I would now like to point your attention to an organization that is also helping Darfur refugees in Chad.  Book Wish Foundation is an organization that aims to provide reading relief by putting books into the hands of primary school, pre-school, or literacy program students in the refugee camps.  Books, libraries, reading glasses, and school supplies are all part of the project.

According to Book Wish Foundation:

Book Wish Foundation is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN: 26-1285319) with a mission to provide reading relief for people in crisis. In partnership with organizations that work on the ground in some of the most distressed places around the world, we support reading to improve education, mental health, and occupational training.

Reading relief is a concept much broader than providing books. It encompasses all of the aid for community institutions and individuals that makes reading possible. This includes, for example, support for libraries, schools, informal literacy and language programs, and vision care. To provide relief, this aid must match the specific needs that exist, which vary according to the crisis situation, culture, language, demographics, educational history, and aspirations of the people being served. These needs form the basis of the Wish Lists on our website, and provide an opportunity for highly targeted giving.

We focus on people in long-term crisis situations because they may face problems so grave that reading relief is not a major component of the aid they receive, although reading may have a great positive impact on their lives. Refugees, internally displaced people, school-aged children not in school, the homeless, the critically ill, and the desperately poor are among the populations we aim to reach.

Book Wish Foundation was formed in October 2007 by the mother-son team of bibliophiles Lorraine and Logan Kleinwaks, in response to a Washington Post article describing the lack of books in a refugee camp in Eastern Chad. We are staffed entirely by unpaid volunteers, and all money and goods donated for specific projects or Wish List items will be used only for those purposes. Incidental costs, such as for office supplies, are not funded through these targeted donations. Public documents of the Foundation are posted on our website and can conveniently be viewed here. A financial statement is available upon written request from the Office of Consumer Affairs of the State of Virginia, where we are registered to solicit charitable donations.

One of the reasons, I wanted to mention Book Wish Foundation was because of the creative post holiday campaign that they just launched:

We’ve just launched a (post-)holiday campaign to raise funds for library construction, English textbooks, and primary school textbooks for the Darfuris in the Bredjing, Treguine, and Gaga refugee camps in eastern Chad. Here’s how it works: we want you to count the books you received as presents this year and donate $1 per book. You can choose how the money is spent and read more details at holiday.bookwish.org.

A little bit always goes a long way.  We all love books.  We all asked for books for the holidays.  We gave books and we received books.  Now we can give just a little more.  My kids received at least 15 books for Christmas.  I will personally be donating $1 per book to the Book Wish Foundation.  If you feel you are able, I invite you to do the same.  Sadly, the genocide in Darfur isn’t over yet.  Refugees in Chad need your help getting back on their feet.  Putting books into the hands of those who needs them is just one small way to make a difference.

Visit Book Wish Foundation and the Holiday Book Wish website for more information.

In case you’re wondering, here’s how the winners were selected.  Thanks to the form you filled out, everything was in a great spreadsheet for me.  I’d do a form again in a heartbeat!  So happy I didn’t have to figure this all out by hand, and I already have all of your mailing addresses!  Each person had a number assigned to them.  If there were ten people all in for a book I asked my husband for a number 1-10 and counted down to see the “number” who had won.  The grand prize winner was selected first and then we proceeded to randomly select numbers to go with book titles.  A number could only win once.  Everything was going great until three-fourths of the way through when I ended up having no numbers even qualified to win a book.  In other words, everybody had already won something else.  I took the liberty of making switches, but while doing this I only “saw” numbers.  I didn’t feel to guilty over this because I had no idea who won what until I corresponded their number to their name while writing this post.  Make sense?

CONGRATULATIONS!  CONGRATULATIONS! 

Signed copy of The Debs by Susan McBride sponsored by Susan McBride

 ANITA Y.

Signed copy of  Rules by Cynthia Lord sponsored by Cynthia Lord

 YAN L.

When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka

LAURA FROM READING REFLECTIONS

This is What I Did by Ann Dee Ellis sponsored by Hatchette Book Group

 AMY FROM AMY’S HAIKU HAVEN

Signed copy of Madapple sponsored by Christina Meldrum

WENDY FROM CARIBOUSMOM

The Leper Compound by Paula Nangle sponsored by Literary Ventures Fund

BETHANY FROM B&B EX LIBRIS

Darfur Diaries, Stories of Survivalsponsored by Nation  Books

MICHELLE FROM FLUTTERING BUTTERFLIES

Tears of the Desert, A Memoir of Survivial in Darfur by Halima Bashir & Damien Lewis sponsored by Random House

RAMYA FROM RAMYA’S BOOKSHELF

No, No, Yes, Yes by Leslie Patricelli sponsored by Leslie Patricelli

SUSAN FROM BLOGGIN’ ‘BOUT BOOKS

and

KT FROM WHAT KT READS

Signed copy of The 13th Reality, The Journal of Curious Letters by James Dashner sponsored by James Dashner

MEGHAN FROM MEDIEVAL BOOKWORM

Signed copy of Far World, Water Keep by J. Scott Savage sponsored by J. Scott Savage

JENN M. FROM KNOWLEDGE TREE DAY CARE

Feather Man by Rhyll McMaster sponsored by Literary Ventures Fund

RUTH FROM BOOKISH RUTH

The Spirit of the Place by Samuel Shem sponsored by Literary Ventures Fund

SHAUNA FROM READING AND RUMINATIONS

 Monique and the Mango Rains by Kris Holloway sponsored by Literary Ventures Fund

LAURA H.

Of Beetles & Angels, A Boy’s Remarkable Journey From a Refugee Camp to Harvard by Mawi Asgedom sponsored by Hatchette Book Group

JEN FROM DEVOURER OF BOOKS

Sweethearts by Sara Zarr sponsored by Hatchette Book Group

MARI FROM MARI READS

Story of a Girl sponsored by Sara Zarr sponsored by Hatchette Book Group

HEATHER FROM BOOK ADDICTION

Mr. Popper’s Penquins by Richard & Florence Atwater sponsored by Hatchette Book Group

LISA FROM BOOKS. LISTS. LIFE.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie sponsored by Hatchette Book Group

NATALIE W.

