Winner of A Presence of Absence by Sarah Surgey and Emma Vestrheim announced

Thanks to those who entered my giveaway last week to win a print copy of A Presence of Absence by Sarah Surgey and Emma Vestrheim. Entries closed at midnight on Friday 7 April and the winner is....

Carol @readingwritingandriesling

Congratulations Carol, you'll receive an email from me today and will have 7 days to provide your mailing address. Your prize will be mailed directly to you from the authors.

Carpe Librum!

Blog tour and review of A Time To Run by J.M. Peace

* Copy courtesy of Pan Macmillan Australia *

A Time To Run is a tense crime thriller set in the Queensland bush featuring a cop-turned-victim and a Wolf Creek-style killer.

I'm really pleased to be part of this blog tour to promote A Time To Run by Australian author J.M. Peace.

A Time To Run is a police procedural written by a serving Australian police officer and is a fast-paced novel with action on every page.

The events in the book take place over a single weekend and this was such a tight and quick read, I found myself finishing it in record time.

What I enjoyed most of all though was the quick-thinking and problem-solving skills displayed by the victim Sammi. A police officer herself, Sammi is horrified to find herself drugged and kidnapped, but doesn't panic. Instead, she switches on her 'cop senses' and does everything she can think of to stay alive.

Sometimes when I'm reading a crime novel, I think to myself: "oh no, why don't you do this," or "that's stupid, that'll never work." This doesn't happen in A Time To Run, here I was continually thinking: "ohhhh, what a great idea" and "oh, I didn't think of that."

There is a real sense of the Australian outback in the novel and two smart and tough characters to get behind, Sammi and Detective Janine Postlewaite. A Time To Run is a debut novel for J.M. Peace, and fans of the crime and thriller genre will love this Australian offering.

My rating = ****

Carpe Librum!

Blog Tour
Check out the next stop on the #atimetorun blog tour, over at Reading, Writing and Riesling on Monday 6th July and check back here at Carpe Librum on 13th July for an interview with the author J.M. Peace. 

Please vote for me in the Best Australian Blogs 2014 People's Choice Award

For the first time ever, my site, Carpe Librum is a Nominee in the Best Australian Blogs 2014 Competition.

The competition is run every year by the Australian Writers' Centre and blogs of every genre are nominated (e.g. books and reading, cooking, travel, sport etc.)

I've never asked you to vote for me before but it would mean the world if you voted for Carpe Librum in this competition.  Voting is open now and closes on Monday 5 May at 5pm.  There are 962 blogs in the running, but they're listed alphabetically so it's super easy to find Carpe Librum.

Please vote online for Carpe Librum, and any other favourite bookish sites you follow and show your support for Australian blogs.

Thanking you in advance and happy voting!

Carpe Librum wins the Liebster Blog Award

Exciting news this week is that I've received the Liebster Award for bloggers!!  I was nominated by author Kerry Letheby of A Novel Journey.

Here's how the award works:

• The nominated blogger must post 11 facts about themselves;
• They must then answer 11 questions from the blogger who nominated them;
• Then nominate 11 bloggers and give them 11 questions to answer;
• Link to your chosen 11 bloggers in your blog post; 
• Let them know you have nominated them;
• Don't nominate the blogger who nominated you;

Here are 11 facts about me:

1. My favourite hobby is reading;
2. I collect bookmarks and love stationery, paper, notebooks and pens;
3. I am a night owl by nature;
4. I met my husband at karaoke;
5. I have a tattoo on my left ankle;
6. My favourite colour is red;
7. I was awarded the Australian Defence Medal for service in the Royal Australian Navy;
8. My favourite website is GoodReads;
9. My most popular blog post has had 3,231 hits;
10. I have proofread and edited two books currently in print: one novel and one memoir;
11. I can smell donuts from a block away.

Here are the answers to the 11 questions asked by Kerry Letheby, author of Mine To Avenge:

1. Who knows you best in life?  In terms of my personality and character, it would have to be my husband.
2. If you could spend your life doing anything you like, what would it be?  Reading and studying.
3. What is your earliest memory?  Playing in the backyard.
4. What lifts you up when you are feeling down?  A massage, loud music, ordering take away, or someone who makes me laugh.
5. What are you most thankful for in life?  The health of my family.
6. If you were given $1000, what would you spend it on?  Boring, but I'd probably put it in the bank.
7. Are you a hot weather person or a cold weather person?  I think I'm a cold weather person. Even though I'm always cold (especially my feet), you can always get warmer, and it can be quite cosy snuggling up with a blanket in winter.  I hate being covered in sweat and rushing inside for the relief of an airconditioner.
8. Name one thing on your bucket list.  To be invited to an awards night within the publishing industry.
9. What is your favourite movie? The Matrix
10. What is your favourite 'get away from it all place'? My bed!
11. What piece of advice do you hand out most often? Hang in there.

Congratulations, here are the 11 blogs I've tagged to receive the Liebster Blog Award:

Some blog humour

Adventures of an Intrepid Reader
All The Books I Can Read
Book'd Out
Booklover Book Reviews
Deliciously Fictitious
I Heart Dog
Mary D's Nordic Crime Reviews
The Reading Room
Selwyn's Sanity
Stone Soup
Women Friendly Services


Here are my questions for the winners:

1. Can you tell us a little about your blog?
2. What's your most popular blog post to date?
3. How do you increase your followers?
4. Where does the inspiration for your blog posts come from?
5. A little about you now.  Can you name your favourite book?
6. What song has the most number of plays in your iTunes? (Or, what's your fav song?)
7. What's your all time favourite TV Show?
8. What was your favourite game to play as a child?
9. Do you have a second hobby, other than the one your blog focusses on?
10. Stationery lover or iPhone / online all the way?
11. Funniest comment left on your site?

Congratulations to the winners, I will enjoy reading your posts (please post the URL in the comments if you can), and I hope you enjoy visiting each other's sites.  Happy blogging!

Carpe Librum!