A Victorian Celebration: International Giveaway!

Hey guys!

I've been feeling a bit bad about the lack of international giveaways on my part during the event, so I am bumping one of them up to today. :) Since I live in the U.S., it is easier for me to ship books already in my possession to folks in the States, but that always leaves you international folk out of the fun! So this giveaway is JUST for you.

That's right-only people who live outside the United States can enter.

The prize?

Your choice of a Victorian Classic. That's right-you pick the title and I'll ship off an edition of whichever Victorian you choose (up to $20) to your house. Sounds awesome, right? :)

Here are the details:

• This giveaway will be open to anyone who resides OUTSIDE the United States. Please make sure to tell me what country you live in!
• You MUST be a participant of A Victorian Celebration to enter.
• You MUST be 13 years or older
• You do not have to follow me or subscribe to qualify
• You MUST leave me your e-mail so that I contact you if you win
• The winner will have 48 hours to respond or I will pick a new winner.
• To enter, comment on this post and answer the following question: Which Victorian would you choose if you won and why?
• The giveaway will be open until 11:59 PM on Friday, June 15, 2012 EST. 

Happy Reading and Good Luck!!

North and South Giveaway Winner!

Just a quick post to announce the winner for the North and South giveaway which ended last night. Congratulations to...

MJ at Wandering in the Stacks!

I'm going to be e-mailing you to get your mailing information, so watch for that. ;)

For everyone else, thank you for entering! There will be a giveaway every week, so make sure to keep an eye out. I launched this week's giveaway last night-a copy of Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd.

Melissa's giveaway is also still open, so make sure to enter if you're interested!

A Victorian Celebration: Far From the Madding Crowd Giveaway!

I have been blown away by the response to this event. And while my own reading of the Victorians has been a little on the slow side (I only have one more week of school, then I'll be a Victorian reading maniac), you guys have been cranking out the most wonderful posts! I'm still catching up on reading all of the great things you guys have been saying.

One of the reasons I love events like this so much is the amount of community it brings together. I have discovered so many new bloggers over the last week or two! I love finding new-to-me blogs and discovering others who share the same passions.

Okay, enough of my sappy nature, on to the giveaway!

The second book I am offering up is Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy. This is a title I'm hoping to get to during the event. I've loved both Hardy books I've read so far (Jude the Obscure and The Mayor of Casterbridge), so I have high hopes for this one. Here is a synopsis from Goodreads.com...

"Far From the Madding Crowd tells the story of beautiful Bathsheba Everdene, a fiercely independent woman who inherits a farm and decides to run it herself. She rejects a marriage proposal from Gabriel Oak, a loyal man who takes a job on her farm after losing his own in an unfortunate accident. He is forced to watch as Bathsheba mischievously flirts with her neighbor, Mr. Boldwood, unleashing a passionate obsession deep within the reserved man. But both suitors are soon eclipsed by the arrival of the dashing soldier, Frank Troy, who falls in love with Bathsheba even though he’s still smitten with another woman. His reckless presence at the farm drives Boldwood mad with jealousy, and sets off a dramatic chain of events that leads to both murder and marriage."

Up for grabs is a new copy of the Barnes and Noble edition of Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd. To enter, read the rules and comment below!

• This giveaway will be open to any residents of the U.S. or Canada (my international participants, I have special giveaways planned for you later on in the event!).
• You MUST be a participant of A Victorian Celebration to enter.
• You MUST be 13 years or older
• You do not have to follow me or subscribe to qualify
• You MUST leave me your e-mail so that I contact you if you win
• The winner will have 48 hours to respond or I will pick a new winner.
• To enter, comment on this post and answer the following question: Besides reading the Victorians, what is your favorite summertime activity?
• The giveaway will be open until 11:59 PM on Friday, June 15, 2012 EST.

Good luck and keep up the great job reading!

A Victorian Celebration: Guest Post and Giveaway from Avid Reader's Musings.

I'm really excited to bring you the first guest post for "A Victorian Celebration," by the wonderful Melissa from The Avid Reader's Musings. Melissa has a wonderful blog with great and diverse content, so you should definitely head over there and check it out!

Melissa will also have her post live on her blog this morning. If you are entering the giveaway, please make sure you are entering at HER BLOG. Any entries made here won't be counted. 

And here's Melissa!

My name is Melissa from Avid Reader’s Musings and I couldn’t be more excited about digging into some Victorian literature this summer.

Last year I participated in a Victorian Literature Challenge and read 15 books that fall into that category. I developed a huge appreciation for the genre and realized how much I enjoy it. I also discovered a few new authors whose work I’m looking forward to exploring.

