Some Winners for YOU!

Hi there! I've got a couple of winning names for you. I am trying to get back to blogging because I don't want this blog to be forgotten and I have a ton of books to share with you all.

Quick update: My son Luke had another serious seizure this week--it happened on the day he finally felt well enough to go back to school and he was there for the full day. As I was walking into the school to pick him up I saw the school was calling me, which I thought was odd--why would they call me at the end of the day? He was having a seizure in his classroom. 

We're still trying to get him into the hospital for an overnight series of tests.We've changed his meds. I can't relax at all when he's not by my side. Fortunately, the school is literally a 10-second drive from our house. We are taking life day-by-day. He's being very brave. 

On top of all of this, my older son, who is 14, had a basketball injury today and we took him to the ER. I've never heard him cry so hard in his life from pain. He will need an MRI too, to see if he tore a muscle in his shoulder. 

Our ER visits through insurance cost $450 each time. I hate our insurance company.

Thank you for letting me vent.

NOW! On to better stuff! BOOKS! Which make me happy! I hope they make you happy! When I can relax and focus on bringing them back to you, I will be sharing the amazing ONE PINK LINE by Dina Silver with you all, and also DARE ME by Megan Abbott! I also have Ten Girls to Watch and Shine, Shine, Shine coming your way, Off the Menu, Bond Girl, Blackberry Winter (Sarah Jio! Love HER!) Monkey Mind (a memoir of anxiety, which I should totally be reading NOW, right?), and a bunch of others. I will get to them, I promise, just stick with me my friends, PLEASE!!

And yes, I have FINALLY chosen winners for THE LANGUAGE OF SISTERS and BABY BUMPS for you, and they are right here! Congrats to the following, and if you will please email me your full name, name of the book you won, and address, I will happily get your book to you! Thanks!

THE LANGUAGE OF SISTERS goes to: NANCY aka ndbh39 who has a younger sister named DANA!!! 

BABY BUMPS goes to: Bridget aka Iambtinrb

Please stick around everyone, I know I keep saying it but I'm trying not to have the nervous breakdown that is building up inside and I will get to the book reviews soon! Either that or I'll just have to have a blow-out monthlong giveaway like I usually do -- nah, THAT will ensure a breakdown if I do another one of those! Just kidding! See, I can still joke around! 

XOXOXO

I'm really sorry on the lack of posts. Things have been not well at home. I was hoping to update today but will not be able to. Stay tuned and please keep my little one in your prayers as we try to figure out his health. Thanks.

BABY BUMPS by Amy Sprenger

Baby Bumps: The Almost, Barely, Not-Quite-True Story of Pregnancy, Bed Rest and One Batshit Crazy Family

By Amy Sprenger

This book may win the award for the longest title ever. It also has a swear word in the title, and the author, who happens to be a real-life friend of mine is, I am sure, thrilled with the fact that she not only has a book published, but that it includes a SWEAR WORD on the front cover! Because Amy is that kind of chick! LOL!

And I love her for that! 

Baby Bumps is the hilarious sort-of-made-up-totally-true-fictional-memoir about what happens when a mom-to-be gets her va-jay-jay stitched up and lands on bed rest. Author Amy Sprenger is the master-mind behind the fab and famous blog, Snarky Mommy and much of her snark is carried over in her writing in Baby Bumps. You'll laugh at the antics and wonder, "Oh my God, did THAT really happen to her?" One may never know! This is a great fun read for anyone you know who has ever had a baby, or who is pregnant now!

You can read more about Amy here at Beyond the PagePublishing, which is all types of official stuff, or you can check out her awesomely funny Snarky Mommy blog, which will have you cracking up. 

PS to Amy: I got you beat in the making babies department because even though you had to be on bed rest and get your vagigity sewn up, I had my three kids in a shorter time span than you had your three kids, and I betcha mine all weighed more than yours did because I weigh a lot more than you do. So there! But you birthed your book sooner than I did, so I guess you win at that.

CONGRATS!!! xo

You can win Baby Bumps on Booking with Manic here. Simply tell me if you know anyone who is Batshit crazy and why that person is Batshit crazy??? You can't say ME! If you win this book, you can request it in paperback or e-book form.

If you haven't entered to win Amy Hatvany's The Language of Sisters, head over there to enter to win now by clicking HERE -- I will choose winners for both of these books over the weekend, and I'll have another book posted this week too! Am sorry I've been slow to post lately but am getting back on track, I promise! Thanks for sticking around, and please share this blog with your book-loving friends!

NEW TO BOOKING WITH MANIC?  

