Friday, November 23, 2012

The Black (and Blue) Friday Woes





This was a fun post, and as promised, I have used RANDOM.Org to pick my five winners of hand beaded necklaces - but instead of the original plan of thirty inch ones, I have decided my fifty inch ones are much nicer, and not so plain. Without further ado, the five commenters picked through RANDOM.ORG are 

Charlene Raddon (charraddon @....)

Jenn Mathis (meandi09@....)

Yazmin (yazmin593@....)

Joy Harris (joyskidsdidit@....)

Jessiel (JessieL62@....)

Thanks to all who visited, don't be strangers, and congrats to all the winners in the hop.






While the rest of the US is out handling the crowds, 

fighting for their holiday gifts, some of us like to stay 

in, shop online, or just ignore Black Friday all to 

together. This year, join us in our second annual Black 

Friday Blog Hop! It's a ONE DAY hop where we're 

giving away prizes, talking about books we love, and 

most likely eating left over turkey. :-)

The hop is November 23rd and is ONE DAY only.

And while we do that, we are EACH doing a giveaway. 

Yep. There will be over 200 giveaways on each blog 

hosted by that Author or Blogger.

But that's not all....


We have THREE grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 200 times!



Now what are those prizes?

1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet
2nd Grand Prize: A $75 Amazon or B&N Gift Card
3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, e-books, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more!
(All prizes except the Swag are International)


Today is the day when people in the United States go absolutely insane looking for the next big bargain. People have been camping out in parking lots for over a week, just to beat someone else to that 'really cheap' big screen TV, or that brand new gaming system. Well, not me. I have no desire to brave the crowds and the crazies, and possibly suffer bodily harm or, even worse, the emptying of my bank account and my wallet. For those who choose to visit here, you will not hear me rhapsodize over the great bargains I got at five in the morning, or the way I beat out some little old lady for the last plus size Christmas print sweater. Nope, what you will hear from me is book talk. I plan to spend the whole four day holiday just relaxing with some good books from some favorite authors, and for those who drop in to visit, maybe there will be some new to you authors in my list of favorites you'd like to try. And there will be prizes, too, from the organizers of this hop, and from yours truly as well. In my spare time, I make beaded jewelry, and a few of my commenters, chosen by RANDOM.ORG, will be the recipients of beaded necklaces from me - I plan to give five commenters each a lovely one. 

Now, what will I be reading (or rereading, in some cases). I want to spend time with some old and some new books, by favorite authors, and maybe a new one or two.

My first choice will be the Granite Lake Wolves from Vivian Arend. Viv's 'wolfies' are not the scary kind of shifters, and although there is sometimes an element of danger, there is always lots of fun, romance and super hot shifters. Wolf Signs, Wolf Flight, Wolf Games, Wolf Tracks (my favorite, TJ's story) and Wolf Line are the books in this series, and each has a hot hero, a sassy heroine, and lots of warmth and laughter. From Samhain Publishing.

Next will be Sierra Dean's Secret McQueen series. If you haven't read Secret's books, you have no idea what you are missing. Secret is a Vampire/Werewolf hybrid bounty hunter, and she can kick butt with the best of them. Along with her mentor, Holden Chancery (vampire) and her two, yes I said two, soul-bond mates, Lucas Rain (King of the eastern Werewolves) and Desmond Alvarez (second in command, Lucas' right hand man) (its complicated), Secret gets in and out of more trouble than most folks get in a lifetime. Something Secret This Way Comes, A Bloody Good Secret, Secret Santa, Deep Dark Secret, Keeping Secret, and the side trip with The Secret Guide to Dating Monsters: all are worth spending time and energy reading these, and I'm going back over all of these this weekend. From Samhain Publishing.

If I have time after all of these, I plan on reading some Lexxie Couper, some Mari Carr, the Seeds of Dawn series from Jambrea Jo Jones, and the Powertools series from Jayne Rylon. And just because it is the season, I'm loading up my holiday books, starting with White Hot Christmas from Serenity Woods.

