Linktastic Monday! (contest, auction, and giveaways)

Happy Monday! I love it when life converges to bring the awesome on a Monday. It makes an otherwise exhausting day much more endurable. :)

Here are some things going on today that you might not know about:



Teenreads Beach Bag Contest! This includes a bunch of 2011 faves like DIVERGENT, NIGHTSPELL, and SUPERNATURALLY. And as if the contest weren't enough, several of these have excerpts and "search inside this book" links so you can read the first few chapters of books that haven't come out yet. I'm currently reading the first bit of Kiersten White's sequel to Paranormalcy, SUPERNATURALLY. 

All 4 Alabama Disaster Relief Literary Auction! 

This is ongoing, but tonight at 8pm Central Time, all bidding for Day 6 items ends, and this includes our own Michelle McLean's pre-released picture book--signed! I bid on it, and I'm perfectly happy to win it, but I'm torn because I also want to share the awesome and promote the charity bidding. Here's the blurb for A Magical World by Michelle Raynor (pseudonym), Illustrated by Toni Wilson.

Alex and his sister Izzy are stuck inside during one stormy, rainy week. But, they still manage to have the most spectacular adventures. They sail the seven seas on a pirate ship, swing on jungle vines, swim through the ocean, roam with the dinosaurs, and visit many other fantastic places! Just how, they never tell a soul. They simply smile and wink and zip their lips, and then disappear into their room. Into a wonderful, magical world.

Here's my brief but glowing review of A Magical World (or rather my four-year-old son's review):

My 4-year-old son asks for this every day at nap time.
One day after we read it, he said, "I don't have a little girl" (meaning little sister like Alex has Izzy in the book) "I just have my Layne." *cheesy little boy smile* 
So I know he's imagining himself playing pretend with his little brother like the characters in your book, seeing himself as the brave big brother, Alex!

The sense of wonder this picture book inspires is exactly what I want for my kids as I'm introducing them to literature and a lifelong love of reading and imagining. 

Michelle's debut nonfiction book, Homework Helpers: Essays and Term Papers, also went up for auction yesterday. It's an incredible resource for teens and adults faced with the challenge of writing school papers. And it's funny, to boot!

Afterglow's Beginning of Summer Giveaway!

From all of us at Afterglow Book Reviews to all of you, here's a fun way to celebrate the onset of summer. We've got ten books, including ARCs and signed copies, that could be yours. 








And now, to keep the cheeriness going, what's your favorite thing about Monday?


My favorite thing is the return to normalcy, like putting on an old pair of jeans.