The Nook arrives in a hard plastic case.  The sleek device is nice to hold and pretty to look at.  Setup was easy enough and within minutes, I was downloading my first eBook.  One of the reasons I don’t read as much as I’d like to is because I hate carrying books around. They are big and bulky.   Time, of course, is always an issue but I’d be more likely to read if it’s on something as sleek as the Nook.  I’m also  just a little geeky. I love technology and having a digital device to read on makes me smile. I packed it my purse and took it with me to NYC and it was a great feeling to just whip it out and read a few pages.  The fact that it took up literally no room in my purse is a huge bonus for me.  If you could see how much crap I stuff in my purse, you’d understand how thankful I am for something the of this size.

Okay, I feel like I’m rambling a bit. How about a couple of photos of it.

Some key points of the Nook to know:

• Nook is the first-ever color touch screen eBook reader device.
• With 2GB of memory, you can store 1500 eBooks.
• 6 books you get for free when you download Barnes & Noble’s free eReader software are The Last of the Mohicans, Sense and Sensibility, Dracula, Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, Merriam-Webster’s Pocket Dictionary.

I encourage you to visit the Nook website to learn more about it and its’ features.

One lucky winner will get their very own Nook thanks to Barnes & Noble, valued at $259.

TO ENTER

Barnes & Noble has recently partnered with designers like Kate Spade, Jack Spade and Jonathan Adler to help users read in style. Of these nook cover options, submit a comment below letting me know your favorite designer cover. At the end of the giveaway I will randomly select one lucky reader to receive their very own nook!  Designer covers here.

Giveaway ends on March 20th.  Read more about giveaway rules and how I work them.

Disclosure: As mentioned above, I was sent a Nook.  This does not sway my opinions at all.  I happen to really appreciate Barnes & Noble and had been waiting a while for them to launch the Nook.  Hope you enjoy as much I as I do!

1) Up first is some western beauty, for you and your body! Meet Dolce Mia and their fine designs with a little cowgirl/cowboy flavor. I ain’t gonna lie, I totally didn’t want to use this because they are so dang cute! I wanted them to just sit there lookin’ purty in my bathroom BUT, I did use them and LOVED them! Omg, the smells were fabulous and made me feel so good!  Oh, and the have shea butter, ooo la la..so soft:)

2) For an eco-friendly alternative (because I know there are a ton of you out there), try these beautiful hand-carved soaps with lovely horse designs on them from Carved Solutions. You can actually get them personalized to whatever you want! HOW COOL IS THAT!  They also have candles so be sure to check them out!

3) How about a cool Tatt for your teen or fella or even for the ladies. It could be of a horse, your logo, MY logo, or whatever!  UberTatts are made of quality. They apply quickly and remove easily.  The horse on this ride, gives horsepower a whole new meaning!

4) Western whimsical gift idea from CCC Gifts up next.  I LOVE the boots on this hand painted cowboy canvas.  It’s fun, creative, and would make for a beautiful addition to any western home wall.  I adore anything handcrafted.

5) Add a little charm to your arm!  Can’t go this season without these beautiful sterling silver western charms.  I have a charm bracelet with all sorts of western charms and it’s something that I think every cowgirl at heart should have.  They have a gazillion other charms there too. Check it out!

6) Boot Scootin’ in these babies will make the other cowgirls jealous!  Aren’t they purty? Black with white details..oh yeah! Kinda Harleyish that are sure to have them cowboys crushing on you.:)  And how ’bout the boots for the fellas?  ROWR! Cherry hot fo sho.  Durango’s got some hot styles I’d say, including the fabulous Flirt boots!  I own a pair and LOVE them and they have a style for every gal.

7) We love to have books on our tables, books that my husband and brother-in-law are in and history books like this ‘Historic Photos of Texas Lawmen‘.  LOVE seeing real photos of the folks way back when don’t you?  It makes for a great conversation piece and a fun bit of education for the younger generation.  A big ol’ thumbs for this book!

8) Ride ‘em Cowboy! I LOVE this line from Olive Kids. My little cowpoke has a few items from them and the next one of the list is the floor pillow.  I love that you can personalize their items.  Kids love that stuff!  Truett loves his plate and placemat which I also highly recommend.

