GEORGIA'S KITCHEN by Jenny Nelson

WINNER ANNOUNCED!

Congrats to Laura Kay of A Novel Review!

(Note to those entering the Book-A-Day Giveaways: If you leave an email when you enter, I will try to notify you that you've won, otherwise, winners will be announced on the page of the book listings like so. The winner of SPIN and ARRANGED still has not contacted me.

Check to see if you have won those books!)

Book: Amazon

Author: http://www.jennynelsonauthor.com/

Winner: LAURA KAY of A Novel Review!
Jenny's Twitter Page

Jenny's Facebook Page

Read the first chapter.

What could be more fun than a book that has the trifecta--Food, Romance, Italy? Sounds pretty good right? Well in Jenny Nelson's debut, Georgia's Kitchen, you'll find it all and more. Georgia seems to have it all, a top job in one of Manhattan's best restaurants, great girlfriends and a great guy. But when her fiance calls off their wedding and a restaurant review destroys her reputation, the only thing Georgia can think to do is run off to the Italian countryside, where she plans on licking her wounds.

There, she finds work at a trattoria and discovers all that Italy has to offer. But is it enough to heal her broken heart and make her forget about all of her dreams she left behind in NYC?

Those who love travel, food and cooking, and romance will delight in Jenny Nelson's Georgia's Kitchen, and you can win your very own copy here simply by leaving a comment!

So, here’s how this works. Please leave a comment, and all those who do will qualify to win Georgia's Kitchen by Jenny Nelson! I’ll draw the winner on March 4 (always TWO days after I post the daily book, unless it’s a weekend, I may allow for more time), and I will post the winner’s name at the TOP of this post, in the highlighted area.

PLEASE be specific with your name in the comment section, and IF YOUR NAME is listed as the winner, you must email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com in order to claim your prize. Email me with your full name and address so I can have your book(s) sent to you.

Come back and read about each book every day in March. Choose the books you'd like to win. Enter for any or ALL the books. Each entry will count as an entry toward the grand prize of winning ALL 31+ books at the end of the month. You can win the book of the day and still qualify to win ALL the books at the end of the month!


Thanks, and GOOD LUCK! And come back tomorrow to see what book I’ll be giving away then too!

It’s MaNiC MoMMy’s March Madness Book-A-Day Giveaway! Read ALL the Rules and Details Here!

Sorry, only U.S. and Canadian residents only!

ARRANGED & SPIN by Catherine McKenzie

WINNER ANNOUNCED!
Congrats to:
SUPERSTAR LEAH LOWE
Please contact me to claim your books!
(If you're new to this giveaway and it's still March, keep reading, there's lots more chances to win the book of the day AND at the end of the month, one grand prize winner will receive 31+ books from ALL the featured authors of the month. Read below to find the link with all of the contest details! : )

Book: Arranged and SPIN

Author: Catherine McKenzie

Winner: SUPER STAR LEAH LOWE IS THE WINNER OF SPIN AND ARRANGED!
Please email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com. I'll need your full name and mailing address!
Website: catherinemckenzie.com
Follow Catherine on Twitter

Arranged on Amazon

Spin on Amazon

Today we kick off MaNiC MoMMy’s March Madness Book-A-Day Giveaway and I’m pleased to be sharing Catherine McKenzie’s books with you! Not only is Catherine an AMAZING writer, she is a passionate book lover and is always sharing news of other authors with readers. She began the AUTHOR/READER EFFECT on FaceBook where authors and readers band together to bring attention to deserving books. Catherine is ALWAYS giving away incredible books over there.

The two books that Catherine is giving away here on will blow you away. I’ve read them both and they are so great.

Here’s my review on ARRANGED, previously posted on MaNiC MoMMy:
Anne Blythe has just broken up with another one of her boyfriends and finds a business card in the street promoting what she thinks is a dating company called, ironically, Blythe & Company. Because of the similarity of the company’s name and her last name, she keeps the card and eventually calls this ‘dating’ company only to discover they really arrange marriages. Tired of picking the wrong men, and after deep contemplation, she agrees to be matched for marriage. Soon, Anne is on her way to Mexico to meet, Jack, the man who’s the perfect match for her, sight unseen.

