Armchair BEA: Streaming BEA Live!

I am so excited about this new feature where you can be a part of BEA and see the events live online. My little one wakes up every day around 5am, so it'll be right around the time BEA starts. Never thought I'd be happy about that!

You can check out the streaming schedule here.

Armchair BEA: $10 Amazon gift card giveaway

For Armchair BEA this year, I'm giving away a $10 gift card to Amazon.com!

The giveaway runs from Tuesday June 5th through Saturday June 9th. 

Giveaway Details:
To enter giveaway please follow this blog then fill out the RaffleCopter.
Comments are for feedback and questions only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Armchair BEA 2012: Introduction

Armchair BEA is back in full force! I participated last year and enjoyed it thoroughly. I am so excited to be a part of it again and to be helping to host the twitter parties on Tues, Weds and Thurs as @jasmine_marie. 

Today, I will be interviewing myself so that you can all get to know me a little better. Please leave some love in the comments! I look forward to getting to know more book bloggers!

Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging?

My name is Jasmine and I am a 30-something Christian, wife to my college sweetheart, mama to a toddler, teacher to 5th graders, a wedding photographer on the weekends, and an avid reader when my little one gives me a minute or two. I have been blogging since April 2011 so I am fairly new to the book blogging world. I got into book blogging because I LOVE talking about books, especially when I want to share some of my favorite reads with the rest of the world. When I fall in love with a book, I want

What are you currently reading?

Title: Between You and Me: A Novel
Authors: Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
Publisher: Atria Books (June 12, 2012)

Summary from Goodreads:
From the authors of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Nanny Diaries comes a new novel that takes readers behind the scenes of stratospheric celebrity—what it means to be worshipped by millions and still feel loved by none.

Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus have proven again and again that they are masters at exploring the nuances of family relationships—as they intersect with the current trends in the culture at large.

In Between You and Me, twenty-seven-year-old Logan Wade has built a life for herself in New York City, far from her unhappy childhood in Oklahoma. But when she gets the call that her famous cousin needs a new assistant, it’s an offer she can’t refuse. Logan hasn’t seen Kelsey since they were separated as kids; in the meantime, Kelsey Wade has become one of Fortune Magazine’s most powerful celebrities and carrion for the paparazzi. But the joy at their reunion is overshadowed by the toxic dynamic between Kelsey and her controlling parents. As Kelsey grasps desperately at a “real” life, Logan risks everything to try and give her cousin the one thing she has never known—happiness. As Kelsey unravels in the most horribly public way Logan finds that she will ultimately have to choose between saving her cousin and saving herself.

I am really enjoying this book so far. It is exactly what I've been looking for in a chick-lit book.

What is your favorite book so far in 2012?

Title: Comeback Love
Author: Peter Golden
Publisher: Washington Square Press (April 2012)

This is my favorite book of the year so far. You can read more about it at my review here.


Love love LOVE this book!

Tell us one non-book related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you. 

I work part-time as a wedding/portrait photographer in San Diego on the weekends. Ever since I had my baby a few years ago, I've cut back a lot, but I still do events for families and friends. My mom gave me a camera when I was 10 and I've always carried one around since. My friends know me as the girl behind the camera. I've always enjoyed capturing life and thus creating and preserving memories.

If you are interested, you can check out more of my work here on my photo blog: http://www.jasminemarieblog.com

If you could eat dinner with any author or character, who would it be and why?

I think one of most influential books of my life was Little Women. I came across this book by chance during one of my many trips to our local library and it was such the perfect book for me at that point in my life as a young woman. I loved it. I read it over and over again. I rewrote the story so that Jo and Laurie could end up together (I was a hopeless romantic even then!). Knowing that Jo is based a lot on Louisa May Alcott herself, I would love to eat dinner with her just to see what kind of woman she was.

What literary location would you most like to visit? Why?

When my hubby and I travel, I always make an itinerary of bookstores to visit in that city.  Some of the bookstores that I would love to see someday are:

Shakespeare & Company




The Strand Bookstore

.... and many, many more. :)

So I hope that helps you to get to know a little more aboout "the bookish mama." Please leave some love in the comments and I look forward to getting to know you soon! 

Bookshelf Monday :: 35

I love how this little library is decorated. All the little splashes of green throughout the room tie it beautifully together. I especially like the shelves full of magazines at the bottom because my pack rat tendencies are not entirely exclusive to just books. Plus, the chairs look very comfy too. Bookmarking this for my future home someday!

image courtesy of: Mini Manor

Blog Tour & Review: Cravings - The Devotional by Carey Bailey

Title: Cravings - The Devotional
Author: Carey Bailey

Source: Received from publisher via LitFuse Publicity Group

Buy book: here

About Cravings:
Cravings is a collection of card-size devotionals based on the Psalms. They are written to help mothers develop their relationship with God in the midst of motherhood.

Each card contains a scripture for the day, a “thoughtlet,” and an action idea. As moms crave the sweet morsels from God’s Word, they can draw a card from a delectable Cravings holder—a pink cupcake!—that also displays the daily card for hands-free viewing. Versatile enough to fit with any feminine décor in a dining nook, a prayer closet, a kitchen--wherever you‘d want Scripture at your fingertips. If you find you need Cravings around the home, just one may not be enough!

Cravings can be a mom’s daily devotional, a supplement to her regular quiet time, or even doubled up during the day. The set of 40 cards offers over a month’s worth of Cravings in whatever way serves the spiritual needs of individual moms.

Review:
I love all things related to cupcakes. This looked so cute and after finding out that it is a devotional especially for moms, I was SO glad to be able to review this. It sits happily on my desk now and gives me daily encouragement as a mommy alongside a Bible verse. It is very cute to look at so it definitely catches my eye which is definitely helpful because there are so many distractions, especially as a mother of a darling, but very active toddler. It's been such a challenge (mostly because of my own fault) to make quiet time with God each day a priority in my new life as a mama. My only complaint is that I wish the cards were a little thicker. They seem to get easily mangled in the clip.

Thank you Carey for making such a fun devotional to help me with my walk and get focused on God first thing in the day and throughout the day as well. It reminds me that God craves a relationship with me, just like I should with him every day. Thank you for making me hungry to be in the ever so sweet presence of God.

Rating:

4 stars

About the Author:

Carey Bailey is a recovering perfectionist, wife, proud mama and Family Life director for her church in Surprise, Ariz. On the side she loves party planning, crafting, and pursuing her dream of writing. She has a degree in religion from Westminster College and writes at her blog at www.carebaileyonline.com.

 Win a Minute-for-Mom gift pack from Carey Bailey!

"When I became a mom I lost my God time," says Carey Bailey. "I couldn't figure out how to fit it in, since everything but that time was a priority. So I made note cards that I set around my house with scriptures written on them. Even when my arms were too full of babies, laundry, and diapers to pick up a Bible, I could easily read God's words of encouragement that I was starving for"

And Cravings--The Devotional was born. Celebrate with Carey by entering her Minute-for-Mom Giveaway!

One grand prize winner will receive:

• $50 gift card to Erin Condren Shop (Your one-stop-shop for all things awesome!)
• $50 gift card to Victoria's Secret® (For something pretty.)
• $25 gift card to Bath & Body Works® (For a little spa treatment.)
• 2 Sets of Cravings - The Devotional (For you and a friend.)
• Scentsy Plug In and 2 Bars (A lovely scent for your space.)

Hurry, the giveaway ends on 5/12/12. The winner will be announced 5/14/12 on Carey’s blog!

Just click one of the icons below to enter! Tell your friends about Carey's giveaway on FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning.

Please check out the other stops on the blog tour! Special thanks to Litfuse for inviting me to be a part of this blog tour.