So now, I have a question for those who managed to get to the end of this post - for one of my hand-crafted thirty inch beaded necklaces, who are your 'comfort reads'? What author or authors do you turn to when you need that pick-me-up or to just reconnect to a sense of calm. I have many more, but these are just the tip of my iceberg. And please, be sure to leave your e-mail address when you comment, so I can contact the winners about their prizes.






71 comments:

  1. stephenie meyer and suzanne collins are my go to authors when i need a pick me up! thanks for the giveaway!

    beccaboo97200 (at) att (dot) net

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  2. Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter series, Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series and Colter's Legacy series by Maya Banks are my go-to's when I need comfort. Thanks for the hop and for the chance to win!

    ehaney578 at aol dot com

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  3. Julie Anne Long has become a favorite of mine -- and I'm actually reading her new book this weekend. ^_^

    Another go-to author would be Lisa Kleypas.

    Enjoying the hop!

    Thanks for the great giveaway!

    - khriscc (at) yahoo (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Harry Potter is really nostalgic, so that's my go-to series. Jane Austen's stuff is also pretty high on the list.

    aircdrewood(at)gmail(dot)com

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  5. Vampire Chronicles series (and other books) by Anne Rice, Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling and The Song of Fire and Ice series by George R. R. Martin.

    dita(dot)skarste(at)gmail(dot)com

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  6. I can't go past Jane Austen for a comfort read. I know her characters & stories so well.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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  7. Elizabeth Lowell, Nicole Jordan, and Terry Goodkind are my comfort reads.
    bituin76 at hotmail cot com

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  8. I don't really do re-reads...too many books on my TBR shelves waiting their turn in my hand! Thanks for the giveaway.

    kareninnc at gmail dot com

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  9. stephenie meyer and suzanne collins are my go to authors when i want a 'comfort read"

    parisfan_ca@yahoo.com

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  10. When I need my comfort fix, Meg Cabot ranks high, but so does Lisa Plumley and Rachel Gibson. lolakarns(at)gmail(dot)com

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  11. Mine are Delilah Hunt, Lora Leigh, Tressie Lockwood, Cherise Sinclair
    fiza700[at]gmail[dot]com

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  12. I like to revisit many many books. The Vampire academy series by Richelle Mead and Lauren Dane's books are some of them. brendem7@comcast.net

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  13. Johanna Lyndsay is my favorite for escaping the worries of this world.

    Thanks!
    brbalwaysATyahooDOTcom

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  14. I have a lot of favorite authors. I mostly read romance books. Tammara Webber, Samantha Youg are my favorites!

    verusbognar (at) gmail (at) com

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  15. i have several fav. authors i turn to, one has been sherrilyn kenyon
    miriam.whitewolf@gmail.com

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  16. Lauren Dane is my go to comfort read. I know that I will get a good quality read whenever I pick up one of her books.
    planterofhope(at)aol(dot)com

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  17. Love your blog background.
    charraddon (at) pobox (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  18. I would say that I don't re-read anyone. But as I was thinking about my answer I realized I've read Speed Dating by Nancy Warren three times in the last year and a half. But Emily March is probably my go lady.

    Kvmatlock ( at) gmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  19. I did ask Santa for a necklace this year...so winning one would be super.
    I go back to classics--Leaves of Grass, Hemingway's short stories, Emerson's essays. I find something new every time.
    catherinelee100 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  20. cynthia garcia
    shygrumpychica1@hotmail.com

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  21. Nora Roberts and Jill Shalvis. I much prefer doing my Black Friday shopping online (I hate crowds!). Thanks for being in the hop!

    jochibi AT yahoo DOT com

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  22. I don't have a comfort read author, sorry.
    I'm not a black Friday shopper. lisarayns at gmail dot com

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  23. thank you

    alinutza4u2004[at]yahoo[dot]co[dot]uk

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  24. its hard for me to re-read since my tbr pile is enormous but kresley cole and gena showalter , sherrilyn kenyon are a few i would
    meandi09@Yahoo.com

