviewer X
   When this relationship goes wrong,
   The boy writes a song,
   Once this tune hits airwaves,
   There’s a brand new craze!
   What book is this? Audrey, Wait! (Robin Benway)

3. Presenting Lenore

The main character, a boy wizard, whose name is also part of the title, outwitted the villain who tried to kill him numerous times.

We learn an interesting story and truth behind an oversized canine in this novel—what book is this? Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (J.K. Rowling)

4. The Compulsive Reader

The circles of hell hold tortures and punishment for different sinners.

The author takes a journey to this treacherous place with a renowned poet.

What book is this? The Inferno (Dante Alighieri) [I also accepted The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri)

5. Maelstrom

Discovered during her shift at the local movie cinema, this starlet is flown to NYC for the first time and is soon the new face in fashion.

But an older model, whose name begins with the same let as the starring character, is not too pleased with this new threat. And this new starlet realizes fame has a darker side too…

What book is this? Violet on the Runway (Melissa Walker)

6. From the Corner of Megan's Mind

She was #71 until she and her friends found a way to get her higher on the food chain. But the main character learns that the popular crowd might be full of more betrayals than glamour and true friends.

What book is this? The Market (J.M. Steele)

7. Bookluver-Carol
   Two boys, who are not the simple humans they may seem to be, vie for a girl’s interest, but the one who was first in her heart leaves her behind in this novel—what book is this? New Moon (Stephanie Meyer)

8. Book Review Maniac
   Vitrified for 10 years, the main character has trouble adjusting to her new life—especially since her formerly younger sister is now older—and married with a kid of her own. But her crush from 10 years ago, who was also vitrified, is about to rediscover the world with her.
   What book is this? I was a teenage popsicle (Bev Katz Rosenbaum)

9. And Another Book Read
   The imperfects are sent away and a crumpledwing faery cannot rule the land in this novel.
   But the heir to the throne may have something to say about that soon, after she learns more about acceptance and selflessness!
   What book is this? Kandide and the Secret of the Mists (Diana Zimmerman)

10. Booked Books

You better not fall asleep next to the main character of this book—or your dreams won’t be private any more!

Which book is this? Wake (Lisa McMann)

11. Books and Love
    These girls are picking up their skirts and running through London trying to demystify the shadowy past of a dark gentlemen and trying to save their friend from an unwanted marriage so their ball can go on!
    What book is this? La Petite Four ( Regina Scott)

12. The Story Siren

Four girls eagerly await their invitations into the event they’ve been waiting for all their life. Three are the closest of pals while the other is the snotty, meddling queen bee of the school.

But when some mishaps and drama ensues, will these four girls really be able to be “rosebuds” and debut?

What book is this? The Debs (Susan McBride)

13. The Book Vault

The past may just come back to bite you.

A young lady seems to have it all—a hot boyfriend, brains, and a job at the town’s most popular restaurant. But if she’s with the boy she’s been crushing on since before high school, why the heck is she making out with another boy behind the restaurant where she works?! And if she’s so perfect and happy, why the heck does she keep lying to cover things up?!

And when a guy from her past comes back and has transformed from a nerd to a total hottie, things may just take a turn for the worse and be more confusing!

What book is this? Pants on Fire (Meg Cabot)

14. Bibliophile Support Group

A community of genetically blind (they chose to be that way) exists harmoniously—or so it seems. Not long after a young boy in the community turns 13, he realizes that for some miraculous reason, has regained his sight. The community is not as peaceful as it seems—there are thieves, hypocrites, and other wrong doers. Now he must decide what to do, now that he has a gift that separates himself from the rest of his community.

Which book is this? Truesight (David Stahler Jr.)

15. The Book Muncher
    A girl moves in with a relative in the Big Apple when her mother goes off to do research for her latest project. The leading lady of this story runs into the most popular, designer-clothes wearing girls in town on her first day! They happen to live in the same apartment buildings as she does! She eventually befriends this popular trio, but can hardly afford to keep up with these rich girls. Things don’t get any better when the queen bee’s ex-boyfriend starts going after the new girl.
    Which book is this? The Elite (Jennifer Banash)

16. Squeaky Books

She was less talked about than her infamous sister, but she and her sister shared the same thing with a certain well-known figure from Great Britain , who was known for his numerous spouses and some drastic political moves. This novel features the girl who was overshadowed by her ambitious sister.