So when Allie decided to host a Victorian Celebration this summer I couldn’t resist. To join in the celebration fun I’m giving away three Victorian novels that I love: Jude the Obscure, Jane Eyre and Great Expectations. All three are wonderful in their own ways and if you haven’t read them then this is the perfect opportunity.

For a chance to win the books stop by my blog and leave a comment with your email address and your favorite Victorian novel.

For my own reading choices for the Celebration I decided to definitely read Villette by Charlotte Bronte (1853) and The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy (1878). I’m also going to try and fit in a couple more from the following list:

- The Sign of the Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1890)

- Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (1868)
- The Warden by Anthony Trollope (1855)
- The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (1844)
- Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray (1848)

I hope you all join in the fun and find a few new favorites along the way!

Thanks Melissa!

A Victorian Celebration: North and South Giveaway!

Well, A Victorian Celebration has been under way for a few hours, and it is time to launch the first giveaway. I have a number of giveaways planned for throughout the event, so make sure you check back to see what is currently underway!

I have been checking out my big old pile of reads for the event, and settled on finishing Nicholas Nickleby by Dickens (I started it in February, but set it aside), as well as The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskell. I thought they would make a good jumping off point!

The first giveaway for the event is for another of Gaskell's works. I am a huge fan of Gaskell and have been slowly reading her complete works over the last couple of years. Today's title is one of my favorites by her and one that I hope I get to during this event.

From Goodreads.com...

"When her father leaves the Church in a crisis of conscience, Margaret Hale is uprooted from her comfortable home in Hampshire to move with her family to the north of England. Initially repulsed by the ugliness of her new surroundings in the industrial town of Milton, Margaret becomes aware of the poverty and suffering of the local mill workers and develops a passionate sense of social justice. This is intensified by her tempestuous relationship with the mill-owner and self-made man, John Thornton, as their fierce opposition over his treatment of his employees masks a deeper attraction. In North and South, Elizabeth Gaskell skillfully fuses individual feeling with social concern, and in Margaret Hale creates one of the most original heroines of Victorian literature."

Up for grabs is a brand new Penguin edition of North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. To enter, please read and follow the rules and instructions below:

• This first giveaway will be open to any residents of the U.S. or Canada (my international participants, I have special giveaways planned for you later on in the event!).
• You MUST be a participant of A Victorian Celebration to enter.
• You MUST be 13 years or older
• You do not have to follow me or subscribe to qualify
• You MUST leave me your e-mail so that I contact you if you win
• The winner will have 48 hours to respond or I will pick a new winner.
• To enter, comment on this post and answer the following question: What is the first title you are reading for the event and why did you pick it?
• The giveaway will be open until 11:59 PM on Friday, June 8, 2012 EST. 

That's it! I hope you're enjoying your first reads!

Anne of Green Gables Giveaway Winner!

My mom has been hounding me to pull a winner for the Anne of Green Gables giveaway I posted a couple weeks ago. And since the giveaway was sponsored by my mom, it almost makes sense that she was harassing me, right? ;) I jest.

I really enjoyed reading about all of your memories. They were really touching. I know my mom enjoyed reading the entries as well. We all have some awesome females in our lives!

The winner is receiving a pretty copy of the new Puffin edition of Anne of Green Gables, seen below:

I went to random.org and it spit out a number...

Congratulations to:

Diana of Autobiography of an Anglophile!

I am going to e-mail Diana to get her information. If I don't hear back from her in a couple of days, I'll pull another winner. :)

Thank you all for entering!

Anne of Green Gables Giveaway.

My mom is pretty amazing.

She reads my blog on a regular basis and comments (some of you noticed this a week or so ago). She is always there for anyone in her life who needs help. She is always ready to talk things out over lunch, or buy something silly because it'll make you smile, or offer advice when needed.

Yep, she's an awesome lady.

And to top off her awesomeness, she gave me this to give away to one of you...

It is the Puffin Classics edition of Anne of Green Gables. I have the same copy, and let me tell you, it is absolutely adorable. I LOVE this cover!

Anyway, my mom gave me an extra copy, with instructions to pass it along to a blog reader. :) Here are the rules/guidelines for entering!

• The giveaway ENDS Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 11:59 EST.
• You must be 13 or older to enter.
• You must live in the U.S.
• You can only enter once.
• You do not have to "follow" or subscribe (but do if you so feel the desire)
• You must leave your e-mail in your comment so I can contact you if you win.
• If you win, you have 48 hours to respond or I will choose a new winner.
• In your comment/entry below, answer the following question: What is your favorite memory of/with a female family member? (It doesn't have to be your mom!)
• Winner will be chosen randomly using random.org

 That's it! Good luck!