Say You’re One of Them by Uwem Akpan sponsored Hatchette Book Group

JEAN FROM DOG EAR DIARY

Audio version of Long Walk to Freedom:  Autobiography of Nelson Mandela by Nelson Mandela sponsored by Hatchette Book Group

REBECCA FROM THE INSIDE COVER

The Blue  Taxi by N.S. Koenings sponsored by Hatchette Book Group

MEGAN FROM LEAFING THROUGH LIFE

The Book of Calamities:  Five Questions about Suffering and Its Meaning by Peter Trachtenberg sponsored by Hatchette Book Group

HANNAH FROM WORD LILY

Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer sponsored by Hatchette Book Group

JENNIFER FROM THE LITERATE HOUSEWIFE REVIEW

The Host by Stephenie Meyer sponsored by Hatchette Book Group

AMBER FROM AMBER STULTS

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

TRACY AT BOOKROOM REVIEWS

Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts

ALESSANDRA FROM OUT OF THE BLUE

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

MICHELLE FROM UN-MAINSTREAM MOM READS

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

ALYCE FROM AT HOME WITH BOOKS

The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard

CONNIE FROM LITMUSE

A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines

KATHY FROM BERMUDAIONION

The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards

JESSICA FROM THE COMMON MOMMY DENOMINATOR

and

NICOLE FROM BOOKS, BOOKS, AND MORE GREAT BOOKS

 

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

CINDI H.

Empire Falls by Richard Russo

AMY FROM THE SLEEPY READER

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

MYRTHE FROM THE ARMENIAN ODAR READS

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Nifenegger

DANIEL C.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

DONNA FROM DONNA GEPHART’S WILD WORLD OF WORDS

 Cane River by Lalita Tademy

AMY FROM MY FRIEND AMY

The Kitchen God’s Wife by Amy Tan

ALI FROM WORDUCOPIA

Rapunzel’s Revenge poster signed by Shannon & Dean Hale, Nathan Hale (not included in grand prize) sponsored by Shannon & Dean Hale and Nathan Hale

REBECCA FROM THE INSIDE COVER

The 13th Reality T-Shirt, Youth size Large (not included in grand prize)

ABBIE B.

One year membership to Rich Women Sisterhood  ($360 value, not included in the grand prize) sponsored by Rich Women Sisterhood

HEATHER FROM AGE 30+ A LIFETIME OF BOOKS

And last but not least I have three people, DEWEY FROM THE HIDDEN SIDE OF A LEAF, JOY FROM THOUGHTS OF JOY AND SAMANTHA FROM SAM’S BOOK BLOG, who sadly didn’t win any of the books that they selected.  As hard as I tried I couldn’t work the system well enough.  But no fear!  For the three of you I have six books that were not given out.  (Not for the fact that nobody registered for them, but because I didn’t have any non-winners to draw from.)  They are:  The Measure of a Man by Sydney Poiter, Vinegar Hill by A Manette Ansay, The Rapture of Canaan by Sheri Reynolds,, Theft by N.S. Koenings sponsored by Hatchette Book Group, The First Hurt, Stories by Rachel Sherman sponsored by Literary Ventures Fun.  I also forgot to list The Best Place to Be by Lesley Dorman.  That is available as well.  If none of those titles interest you, I’d like to send you a five dollar gift certificate to Amazon.  I know it doesn’t really equal the cover price of these books, but it’s still something.  Just let me know what you would like to do.

 CONGRATULATIONS!  CONGRATULATIONS!  

But wait!!!  THE GRAND PRIZE!!!!  This lucky individual will go home with not one, not two, but 48 books!  All of the books listed above! Seriously, is this not the coolest, biggest prize you’ve ever seen?!!  Who’s the winner of the largest giveaway EVER!!!  Drum roll . . .

KAY FROM MY RANDOM ACTS OF READING!!!!!

Congratulations Kay and to everybody else!  You are all winners!!

Giveaway Deadline

The end is almost here!!

I can’t believe it! Monday, October 13th, at midnight MST is the last day to put your name in the “virtual hat” for all of the AMAZING books you can win if you participated in Reading & Blogging for Darfur.  If you’d like to be considered for the grand prize, it’s not to late to do that either.  Read the final update and sign up here for the giveaways.  I’ll announce the winners here on the blog Wednesday.

Book Club

Don’t forget A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith is October’s fiction book club selection at Rich Women Sisterhood, which I’m excited to be your host and moderator.  This is unlike any book club you’re familiar with because we’ll be discussing the book via a tele-conference call on October 27th at 6:30 MST.  I’d love to discuss this book with you regardless if you are reading if for the first time or you read it years ago!  Find out all the details to participate.

If you’re already not a member of Rich Women Sisterhood make sure to register and then register for the book club discussion so I know how many people I have on the call.  I think it would be so much fun to hear your actual voices, so I hope you consider joining us!

Carnivals

The second edition of the Book Review Blog Carnival was posted this morning at Novel Bloggers.  My review of Tears of the Desert, A Memoir of Survival in Darfur by Halima Bashir with Damien Lewis was featured along with a bunch of other great reviews.  I encourage you to go take a look.  The next edition will be on Books Books and More Books on October 26th.  If you would like to participate, submit your book review here. And guess who’s hosting on December 21st for your holiday edition?  Me!  Stay tuned!

Don’t forget to get involved in The Bookworms Carnival, an awesome themed reviews carnival which is hosted bi-monthly.  Click here for details on submitting your reviews.  Becky at Becky’s Book Reviews is our next host!  I hope to be hosting in the near future!

And if you are involved in children’s literature don’t forget The Carnival of Children’s Literature.  I’m participating for the first time in the upcoming carnival hosted by Jill at the Well-Read Child.  Submit your posts here.  Is there a button for this carnival?