Which book is this? The Other Bolyen Girl (Philippa Gregory)

17. Midnight Twilights Book Blog
    Alyss is most certainly not living in the perfect Wonderland at the moment—especially not with her power-hungry aunt trying to steal the throne!
    What book is this? The Looking Glass Wars (Frank Beddor)

18. Jennifer Banash’s blog

Dead teenagers around the US …aren’t staying dead. They’re coming back for a second chance at life, but are heavily discriminated against.

Which book is this? Generation Dead (Daniel Waters)

19. Liv's Book Reviews

Falsely accused of a crime, this teenage boy is sent to a “camp” where he must dig a hole of specific dimensions each day. Is there more to this drill than the character-correcting & character-building that the warden claims it’s for?
Which book is this? Holes (Louis Sachar)

20. Hope's Book Shelf

Not comfortable with herself because she’s neither pure asian nor pure white, this girl goes to math camp for the summer and writes her issues and thoughts down in the form of math proofs. But when the other camp kids think her exotic and fantastic, this girl may just have a thing or two to learn about herself and finally accepting herself for who she is, inside and out.

Which book is this? Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies) (Justina Chen Headley)

21. In Bed with Books,
    A girl learns that she has psychic abilities and is asked to help find several missing children by a young cop. During her second mission, she is left shaken and does not wish to help find a group of kids that have been missing. But if she does not help, they may never come home.
    Which book is this? The Third Eye (Lois Duncan)

22. Reading Keeps you Sane

In this supposedly peaceful and perfect community, all the memories of things that would otherwise disturb this otherwise perfect community are passed down through a chosen Receiver each generation.

Which book is this? The Giver (Lois Lowry)

23. Melissa Walker's blog
    This tree has been there for a special little boy all throughout his life—from his days as a young spirited boy until the day he was old, helping him and providing him with what he wanted most, until she has seemingly nothing left to give.
    Which book is this? The Giving Tree (Shel Silverstein)

24. Reader Rabbit

A young Hindu girl is widowed shortly after her arranged marriage was completed. Her parents-in-law’s main motive was not for their son to get married, but for them to get a dowry from the girl’s family so they could afford a trip for him to bathe in holy waters in a far-off city and hopefully be healed. But when this plan fails and her sickly husband dies, the girl’s selfish mother-in-law quickly abandons her in a city and this young girl struggles to get by. But her talent for embroidery as well as some people she meets along the way helps her along.

Which book is this? Homeless Bird (Gloria Whelan)

25. Just Blinded Book Reviews

The future predicted in this novel is rather grim, but the year this future was predicted for (which also serves as the title of this novel) has already passed, and we have not fallen to the conditions that plague the fictional world of Oceania .

Which book is this? 1984 (George Orwell)

26. Shooting Stars Mag

This story offers the tale that the first man to fly was not recorded because the short flight was used to save a life and a country, not just for show.

A brilliant boy who was wrongly imprisoned on the smaller of two islands was inspired by his murdered mentor to be one of the masterminds behind this fantastic flight!

What book is this? Airman (Eoin Colfer)

27. The Ravenous Reader
    The one Ring to rule them all is finally destroyed in this novel, and a king finally returns to claim his throne.
    Which book is this? Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (JRR Tolkien)

28. The Book Vault
    This teenager becomes a spy after his uncle, whom he thought held a boring bank job but was actually a secret agent, was killed. This is the start of his saga and spy adventures as he trains and investigates a man who is donating his ground-breaking computers to schools across London . With the intelligence agency believing that there is something sinister behind his hugely generous move, this young spy is sent to investigate.
    Which book is this? Stormbreaker (Anthony Horowitz)

Thanks to everyone who participated! And a special little shout-out to Lucile, who was the only one who got the riddle for August 24^th correct! Thank you!

And for all of you who are wondering where my review for Death By Latte went, it'll be up again tomorrow. I just wanted to get this announcement up since it's already been delayed (unfortunately, my computer is still giving me issues, maybe I should've asked for a new computer for my birthday, huh?)!

Last Birthday Contest riddle!

This is the last leg of my birthday contest!

Riddle: This teenager becomes a spy after his uncle, whom he thought held a boring bank job but was actually a secret agent, was killed. This is the start of his saga and spy adventures as he trains and investigates a man who is donating his ground-breaking computers to schools across London. With the intelligence agency believing that there is something sinister behind his hugely generous move, this young spy is sent to investigate.
Which book is this?