Shakespeare Reading Month Sign-up Winner!

I'm pleased to announce that I pulled a winner for the two lovely editions of Shakespeare plays seen at left (As You Like It and The Comedy of Errors). Anyone who signed up on or before the 15th of December was entered-those of you who already owned these plays were not included if you specified).

The random winner was....

Anne! from The Book Garden!

Congratulations! I'm going to see if I can hunt down some contact info.

The winner has 48 hours to respond/contact me; if not, then I will pull another winner!

Thank you for signing up-I'm looking forward to discussing some Shakespeare come the first of the year!

Shakespeare Reading Month: Coming January 2012.

"Blow, blow, thou winter wind
Thou art not so unkind,
As man's ingratitude." (As You Like It: Act II, Scene vii).

I am extremely excited to announce an event that I have been planning for a few weeks; a Shakespeare reading month taking place in January 2012!

I am a huge fan of the Bard and have been since I started reading his plays in high school. And while I certainly agree that there is nothing like seeing one of his plays performed, I love being able to sink my teeth into the language of his plays. There is something about seeing the words, reading them, and absorbing them that gets me every time.

And, since I have a big chunk of Shakespeare's plays on my list, I have been pulling my hair out trying to come up with a way to read a larger chunk of them (considering how many are on my list (16), I am a little behind in my reading). Since I failed at reading a bunch of his plays for the readathon, I figured a themed month would be best. And what time would be better to curl up with the Bard and his lovely language than in winter? After pitching the event on twitter, well, here we are!

As you can see by my bookshelf at right, I have a lot of Shakespeare's works in single volumes (and yes, the shelf above houses my Penguin clothbounds). I am close to owning every play in a single edition in my quest to read all of his works.

Yes, I take my Shakespeare very seriously.

But, I need company in reading some of his plays, so this is where you come in.

Here is the plan for the event that will start January 1:

I am going to host sign-ups here, on this post, until December 31. To sign-up, all you have to do is comment below saying that you want in. A post on your blog discussing the event, or a tweet would be wonderful too! I will make a list with bloggers participating at the bottom of the post.

If you sign up before December 15, you will be entered to win the following prize (seen here):

Folger's edition of As You Like It
Folger's edition of The Comedy of Errors

Both are brand new editions I picked up somewhere (I have a habit of buying doubles). This would be a great way to add to your own collection of Shakespearean works as well as having two more plays to read in January!

I will still accept sign-ups after December 15, but you will not be entered to win the two books above (mainly because I want time to mail them out to the winner before January).

Then, during the month of January, all you have to do is read anything Shakespeare! Besides his plays, you can read some of his sonnets, a biography, a book about Elizabethan times, or even a play by one of his contemporaries (Marlowe, anyone?). The goal is to learn more about one of the greatest English writers and spread the knowledge. I will have posts throughout the month on the plays I am reading, as well as trivia, jokes, Shakespearean insults, quizzes, etc.

The best part will be the master post for all of the bloggers participating. Each time you finish a work by Shakespeare, or about him and his time period, you will link to the master post. And each time you link, well, you are entered to win a final grand prize.

At the end of the month, I will choose a random number from the posts submitted, and the winner will receive a beautiful Penguin Clothbound of Shakespeare's Sonnets and A Lover's Complaint (my own edition is seen at right).

So, the more you read, the more chances you'll have to win!

I hope you'll think long and hard about participating. It is going to be a wonderful time, with lots of good reading!

To recap:

• Comment here with your intentions to participate.
• Write a post or tweet (if you wish) about the event.
• Sign-up before December 15 to win copies of As You Like It and The Comedy of Errors
• Read anything and everything pertaining to Shakespeare in the month of January
  
• Link your Shakespeare themed posts to the master post here
• At the end of the month, cross your fingers for a chance to win a Penguin clothbound of Shakespeare's Sonnets and A Lover's Complaint!

"Winter, which, being full of care, makes summer's welcome thrice more wish'd, more rare." (Sonnet LVI).

Weekly Wrap-up for September 4, 2011: Thank You, Giveaways, and Book Loot.

Wow, what a week. In addition to the events going on here on the blog, which I'll get to in a minute, I had a crazy busy week. I reported to the school I am long-term subbing at on Tuesday for a couple of days of Professional Development. And while I got something of out of about half the sessions, some were a little awkward for me (like the union/pay scale session. That doesn't apply to me at all since I am paid by a private company for subbing). But, it was fine and I did get to see the teachers from last year's school during one PD session (I am subbing in the same district, but at a different high school).