Based solely on personality scores and psychology testing, Anne and Jack meet, and what unfolds from here will have you turning pages so quickly you’ll want to get to the end, yet you’ll also want to prolong your reading enjoyment. Jack and Anne’s relationship from their very first meeting is so real, so sparked with tenderness and that first sexual tension that you’ll have a difficult time putting ARRANGED down.

McKenzie writes fluid dialogue and beautiful descriptions; you’ll wonder if there’s really a Blythe & Company in existence already, and if there’s not, why isn’t there? What a concept! And Jack and Anne’s relationship – it’s one of those kinds that you’ll be rooting for them, crying for them, turning the pages in anxious waiting wondering with oh-my-gosh moments, what could happen next!And SPIN:

Katie is the typical party girl and goes out to celebrate her 30th birthday, which also happens to be on the eve of a very important job interview for the music mag, THE LINE. When she arrives at the job interview still drunk from the night before, it’s no surprise she doesn’t get the job. What does surprise her is they ask her to go into rehab to follow IT girl Amber Shepherd, write the tell-all expose, and then they’ll give her the job she actually wants. What Katie never expected when she goes into rehab to get the goods on Amber, was that maybe she did need rehab after all, and that maybe she might just actually become friends with Amber. What she does when she gets out of rehab will surprise everyone, even Katie.

I loved SPIN because it was a little like peeking into the life of a starlet like Lindsay Lohan or Britney Spears in rehab, and the ways that Katie matures during her rehab stint shows that it’s possible for even the most skeptical to gain a little insight in rehab. And yes, there’s also a little love connection going on in rehab too, so you won’t want to miss out on SPIN!

So, here’s how this is going to work. Please leave a comment, and all those who do will qualify to win BOTH books, SPIN and ARRANGED by Catherine McKenzie! I’ll draw the winner on March 3 (always TWO days after I post the daily book, unless it’s a weekend, I may allow for more time), and I will post the winner’s name at the TOP of this post, in the highlighted area. PLEASE be specific with your name in the comment section, and IF YOUR NAME is listed as the winner, you must email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com in order to claim your prize. Email me with your full name and address so I can have your book(s) sent to you.

Thanks, and GOOD LUCK! And you may come back tomorrow to see what book I’ll be giving away then too!

It’s MaNiC MoMMy’s March Madness Book-A-Day Giveaway! Read ALL the Rules and Details Here!

Sorry, only U.S. and Canadian residents only!

MaNiC MoMMy'S March Madness Book-A-Day Giveaway: The Books!

Look for all of these great books to be reviewed and given away during MaNiC MoMMy'S March Madness Book-A-Day Giveaway ... Do you want to win one? Do you want to win them ALL as the grand prize at the end of the month? Here are some important details you'll want to know about before the Reviews and Book Giveaways come your way! And then below, all of the books are listed!

*** TO BE CLEAR: Come back and read about each book every day in March. Choose the books you'd like to win. Enter for any or ALL the books. Each entry will count as an entry toward the grand prize of winning ALL 31+ books at the end of the month. You can win the book of the day and still qualify to win ALL the books at the end of the month!

*You may enter daily, but can only enter one time per day, per book. Please, when you enter, leave a unique and qualifying name so you can be identified as the winner. There may be more than one “Jenn” entering, so use a last name or middle name to be sure you are identified. An email address helps to ensure you as the winner.

*Check back to see if you’ve won the book of the day; winner will be listed at the top of the blog entry for the day in the highlighted area.

*You must contact me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com to claim your book. Send me your full name, address, email address and the name of the book that you won. I will NOT alert winners. If you don’t contact me during the month of MARCH, you will not receive your book.