Know the answer? Drop me a line at bookvault@yahoo.com with:

“BDAY CONTEST” in the subject line and:

Name:
The Riddle: This teenager becomes a spy after his uncle, whom he thought held a boring bank job but was actually a secret agent, was killed. This is the start of his saga and spy adventures as he trains and investigates a man who is donating his ground-breaking computers to schools across London. With the intelligence agency believing that there is something sinister behind his hugely generous move, this young spy is sent to investigate.
Which book is this?
Answer: (full book title + author)
The name of the site where you found the riddle: The Book Vault
Your site’s URL: (if you have one)

Get all your entries in by midnight (EST) tonight!!

[Edit] I'm having some computer issues that are getting fixed, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to post the winners tomorrow. I'll still be drawing the winners on time, so please get your entries in by midnight (EST) tonight! I'll post the winners as soon as I get the chance! Thanks for participating & a BIG thanks to all who helped me out with this!!

How to Be Bad by E. Lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski, & Lauren Myracle

Three girls, whose seemingly only similarity is that they all work their local Waffle House, are about to embark on no ordinary road trip. Jesse and Vicks are friends, but lately that friendship has been under some strain with Jesse’s uptight ways and Vicks’ more relaxed style and her missing her college-bound boyfriend. The third girl in this unusual trio is Mel, a privileged girl who for some reason works at the Waffle House as well—and surprisingly doesn’t flaunt her wealth much. Vicks is unhappy with Jesse’s unbending Christian ways and Jesse is rather disdainful of Mel and her wealth so how on earth will these three last the long drive to Miami and survive this excursion?

When Jesse wants to get away for a bit from the troubles at home and her mother’s embarrassing activities, she offers to drive Vicks to Miami so she can see her boyfriend, who hasn’t been calling her and has only sent a text message or two at unearthly hours of the night. Their Waffle House coworker, Mel, who was standing next to Jesse and Vicks when they discussed their possible road trip, invites herself along, with Jesse only agreeing when Mel offers to cover their trip’s expenses.

Before long, these three take off in Jesse’s mom’s old car, stopping to visit unusual sites like the smallest police station and a large stuffed gator named Old Joe. Not long after they exit the museum where Old Joe was (having broken in to see the old gator since the museum was closed), they encounter a cutie guy named Marco, whom they eventually end up giving a ride to. Marco, much to Jesse’s dismay, invites them to a party where Vicks and Mel get extremely drunk and have to stay over for a night. Being a Christian, Jesse does not drink and cannot wait to leave the next morning, but Mel and Marco have begun to warm up to each other, showing some real chemistry.

Already unhappy at the pervious night’s events, Jesse is furious at Vicks the next morning, and her opinion of Mel hasn’t improved either. But Jesse isn’t the only unhappy one. Arguments break out between Vicks and Jesse as Vicks is struggling with a drunken decision that she is starting to regret and Jesse struggles with what is going on with her mother. Things only get worse when a vicious storm breaks out and the trio is forced to look for somewhere to stay near DisneyLand. With their bickering almost as bad as the weather, the rest of this road trip does not look promising…

With three distinct characters and a road trip that you’ll never forget, Mel, Jesse, and Vicks have a lot to learn, not only about each other, but about themselves as well. And if only they could learn to be more forgiving, understanding and open-minded, their trip may prove to be a lot more enjoyable and fulfilling for all three of them!

New read for today!

Looking for another great book to read before the summer ends? Check out The Debs by Susan McBride that hits bookstores today!! These privileged, fiery girls are on their way to debut at a classy ball, but they’ll have to survive the wait and get their invitations first!

Check out my interview with author Susan McBride here and my review here! Don’t forget to visit Susan McBride’s website either! Looking for a chance to win a signed copy of The Debs? There’s still some time to enter my Birthday Contest for which Ms. McBride has generously donated a signed copy of this fantastic start to a series on the Deb girls!

Sisters of Misery by Megan Kelley Hall

Maddie Crane lives in a small town, Hawthorne, though not as famous as Salem for its witch trials, brutally persecuted females that were different, all the same. Despite living in a town with such a haunting past, Maddie goes to her local school where she is among the Sisters of Misery, headed by Kate, a powerful and spiteful girl who will stop at nothing to keep herself at the top of the food chain. So far, the Sisters of Misery haven’t caused life-threatening havoc, but they have spread some nasty rumors and played some mean practical jokes that have driven a fair share of people to tears. Even though Maddie is part of this elite club filled with the most powerful and popular girls at school, Maddie has not always felt comfortable with them; they’ve played some cruel jokes on unsuspecting people that have left Maddie assailed by guilt many times, and their midnight excursions to Misery Islands and hard partying isn’t quite what Maddie would like to be doing, but she always tags along anyway.