I also had some meetings with some other teachers to figure out what I am doing. My classes are very similar to what I taught last year. Again, I am teaching sophomore English and senior English. The senior class is only a semester, so I am fairly familiar with the content (the teacher I am covering for has never taught it!). As for the sophomores, it is a year-long course, so I am basically teaching the other half of what I already taught. Not too shabby. The one new course I am teaching is Government, but I am rather excited to dive in!

I already have things prepped and ready to go for the first week, so I am ready to get to it. I also have a firm ending date in place, so I will only be there for 12 weeks (I am done the Tuesday before Thanksgiving). After that? Who knows! All I know is that I am excited to be in a classroom for a little while and to have students again!

In blog news...

This week I celebrated my blogversary with a bunch of giveaways. There are still a couple open, so go enter before midnight tonight for a chance to win. I'll announce all the winners in one big post tomorrow.

I wanted to say thank you to all of you who have supported me in the last two years. I think I would have gone completely crazy without this project and blog to rely on. I started it because I needed to find purpose and do something with my life. I think I am accomplishing that, one book at a time.

Two years ago I considered myself a good and solid reader, with a lot of titles under my belt. I was proud of the numbers of books I read and how important reading was to me. I laugh at the old me now. It has only been through reading 112 classic books that I have truly discovered who I am as a person and what I truly love. I know I am not the same person I was two years ago, and I fully attribute that to the material I am reading. I don't know if I could have handled some of the things I have in these past two years without these reading experiences to back me up. I know that may sound silly, to say that books have had that kind of healing impact on me as a person, but it is very, very true. Words heal.

Here's to many more years of reading and loving the classics.

I have acquired quite a few books over the last month. I feel like I should emphasize the word MONTH because I don't want you all to think I have gone insane. Well, I probably have.

Anyway, there are a few Borders closing nearby. Some people might believe that going in and buying books at hugely discounted prices is rather Vultureish. I don't agree. For me, I see buying those books as a way of rescuing them. I find the whole ordeal depressing-bookstores closing-but I am going to save some of those books if I can. And many of the titles I picked up had some dust on them, so who else would save them but me?

So here is what I've gotten in the last month or so... (Oh, and I am not typing out titles and authors since there are so many books...you can click on the pictures to make them larger).


This is the most recent haul. Matt took me on Friday to our nearest store. The only book not pictured was a surprise he got for me-a huge guide to the TV show "I Love Lucy." It has been my favorite since I was maybe 6 or 7. I own the whole series on DVD and can quote every episode. I was excited. Oh, and I am in love with the big Mark Twain collection on the bottom left (it has his humour pieces!!). That book was a SCORE.


These are the goodies I got from Melville House for participating in The Art of the Novella Challenge. I was pretty excited about winning, and I cannot wait to read these (especially the Turgenev-I LOVED the other title I read by him (Fathers and Sons)).



This is the big pile, and is the result of my mother and me shopping at two different Borders a couple of weeks ago (I feel I should point out that this was taken at my parents house. I was worried about bringing them home and making Matt angry, but he wasn't!). While a few of these books wound up in some of my blogversary giveaways, most were just for me. :) I was most excited to find the Persephone title (first time I have seen one in a store-except for the one I found "used" a year or so ago). I was also excited about the two lesser-known Gaskell titles on the bottom left, as well as the copy of Birdsong by Sebastian Faulk (top middle). I had been looking for a copy since I began the project two years ago and was about to give up!

And the pile on the right is for funzies. :)

Anyway, that's my book loot. Matt has given me permission to go to ONE MORE store before Borders finally closes their doors, and then I am done with book purchasing until next year. Yeah, you read that right, NEXT YEAR. I really shouldn't complain. I have more than enough on my shelves to last me a long while, so it isn't as though I NEED more books. But, you know...I get that book buying itch. :)

So how was your week? Did you read this whole thing? If you did, pat yourself on the back-you deserve it. ;)

Blogversary Giveaways #6 and 7.

Alright folks. It is time for the last two giveaways of my little celebration (yee-haw).

I have really enjoyed all of your responses to my questions over the last week, and all the winners will be picked at once next week and announced (The giveaways end on different days, so keep that in mind).

These last two giveaways are of small book packs. These all come from my obsessive buying and forgetting I have copies. Some are from culling and realizing that since I own the book in hardcover, I also don't need the paperback edition (it is all about making my husband happy people).

Anyway, here is Giveaway 6:


This set from top to bottom contains A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, A Room with a View by E.M. Forster, The Turn of the Screw and Daisy Miller by Henry James, and Don Quixote by Cervantes (this is a really cute hardcover).

