Mardi Gras Giveaway winner!!!

Congratulations to Myra C!
I've e-mailed the winner. Myra, please contact me at
bookaddictpatti at cox dot net
with your mailing address.

March was in like a lion, out like a lamb... and a giveaway :)

Hmmm...where to begin? March started out a little hectic but leveled out by the end...

Let's start with the books I read in March:
1. Holiday Bound - Beth Kerry (4 stars)
2. Stormchild (Pacific Passion #1) - Vivian Arend (3 1/2 stars, review to come)
3. Seduced by Destiny - Elizabeth Hoyt (4 stars)
4. My One and Only - Kristan Higgins (4 1/2 stars)
5. Bite Club - Rachel Caine (4 stars)
6. Mistress by Mistake - Maggie Robinson (3 1/2 stars)
7. How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf - Molly Harper (5 stars)
8. Safeword: Rainbow - Candace Blevins (3 stars)
9. River Marked - Patricia Briggs (4 stars)
10. Welcome to Last Chance - Hope Ramsay (3 stars)
11. Staying at Daisy's - Jill Mansell (4 stars)
12. Rock Hard - Olivia Cunning (3 1/2 stars)
13. Murder Takes the Cake - Gayle Trent (2 stars)
14. A Lot Like Love - Julie James (4 1/2 stars)
15. Bookends - Jane Green (3 stars)
16. The Return of Black Douglas - Elaine Coffman (3 1/2 stars, review to come)
17. Any Man of Mine - Rachel Gibson (review to come)
18. Re-read: Bitten by Kelly Armstrong

So, yeah, pretty good reading month!!!

But wait...there's more:

Patricia Briggs and Kim Harrison were in Houston on March 5 signing their latest releases. Since my brother and his wife/my bff live in Houston, I decided a road trip was in order. We had a great time and there was a good Q&A session (my notes here).

Then, it was back home just in time for Mardi Gras (March 8), where the city shuts down and throws a big party. I gotta be honest with you, by the time Mardi Gras day gets here, I'm pretty burned out on parades, so I usually skip the big day and stay home :) What does this have to do with books, you ask? Not a damn thing. But...I put together a little box of Mardi Gras goodness to give away:

This is the good stuff, not the lame beads everyone leaves on the ground - there's plush, doubloons, blinky beads, glass beads, silly bands, and more. So, if you're interested in this little box of fun - leave a comment telling me you'd like a little Mardi Gras in your life. (I'm really sorry, but this one's gonna have to be US only - beads and such are too heavy to ship internationally.) Contest ends Sunday April 10.

That was my March, how was yours?

Question for my readers...

Mardi Gras is March 8 this year, and I'm planning on attending many, many parades (barring any sick kids, lol). I was wondering if anyone would be interested in a Mardi Gras loot giveaway? You know, stuff we catch off the floats:



Stuffed dolls, frisbees, cups, beads, soft spears...that sort of thing. I could probably throw in beignet mix and coffee with chicory, or pralines...





I actually thought about doing a giveaway last year, but since it's not book-related I didn't know if this was something anyone outside of New Orleans would be interested in.

So, what do you think?

In and Out

Just popping in to say I'll be in and out over the next several days; got lots going on here in the NOLA this week; don't think I'll get much reading done:

The city is still riding the wave of Superbowl victory! Everywhere you turn, friends and strangers holler "Who Dat!" and everyone is still sportin' their black and gold. Tonight is the big victory parade - 9 Krewes loaned signature floats to the team for their parade. It's going to be awesome! Hubs is actually going to be able to attend this one (he's in law enforcement, so he always has to work for the parades), so we're definitely there!! I'm a bit worried as it looks like temps will be in the 30s, and of course the 3-year-old woke up with a cough this morning :(

The next several days look to be crazy: Saints parade tonight; Druids tomorrow night (haven't decided if we'll go); Thursday night is Babylon, Muses (my favorite parade!!), and Chaos; Friday night is Hermes, d'Etat (another favorite!), and Morpheus; Saturday afternoon is Iris and Tucks; Saturday night is Endymion (which I usually skip as the fans for this parade are obnoxious). Sunday will be an all-day affair - we get there early for a good spot, watch Okeanos, Mid-City, Thoth, and then wait for the big one: Bacchus (I met my husband at Bacchus, sort of). It's going to be crazy this year as Drew Brees is King Bacchus this year. Then Monday is Proteus and Orpheus (Harry Connick Jr.'s parade). Tuesday is Mardi Gras, and those parades start at 8:00. I usually stay home for Mardi Gras as I don't like getting up that early and the crowds are so thick it makes me nervous. So I use it as a day to take care of all the stuff I've ignored over the last week.

Sleep? We don't need no stinkin' sleep! Or, as my BFF Hannah likes to say "You'll get plenty of sleep when you're dead." Well said!