*You will have two days to enter after I post the giveaway for each book (weekend posts may be allotted more time at my discretion). Entries after the two-day mark will not be considered. I will usually try to leave a comment in the comment thread at the point where entries per book will no longer be qualified.

*Every day you enter will give you another entry to win the grand prize at the end of the month. Enter every day in the month, you will have 31 chances to win the 31 books we’re giving away. The more you enter, the more chances you'll have to win!

*Your book or books will be mailed directly from the author or publisher and may or may not be signed.

*If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com or leave a comment in the comments section and I'll answer them there.

*Sorry, only US and Canadian residents are eligible.

I love all of these authors and their books and cannot wait to share them with you! Thanks to all of them for their generosity and for their beautiful words!

PS ... Before March 1, I'll have one more surprise book to give away that's not on this list, but the author's FIRST book is featured here. You'll just be able to win her second book here too, before the March Madness Book-A-Day Giveaway, so be sure to check back.

And now, the featured books ...



 

Chocolate & Vicodin

Book: Chocolate & Vicodin

Author: Jennette Fulda

Winner: HALLY, who said:
Chocolate & vidicon, isn't that the mantra of mothers in labor everywhere? Thanks for the great giveaway Manic!

If your name appears here as the winner, please contact me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com to claim your prize. Send me your full name, address, email address and name of book you have won.



In anticipation of March and the big book event planned, here is a test run of how each day will go, and a little something extra for you all ...

Well, I know March isn't quite here yet, but I'm going to start the

MaNiC MoMMy'S March Madness Book-A-Day Giveaway!

with two preview books that debut this week that I have promised dedicated readers. So, here's a review on Chocolate & Vicodin by Jennette Fulda, who I have had the pleasure of meeting in real life. If you'd like to win a copy of Chocolate & Vicodin, simply leave a comment in the comment section. If you sign in as anonymous, just make sure to leave an identifying name and email address. I WON'T be contacting the winner for ANY of these giveaways in March. It will be your responsibility to check back to see if you've won any of the books given away during the month of March, so please come back to see if you've won.

During the official MaNiC MoMMy'S March Madness Book-A-Day Giveaway, you must contact me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com to claim your prize. Send me your full name, address, email address and the name of the book that you won. I will NOT alert winners. If you don’t contact me during the month of March, you will not receive your book.

You'll have two days from the time I post each book to enter. The winner's name will be announced at the top of each review/post!

Am very sorry, but only U.S. and Canadian residents can participate.

And here we go, a preview to what will be coming to you every.single.day in March ... a fantastic book for you to win with Chocolate & Vicodin! That means THIRTY-ONE books to read about and possibly win all through the month of March, and you can enter every single day.

Every time you enter, that's one entry toward the grand prize of winning ALL 31 books at the end of the month! (Sidenote: These first two books in February may or may not be included in the March grand prize, but I love them so much, and wanted to share them with you here, so we're kicking off a little early with a couple special books!)

If you have any questions about the Giveaway, please leave them in the comment section or email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com. Also, every book has been generously donated by the authors themselves.

REVIEW:
When I first found out Jennette Fulda had another book coming out, I thought, “How on earth did she write another book, she just wrote her amazing Half Assed memoir, the book about how she lost 200 pounds through healthy eating and exercise?” Then I saw and fell madly in love with the cover of Chocolate & Vicodin which is simply a picture of a chocolate iced cupcake with pills on top. It’s beautiful.

Bad for me for not keeping up with her very famous blog, Pastaqueen.com, and for not knowing that Jennette had been suffering from a chronic headache. You know, one constant headache that would NOT GO AWAY. Painful. Yeah.

I’ve been kind of on that road, but not to the point of having a headache all day long, every day for more than three years. As a migraine sufferer, I’ve done some of the things Jennette does in her memoir Chocolate & Vicodin: My quest for relief from the headache that wouldn’t go away. But how on earth did she get to take the prescription drug Topomax and LOSE weight with the drug when I take it DAILY for my migraines and all I get is … well, thankfully, no migraines. And some days because of the drug, I can’t find my words, but I’d rather be tongue-tied than holed up in a dark room unable to move all day long. I am thankful the drug works for me. What Jennette has been through has been something I would have not been able to deal with.