When Cordelia LeClaire, Maddie’s cousin, comes to town, Kate is furious. Cordelia has an ethereal air and charisma about her that quickly steals some of Kate’s popularity, not to mention Kate’s on-and-off boyfriend’s attention! But with the arrival of her cousin and aunt as they move in with Maddie and her family, Maddie can’t help but feel drawn to them. With Cordelia and her aunt she begins to have fun and learn more about things like ruins, herbs, and fortune telling.

But Kate is less than thrilled at this new arrival and is out to get revenge on Cordelia to protect her popularity. But with Kate on one side and Cordelia on the other of this struggle, whose side will Maddie take?

When things escalate and a trip to Misery Islands ends in a disaster with Maddie unable to remember anything and Cordelia missing, will Maddie find her cousin? Or will she side with Kate and forget about Cordelia? Can she even find out what happened to her cousin, or have Kate and the Sisters of Misery really done something unspeakable this time? Has Kate and the Sisters of Misery gone past their usual pranks and shown their true twisted violent side?

Sisters of Misery was undoubtedly a chilling read. Well written and suspenseful, Sisters of Misery keeps you guessing as Maddie tries to solve the mystery behind Cordelia’s disappearance. With old superstitions woven in extremely well, Sisters of Misery makes for a haunting tale like no other. Although this is a well written book that I’m sure many will enjoy, I cannot say that I loved it, only because I was really unnerved and rather sickened by some of the things Kate and the Sisters did. This, of course, is not to say that Sisters of Misery is not a good book; it is extremely well written and Maddie’s character was especially well developed and realistic, but I’ve just not been a huge fan of such thrilling and chilling books since they tend to leave me with such eerie and haunted feelings!

Violet in Private by Melissa Walker

Violet’s back! Violet Greenfield, the high school wall-paper-girl-turned-supermodel, is thinking about leaving the modeling world again so she can concentrate on college. She’s finally going to Vassar after deferring her admission, and once she gets there—she loves it! She’s enjoying herself in class and has some fantastic room and suite-mates, including the bold Fan and the outspoken Kurt.

Violet’s discomfort with the modeling world has only been increasing since her Mirabella campaign where the designer claims she wishes to promote a healthy body image, but told Violet to lose five pounds before the shoots. Unhappy with the hypocrisy, and remembering that she has already been getting some mixed press over her myspace blog posts and other comments, Violet resolves to leave the modeling world for good.

But the one thing Violet is forgetting is that she still has a contract with Tryst models. Can she somehow find some campaigns to do that won’t make her feel so hypocritical?

At least Violet lands an internship with Teen Fashionista, a fashion magazine that once did a profile on her! But it doesn’t help that her BFF Roger’s girlfriend, Chloe, works at Teen Fashionista as well. And speaking of Roger, Violet can’t help but think back to their Barcelona adventure…could it be that she likes Roger? It doesn’t seem that fate is being too kind to Violet. Why is Roger being so difficult? Why did Violet have to finally realize she was in love with Roger after he got himself a girlfriend?!

The modeling side certainly has its hypocrisies, lies, betrayals, and darker side, but can Violet somehow be true to herself and promote a healthier body image that’s real? Or will she become another too-thin model that will stop at nothing to come out on top? And can she figure things out with Roger, or will she have to watch him and Chloe from the sidelines? College life and her new found friends may just help Violet learn more about herself and stand up for her values!

I loved this latest installment in the Violet series! Melissa Walker’s writing is wonderful and enjoyable to read, as always! It’s nice to see that Violet has matured so much; we may all have our insecurities, but Violet is finally learning how to deal with hers and make the best of her fame to promote a better body image. Melissa Walker has really created some fantastic, 3-D, completely believable and realistic characters that make her Violet series such a pleasure to read! Ms. Walker captures the emotions, thoughts, and actions of her characters brilliantly, which makes her series so much more realistic and amazing! Violet in Private is a must-read for all Violet fans and I would definitely recommend the Violet series to readers who haven’t picked it up yet!

Happy Birthday Amee!!

A huge "Happy Birthday" to Amee, aka The Ravenous Reader today!!

& a big thank you to her as well for helping me out w/ my own birthday contest!! =D