I've got to work on my creativity because I feel so dumb next to other bloggers who can whip up cute and unique lists, challenges, graphics, and the like. *sighs* Oh, well. There's something I'm good at, and that something is giving away stuff. As of today, my blog is one year and one week old, and I'm not done celebrating yet which means you're not done either, dangit.
For this, my second giveaway for my blogiversary, I want to do something different. About a month ago, Lauren Destefano shared a photo on Facebook of her cat in a Santa hat and mentioned that she wanted to do a massive holiday book drive for anyone in need of books, be they servicemembers overseas or anyone who spends a lot of time in a hospital. She said she would be sending out many of her own books, but she was willing to take donations from others as well. Tonight is (well, last night, when I wrote this) my church's Christmas party, and we're holding a service and date auction (everyone in my congregation is in our 20s or early 30s and we're all single). The money from our auction is going to go to providing gifts to women and children at a local shelter.
I'd like to do something similar here so this will be my blogiversary giveaway giveaway! Confused? Let me explain. As a bookish person, I have many extra books lying around my house as well as my parents. I've always been like this, but my books have exploded since I became a blogger. I have an excess now, and while I try to temper my growing book collection by hosting giveaways, I've still got a lot to go around. I have a feeling that most of you readers do as well. Therefore, I would like to challenge all of you to find a person or a local organization (hospital, shelter, library, school, service organization, etc) to donate some books to. This giveaway will still have regular entry methods, but you'll notice the most points are for donation. If you donate even one book to just one person, you'll get the 10 entries to this giveaway. I don't need to know the details of your charity though so don't feel like you have to share personal details or anything. I don't want to be a Nosy Rosy about it. If you consider it a donation, I'm happy with it. I'm going on the honor system here so please be honest. Also it will be just the one-time donation entry, not a donate once a day kind of thing.
This giveaway is open until 12 AM CST December 24. The prize is a mystery box of ten YA books that will be a mix of ARCs and both signed and & finished copies. Due to the price of shipping, unfortunately this giveaway will be US ONLY, but I strongly encourage my international readers to consider giving the gift of reading as well. My first Blogiversary giveaway IS open internationally, and I plan to have several others as well. Best of luck!
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Mary, this is an excellent idea! Sadly, I do not have a good suggestion for donations other than the ones you listed. Now to go riffle through the books in the office!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I just wanted to do something different, and it hit me.
DeleteI love to give away books. I'll leave books in waiting rooms or laundromats. We have a food bank in town that will give out donated books. That is a great place to encourage reading.
ReplyDeleteAw, I love the random gifts. There are a lot of authors who do book drops like that. Jen Calonita especially drops quite often and then leaves clues on her social media sites. Love the food bank donations!
DeleteI always give books to my local library or a friend who is interested in reading that book. This is such a wonderful idea. Instead of all the books wasting away on the bookshelves take the time to give it to someone else. Just wonderful. Thank you so much and I hope you have a wonderful Holiday.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Misti! I hope your holidays are lovely as well! Thank you for continuing to share books with others. That's really a great spirit to have.
DeleteFallon Vaughn
ReplyDeleteJoefallon1@yahoo.com
I donate to a local place called friends of the library where all proceeds help funding towards our counties libraries. They keep losing so much funding.
That's a wonderful idea, Jose!
DeleteThere's this AWESOME Little Free Library in my VERY neighborhood. Go to http://littlefreelibrary.org/ to find one near you. I was super excited when I stumbled across it. There were even some really good books in it!
ReplyDeleteLOVE THIS. Thanks for sharing, Vivien!
DeleteThere's a couple Free Libraries near my school that I plan to donate too! And the public library in my town is always looking for donations, especially during Christmas time because they put out a special donation box that goes to charities that gives kids books who don't have any! :)
ReplyDeleteThat's really cool. My library mostly looks for financial donations, which I understand, but I would be much more generous if they accepted physical books.
DeleteI gave books to the local Elementary School, they have had budget cuts and the teachers have had to pay for and provide the books for each classroom. The books in the classrooms are most of the time falling apart and they don't have enough for all the kids.
ReplyDeleteYeah, my mom taught 4th and 5th grade for several years, and she funded her classroom library herself. That's a lovely idea, Morgan!
DeleteI guess that I am like most people, I donate to my local library......and sometimes to charity's. This is a really great idea!
ReplyDeleteI donate books to my local library usually :)
ReplyDeleteI usually take them to my local library or to the elementary school near my house. I like to give some away to friends as well.
ReplyDeleteGenerally, I donate to my local library and then buy the overflow books from them. Also, there is a homeless shelter by my sister's apartment and I send books to her to take over. Anyway, this is such a lovely idea!
ReplyDeleteXO, Kristi
The only place I know is Half Price Books ): or I usually give it to the librarians at my school or in town!
ReplyDeleteWhen I have more books, I'm thinking about donating them to my school library or the local library. :)
ReplyDeleteIn NYC, I usually donate to Goodwill since my local library won't accept books, only money.
ReplyDeleteI donate to my local library's Friends bookstore. I've gotten so many good reads from them, I want to help them keep others in good reads as well! Thanks for the giveaway! :)
ReplyDeleteUsually, I donate to my Family Thrift Center, but if they're ARCs, they go to the library :)
ReplyDeleteI don't really know, but I like to donate them to my library, or the family next door, with the six year old daughter;)
ReplyDelete-Jayne