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  25. Mine would be Diana Palmer, Lora Leigh, Tina Folsom, J.R. Ward and so on!

    twilight_rose1027@yahoo.com

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  26. I would read Lindsay McKenna and Lizzy Ford books or one of my altime favorite books To Kill a Mockingbird. I don't black friday shop and thank You for the chance to win a great prize.
    crystaley73 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  27. Sherrilyn Kenyon is my main Comfort Read but I turn to J.R. Ward, Gena Showalter, Alyssa Day , Lara Adrian , Kresley Cole and Donna Grant as well.

    vampiremistress2010(at)gmail(dot)com

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  28. Nora Roberts is my comfort read.
    sqwalker2@hotmail.com

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  29. Red Phenix. christiethemom@hotmailcom

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  30. Twilight Saga is my comfort read.
    Jennifer Rote
    wildnmild4u at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  31. Julia Quinn and any classic fairytale~ Thank you for the lovely giveaway~<3

    MostlyMisha [at] gmail [dot] com

    ReplyDelete
  32. Right now I am reading Julie Anne Long's new book "A Notorious Countess Confesses" She is one of my top authors. Let see.... Beverley Kendall, Sylvia Day, Judith James, Elosia James.. I could go on and on if you want me too. lol Thanks for doing the hop1

    gatormaryd(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  33. Kresley Cole and Gena Showalter are my comfort authors. Thx for the hop stop.

    blinkysthebest at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  34. I have a couple that I go to. One is the In Death series by JD Robb and the other is Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series.
    lisa(at)vetteklisa(dot)com

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  35. This is the BEST way to spend Black Friday. Sitting at home, hopping with old friends and making new ones. I can't handle the crowds anymore so I only do Black Friday shopping online if I do any. Some of my favorite go to books are the “Pack/Pride” series by Shelly Laurenston, the “Dragon Kin” series by G. A. Aiken, the “Freakn’” series by Eve Langlais, the” Anita Blake” series by Laurel K. Hamilton, the “Breeds” series by Lora Leigh,The Granite Lake Wolves by Vivian Arend and the “New Species” series by Laurann Dohner. I haven't read the Secret McQueen books but I intend to now. Thanks for being part of the hop and for the chance to win. <^_^>
    reneebennett35 (at) yahoo (dot) com

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  36. I don't really have comfort authors. There's so many books that I want to read that I very rarely reread books. Thanks for participating in the hop!

    xxsquigglesxx(at)gmail(dot)com

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  37. Hi! Happy Holidays to you! Thanks for the awesome hop and giveaway! Best wishes and many blessings to you! Some of my favorites are books by Diana Palmer, Laurann Dohner, Maya Banks, etc.
    shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com

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  38. My comfort reads are just any book. Reading in general just makes me feel calm and happy :)
    Thanks for the giveaway!
    farrahsayyedATgmailDOTcom

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  39. I don't have a specific author that I find comforting, however I do find autobiographies, or just biographies in general comforting. Helps me to reading about certain situations. Thanks for taking part i this amazing blog hop! :)
    oddball2003 at hotmail dot com

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  40. I don't have any comfort books that I go back to however if I am in a funk or just need a pick me up, there is nothing like a romantic comedy or a comedic mystery that is light. Anything that I can escape too and not have to think to deeply about.

    Thanks so much for being a part of the hop and for the giveaways. I bet your necklaces are beautiful.

    Happy Holidays,
    Marlena
    charmedpoms(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  41. Lisa Kleypas

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  42. Oh, there are so many that I reach for when I need a comfort read... Nora Roberts, for one; Lisa Klyepas for another; J.R. Ward, of course; Eloisa James; Julia Quinn...I could go on and on! :)

    Enjoy!
    TBQ
    The_Book_Queen(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  43. All of my books are my comfort reads! Reading is just the thing to calm me and take away the worlds troubles!

    I do not like crowds so BF shopping is not for me! I will be spending my day hopping and then snuggled up reading! Well that is after I decide on what new book I have just added to my to be read list! It gets longer every hop! Thanks!