And Giveaway 7:


Giveaway 7 includes: The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton (one of my ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOKS), Dracula by Bram Stoker, and Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.

To enter, YOU MUST FOLLOW the rules-Read them carefully.

Here they are:

• The giveaways END Sunday, September 4, 2011 at 11:59 EST.
  
• You must be 13 or older to enter.
• You must live in the U.S. (internationals-go see giveaway 3!)
• You can only enter once.
  
• You do not have to "follow" or subscribe (but do if you so feel the desire)
• You must leave your e-mail in your comment so I can contact you if you win.
• If you win, you have 24 hours to respond or I will choose a new winner.
  
• In your comment/entry below, answer the following question: Your house is burning down and you can only manage to grab three books off your shelves-what would they be?
• In your comment/entry below please tell me which giveaway you would like.
  
• Winners will be chosen randomly using random.org (the first winner will have precedence over which pack they would like. Second winner can accept the other pack, or pass it along to the next person I pull who requested that set).
  

Good Luck!

Blogversary Giveaway #5

Yep. Blogversary. And yep. 'Nother giveaway.

Today is September 1st. Two years ago, on September 1, I sat down and cracked open my college copy of Homer's Odyssey. I began this whole process with a feeling of excitement, trepidation, and yes, a little doubt. I really felt back then that I would give up shortly through the process.

However, here I am, STILL reading a bookish diet of classics. Sure, I have meandered a few times into other areas (for example, last November I read ONLY children's classics). But, I am still reading classic after classic. I have added quite a few authors to my "favorites" list, as well as given second and third chances to authors I still don't really care for (that would be Dickens).

Most of all, I have grown a lot in this process. While I don't feel "smarter," I do feel like I have a lot of things stored up that many people do not. I feel like I have something to offer. And quite frankly, I feel bad for all those people and school districts who don't see that.

Anyway, two years ago I began with The Odyssey, so it is fitting that I give away a copy, right? Here it is:



Yep, it is another Penguin clothbound (I can't help it). But it wants to go home with one of you, and for this one, you need to make sure you answer the question I ask, or I definitely won't count your entry! Got it?

Here are the rules:

• The giveaway ENDS Sunday, September 4, 2011 at 11:59 EST.
  
• You must be 13 or older to enter.
• You must live in the U.S. (internationals-go see giveaway 3!)
• You can only enter once.
• You do not have to "follow" or subscribe (but do if you so feel the desire)
• You must leave your e-mail in your comment so I can contact you if you win.
• If you win, you have 24 hours to respond or I will choose a new winner.
• In your comment/entry below, answer the following question: If you embarked on a literary odyssey of your own, what five books would you put on your list? (they don't have to be classics, but they should be books that will "define" you in some way, or have a significant impact on you).
  
• Winner will be chosen randomly using random.org

Good luck!

Blogversary Giveaway #4: Willa Cather.

Once more, I am giving away books to my wonderful readers in celebration of hitting two years into my project.

Today's giveaway is one that I am especially excited about. You see, the first time I read Willa Cather, I was a high school student and I absolutely hated it. I'm sure the dramatics of high school played into that feeling as well. But when I reread her a year and a half ago for THIS project, I just fell in love. She is great at capturing the American spirit.

So here is what's for grabs:


The set includes two vintage books (Death Comes for the Archbishop and Sapphira and the Slave Girl) as well as a copy of My Antonia.

Here are the rules/requirements for entering:
Here are the rules:

• The giveaway ENDS Saturday, September 3rd at 11:59 EST.
  
• You must be 13 or older to enter.
• You must live in the U.S. (internationals, I am hosting another giveaway just for you!)
  
• You can only enter once.
• You do not have to "follow" or subscribe (but do if you so feel the desire)
• You must leave your e-mail in your comment so I can contact you if you win.
• If you win, you have 24 hours to respond or I will choose a new winner.
• In your comment/entry below, answer the following question: What ONE quality defines Americans the most?
  
• Winner will be chose randomly using random.org
  

Good luck!

Blogversary Giveaway #3: For International Readers ONLY.

I know I have a fair amount of international readers, so I definitely wanted to make sure that you were not left out of the celebrations going on here. So, I made this giveaway JUST for my international readers (anyone who lives outside the U.S.).

So what is up for grabs in this giveaway?