Jennette went through MRIs, cat scans, countless doctor visits, prescriptions, prescriptions, prescriptions, a 40-pound weight gain due to self-medicating with mint chocolate chip ice cream, chiropractic, acupuncture, visits to headache clinics. She tried absolutely everything possible to rid her of the constant suffering. She lost days and nights of her life because of a continuous pain in her head which she sometimes referred to as a tiara made of nails. Fun huh?

I’ve wondered if given the choice, would Jennette have chosen to stay 200 pounds heavier and never have had the constant headache or would she have chosen the headache but to have lost the weight?

Whether you’ve had one headache or a million, you’ll enjoy the humor Jennette brings to Chocolate & Vicodin, and you’ll feel her pain, thankfully not literally, and you’ll be happy to know that while not completely healed, she’s able to live comfortably now. Get Chocolate & Vicodin and find out how Jennette got where she is today. And a pint of mint chocolate chip along the way might not be a bad idea either!

This review was previously shared on RealMomsGuide.

MaNiC MoMMy'S March Madness Book-A-Day Giveaway!

COMING SOON!

Every day during the month of March a surprise book or set of books will be given away on MaNiC MoMMy ... A Booking with MaNiC Extravaganza!

Authors include (in no particular order):

Jen Lancaster
Kristina Riggle
Allison Winn Scotch
Jess Riley
Sarah Pekkanen
Alisa Bowman
Susan Pohlman
Jenny Nelson
Shana Mahaffey
Maureen Lipinski
Julie Buxbaum
Juliette Fay
Laura Munson
Stacy Morrison
Allie Larkin
Rainbow Rowell
Laura Kasischke
Michelle Toth
Michele Scott
Annette Fix
Jenny Gardiner
Kim Wright
Dawn Meehan
Emily Giffin
Lissa Rankin
Eileen Cook
Catherine McKenzie
Shawn Klomparens
Trish Ryan
Laura Dave
Julie Metz


At the end of the month, one GRAND PRIZE WINNER will receive a

complete set of ALL the books from the month!

So, check back soon for more info leading up to

MaNiC MoMMy'S March Madness Book-A-Day Giveaway!

Are You an Accidental Adult?

WINNER:
Congrats to Lacey In The Sky who has won The Accidental Adult! Lacy, please send me your address!
And big exciting news coming your way on MaNiC MoMMy for the month of March ... please check back soon! BIG BOOK NEWS!


BOOK GIVEAWAY:
The Accidental Adult
By Colin Sokolowski

DEFINITION:

accidental adult (n.): An individual whose age indicates maturity but whose approach to life suggests otherwise.

When's the first time you felt like an adult? The first time you drank alcohol? When you had your first baby? When you wrote out your first mortgage check or drove off the lot in that awesome minivan?

I bet it was a life-changing moment huh?

Colin Sokolowski knows all about becoming an adult and he shares his humorous stories in his book: The Accidental Adult, Essays and Advice for the Reluctantly Responsible and Marginally Mature.

Even if you've yet to accept your inner adult, you'll crack up at Sokolowski’s humor. Essays on the must-have ill-fated minivan, home improvements (everyone has them but no one wants to do them, right?), your hubby’s inner child, hobbies, music (then and now – Wiggles anyone?), beer – beer – beer, entertaining, parenting, athletics, and so much more.

I'm giving away a copy of The Accidental Adult here on MaNiC MoMMy and here's all you have to do to enter:

--leave me a comment telling me when you first felt like a real adult. PLEASE leave your email address here so if you win, I can let you know!
--go to Colin's FB page, LIKE him there, and leave a note there telling him you found him through MaNiC MoMMy.

That's all.

Thanks, and remember, LOTS more book giveaways coming your way!