9) Any of the tees, iphone covers, and koozies would be a great gift from Southern Brand.  I really like their style and couldn’t just choose one thing.  Great stuff there!

10) Ariat, who doesn’t love them. When I worked at Dandy’s, I sold more Ariat than any other boot.  I also enjoyed seeing more and more of their other products like their belts and shirts.  The make high quality stuff and are a name you can trust.  My son wears the horsehair belt, my cowpoke wears those cute red Kid’s Legend boots and I’m dying to have that women’s Rosie shirt…in that color.  I truly enjoy all they have. Great brand.

Anyways, Sony wants to hear words that move you. Literary words that make you think, feel, and question.  You can register and add your own literary moments from books that you’ve read.  You can see a few words that move me in the box below.  One of my favorites is from the book, 8 Second with Lane Frost, a bullrider who gets killed by a bull during a ride.  His very good friend Tuff (also a championship bullrider), said the words, “We’re a tradition, last of the dying breed.”  I relate that with the cowboy life.  There’s tradition in the cowboy way of life. I hope it never ends…..

You can interact with my widget. You can comment, add to your favorites, “heart it”, and even click on one of the adjectives to see related literary moments.   And of course, I’d love to hear YOUR literary moments.   I know that many of you guys are readers/writers and thanks to Sony, I have a surprise for you!

One winner will receive a SONY Reader Pocket Edition valued at $199.  What a great way to spend your time on those long flights or during lunch breaks, or maybe spend a few minutes reading before bedtime.  I’ll be using mine on the plane. I rarely get the time to read and who wants to carry a ton of books around…not me! This Sony Reader will inspire me to have many more memorable literary moments now and I hope it does the same for you. If you don’t win, I hope that you consider it as a gift to someone or even to yourself.

HOW TO ENTER

Required entry: Leave a comment sharing your favorite book, either as a child or as an adult and why it’s your favorite. What made it memorable for you?

You may enter daily as long as it’s a different book and story you are sharing.  I will verify the winner;)

Additional entries, leaving each one in a separate comment please.

• Share the giveaway on a social networking site like facebook, twitter, or your favorite forum. Leave a comment letting me know where.
• Subscribe to my blog via reader or email.
• Tell me about one of my blog posts that made you feel something, whether the emotion be funny, sad, angry, or happy.

Giveaway ends on December 7th at about 10pm CST.  Read the giveaway rules for more clarification on how my giveaways work here.

Disclosure: Through this giveaway campaign with SONY , I have benefited by receiving a SONY Reader Pocket Edition valued at $199.99.  As always, this does not reflect my opinions in any way.

I chose to give the Tag Reading Systems to my boy’s school library, Highland ISD, and to my local hometown library, County-City Library of Nolan County.  When I called up Becky, the librarian, she was more than excited to receive these and was already spinning ideas around on how they would implement the systems into their library.

In order for my local library to get the entire book collection, I had to make a video with the librarian!  Becky, while a little shy, was more than happy to do this in order for the kids to get the entire book system!  And me?? Well, you know I don’t like to see myself like that but totally worth it for the kiddos!

LeapFrog’s goal with this program is to encourage reading and make it more fun so that the children want to learn.  I was able to handout the Tag and the Tag Junior Reading Systems and I know that your children will love them. Little man LOVES his!

Thank you Becky for letting me and LeapFrog into your library and the local community!  And thank you to LeapFrog for bringing such an awesome reading system to our kiddos!

Enjoy the video!

Do you have pieces like that?  Pieces of decor that tell a story?  I’m sure we all have something and I would love to hear a story about one of your decor pieces.

It’s a flat out fact that reading makes your kids smarter. It increased their vocabulary and creativity at the same time. To encourage your child to read, Scholastic is giving one winner 4 books tailored for their child. A great value and a great thing you can do for your kid by encouraging a little summer reading in-between school sessions;)

Right now, you child can enroll in the Summer Reading program and log the books they’ve read.  I think there are around 70,000 books logged from children reading everywhere!!!  YAY for them!  For every 4 books your child reads and logs, Scholastic will donate a book to the Room to Read program which donates books and sets up libraries in developing countries.  AWESOME!  What a great incentive….your kids will learn that by reading and logging their books, they are helping those in need.