I hope everybody’s week is grand!  My parents are now in town from out of state for a week and my in-laws are flying in on a layover tomorrow for breakfast.  I’m currently reading The 19th Wife, which I’m frantically trying to finish for Wednesday’s blog tour.  Tomorrow and Tuesday watch for a review of Janeology with a guest post by the author Karen Harrington.  And after six weeks, don’t even ask how’s potty training is going.

See ya!

First, if you haven’t visited the Reading & Blogging for Darfur wrap-up please do.  It’s got numbers and stats galore and a round-up of great reviews.

Who can register (I will ship internationally):

• To be eligible you must have during this past month either read a book about Darfur, watched a documentary about Darfur, posted about the campaign on your blog, or put the button in your blog sidebar.

• The grand prize – one person is going home with ALL the books!! Yes, ALL of them!  At least $800 worth of prizes!  To be eligible for this grand prize you must either sponsor me at a penny per page, .50 cents a post, or both.  You can see all of the details here.  Even if your new around here and haven’t been involved this month, don’t hesitate to join in with this one!

The Prizes

• Signed copy of The Debs by Susan McBride sponsored by Susan McBride
• Signed copy of  Rules by Cynthia Lord sponsored by Cynthia Lord
• Ex-library copy of When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka sponsored by Maw Books
• This is What I Did by Ann Dee Ellis sponsored by Hatchette Book Group
• The First Hurt, Stories by Rachel Sherman sponsored by Literary Ventures Fund 
• Signed copy of Madapple sponsored by Christina Meldrum
• The Leper Compound by Paula Nangle sponsored by Literary Ventures Fund
• Darfur Diaries, Stories of Survival sponsored by Nation  Books
• Tears of the Desert, A Memoir of Survivial in Darfur by Halima Bashir & Damien Lewis sponsored by Random House
• Two copies of No, No, Yes, Yes by Leslie Patricelli sponsored by Leslie Patricelli
• Signed copy of The 13th Reality, The Journal of Curious Letters by James Dashner sponsored by James Dashner
• Signed copy of Far World, Water Keep by J. Scott Savage sponsored by J. Scott Savage
• Feather Man by Rhyll McMaster sponsored by Literary Ventures Fund 
• The Spirit of the Place by Samuel Shem sponsored by Literary Ventures Fund 
• Monique and the Mango Rains by Kris Holloway sponsored by Literary Ventures Fund 
• Of Beetles & Angels, A Boy’s Remarkable Journey From a Refugee Camp to Harvard by Mawi Asgedom sponsored by Hatchette Book Group
• Sweethearts by Sara Zarr sponsored by Hatchette Book Group
• Story of a Girl sponsored by Sara Zarr sponsored by Hatchette Book Group
• Mr. Popper’s Penquins by Richard & Florence Atwater sponsored by Hatchette Book Group
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie sponsored by Hatchette Book Group
• Say You’re One of Them by Uwem Akpan sponsored Hatchette Book Group
• Audio version of Long Walk to Freedom:  Autobiography of Nelson Mandela by Nelson Mandela sponsored by Hatchette Book Group
• Theft by N.S. Koenings sponsored by Hatchette Book Group
• The Blue  Taxi by N.S. Koenings sponsored by Hatchette Book Group
• The Book of Calamities:  Five Questions about Suffereing and Its Meaning by Peter Trachtenberg sponsored by Hatchette Book Group
• Twilight by Stephenie Meyer sponsored by Hatchette Book Group
• New Moon by Stephenie Meyer sponsored by Hatchette Book Group
• Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer sponsored by Hatchette Book Group
• Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer sponsored by Hatchette Book Group
• The Host by Stephenie Meyer sponsored by Hatchette Book Group
• The Kitchen God’s Wife by Amy Tan sponsored by Maw Books
• The Rapture of Canaan by Sheri Reynolds sponsored by Maw Books
• Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella sponsored by Maw Books
• Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts sponsored by Maw Books
• The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith sponsored by Maw Books
• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini sponsored by Maw Books
• Vinegar Hill by A Manette Ansay sponsored by Maw Books
• The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard sponsored by Maw Books
• Tis by Frank McCourt sponsored by Maw Books
• A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines sponsored by Maw Books
• Two copies of The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards sponsored by Maw Books
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon sponsored by Maw Books
• Empire Falls by Richard Russo sponsored by Maw Books
• Cane River by Lalita Tademy sponsored by Maw Books
• The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck sponsored by Maw Books
• The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Nifenegger sponsored by Maw Books
• The Measure of a Man by Sydney Poiter sponsored by Maw Books
• The Color Purple by Alice Walker sponsored by Maw Books
• Rapunzel’s Revenge poster signed by Shannon & Dean Hale, Nathan Hale (not included in grand prize) sponsored by Shannon & Dean Hale and Nathan Hal
• The 13th Reality T-Shirt, Youth size Large (not included in grand prize) sponsored by Maw Books
• One year membership to Rich Women Sisterhood  ($360 value, not included in the grand prize) sponsored by Rich Women Sisterhood

Thank you to the many wonderful authors and publishing companies who have generously donated their books including Susan McBride, Cynthia Lord, Christina Meldrum, Leslie Patricelli, James Dashner,  J. Scott Savage, Hatchette Book Group, Literary Ventures Fund,  Nation  Books, Random House, and Rich Women Sisterhood.  Your generosity is awesome!

Register Now

Please fill out the form below with your name, address, email, website (if you have one) and check off the book selections that you would like to win.  You can select as many or few as you would like.  I will only use your information to select the winners and mail you the prizes.  Only select the grand prize if you commit to make your monetary donation (still make your other selections as well, I will draw the grand prize winner first, so you can still win the other prizes).

Powered by Wufoo

Deadline to enter is Monday, October 13th midnight MDT.  I’ll announce the winners on Wednesday, October 14th.Good luck!