Your choice of one of the beautiful Penguin Clothbound series of classics. The full list of titles includes:

• Little Women
• Emma
• Pride and Prejudice
• Sense and Sensibility
• Jane Eyre
• Wuthering Heights
• Alice in Wonderland
• The Woman in White
• Inferno
• A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings
• Great Expectations
• Oliver Twist
• The Hound of the Baskervilles
• Cranford
• Tess of D'Urbervilles
• The Odyssey
• Lady Chatterley's Lover
• Shakespeare's Sonnets and A Lover's Complaint
• Treasure Island
• The Picture of Dorian Gray
• Middlemarch
• Tale of Two Cities
• Dracula
• Gulliver's Travels

I adore this series, and you all know that I try to give one away every opportunity I can. So here is what you need to do to enter...

Rules:

• The first thing I want you to do is check this list to make sure The Book Depository delivers to your country (it delivers to a GREAT deal of them, so check!). If for whatever reason they don't deliver, still enter and we'll figure something else out if you win. :)
• In a comment below, leave the following information for me: 1. the country you live in, 2. your e-mail so I can contact you, and 3. the title of your favorite classic novel!
• You can only enter once.
• You do not have to "follow" or subscribe (but do if you so feel the desire)
• If you win, you have 24 hours to respond or I will choose a new winner.
• Winner will be chosen randomly using random.org
• This giveaway will end on Friday, September 2, 2011 at 11:59 PM EST.

Good luck!

Blogversary Giveaway #2.

This week is my two-year blogversary here at A Literary Odyssey, so I am taking the opportunity to pass along some wonderful reads to my readers.

Now, while I am currently only focusing on the classics, I have soft spots for a lot of different things. Growing up, I loved a lot of the traditional children's books. As a teen, I explored science-fiction and fantasy, as well as Young Adult novels. A lot of those titles have stuck with me, even through this process of reading Dickens and Faulkner.

I want to share two books with this giveaway's winner that I absolutely adore. Earlier this year, the author of these, Diana Wynne Jones, passed away. And I think that someone else out there needs to discover the amazing worlds she has created.



Pictured above are volumes 1 and 2 of the Chrestomanci Chronicles. Each volume contains two smaller novels, so really, you're getting four books here. :) They are fun, inventive, and highly addicting. And I sincerely hope that you'll love them as much as I do.

Here are the rules:

• The giveaway ENDS Wednesday, August 31st at 11:59 EST.
  
• You must be 13 or older to enter.
• You must live in the U.S. (see above internationals!)
• You can only enter once.
• You do not have to "follow" or subscribe (but do if you so feel the desire)
• You must leave your e-mail in your comment so I can contact you if you win.
• If you win, you have 24 hours to respond or I will choose a new winner.
• In your comment/entry below, answer the following question: What was your favorite book or series as a child? Why?
  
• Winner will be chose randomly using random.org
  

Good luck!

Blogversary Giveaway #1.

To celebrate two years of blogging insanity, and not giving up on my project, I am hosting a series of giveaways this week here at A Literary Odyssey as my way of saying thank you to my readers. Some of the books are brand new, some are slightly used, and some are vintage and fun. Either way, my husband is a happy camper when he sees books leaving, not entering, the apartment. :D

In any case, I have giveaways scheduled for every day this week, so check back in to enter. I do want to say upfront that these are U.S. only. I will be having one that is INTERNATIONAL ONLY, so check back in for that one if you live somewhere outside the U.S. :)

Alright, so here is what is up for grabs today:


Above is a Penguin Clothbound copy of Bram Stoker's Dracula (and my dirty desk. I need to dust). I have the full set of clothbounds and I absolutely adore them. Any opportunity I have to give one away, well, I jump all over it.

I am especially pleased to give this one away, since I will be reading it in September/October, and I hope the lucky winner will read along with me.

Here are the rules:

• The giveaway ENDS Tuesday, August 30th at 11:59 EST.
  
• You must be 13 or older to enter.
• You must live in the U.S. (see above internationals!)
• You can only enter once.
• You do not have to "follow" or subscribe (but do if you so feel the desire)
• You must leave your e-mail in your comment so I can contact you if you win.
• If you win, you have 24 hours to respond or I will choose a new winner.
• In your comment/entry below, answer the following question: What is the scariest thing you have ever seen or done?
• Winner will be chose randomly using random.org
  

Good luck!

Weekly Wrap-up for August 28, 2011: On BBAW, Blogversaries, and Giveaways.

I am really sad that August is coming to an end. It feels like I didn't have much of a summer, so when it hits September 1 this week, I may have a mini-meltdown. It certainly doesn't feel like fall is around the corner!

I spent only two days this week working, and took Wednesday through Friday off. I had some things around the apartment to get done, as well as stuff for school. I only semi-accomplished my goals, but I have this week off as well to get more complete (only 2 days required for being at the school).

One big highlight from my week was waking up to a most glorious e-mail on Monday morning. Someone, or someones, nominated my blog for the Best Classics Book Blog for BBAW! I am truly honored and touched, so THANK YOU. It means a lot.

