Wicked Wednesday 11.18.09 - Part 2

Wicked Wednesday Giveaway # 2
November 18 - December 2
Seven by Jacqueline Leo, Edward Burger
{Thanks to Anna @ Hatchette, we have 5 copies available}

To participate in this giveaway, you will now need to submit your entry via our new Google Docs form.

FILL OUT THIS FORM TO ENTER GIVEAWAY

*We ♥ Google Docs*

♥ Seven by Jacqueline Leo, Edward Burger ♥

Synopsis: What is it about the number seven that has such a hold on us? Why are there seven deadly sins? Seven days of the week? Seven wonders of the world, seven colors of the spectrum, seven ages of man, and seven sister colleges? Why can we hold seven numbers or words in our working memory--but no more? Author Jackie Leo explores everything about this mystical, magical, useful, and fun number in her new book.

SEVEN REASONS YOU NEED THIS BOOK

1. SEVEN is a tool to improve the quality of your life. It is a way to define time, synthesize ideas, and keep your mind performing at top speed in an era of distractions.

2. SEVEN is culturally significant. It pops up everywhere, structuring our world in ways so fundamental, we notice them only when we pause to look. Across the ages and across cultures, the number has acquired a huge scientific, psychological, and religious significance.

3. SEVEN is intriguing. Why, out of hundreds of recipes in a cookbook, do people return to the same seven, over and over? Why, when asked to choose a number between one and ten, does such a large majority of people choose seven? Why does it take seven rounds of shuffling to obtain a fully mixed deck of cards?

4. SEVEN is influential. You'll learn how the number seven shapes our thinking, our choices, and even our relationships.

5. SEVEN is practical. Throughout this book are Top Seven lists covering the best ways to get someone's attention, to build your personal brand, and to put yourself in the path of prosperity and good luck.

6. SEVEN is fun. You'll encounter surprising facts, intriguing puzzles, and hilarious anecdotes.

7. SEVEN is wise. You'll hear stories about the meaning of seven from Mehmet Oz, Sally Quinn, Liz Smith, Christina Ricci, and many others.
Artfully designed and full of enough insights to keep you engaged in conversation at the water cooler for years, SEVEN will provoke, enlighten, and amuse.

Rules:
• To enter the giveaway you must complete the form (linked above) and leave a comment indicating that you've completed the form.
• Books will be delivered directly from the publishers so the giveaways are only available for U.S. and Canada residents. No P.O. boxes please.
Note: It may take several weeks to receive your prize so please be patient!
• Winners will be drawn soon after the contest ends and posted thereafter.
• Winners will be chosen using random.org!

Ways to earn extra entries:
+1 for being a follower
+1 for following us on Twitter
+1 for following us on Blogged
+1 for subscribing via email or RSS reader
+1 for comments on other posts throughout the week
(Please reference which other posts you've commented on)
+1 for twittering or posting about this giveaway on your blog/site
(Please include a link to the post)

♥ Feel free to contact us via email at booksoulmates[at]gmail[dot]com if you have any questions ♥

Good luck!

Wicked Wednesday 11.18.09 - Part 1

(Sorry, we're a little late with these posts, but here they are :)

Wicked Wednesday Giveaway # 1
November 18 - December 2
How To Be Famous by Heidi Montag, Spencer Pratt
{Thanks to Anna @ Hatchette, we have 5 copies available}

To participate in this giveaway, you will now need to submit your entry via our new Google Docs form.

FILL OUT THIS FORM TO ENTER GIVEAWAY

*We ♥ Google Docs*

♥ How To Be Famous by Heidi Montag, Spencer Pratt ♥

Synopsis: From braving the wilds of Los Angeles to the Costa Rican jungle, Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt have learned a thing or two about reality...television, that is. But while dominating the airwaves and tabloid covers every week may look like all fun and mind games, Speidi is here to tell you: becoming wildly famous requires hard work and a no-fail blueprint for success. Now, for the first time ever, Heidi and Spencer invite you behind the scenes as they reveal the ten-step plan that took them from nobodies to notorious!

You will:

• Learn how to say I hate you without opening your mouth--Heidi's exclusive tutorial
• Increase your capacity for evil with Spencer's "Villain-o-meter"
• Discovery why getting and talking about plastic surgery is a must
• Unlock the secrets of celebrity couple math (e.g. Speidi > Heidi + Spencer)
• Mesmerize the media with outrageous behavior
• Bow down to the power of the paparazzi

...and much, much more!