Finally!  I think I’ve finally finished the final update of the Reading & Blogging for Darfur awareness campaign.  For details on all of the books and posts that these figures are based on, visit my September wrap-up post.

Here’s How We Did

• I read 31 books in September for a grand total of: 5,405 pages at a penny per page equals $54.05
• Number of posts I published during September: 62 @ .50 cents per post equals $31.00
  
• Number of comments and trackbacks received during September:  1140 at .10 cents a comment equals  $114.00
• Number of bloggers who posted about the campaign:  58 at .50 cents each equals $29.00
• Number of bloggers who posted button in their sidebar:  32 at .50 cents each equals $16.00
• Number of Darfur books read or documentaries watched: 31 at .50 cents each equals $15.50
• Number of books or videos reviewed by bloggers: 29 at $1 each equals $29

The Quick Numbers

• So it looks like I’ll be donating $203.50
• If you chose to sponsor me at a penny a page that total is $54.05
• If you chose to sponsor me at .50 cents a post that total is $31.00
• If you chose to sponsor me at both a penny a page and .50 cents a post that total is $85.05
• As of today and according to my rough numbers I had 13 people sponsor me at a penny per page for a total of $702.6 and 14 people sponsor me at .50 cents a post for a total of $434.00.  So in addition to my $203.5, you helped raise $1136.60.

It’s not too late, if you’d like to go ahead and sponsor me now that you have an idea of dollar amounts, go right ahead!

How to Make Your Donation

Many have inquired about sending money directly to me, to which I say, no thank you please.  Take a look at the list below and choose the organization that you feel you are most comfortable with and donate directly to them.  Some organizations fund awareness campaigns to pressure politicians to take action and others deal directly with the people in Darfur helping with services and programs.  If you find an organization not on this list, feel free to donate to them as well.

This is total honor system here on your donation.  I trust your guilt will get to you when a year from now you realize you forgot to make your donation 

ORGANIZATIONS WHO ACCEPT DONATIONS with interest and a presence in Darfur, Sudan:

• International Rescue Committee, Donate for Darfur. 90% of funds go to humanitarian services and programs, 10% to administration and fundraising. Your donation will go specifically to Darfurians.
• Save Darfur. Funds crucial awareness and advocacy programs that play a critical role in building the political pressure needed to end the crisis in Darfur.
• Enough Project Founded by John Prendergast, funds help galvanize public and political leaders to effectively confront mass violence against innocent civilians in Darfur and southern Sudan, northern Uganda, eastern Congo and Chad.
• A list of 20 non-profit organizations who have a presence in Darfur. I recommend looking at each organization closely to determine how your donation is used.
• Another great list of humanitarian organizations in Darfur. Again, browse around and decide if one looks right for you. Everybody from The Red Cross to Save the Children.

Raising Awareness

A huge part of this campaign was to raise awareness about the genocide in Darfur.  I know a lot of you have mentioned that you have learned so much when you knew so little about Darfur.   I remember the first time I ever saw the word Darfur.  It was on the way to my husbands grandma’s house.  There was this college duplex that had a huge sign in the window that said, “Save Darfur.”  After passing that sign half a dozen times, I started to feel guilty that I didn’t know what in the world they were talking about.  So of course I had to look it up.  It’s that same type of awareness that you’ve helped to create as you talk with your friends, neighbors, bloggers, etc.

Check out these awesome bloggers:

• Mari from Mari Reads reviews Darfur Diaries:  Stories of Survival by Jen 
• Wordlily reviews The Devil Came on Horseback documentary over at Please Pass the Popcorn.
• Joy from Thoughts of Joy reviews The Translator:  A Tribesman’s Memoir of Darfur by Daoud Hari.
• Tanabata at In Spring it is the Dawn reviews The Translator:  A Tribesman’s Memoir of Darfur by Daoud Hari.
• Ana from Diary of an Eccentric reviews Tears of the Desert:  A Memoir of Survival in Darfur by Halima Bashir.
• Bermudaonion reviews Tears of the Desert:  A Memoir of Survival in Darfur by Halima Bashir.
• Melissa from Shhh I’m Reading reviews Tears of the Desert:  A Memoir of Survival in Darfur by Halima Bashir.
• Joanne from The Ride watched and reviewed the the Darfur Diaries documentary.
• Ramya from Ramya’s Bookshelf reviewed The Devil Came on Horseback, Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur by Brian Steadle.
• Lisa from Books, Lists, Life reviewed Not On Our Watch:  The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond by Don Cheadle and Jon Prendergast
• Samantha from Sam’s Book Blog reviews The Translator:  A Tribesman’s Memoir of Darfur by Daoud Hari.
• Madeleine from Madeleine’s Book Blog reviews The Devil Came on Horseback documentary.
• Nicole from Books, Books, and More Great Books writes up an amazing review of The Devil Came on Horseback, Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur by Brian Steadle.
• Ali from Worducopia reviews the documentary Darfur Now.
• Heather from Book Addiction reviews The Translator:  A Tribesman’s Memoir of Darfur by Daoud Hari.
• Amy from The Sleepy Reader reviews The Devil came on Horseback, Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur by Brian Steadle.
• Jen from Devourer of Books reviews Tears of the Desert:  A Memoir of Survival in Darfur by Halima Bashir.
• Amy from Amy’s Haiku Haven reviews The Translator:  A Tribesman’s Memoir of Darfur by Daoud Hari and Not On Our Watch:  The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond by Don Cheadle and Jon Prendergast, the video Journey to Darfur and the documentary on Sudan from Vice Magazine.
• Mrs. B. Roth from It is I, Mrs. B. Roth watched the documentary The Devil Came on Horseback.
• Marcia at The Printed Page also read Tears of the Desert:  A Memoir of Survival in Darfur.
• Becky from Becky’s Book Reviews read Not On Our Watch:  The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond by Don Cheadle and Jon Prendergast.
• Tracy from Bookroom Reviews watched and reviewed the documentary Darfur Now.
• Megan from Leafing Through Life read Tears of the Desert: A Memoir of Survival in Darfur by Halima Bashir.
• Alyce from At Home With Books reviews The Translator:  A Tribesman’s Memoir of Darufr by Daoud Hari.
• Kathy from Bermudaonion reviews Tears of the Desert:  A Memoir of Survival in Darfur by Halima Bashir.
• Jenn M. at Knowledge Tree Day Care reviews the documentary The Devil Came on Horseback.
• Donna Gephart watched the documentary The Devil Came on Horseback.
• Daniel watched the documentary Darfur Now.