Next Two coming up in February are:

Jennette Fulda's Chocolate & Vicodin

Sarah Pekkanen's Skipping a Beat

Also, quick personal update:

Sorry there hasn't been much personal blogging going on over here, but we've made it past 8 months living here in this shithole, HA, just kidding, because it's BEAUTIFUL here, and I hope all my friends back home have done OK with the blizzard.

My very close friends from my old neighborhood were out here a couple weeks ago -- nine girlfriends, and we had a blast!

Leaving for Cabo this week to celebrate my dad's 70th with the family. Very much looking forward to that vaca.

If we're not FB friends, please friend me - just let me know you've come there by way of MaNiC. I do a lot of social connecting there these days. 

Finally, I've been blogging over at Real Mom's Guide (you'll have to scroll down if you go over there) so if you've been DYING to read me, there's a ton of stuff over there (although I doubt that's something high on everyone's priority list). I KNOW everyone is busy, I'm just thankful you've stopped by here now!

Come back for more great book giveaways!

PeaCe uP!

~MaNiC MoMMy

Book Giveaway: Arranged by Catherine McKenzie

We have a winner!

CONGRATULATIONS TO NIKKI for winning the copy of ARRANGED! Please stay tuned because next week we will be giving away another great book, The Accidental Adult, by Colin Sokolowski. If you're an adult, this book is for you!
Thanks for reading!

GIVEAWAY!

GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

I just finished reading Arranged by Catherine McKenzie and very rarely do I plow through a book like I did with this one! So much so in fact that I dropped what I was doing. I know, I know, you're laughing thinking, "OK, really, what does SHE have to do!?" But seriously, I grabbed a chair, took my butt outside into the 75-degree weather (sorry folks back home), and read, read, read this awesome book!

Here's a quick premise - I don't want to give too much away, because you've GOT to read it:

Anne Blythe has just broken up with another one of her boyfriends and finds a business card in the street promoting what she thinks is a dating company called, ironically, Blythe & Company. Because of the similarity of the company’s name and her last name, she keeps the card and eventually calls this ‘dating’ company only to discover they really arrange marriages. Tired of picking the wrong men, and after deep contemplation, she agrees to be matched for marriage. Soon, Anne is on her way to Mexico to meet, Jack, the man who’s the perfect match for her, sight unseen.

Based solely on personality scores and psychology testing, Anne and Jack meet, and what unfolds from here will have you turning pages so quickly you’ll want to get to the end, yet you’ll also want to prolong your reading enjoyment. Jack and Anne’s relationship from their very first meeting is so real, so sparked with tenderness and that first sexual tension that you’ll have a difficult time putting ARRANGED down.

And lucky for you guys, you'll have a chance to win a copy here! But you have to do a couple things -

1. I would really like it if you aren't doing so already, could you please "FOLLOW" my blog? I think this will mean that when I update my posts, you'll get notices, so that will be good--you won't have to click on every now and then to see when I update - someone who's more familiar with this, can you let me know if this is true? And there's a button over there on the right where it says FOLLOW so it's really easy to do. I think. If not, let me know.

2. Leave me a comment here on some funny story about a blind date, a matched date you had, since the book is about an arranged marriage - tell me something about what you think about blind dates, match.com, anything of that nature. This is your entry to the contest to win the book. Also, you MUST please leave your email. If you don't leave an email address, I can't include you - it's too hard for me to try to track you down. Use the (a) if you're afraid of spammers. Thanks!

3. Head over to Catherine McKenzie's FB page and "LIKE" her. Avid book fans might also enjoy her other FB project: I Bet We Can Make These Books Best Sellers. She is always giving away a ton of books - currently she's giving away 30 books! (She also has another book SPIN that came out before Arranged, which I haven't read yet, but it was a bestseller in Canada. I will be reviewing and giving that one away too!)

I'll draw a winner soon, and there will be lots more giveaways coming your way! Thanks for reading!

PeaCe uP!