My 4th Blogiversary & Giveaway

The blog has been going for four years now which seems amazing to me. Thank you to everyone who has visited and been part of it over that time. 

I'm holding a giveaway to celebrate!

The prize is a brand new copy of Love Virtually by Daniel Glattauer, bought by myself. 
(You can read my review of this book here.)The giveaway is open until Thursday 2nd April 2015. 
The giveaway is open internationally.
Please enter using the rafflecopter form below.
The winner will be chosen at random and contacted - if I don't hear from them within 48 hours another winner may be chosen at random. 
Good luck and thanks very much for visiting.

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Anniversary & Big Book Giveaway!

It's hard to believe but the blog is three years young and has also recently passed the 250,000 views mark, so I'm having a giveaway to celebrate both of these things! 

An enormous, heartfelt thank you to all the authors who have so generously and kindly offered a prize to be won in the giveaway, there are so many absolutely lovely books on offer so do have a look below, many of them are signed and being offered by the authors, a few are contributed by myself. Just leave a comment to enter.

Blogging has had to take a back seat a bit recently, in particular for health reasons. I still post something new when I can, especially sharing author guest posts and spreading the word about books. I don't know if i'll get back up to my previous amount of reading and review writing one day or not. I still want to have more of a go at writing fiction myself, but confidence is still an issue. It's nice to see so many other book blogs that I've followed for a few years still going, the community is always growing at the moment with lots of variety and I read about more books than ever, even though my to be read pile is already crazy, it's hard not to add more to it, or at least to the wishlist. 

Anyway, thank you very much to everyone who has supported the blog in any way, and please celebrate with me with a slice of cake and a cuppa.

~~~~~

Books on offer in the big book giveaway...

First prize - the first winner drawn from the hat will win 10 books, selected at random 

Runner-up prizes - three runner-up prizes of 5 books each, selected at random

Late addition - a copy of House of Silence by Linda Gillard also to be won!


A-Z by author, the prize books are:

Beautiful Day by Kate Anthony, signed by the author!

The Secrets Women Keep by Fanny Blake, signed by the author!

The Mistress's Revenge by Tammy Cohen, signed by the author!

Just What Kind of Mother Are You? by Paula Daly, signed by the author!

A Place Called Perfect by Helena Duggan, signed by the author plus a poster designed by the author!

Fearsome Dreamer by Laure Eve, signed by the author!

The Cornish House, and A Cornish Affair by Liz Fenwick, signed by the author!

Kept by Elle Field, signed by the author!

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a brand new copy of the recent film tie-in edition.

House of Silence by Linda Gillard, signed by the author!

Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes, signed and personalised by the author!

Goodness Grace and Me by Julie Houston, signed by the author!

When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr, a preloved copy in nice condition.

Don't Stand So Close by Luana Lewis, signed by the author!

The Visitors by Rebecca Mascull, signed by the author!

Casting the Net by Julie McDowall, signed by the author!

Spirit of Lost Angels by Liza Perrat, signed by the author!

Secrets of the Tides and The Shadow Year by Hannah Richell, signed by the author!

Amity and Sorrow by Peggy Riley, signed by the author!

Brighton Belle by Sara Sheridan, signed by the author!

A Woman's Choice by Annie Thomas, Kindle copy!

Black Roses and The Winter Garden by Jane Thynne, both signed by the author!

The Pimlico Kid by Barry Walsh, signed by the author!

Into the Trees by Robert Williams, signed by the author, with a dedication if preferred!

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates, a preloved copy in nice condition.
This is one of my all-time favourite novels so it's one I'd love to share the love of!

One Apple Tasted by Josa Young, signed by the author!

~~~~~

How to enter:

Please leave a comment below to enter. 

A HUGE THANK YOU FOR ALL THE ENTRIES. THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THE WINNERS WILL BE DRAWN AND CONTACTED ASAP.

UPDATE - CONGRATULATIONS TO WINNERS TERESA M, VICKY T, SAM B and TRACY T!


If you'd like to, please mention which book you'd most like to win. If you are drawn as a winner, although the books will be selected for each winner at random, I will try and allocate you your favourite if possible!

Please note, where an author has offered two books, they are counted as one book for the prize, so if you do win, you could end up with more than 5 or more than 10 books! 

(No need to leave contact details if I already have a way of contacting you - whether twitter, facebook, email, via your blog. Otherwise please let me know a way of contacting you.)