Did I miss you?Let me know.

What I have on the Maw Books Blog:

• Guest Post:  Dennis Burke, Co-Author of The Translator, A Tribesman Memoir of Survival in Darfur
• Tears of the Desert, A Memoir of Survival in Darfur by Halima Bashir with Damien Lewis
• The Devil Came on Horseback, Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur by Brian Steidle and Gretchen Steidle Wallace
• The Sudan Project:  Rebuilding with the People of Darfur:  A Young Person’s Guide by Melissa Leembruggen and an interview with the author)
• .Darfur Diaries:  Stories of Survival by Jen Marlowe
• Not On Our Watch:  The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond by Don Cheadle and Jon Prendergast
• The Translator, A Tribesman’s Memoir of Darfur by Daoud Hari
• Genocide in Darfur by Janey Levy
• Videos and links to learn more about the genocide in Darfur.
• Darfur book and video recommendations

Giveaways!

Thank you to the many wonderful authors and publishing companies who have generously donated their books including Susan McBride, Cynthia Lord, Christina Meldrum, Leslie Patricelli, James Dashner,  J. Scott Savage, Hatchette Book Group, Literary Ventures Fund,  Nation  Books, Random House, and Rich Women Sisterhood.

• To be eligible for at least one of the 50 prizes you must have during this past month either read a book about Darfur, watched a documentary about Darfur, posted about the campaign on your blog, or put the button in your blog sidebar.  (I do have more than 50 people eligible, so I’m going to feel really, really bad for those who don’t win.)

• One person is going home with ALL the books!! Yes, ALL of them!  At least $800 worth of prizes!  To be eligible for this grand prize you must either sponsor me at a penny per page, .50 cents a post, or both.  See totals above.  Seriously, $30 gets you a chance to win a ton of books?!  Not bad, I say.

All the prizes and how to register for them are in the post directly following this one.

THANK YOU!

I wish I could personally thank all of you for making this such a success.  I know that what we do isn’t going to make the genocide in Dafur stop right now, but I do know that every little bit helps.  And when this whole thing is over, we won’t tell ourselves, “I knew, but did nothing.”  I can’t say thank you enough.

Any questions? If so just let me know.

Following is the list of books that will be given away in conjunction with the Reading & Blogging for Darfur campaign.  This is the list as it stands as of today.  I still have some other finalizations to make.  So there’s a good chance that this list could get even bigger.  I just wanted to get you really excited with a preview.

I’m still figuring out the best way to have people sign up for the books they’d like, but I’m sure I’ll come up with something.  To be eligible for any of these prizes you must participate in the Reading & Blogging for Darfur campaign.  All of the details are here.  Simply stated read a book about Darfur, watch a video about Darfur.  If you have a blog review that book or video, post about the campaign, or put the button in your sidebar.   Any of those things will make you eligible.

The Grand Prize:  If you sponsor me at either a penny per page, 50 cents per post or both than you are also eligible for the BIGGEST giveaway ever!  I have two copies of all of the following books.  So not only will I be giving out one copy to everybody else, but one person is going to go home with them ALL!   That’s around $700 worth of books!!

Thank you to the many wonderful authors and publishing companies who have generously donated their books including Susan McBride, Cynthia Lord, Christina Meldrum, Leslie Patricelli, James Dashner,  J. Scott Savage, Hatchette Book Group, Literary Ventures Fund,  Nation  Books, and Random House.

The List

I have reviewed and loved a lot of these books.  Click on the book covers or the title names to read my review or for more details:

• Signed copy of The Debs by Susan McBride sponsored by Susan McBride
• Signed copy of  Rules by Cynthia Lord sponsored by Cynthia Lord
• Ex-library copy of When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka sponsored by Maw Books
• This is What I Did by Ann Dee Ellis sponsored by Hatchette Book Group
• The First Hurt, Stories by Rachel Sherman sponsored by Literary Ventures Fund 
• Signed copy of Madapple sponsored by Christina Meldrum
• The Leper Compound by Paula Nangle sponsored by Literary Ventures Fund
• Darfur Diaries, Stories of Survival sponsored by Nation  Books
• Tears of the Desert, A Memoir of Survivial in Darfur by Halima Bashir & Damien Lewis sponsored by Random House
• Two copies of No, No, Yes, Yes by Leslie Patricelli sponsored by Leslie Patricelli
• Signed copy of The 13th Reality, The Journal of Curious Letters by James Dashner sponsored by James Dashner
• Signed copy of Far World, Water Keep by J. Scott Savage sponsored by J. Scott Savage
• Feather Man by Rhyll McMaster sponsored by Literary Ventures Fund 
• The Spirit of the Place by Samuel Shem sponsored by Literary Ventures Fund 
• Monique and the Mango Rains by Kris Holloway sponsored by Literary Ventures Fund 
• Of Beetles & Angels, A Boy’s Remarkable Journey From a Refugee Camp to Harvard by Mawi Asgedom sponsored by Hatchette Book Group
• Sweethearts by Sara Zarr sponsored by Hatchette Book Group
• Story of a Girl sponsored by Sara Zarr sponsored by Hatchette Book Group
• Mr. Popper’s Penquins by Richard & Florence Atwater sponsored by Hatchette Book Group
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie sponsored by Hatchette Book Group
• Say You’re One of Them by Uwem Akpan sponsored Hatchette Book Group
• Audio version of Long Walk to Freedom:  Autobiography of Nelson Mandela by Nelson Mandela sponsored by Hatchette Book Group
• Theft by N.S. Koenings sponsored by Hatchette Book Group
• The Blue  Taxi by N.S. Koenings sponsored by Hatchette Book Group
• The Book of Calamities:  Five Questions about Suffereing and Its Meaning by Peter Trachtenberg sponsored by Hatchette Book Group
• Twilight by Stephenie Meyer sponsored by Hatchette Book Group
• New Moon by Stephenie Meyer sponsored by Hatchette Book Group
• Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer sponsored by Hatchette Book Group
• Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer sponsored by Hatchette Book Group
• The Host by Stephenie Meyer sponsored by Hatchette Book Group
• The Kitchen God’s Wife by Amy Tan sponsored by Maw Books
• The Rapture of Canaan by Sheri Reynolds sponsored by Maw Books
• Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella sponsored by Maw Books
• Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts sponsored by Maw Books
• The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith sponsored by Maw Books
• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini sponsored by Maw Books
• Vinegar Hill by A Manette Ansay sponsored by Maw Books
• The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard sponsored by Maw Books
• Tis by Frank McCourt sponsored by Maw Books
• A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines sponsored by Maw Books
• Two copies of The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards sponsored by Maw Books
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon sponsored by Maw Books
• Empire Falls by Richard Russo sponsored by Maw Books
• Cane River by Lalita Tademy sponsored by Maw Books