With Heidi and Spencer as your personal coaches, you, too, can transform yourself into a red-carpet-ready superstar!

Rules:
• To enter the giveaway you must complete the form (linked above) and leave a comment indicating that you've completed the form.
• Books will be delivered directly from the publishers so the giveaways are only available for U.S. and Canada residents. No P.O. boxes please.
Note: It may take several weeks to receive your prize so please be patient!
• Winners will be drawn soon after the contest ends and posted thereafter.
• Winners will be chosen using random.org!

Ways to earn extra entries:
+1 for being a follower
+1 for following us on Twitter
+1 for following us on Blogged
+1 for subscribing via email or RSS reader
+1 for comments on other posts throughout the week
(Please reference which other posts you've commented on)
+1 for twittering or posting about this giveaway on your blog/site
(Please include a link to the post)

♥ Feel free to contact us via email at booksoulmates[at]gmail[dot]com if you have any questions ♥

Good luck!

How Do You Judge Books?

J.Kaye asked her followers this question:

How do you judge books? Do you review them technically or by the emotion they evoke? Does the book strike a cord, does it leave you thinking about it long after you're finished? Are you still thinking about it and recommending it months after you've read it or do I close the last page and forget about it immediately? And then there is everything in between. Which are you and which do you like to read?

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

As we see it, there is the "pre-read" judgment and then the "post-read" judgment. The "pre-read" judgment is when you decide to read or not to read a book based on a number of different factors: cover art, synopsis, fellow book reviews, even trailers.

It's no secret that we totally judge a book by its cover. We believe that the cover plays an incredibly important role in the success of a book. If it's an author that we are familiar with and enjoy, then the cover is not quite as critical. However, if it's a new author, then the cover is what people base their initial interest on (case in point, Isalys' review on Fallen). The synopsis is also important because how else will we know if the story peeks our interest? And we'll occasionally read a book if we know our friends or fellow bloggers give it raving reviews!

The "post-read" judgment is your thoughts & review of the book. As for us, we are more of the emotional type! We read for the simple pleasure of it so we don't necessarily get very technical with our reviews. We are sticklers for grammar and the basic rules of proper writing, but we also tend to form emotional attachments with our books. How much do we like or dislike the characters? How captivating or intriguing is the storyline? Does the story make us sit & ponder or is it quickly forgotten? Would we recommend it to our friends?

These are the questions we consider when we write our reviews. Now, we each have our own personal styles of writing & reviewing and we (Isalys & Vanessa) as individuals communicate differently so you may find that our reviews differ, but we go through the same motions and processes. I guess that's part of what makes us book soulmates

So we wanted to ask our followers...
how do YOU judge books?

2009 Holiday Reading Challenge

I haven't done any reading challenges yet and I thought it was high time for one :)

So I've decided that for my very first, I wanted to participate in Nely's 2009 Holiday Reading Challenge.

Hosted by: All About {n}

Challenge Requirements:
1- Challenge will start Friday, November 20 and will end Thursday, December 31.

2- You can read anywhere from 1 to 5 books for the challenge and, of course, if you're like me, you are more than welcome to surpass that number.

3- And now, here's the clincher... they must be holiday related books. That's right, the holiday doesn't really matter, but it would be more "jolly" if your choices were Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.

4- The size of the book does not matter, nor does the genre. It is also okay for the book to overlap with other challenges. The only thing I ask is that they are not children's books. YA is okay. And so are re-reads. I for one tend to read the same books every Christmas - they are tradition.

5- To sign up, visit Nely's page by clicking on the link above and then leave a link back to your challenge post. There will also be a post for review links as well as one for challenge wrap-ups.

6- And.... there will be goodies. That's right, we'll call them presents. At the end of every week that the challenge is running I will choose one winner from the review links and I will allow them to pick a book of their choosing (of course, I will provide a list). Meaning the more books you read, review and link up, the more chances you have at winning a "present".

Here are the books I plan on reading for this challenge:

Teaser Tuesday & New Releases 11.17.09 *Updated*

Time for some new books :)

I'm extra excited about the 3rd installment of Alyson Noel's Immortals Series, Shadowland!! What will Damen & Ever do now??



and not yet available on Amazon, but released today...


Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading and it asks us to...

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!
  

Isalys's Teaser:
"He gave her a few minutes to rejoin the celebration downstairs before making an appearance. When he believed enough time has passed that no one would notice, he picked up his candle and went out, taking a different path to the party below, his mind on his duties as host, the merchant's whore already forgotten."
~p. 19 from "A Courtesan's Scandal" by Julia London