This, That and What Do You Do?

Welcome to an episode of ‘This, That and What Do You Do” where we cover general topics and I hope you share your thoughts with us.

First, let me get my question (or at least one of them) out of the way. What do you do or should you do with an ARC of a book once you’ve read it?

I would love to keep every single book I get, but unfortunately, I don’t have the space to do that. I tried to do that for several years and then finally had to stop because I had books everywhere in boxes and in stacks. Now I share some with family and friends and I donate a good many to our local library. I live in a small town which doesn’t even have a library, but there’s one in the next small town. With budget cuts, it’s sometimes difficult for small town libraries to get a lot of recently released books. I’ve loved libraries since I was a small child so I like being able to help when I can even in this small way.

So this is where my question comes in. Can ARCs be donated to libraries or should they be? I know it would probably depend on the library’s policy, but I’m wondering what the thoughts are from the viewpoint of authors and publishers. Can you help me out here and tell me your thoughts? What do you do with ARCs or would you want a reader to do with your ARC once finished reading it?

Do you ever jump right into something without knowing all about it?

I’ve always been one to open a box and start trying to put something together without first reading the instructions. Sometimes it works and sometimes not. I’m also one who will attempt to operate a new system (like DVD player, printer, etc.) without reading everything completely. Sometimes I wind up having to call an 800 number to see how to make it work. I guess you could say I like the challenge.

Well I sort of did that recently. I’ve been seeing the Litsy app mentioned and how good it is for book lovers. A couple of weekends ago I saw that there was finally an app for Androids. Did I read up on it to see how it works – nope. I just downloaded it and glared at it wondering what to do with it.

After playing with it a bit I found how to mark books that I’ve read, am reading or want to read. I’m not so sure about adding reviews or posting about books, but I’m working on it. No calls to an 800 number yet (not so sure there is one even). So, if you’re on Litsy you can find me as MasonCanyon (of course). If you use Litsy, share what you think of it.

Also I’m on Twitter and Facebook for Mc Book Tours. On Twitter you’ll find me as MCBookTours and on Facebook it’s MC Book Tours. I’d love to have you follow, like and/or just drop by to say hi. BTW, Joylene Nowell Butler’s tour begins Oct. 17. You can check out her tour schedule HERE and following along. It’s going to be a lot of fun.

My last this and that, if you live in the US can you believe it’s already fall? I’m not sure where the summer went to and before we blink twice Christmas will be here. Are you already reading holiday stories or do you just have some lined up to read?

Okay that’s enough from me for now. I hope you’ll drop back by tomorrow as I have several interesting audio books to tell you about. What about you, any this and that to share? Will you share your thoughts on what to do with ARCs after they’re read? What about downloading an app without knowing how to use it? Have you read any Christmas books yet?

Lies and Other Acts of Love Giveaway

I’m excited today to share a giveaway with you for the upcoming April release of LIES AND OTHER ACTS OF LOVE by Kristy Woodson Harvey.

In celebration of the upcoming release, Kristy is offering not one, but two ARCs of her book for the giveaway (open to all). For those not familiar with ARC, that’s an Advanced Readers Copy of the book. What that means is that the book may not have received its final proofing nor cover. It’s a wonderful way to read the book before it’s released by the publisher to the general public. It’s a great way to have a unique copy of the book that others won’t be able to have. Please see the end of the post for more details about the giveaway.

Here’s a brief synopsis of LIES AND OTHER ACTS OF LOVE:

Author Kristy Woodson Harvey presents a new novel about what it really means to tell the truth . . .

After sixty years of marriage and five daughters, Lynn “Lovey” White knows that all of us, from time to time, need to use our little white lies.

Her granddaughter, Annabelle, on the other hand, is as truthful as they come. She always does the right thing—that is, until she dumps her hedge fund manager fiancé and marries a musician she has known for three days. After all, her grandparents, who fell in love at first sight, have shared a lifetime of happiness, even through her grandfather’s declining health.

But when Annabelle’s world starts to collapse around her, she discovers that nothing about her picture-perfect family is as it seems. And Lovey has to decide whether one more lie will make or break the ones she loves . . .

Kristy will be joining us on Monday, March 28, to talk more about her release and her writing.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kristy Woodson Harvey is the author of Dear Carolina. She holds a degree in journalism and mass communications from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a master’s in English from East Carolina University. 

She lives in North Carolina with her husband and son.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

Thanks to Kristy, this giveaway is for two (2) ARCs of LIES AND OTHER ACTS OF LOVE. The giveaway is open to anyone and will end at 12 a.m. (EST) on Tuesday, March 22.

To enter the giveaway, just click on the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the instructions. The widget may take a few seconds to load so please be patient. A winner will be selected by the Rafflecopter widget and I’ll send an email with the subject line “Thoughts in Progress Giveaway.” The winner will have 72 hours to reply to the email or another winner will be selected. PLEASE be sure to check your spam folder from time to time after the giveaway ends to make sure the notification email doesn’t end up there. If you win and you’ve already won the book somewhere else or you just decided for whatever reason you don’t want to win (which is fine), once again PLEASE let me know.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you’ll mark your calendars and be sure to visit with Kristy when she stops by on March 28^th. What are your thoughts about little white lies?

a Rafflecopter giveaway