Details to follow about how to put your name in the “virtual hat.”    Seriously, if you still haven’t gotten involved, have I convinced you yet?  It’s not to late.

So what have I finished since my last update?  Books I’ve reviewed are linked over.  Others are coming.

• Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry:  215 pages
• Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer:  192 pages
• Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie:  208 pages
• A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck: 130 pages
• The First Hurt by Rachel Sherman: 160 pages
• The 13th Reality by James Dashner:  417 pages
• Saturday by Ian McEwan:  289 pages
• Yankee Girl by Mary Ann Rodman:  216 pages

Guest posts from this past week:

• Guest Post:  Christina Meldrum, Author of Madapple

Other posts published since last update:

• Wow!  I’ve Won BBAW/Most Extravagant Giveaways
• Stephenie Meyer on Ellen Show Tomorrow
• Let’s Party!  It’s Book Blog Appreciation Week
• NY Times Bestsellers – September 14th
• Did You Know My Husband Published a Book?
• Day 8:  Reading & Blogging for Darfur

Stats so far:

• Pages read since September 1st:  3,821 at a penny a page equals  $38.21
• Posts published since September 1st:  32 at .50 cents a post equals $16.00
• Number of comments received since September 1st:  (including trackbacks, etc. because I’m not about to try to subtract those out):  598 at .10 cents a comment equals  $59.80.
• Number of bloggers who posted about the campaign:  56 at .50 cents each equals $28.00 (I upped this from .25 cents, I may go up to a dollar if more people blog about it)
• Number of bloggers who posted button in their sidebar:  32 at .50 cents each equals $16.00
• Number of Darfur books read or documentaries watched: 9 at .50 cents each equals $4.50
• Number of books or videos reviewed by bloggers: 7 at $1 each equals $.700
  (Think of those books and videos as a mini-challenge. Two weeks left!)

Visit these great reviews!

• Madeleine from Madeleine’s Book Blog reviews The Devil Came on Horseback documentary
• Nicole from Books, Books, and More Great Books writes up an amazing review of The Devil Came on Horseback, Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur by Brian Steadle.
• Jen from Devourer of Books reviews Tears of the Desert:  A Memoir of Survival in Darfur by Halima Bashir.
• Amy from Amy’s Haiku Haven reviews The Translator:  A Tribesman’s Memoir of Darfur by Daoud Hari.
• Mrs. B. Roth from It is I, Mrs. B. Roth watched the documentary The Devil Came on Horseback and wrote up a great review.
• Marcia at The Printed Page also read Tears of the Desert:  A Memoir of Survival in Darfur and gave a great review.
• Becky from Becky’s Book Reviews read Not On Our Watch:  The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond by Don Cheadle and Jon Prendergast and I hope she writes up a review.
• Tracy from Bookroom Reviews watched one of the documentaries (not sure which) and I’m looking forward to her review.
• Megan from Leafing Through Life read Tears of the Desert: A Memoir of Survival in Darfur by Halima Bashir and I’m eagerly awaiting her review.

Let me know if I missed you and I’ll make sure to link over next week.  I know a lot of you mentioned that you’d be reading and watching videos.  Just a reminder that there is just a couple of weeks left.

Giveaways!  These are just the prizes that have been announced so far.  I know I mentioned that I would list all the prizes in this post but I’m afraid that it will get lost with all of the BBAW stuff going on.  So I’ll be putting up a separate post on Sunday.  There are so many they deserve their own post anyways.  There are TONS MORE than what it listed!!  Read here for details on what to do to become eligible.

• Individual Prizes:
  • Signed copy of The Debs by Susan McBride sponsored by Susan McBride
  • Signed copy of  Rules by Cynthia Lord sponsored by Cynthia Lord
  • Ex-library copy of When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka sponsored by Maw Books
  • This is What I Did by Ann Dee Ellis sponsored by Hatchette Book Group
  • The First Hurt, Stories by Rachel Sherman sponsored by Literary Ventures Fund
  • Signed copy of Madapple sponsored by Christina Meldrum
  • The Leper Compound by Paula Nangle sponsored by Literary Ventures Fund
  • Darfur Diaries, Stories of Survival sponsored by Nation  Books

• Grand Prize, one person will win all of these (must be sponsoring me to be eligible for this one):
  • Signed copy of The Debs by Susan McBride sponsored by Susan McBride
  • Signed copy of  Rules by Cynthia Lord sponsored by Cynthia Lord
  • Ex-library copy of When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka sponsored by Maw Books
  • This is What I Did by Ann Dee Ellis sponsored by Hatchette Book Group
  • The First Hurt, Stories by Rachel Sherman sponsored by Literary Ventures Fund
  • Signed copy of Madapple sponsored by Christina Meldrum
  • The Leper Compound by Paula Nangle sponsored by Literary Ventures Fund
  • Darfur Diaries, Stories of Survival sponsored by Nation  Books

It’s not to late to get involved.  Open to everybody, everywhere!  Click here for all of the details and click here for a great Darfur primer.