This coming week is a big one. I am celebrating TWO YEARS into my project, and while I am not as far along as I wanted to be, I am proud of where I am and the goals I have achieved so far. I have read some scary books, but I know I have some scarier ones ahead. :) There will be more posts on my blogversary this coming week, including a recap of the past year of my project, much like the recap post I did last year.

I am also planning a number of giveways (seriously, I am giving away quite a few things). I'll have a new giveaway up every day, including one JUST FOR INTERNATIONAL READERS, so stay tuned in! ;) I love giving books to fellow readers!

Anyway, I want to cut this short this week. Happy reading!!!

"Oldies but Goodies" Mini-Challenge Winners.

Ummm....wow you guys. I am impressed by the number of entries (155!) and the fact that you all seemed to love talking about these old books that I hold so dear to my heart. It has been an absolute blast reading through your comments and I have added a LARGE number of titles to that massive TBR list I have. It also made for good reading while sitting in the doctor's office this morning. :)

It is great to see that at some point, these books we call "classics" have impacted everyone. I suppose that is why we call them classics, hmm?

Reading through all of your entries and your cries of, "How can I pick just one?" had me thinking about which books I would label my favorites. It came down to 1 story out of a million that I wanted to share.

When I was coming up with the premise for my blog and developing my book list, challenge requirements, and naming my blog, I took a good long look at what I was trying to accomplish. I wanted a name to speak to what I was going to do and years long project it was going to be. That is when my eyes glanced over Homer's The Odyssey on my list. It had been a couple years since I read the story, but I was drawn to the name. I loved the struggle of Telemachus finding himself and his role in society, I loved the drama of Odysseus finding his way home. No matter what obstacles were in their way, both men met those challenges and conquered them.

The name of my blog was born and The Odyssey was the first book I read and discussed on my blog. And whenever I get low or frustrated, I can look at that blog name and remember.

Cheesy? Probably.

Anyway, I know why you're all here and that is for the names of the WINNERS.

I chose two winners randomly through random.org. They are:

#41: Savs (having a hard time finding your blog!)

and

#125: Simplerpastimes

And since there were so many entries....I randomly picked one more winner (again, from random.org):

#20: Amanda

Congrats to all the winners! You have until the end of the read-a-thon to contact me through my blog e-mail (you can find it on my profile page).


But wait....


My husband was so impressed with your response and shocked by the outpouring of your responses that he wants to pick one more commenter. I let him read through the comments and he selected one more person to win based on this comment:

"You rock, Allie Cat.

My favorite classic? Gone With the Wind, Gone With the Wind, Gone With the Wind!!

Because it is about a woman's struggle through war, and societal expectation, and an insane sort of upbringing.

Because it was my first classic. (I was sixteen the first time I read it.)

Because I share a love of the book with my mother. She doesn't adore much literature, but it was she who kept nudging me to read Mitchell; when I finally did, I fell in love, with reading, with history, with Atlanta, with the story of the American Civil War.

Because my grandmother was from Atlanta, GA, and I hope to move back there, some day. I'm pulled to my history in Atlanta. My people were in Georgia for generations.

Because all of my love, for everything above, is rooted in Gone With the Wind.

And Margaret Mitchell? She is my literary best friend."

Congrats Jillian! Now my husband is calling me Allie Cat. :)

Thank you all for entering. Winners, contact me by the end of the readathon so I can be in touch with you about picking which title you want (that way I can order you your lovely and get it on the way)!

The "Oldies but Goodies" Mini-Challenge.

Hello read-a-thoners! How is your day going so far? I hope you are making great progress towards your reading goals!

Welcome to my humble little blog in the big book blogging world. By looking around you might be saying to yourself, "Wow, I see a lot of scary classics on here. Is she crazy?" I assure you that I am quite sane most of the time, but I do love the classics and that, my friends, is the primary focus of my blog and the mini-challenge that brought you here.

For this mini-challenge, all you need to do is leave a comment here with the answer to these big scary questions:

What is your favorite "classic" and why? How has that classic impacted your life?

See? Scary.

Now you might be asking, "Allie, what do I get if I win?"

I'll tell you.


Those pretty books up there are Penguin Clothbound classics and I absolutely love them. I own the set and have been gushing about them since I bought my first one over a year ago.