If you're new to Booking with Manic, thank you for stopping by! We love new readers! Some notes - If you're entering to win a book, please use an identifying name and it's usually a great idea to include an email, which I will never give out to anyone else. You can only enter once please. You'll need to check back here in about a week or so to see if you've won the book -- I will highlight the winner's name at the top of this post, or tell you where you can find the winner's name at the top of this post. Most books are supplied directly through publishers, publicists and the authors. Winners will receive books directly from the publisher within 3 weeks from the time you provide me with your address, unless I send you the book (sometimes I will). Sorry, but we can only ship to U.S. and Canada so if you're from another country, thank you for coming by to read and discover new authors, but we can't send you a book. Any questions on how I run the blog or suggestions on who you would like to see featured, please email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com. Thank you for your support!

THE LANGUAGE OF SISTERS by Amy Hatvany

The Language of Sisters

Amy Hatvany 

First a quick note: Thanks to everyone for the awesome words of encouragement from yesterday's post about my son Luke. I guess I got it together to write a post today - I can't believe I had free time and motivation, but thank you all so much! And so, I think I'll be back to posting once or twice a week, it might not be as crazy of a week as I was thinking it would be. Yesterday I was on an emotional rollercoaster! All is good now, so here is a new FABULOUS book for you to learn about!

As you all know I’m a big fan of Amy Hatvany. When she came onto the book scene with Best Kept Secret, my favorite author Emily Giffin blurbed that book, so it was a no brainer that I would read that book. Since then, I've waited anxiously for her books and have read and loved Outside the Lines and now her latest, which is The Language of Sisters, which is actually not really her latest, but one of her very first books, newly updated and here for your enjoyment!

The Language of Sisters is the story of Nicole, who leaves home for 10 years because she's unable to deal with her family - her sister is placed in a home for the mentally disabled and she's not able to forgive her mother. Her father has left the family. Nicole leaves to try to make a career and a life for herself as far away as possible, distancing herself from those she loves the most.

Circumstances bring her back to her sister, and she's forced to confront her past. Unbeknownst to Nicole, she's about to receive the most beautiful gifts she'll ever get just by coming home.

I love Amy's fluid and beautiful prose, her dialogue and her characters. They're so real and believable and her stories just ring true to the reader. Amy always deals with emotional subjects that when you close the book, you'll still be thinking of the story, and wondering what the future holds for her characters.

If you'd like to win a copy of The Language of Sisters, tell me if you have a sister, and what's her name. If you don't have a sister, do you have a friend who is as close to you as a sister might be, and if so, what is her name? My sister's name is Stacy, and I've grown up my whole life being called Stacy too, since our names are so close sounding.

NEW TO BOOKING WITH MANIC? If you're new to Booking with Manic, thank you for stopping by! We love new readers! Some notes - If you're entering to win a book, please use an identifying name and it's usually a great idea to include an email, which I will never give out to anyone else. You can only enter once please. You'll need to check back here in about a week or so to see if you've won the book -- I will highlight the winner's name at the top of this post. Most books are supplied directly through publishers, publicists and the authors. Winners will receive books directly from the publisher within 3 weeks from the time you provide me with your address, unless I send you the book (sometimes I will). Sorry, but we can only ship to U.S. and Canada so if you're from another country, thank you for coming by to read and discover new authors, but we can't send you a book. Any questions on how I run the blog or suggestions on who you would like to see featured, please email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com. Thank you for your support!

Personal Stuff & Posting

Hi everyone, I haven't posted personal stuff on here in a long time, and I promise to be back to featuring books very shortly - hopefully by the next week. School is starting this week, we've just gotten back from vacation and also my 10-year-old son was recently diagnosed with epilepsy.

There has been good news to this as it's a mild form called absence seizures. His medication, which he has been taking for a month, has completely stopped those types of seizures, but last night he had a grand mal seizure and we had to call 911 and had to deal with the whole ambulance/ER situation.

His previous 'absence seizures' are extremely mild - most people don't even notice them. We didn't even know what they were for a couple of months. He just stares into space/losing consciousness for a few seconds, and then comes back - like he loses space and time momentarily. Finally, after we noticed these for a while, I googled, "Kids staring into space" and I had my answer.

When he was diagnosed, the doctor did say that there was a 70 percent chance that he would have a grand mal seizure at some point because of his condition. His seizure this time was the convulsing, scary kind and went on far too long - 2-3 minutes. It's scary for a mom to go through, but thankfully, it happened in the best case scenario - both my husband and I were home; in fact, we were playing a board game on the floor with Luke, which I don't think the three of us have EVER done in our lives.

He is well now, and we are prepared if it happens again, which we don't know if it will or not. We have another neurologist appointment on Friday, which was already scheduled. I'm so thankful for all of the paramedics, firefighters, ER workers and doctors who helped us last night. They definitely do not get the credit they truly deserve.

So, with all of this going on, and with school starting THIS Wednesday, it will be a big surprise if I get to feature a book this week. I will try my best, and if I do, it will go up on Thursday. If I don't get a chance to, please don't give up on reading Booking with Manic -- I do have SOOOO many books scheduled still, I just need a few days or a week to calm down and breathe.

Thank you for your constant support!

xo steph aka Manic