TELL ME TUESDAY #25 SPECIAL

I was going to do a year end wrap up of top fives, but I ended up doing the the 2014 Top Ten blog hop, so I decided to do a FROM THE HEART FAVORITE THINGS post for the holidays, but the Christmas Day post failed because of internet troubles, and my plan B Boxing Day post idea tanked because of the flu, so here we are with a special year-end installment of TELL ME TUESDAY!!

With a From the Heart Giveaway!

Ha ha, you didn't think I was going to be all warm and fuzzy did you?

Okay, okay, let the warm fuzzies begin!

I wanted to show my FAVORITE BOOKISH MAIL from this year, first.

My first Rafflecopter win ever, was this year in April and it was a DOOZIE!!

A wooden Grisha box with three scented candles and a Ruin and Rising sampler. I keep all of my special blogging THINGS in it now, like: letters from authors, special book marks, swag, and business cards from other bloggers. Thanks Amanda at BEST BOOKS EVER! I was doing a little dance when I opened it.

Another Rafflecopter win, Of Breakable Things, was made extra special by being personalized, and having a note from the author tucked inside. She also sent me one of her last author copies because she likes them better.

*TWIRLS*

Now this next one was a total surprise because I didn't enter any contests for it, and I didn't get an email asking for my address, but this beautiful hardcover of Queen of the Tearling showed up on my doorstep from the publisher. It was shortly after I sent feedback on Edelweiss, so I was thinking that maybe the first so many EW reviewers were sent this beauty, Maybe? Do we give our addresses when we register for EW?

It was like getting a puppy!

 A puppy and chocolate cake!!

No, not really, but I adore French Bulldogs.

I guess you could call QotT my chocolate cake of books!

The very first YA I read (knowingly) was Across the Universe. I say it was my YA gateway drug. So, I was OVER THE MOON when I won the AtU complete trilogy in paperback, SIGNED, and a limited edition The Body Electric, numbered and SIGNED!! Plus, a boatload of swiggity-swag that my sister pillaged before it even got into the house because Beth is her favorite author (big mistake opening it in her car).

DANGER!!!! DANGER!!!!

The first thing she nabbed was the water bottle (bottom right).  I felt guilty winning all of this when she was the one who made me read AtU, so I gave her the collector's The Body Electric for her birthday plus some more of the swag (art cards, fridge magnets and a poster). So I guess we are back to warm and fuzzy.

You guys, if you have never seen the movie Silent Running , you must!! These ARE the droids you are looking for. Have a box of tissues on hand.

These next two books were birthday gifts from my co-host, and Best Blogging Buddy, Brittersweet from PLEASE FEED the BOOKWORM. She worked her butt off to win a Jackaby ARC for me, but the hardcover Ruin and Rising is my love!

Thanks, Sebastian, for being the prize model.

And my two totes crafted by Becca at Pivot Book Reviews. 

The first one was from Brittersweet, just because...

With my favorite quote from the Harry Potter books.

I never could figure out why they didn't have that line in the movie.

 And the one I won from Highway-YA.

Hmm... does this look familiar?

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The first six Worst Witch books in paperback with new cover art to celebrate the release of a seventh new edtion.

Next, my marvelous hardcover copy of Abarat by Clive Barker from a fellow Barker fan I stumbled across during the Getting to Know You Blog Hop, Elizabeth at So Long... and Thanks for All the Fish. She is a good blogging buddy of mine now.

And last, but cetainly not least, my ARC of Ensnared, PERSONALIZED!! Completing my ARC trio. I also won Unhinged, but I had to trade two paperbacks (one signed), and a new release hardcover to get the Splintered ARC. It is a special edition flip-ARC so it was well worth it.

Again, thanks, Baz!

My next faves aren't things, but people.

I met my Best Blogging Buddy, Brittersweet, from PLEASE FEED the BOOKWORM on the Splintered fan boards on Goodreads. We both had new blogs and were both mothers of sons, who had put away rowdy pasts for stay at home motherhood, so we clicked. We now have this TMT feature together, and her son Kaleb reviews books on my Children's blog.

And we both believe in ghosts.

I cannot believe I found a warm fuzzy ghost gif.

And then there is Pili from In Love With Handmade who faithfully follows this feature and always gives me comment love.

My close to the heart book this year as a blogger was Of Breakable Things by A. Lynden Rolland. I luff both her and her debut novel. It lifted me out of the worst reading slump I had ever been in. You can read my review, HERE, and see why I love the story so much.

It was magical.

And guess what guys? It is only 99¢ as and ebook right now. The sequel, Of Delicate Pieces, comes out this spring.

This brings us to my FROM THE HEART giveaways which will end early in February because I will be sending TEN WINNERS a valentine, OBT swag, and a handmade heart bookmark. The US winners will also get tea for two of my favorite reading tea and Amy's favorite tea.

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Sorry, I forgot again... warm fuzzies.

Better?

a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway

Brought to you by some of my favorite things: The Sound of Music, Shirley Temple movies, Harry Potter, Silent Running movie, French Bulldogs, chocolate cake, Lost in Space, The Addams Family, The Big Bang Theory, The original Wizard of Oz movie, Doctor Who, and my Son, Sebastian. Oh and cats... yes, cats.