THANK YOU to everybody who has gotten involved in raising awareness and funds for Darfur.  Be it from your encouraging words, blogging about it, putting buttons in sidebars, and reading books or watching videos about Darfur.  If you haven’t gotten involved yet, it’s not to late!  Why should you, you ask?  Well, I basically want people to at least see the word Darfur and wonder what in the world does that mean?  So many of us haven’t ever heard of Darfur, much less know that the world’s largest humanitarian crisis is taking place there.  The government of Sudan has killed hundreds of thousands of its own citizens and continues to terrorize them.  And we aren’t doing enough to stop it.

I’ve gotten a lot of great support!  But I know that it could be more.  It’s not to late to get involved.  Even if you see the button on somebody else’s blog and think it’s enough, think again.  Your readers aren’t necessarily their readers.  I’m trying to reach more than just bloggers.  If a hundred blogs mentioned Darfur in a single post, how many people would that reach?  Thousands!  If a hundred blogs left the button in their sidebar all month how many of their readers would see it?  Even more.

I remember the first time I ever saw the word Darfur.  It was on the way to my husbands grandma’s house.  There was this college duplex that had a huge sign in the window that said, “Save Darfur.”  After passing that sign half a dozen times, I started to feel guilty that I didn’t know what in the world they were talking about.  So of course I had to look it up.  It’s that same type of awareness that I’m trying to create.  Plus, I kept those numbers really low (50 cents a post, $1 a sidebar) hoping that it would add up to a lot.

And leave me those comments!  I’m having my own read-a-thon this month and those comments, small as they may seem, keep me going!  I’ve found myself getting into bed at one-thirty in the morning only to turn on the lamp to get some reading done.  When I ran my 100th post giveaway I was averaging 30 comments a post, so I know we can do better.  So stop by, say hello, boost my spirits.  Besides donating ten cents a post, I’m just being greedy and saying that I need help staying awake.

Thanks so much to everybody who has sponsored my reading at a penny a page, 50 cents a post or both!  I have approximately 13 sponsors.  I’d love to have at least 25 sponsors. So get the word out there! I know many were unsure and still deciding.  Just let me know before the end of the month, so I know if you’ll be eligible for the grand prize.  If I get 25 sponsors I’ll add a $25 gift certificate to Amazon to the grand prize.

So what have I finished this past week?  The fact that I’m reading Ana Karanina by Leo Tolstoy makes me feel better about counting the pages for some of those easier reads.  Books I’ve reviewed are linked over.  Others are coming.

• What Jamie Saw by Carolyn Coman: 126 pages
• The Devil Came on Horseback:  Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur by Brian Steidle:  230 pages
• This is What I Did by Ann Dee Ellis: 176 pages
• When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka:  160 pages
• Clementine by Sara Pennypacker:  135 pages
• Clementine’s Letter by Sara Pennypacker:  150 pages
• The Talented Clementine by Sara Pennypacker:  137 page
• Where I Live by Eileen Spinelli (saying it only took me ten minutes to read this one, I didn’t count pages)
• Darfur Diaries:  Stories of Survival by Jen Marlowe:  256 page
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee:  284 pages
• A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck:  148 pages
• Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon Hale:  (didn’t count pages for this one either)
• The Leper Compound by Paula Nangle:  192 pages

Author Interviews from this past week:

• Susan McBride, author of The Debs and The Debs book review
• Cynthia Lord,  Newbery author of Rules and Rules book review

Other posts published since September 1st:

• Submit Your Questions for a Shannon Hale Interview (surely, the blogosphere has more than just six questions to ask Shannon!)
• Author Events this Week in Salt Lake City
• New York Times Bestsellers – September 7th
• I Made the Finals! Come Out and Vote!  Voting ends on the 12th, so hurry and vote for your favorite blog!  I’m nominated for Most Extravagant Giveaways and Most Altruistic.
• 100,000 Visitors.  Let’s Celebrate!  It’s not to late to put your guess in and win a $10 gift certificate to the online bookstore of your choice.
• Dinosaur Books for Babies, Toddlers and Preschoolers
• Day 1:  Blogging & Reading for Darfur

Stats so far:

• Pages read since September 1st:  1,994 at a penny a page equals  $19.94
• Posts published since September 1st:  14 at .50 cents a post equals $7.00
• Number of comments received (including trackbacks, etc. because I’m not about to try to subtract those out):  317 at .10 cents a comment equals  $31.70.  Let’s double that this next week!
• Number of bloggers who posted about the campaign:  51 at .50 cents each equals $25.50 (I upped this from .25 cents, I may go up to a dollar if more people blog about it)
• Number of bloggers who posted button in their sidebar:  28 at .50 cents each equals $14
• Number of Darfur books read or documentaries watched: 3 at .50 cents each equals $1.50
• Number of books or videos reviewed by bloggers: 2 at $1 each equals $2.00
  (Think of those books and videos as a mini-challenge.  I’m assuming since it was the first week, it was low numbers.  Let’s get those books read!)

Visit these great reviews!