The giveaway ends on Wednesday 2nd April 2014. Winners will be picked at random and contacted, if they don't reply within 48 hours with their choice of prize, a new winner or winners may be selected. The giveaway is open to entrants based in the UK.

Thanks and good luck!

Second blog anniversary giveaway and thoughts

It's the second anniversary, or blogoversary, of my book blog today! 

Do help yourself to a little birthday bun!

Thank you for visiting, reading, commenting, tweeting, supporting the blog in any way that you might have. I appreciate it very much indeed. It's amazing to think the blog has now been going for two years; two years of putting together posts, mostly reviews, and usually three or four of these per week at least. I have discovered many other wonderful blogs and bloggers during this time, some also quite new, and many which have been established for longer. I'm so glad of the kindness and support that so many within the book blogging community and the wider book/writing community have shown to me. Thank you to all my lovely guest reviewers and to the authors who have been kind enough to be a guest on my blog too.

***Thanks to everyone who has helped me pass the 100,000 page views mark just last week! This has far exceeded my expectations and it is your support that keeps me going!***

I have been thinking a lot about blogging recently. How much I enjoy aspects of it, and how some aspects of it have caused me to worry and almost taken over my life at times, to the detriment of other things. There's been a lot of time spent thinking I must read a certain book by a certain date. I always try and honour my commitments and I feel bad when I miss something. I put a lot into every review I write, in terms of time and thought on the wording, and notes whilst reading the book.


I do love the blog and definitely want to keep blogging and reviewing. I am so grateful for the many books I have had the opportunity to read and/or hear about, that I might not have otherwise. The delight of receiving an envelope addressed to The Little Reader Library, so special. I want to support authors as much as possible. 


Reading is a joy that has helped me at very difficult times. The more books and blogs I've read, the more books and authors I've discovered too. I love reading crime novels, but also literary fiction, and historical novels, and translated fiction, and... sometimes I think if my tastes were narrower it would be easier! I read blogs which are focused on just one genre or area and wonder if I ought to have done that sometimes, but I like to reflect on the blog the fact that I enjoy reading a variety of books.


I also find myself looking at the many books I would dearly love to read for pleasure and not because they have been sent to me as a review request and are coming out on a certain date and I feel I have to. Reading was a relaxation, a pleasure, a support and an escape, and I feel I need to get that feeling back more. I have learned that for my own health I need to say no more, something that when you first start and are excited and if you are prone to wanting to please, isn't always easy to do.


This is something else that I feel I have finally learned, partly through the wise words of fellow bloggers who are stronger and/or more experienced than me. There shouldn't be a feeling that it is like a demand to blog and review in order to please others. Blogging for most of us starts off as an enjoyable hobby and it is a shame when/if it becomes more like a demand and becomes onerous, indeed when reading itself becomes onerous, after all we are not being paid.  


So I hope, and intend, to read more books that I have long been wanting to read and enjoy, as well as reading newer releases, but I would like to be kinder myself and not feel the stress and worry of trying to please others, because I am learning that this isn't fulfilling in any case. I hope this doesn't sound like a big moan, it wasn't my intention at all.  


I would also like to put more time into giving my own writing a try. Lack of confidence stops me; there have been so many occasions when I have aimed to sit down and write and I don't get there because I know how quick I will be to judge myself - this is something I need to conquer. 


Deep breathe, and enough of my thoughts just now. On to the fun part. 

To celebrate the second anniversary of the blog, I am also having a giveaway!

The giveaway prize for the winner is one book of your choice from the following eight reads which I recommend, all of which have been reviewed here on my blog - titles are linked to my reviews:

Defending Jacob by William Landay

Last Will by Liza Marklund

Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth

The Library of Unrequited Love by Sophie Divry

Human Remains by Elizabeth Haynes

The Uninvited Guests - Sadie Jones

The Street Sweeper - Elliot Perlman

After the Fall - Charity Norman

How to enter:

Please enter using the Rafflecopter form below.

The giveaway is open worldwide to places the Book Depository delivers free to - see the list here.

I will contact the winner by email as soon as the giveaway is closed, and the winner will need to reply to me within 48 hours. If I don't hear from them I will have to draw another winner, and the initial winner will forfeit their prize.

The giveaway ends on April 1st 2013. The winner will be selected at random.

Thank you again and good luck.

a Rafflecopter giveaway