There will be two winners, both who will be randomly chosen based on random.org. Depending on how many entries and how much you all gush over your classic love, I will pull a third winner. Each winner will get to choose their title of choice from the following list:

• Little Women
• Emma
• Pride and Prejudice
• Sense and Sensibility
• Jane Eyre
• Wuthering Heights
• Alice in Wonderland
• The Woman in White
• Inferno
• A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings
• Great Expectations
• Oliver Twist
• The Hound of the Baskervilles
• Cranford
• Tess of D'Urbervilles
• The Odyssey
• Lady Chatterley's Lover
• Shakespeare's Sonnets and A Lover's Complaint
• Treasure Island
• The Picture of Dorian Gray

In addition, there are four more titles being published in the U.S. at the end of April if you decide you want one of these:

• Middlemarch
• Tale of Two Cities
• Dracula
• Gulliver's Travels

To recap and clarify the rules:

To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment with an answer to that question up there. The challenge will run for three hours. At the end of the three hours, I will randomly select the winners and make an announcement post. The winners will have until the end of the readathon to get in touch with me or I will select a new winner. This contest is open to anyone who lives in a country that the Book Depository delivers to and you should be 13+.

Sound wonderful?

Good luck and start telling me about those Oldies you love!

Oliver Twist Readalong Sign-ups AND Giveaway.

I am pleased to announce that we will be reading Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist for our February readalong here at A Literary Odyssey. This novel beat out "Romeo and Juliet" during the voting session, and in a way, I'm kind of glad.

While I am not a huge fan of Dickens, I am excited to tackle another of his novels with a bunch of you. If you are questioning whether this is a novel you want to give a try, here is a summary from Goodreads.com,

"One of Dickens’s most popular novels, Oliver Twist is the story of a young orphan who dares to say, "Please, sir, I want some more." After escaping from the dark and dismal workhouse where he was born, Oliver finds himself on the mean streets of Victorian-era London and is unwittingly recruited into a scabrous gang of scheming urchins. In this band of petty thieves Oliver encounters the extraordinary and vibrant characters who have captured readers’ imaginations for more than 150 years: the loathsome Fagin, the beautiful and tragic Nancy, the crafty Artful Dodger, and perhaps one of the greatest villains of all time—the terrifying Bill Sikes.

Rife with Dickens’s disturbing descriptions of street life, the novel is buoyed by the purity of the orphan Oliver. Though he is treated with cruelty and surrounded by coarseness for most of his life, his pious innocence leads him at last to salvation—and the shocking discovery of his true identity."

It sounds fascinating, doesn't it?

Here is the reading schedule I have planned out, based on the edition I own (I will be reading from the Penguin cloth bound classic, which has 455 pages divided into three books). I should note that because the book is divided into three "books" I decided to do three posting periods. If there is huge public outcry against this, I will change it.

• Post 1 will go up on February 8th (Tuesday) and will cover Book 1 (roughly 180 pages-the longest section)
  
• Post 2 will go up on February 17th (Thursday) and will cover Book 2 (roughly 120 pages)
  
• Post 3 will go up on February 28th (Monday) and will cover Book 3 (roughly 140 pages)
  

That morning I will put up a post with my thoughts and feelings about the section we're posting on. If you are participating, all you have to do is leave a comment with a link to your post so I can link them up here! I do not require participants to go read everyone else's post, but it is always encouraged! After all, the point of a readalong is to see what everyone else makes of the same book and discuss it.

Everyone who completes the readalong will receive something from me in the mail (a surprise!) and a hearty congratulations!

WAIT!!! THERE IS MORE!!!!

As of January 16, 2011, the GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED as a winner was chosen.

In addition to having sign-ups, I am also GIVING away a copy of this book. Really? How did this happen? Well, my generous and wonderful parents purchased the rest of the Penguin clothbounds for me as a Christmas gift. My mom accidentally ordered an extra copy. So yes, I have a glorious Penguin clothbound of Oliver Twist for one of you.

Here's the deal. I would really like to give this book to someone who wants to participate in the readalong. So, if you are interested, you have until Sunday at NOON to enter to win (I want to make sure I can get it mailed out to you ASAP). All you need to do is comment to sign up for the readalong and let me know you're interested in winning this beauty! I should also point out that I can only ship to someone living in the U.S.

I would also appreciate it if you would spread the word on your blog and/or Twitter about this readalong, so we can get as many participants as we can!

If you are signing up for the readalong, comment and let me know so I can link to your blog!

Participants:
Adam
Kristi
Eclectic Indulgence
Bookworm1858
Jillian
Karenlibrarian
mel u
L.L. (No link to blog!)
kassy
readwriteandlive
Willa
Katy F.
Cindy
Annette
Aimee
terri-maree
tasseled
fleurfisher
Zoe
Darlyn
Alison
Staci (I know you said you were a maybe, but I left you on here, just in case)