• Mrs. B. Roth from It is I, Mrs. B. Roth watched the documentary The Devil Came on Horseback and wrote up a great review.
• Megan from Leafing Through Life read Tears of the Desert: A Memoir of Survival in Darfur by Halima Bashir and I’m eagerly awaiting her review.
• Marcia at The Printed Page also read Tears of the Desert:  A Memoir of Survival in Darfur and gave a great review.  But what’s more is that she’s giving away her copy over at Up for Grabs and donating .50 cents for each entry.  So go over there and enter!!  Tears of the Desert is a new release that you don’t want to miss!
• Let me know if I missed you and I’ll make sure to link over next week.

Giveaways!  These are just the prizes that were announced this week.  Next week at about the mid-point I’ll announce the majority of the prizes and list who is eligible to win.  Trust me, if you haven’t gotten involved yet, you will want to! There are TONS MORE!!  Read here for details on what to do to become eligible.

• Individual Prizes:
  • Signed copy of The Debs by Susan McBride sponsored by Susan McBride
  • Signed copy of  Rules by Cynthia Lord sponsored by Cynthia Lord
  • Ex-library copy of When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka sponsored by Maw Books
  • This is What I Did by Ann Dee Ellis sponsored by Hatchette Book Group

• Grand Prize (one person will win all of these!):
  • Signed copy of The Debs by Susan McBride sponsored by Susan McBride
  • Signed copy of  Rules by Cynthia Lord sponsored by Cynthia Lord
  • Ex-library copy of When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka sponsored by Maw Books
  • This is What I Did by Ann Dee Ellis sponsored by Hatchette Book Group

It’s not to late to get involved.  Open to everybody, everywhere!  Click here for all of the details and click here for a great Darfur primer.

Well, we had plans to day to visit Red Butte gardens because it was a free day but after a crazy, crazy hail storm we decided to stay home.  My husband took the kids and went to Toys ‘R Us.  He claims it’s to buy some small incentive toys for our little guy to help with potty training (he stayed dry all through church yesterday, yay!), but I know better.  He loves toy stores.  At 30, he’s just one big kid!  So without the kiddos here at the moment and the house to myself, I’ve managed to get some reading done and this post put up.

Thank you to EVERYBODY who have already gotten involved!!  Yay!!!!!!!  More appreciated than you know.

I thought I would start off with some links to help us learn about the current situation:

Darfur book and video recommendations Don’t forget for each video or book you read, I’ll donate 50 cents to an organization that makes a difference for Darfurians.  If you have a blog and you review that book or video I’ll donate 50 cents more.  Think of it as a mini-challenge.  Plus, one of the points is to have you learn something and to share that with your friends, family and blog readers.  All of these are also listed in my Amazon store.

My book review of The Translator by Daoud Hari  This is a great memoir by Daoud Hari that chronicles his attempts at bringing western journalists into the country to give eyewitness account of the genocide.

My book review of Not On Our Watch:  The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond by Don Cheadle and Jon Prendergast.   This is a fantastic book that details specific ways that you can make a difference.  It was after reading this book that I thought to myself, wow, it’s easy to do something.

My book review of The Sudan Project by Melissa Leembruggen and an interview with the author. This is a great book that helps children understand what is going on in the Darfur region.

Take a moment and visit these links and of course, drop some comments along the way.  I’ll donate ten cents per comment received in September.

External links that will also help you learn more about Darfur.

www.notonourwatchbook.com
www.enoughproject.org
www.savedarfur.org
www.crisisgroup.org
www.sudanreeves.org
www.darfurisdying.com
www.genocideintervention.net
www.deomocracyinaction.org
www.beawitness.org
www.sudandivestment.org
www.standnow.org
www.darfurreachanddevelopment.org
www.darfurscores.org

Videos about Darfur (may not be suitable for younger viewers):

If you would like to get involved (and seriously, why wouldn’t you?!) then please visit this post for all of the details on what you can do to help.

I promised that I would give a “What If” scenario.  So what about my commitment?  I have more than 20,000 visitors to my blog a month, let’s say just the tiniest fraction see that button that says Darfur on that and click over because they are curious and see what’s going on and decide to get involved then that would be cool.

In addition, there are hundreds of bloggers (you don’t need a blog to participate though) out there.  At least more than 200 out there know that I exist.  If 200 blogs were to post about this campaign and put the button in their sidebar, then I will donate about $100.  Say I post anywhere from 40-50 posts this next month and receive about 30 comments per post then that is another $150 raised.  If I have at least 100 people read a book or watch a video about Darfur that’s another $50.  If I have half of those write a review on their blog that’s another $50.  Just think how many people will actually learn about the genocide in Darfur, if so many people are blogging about it, reading about it, telling their friends and family about it.

If you choose to sponsor me in my reading and blogging at a penny per page, .50 cents per post or both then here is what you may be able to expect.  Of course, if you feel like you can only contribute so much, then decide on that number and don’t feel like you need to give as much as I “read.”  Okay, so I’ve been collecting books that I would like to read this much.  They consist of Fiction, Non-fiction, Young Adult, and Middle Readers.  Basically a wide variety.  All totaled that equals about 10,000 pages (YIKES!).  If I were my some miracle where I don’t have to sleep for the next month and manage to read it all, then that is about $100 if you sponsor me for a penny a page.  More realistically, I’m thinking I’ll be very lucky to read half of that, so 5,000 pages is about $50.  There are thirty days in September and I’m hoping to post at least once a day, maybe two.  At fifty cents a post, that is about $15-$30.  If I have 25 people sponsor me, we would raise about $2,000.  If I have 50 that would be about $4,000.

Hmm . . . I hope I did the calculations right.  Of course, I have no idea how everything will pan out.  Mainly, I really, really want people to learn something about the genocide.  How can we help when we don’t even know what the problem is?

So tell everybody you know!  Get involved on whatever level you can.  There are some great prizes.  So great in fact, that it’s well worth getting involved just to qualify for them.  And if you would like to contribute some prizes please email me at natasha (at) mawbooks (dot) com.

Everything that you need to know is here.  It all starts tomorrow!