    I am thankful for all the wonderful books I am finding on the hop!

    grapeapril75(at)gmail.com

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  44. What a great question! My comfort author is Nora Roberts. Happy Thanksgiving!

    sandywolters(dot)author(at)gmail(dot)com

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  45. LaVyrle Spencer is one of my all time favorite authors for comfort reading. I miss her writing since she has retired. angadair@nwcable.net

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  46. I always go to Rowling or Meyers to get away from everything!
    joyskidsdidit at gmail.com

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  47. When I need humor, I read Julie Garwood or Johanna Lindsey. I also adore my Nalini Singh books.

    isabelli3619 (at) aol (dot) com

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  48. I think I might pick Janet Evanovich, Kim Harrison, or RA Salvatore. But I also adore finding new authors.

    krankimom @ comcast .net

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  49. I have to say Tolkien, reading about Middle Earth always makes me feel better.

    Morganlafey86(at)aol(dot)com

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  50. I don't have a particular one I go to, any book works for me. Reading is my escape.

    cmucha319@yahoo.com

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  51. Mine are Lori Foster, Jennifer Crusie, and a few Susan Elizabeth Phillips :)
    Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
    cassandrahicks1989@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  52. My comfort read are the books written by Mitch Albom. Thanks for participating!
    katieamanda1(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  53. A comfort read for me is Patricia Briggs or Nalini Singh .....

    ringpop2010 at gmail dot com

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  54. I love Patrica Briggs( any mercy related books), Sherrilyn Kenyon(darkhunters), and Christina Dodd(wilders... These are my go for hot baths and wine... There are tons more who i love but you would need a library to fill it lol... Thank god for my kindle and my cloud storage lol.

    j.m.platt83@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  55. I love Lorelei James and Bianca Sommerland. My "go to" authors anytime!
    mel
    bournmelissa at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  56. I love Jill Shalvis, she's always good for a laugh in the middle of some steamy romance. There are a number of others. My list is long. Thanks for being part of this hop & the giveaway. I have read a number of books this year by authors that I haven't read before & I have these blogs to thank.

    JessieL62@comcast.net

    ReplyDelete
  57. I love Julie Garwood. Thanks for the hop.
    magic5905 at embarqmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  58. Thanks for the great giveaway!
    red_tigergirl2(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  59. I like Julie Garwood's historical romances. They are so wonderful
    debby236 at gmail dot com

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  60. My comfort reads are Lora Leigh, Shelly Laurenston, Julie Garwood and so many others. Thanks for being a part of the hop. I hope that you had a happy Thanksgiving!
    jessangil at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  61. My comfort reads are usually 120 page series, such as the Brac Pack series by Lynn Hagen or Joyee Flynn's series. I like revisiting these series and characters.

    tiger-chick-1(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  62. Comforts Reads are Kristen Ashley! Love her books!
    0713iv@gmail.com

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  63. I do like to shop on Black Friday, but the last few years I have found better sales, No lines, No rude people, and free shipping on Cyber Monday.

    angelheart618@gmail.com

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  64. I enjoy J.D. Brown's Dark Heirloom series. I stuck to the web today instead of braving the crowds. ;) Thanks for the giveaway!

    fancie @ live. com

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  65. Nora Roberts

    Thanks for the chance!

    bacchus76 at myself dot com

    ReplyDelete
  66. I enjoy Rick Yancey's writing and the Bartimaeus Trilogy for comfort :) I went Black Friday shopping today! It was fun.

    Thank you!

    hisboywonder(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  67. Nora Roberts. Thanks for the giveaway!

    Jesse
    jesse.kimmelfreeman@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  68. Diana Palmer novels
    Thanks for the giveaway!
    nerdswillruleoneday@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  69. Susan Mallery, Jill Shalvis, Gena Showalter, Lori Foster. Thank you for the giveaway and being part of the blog hop. :)

    yazmin593 AT msn DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  70. Gena Showalter and Kresley Cole. Thanks for the chance to win!
    natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete