Snowday Giveaway!

Welcome to a snowy UK! We’ve had snow since Tuesday and for some reason the whole country grinds to a halt with people trapped on trains overnight, schools closed and constant worries about how much the snow is costing business. Usually when it gets like this I’d be working from home (joys of office laptops and broadband) but I had this week off. I had planned to do all my Christmas shopping,  but instead I’ve been curled up on my new sofa reading my way through some of my TBR pile – so expect plenty of reviews when I get round to writing them! While I’ve been quite enjoying the enforced laziness (seriously you should see the stairs up to my flat – it looks like a slope!), I know many people have struggled with getting to work or getting kids to school. So what’s the best/worst thing about snow days for you? Maybe you’ve never had one, or if it snows where you are does life continues as normal?

As this is my third snow day of book bliss, I thought I’d spread the love and offer my first ever giveaway! The prize is a choice of one of the books I’ve enjoyed reading the most during my snow days. You can pick one of the following books:

Hell Fire (Corine Solomon 2) – Ann Aguirre

As a handler, Corine Solomon can touch any object and know its history. Its too bad she cant seem to forget her own. With her ex-boyfriend Chance in tow - lending his particularly supernatural brand of luck - Corine journeys back home to Kilmer, Georgia, in order to discover the truth behind her mothers death and the origins of her gift. But while trying to uncover the secrets in her past, Corine and Chance find that something is rotten in the state of Georgia. Just a few miles away, no one seems to know Kilmer exists. And inside the town borders there are signs of a dark curse affecting the town and all its residents - and it can only be satisfied with death ...

Vampire Academy – Richelle Mead

St Vladimir's Academy isn't just any boarding school - hidden away, it's a place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They've been on the run, but now they're being dragged back to St Vladimir's where the girls must survive a world of forbidden romances, a ruthless social scene and terrifying night time rituals. But most of all, staying alive.

Grave Secret (Harper Connolly 4) – Charlaine Harris

When she was 15, Harper Connelly was struck by a bolt of lightning, which left her with a spiderweb of red over her body, headaches, and episodes of weakness. Sometimes her right hand shakes. And she can find dead people. It's taken a while, but at last Harper's pretty happy with her life: she's making a living, using her unique talent to help people, and she's got a lover - her stepbrother Tolliver. That creeps some people out, but though they grew up together, and got each other through the real bad times - their parents' drug-use, the abuse, the disappearance of Harper's elder sister Cameron - they're not blood relatives. Then Tolliver's dad arrives on the scene, seeking forgiveness for the sins of their youth, and the police get a tip-off that after all these years, Cameron's been spotted in a mall. With all this going on Harper realises life is getting a little complicated, but she doesn't expect those complications to include Tolliver getting shot, or watching a cop die taking a bullet for her. Harper can find dead people, but now it's clear someone wants her dead . . .

The Gift – Cecelia Ahren

Lou Suffern is practised in the art of concealment. He is, also, always overstretched, trying to do too many things at once. His overburdened schedule gives him few moments of peace, even in his sleep. And when he spends time at home with his wife and family, he is always distracted, and, mentally, somewhere else. On a cold winter morning, Lou is on his way to work when he encounters Gabe, a homeless street dweller, sitting outside an office building. Lou is intrigued by him, and contrives to get him a job in the post room. But this act of charity rebounds on him, and Gabe’s presence begins to grate on Lou -- particularly when he discovers that the latter seems capable of being in two places at the same time. Christmas is drawing near, and before the season is over, Lou’s life will be irrevocably change by the casual act of kindness he has performed.

Reviews for all these books should go up soon as I can stop reading and start writing. But short review is that I really enjoyed them all and think you would as well!

Rules (cos otherwise they’ll be chaos!):

-          Must be a follower (and I will check!)

-          Leave a comment on this post on what you like or hate about snow days.

-          Don’t forget to leave a way for me to contact you

-          Competition is International – as long as The Book Depository ships to you. Not sure check here.

-          Giveway ends Saturday 4^th December 2010 and the winner will be picked at random to be announced on Sunday 5^th December 2010.

And wrap up warm if you’re going out! J