In case there's anyone out there who doubts the power of book bloggers to sell books, I offer you the following:

EXHIBIT A: Books I recently purchased from Costco

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

EXHIBIT B: Books I recently purchased from Amazon

Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omololu

This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer

The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

All of these books have been so talked up on book blogs that I couldn't wait for my turn at the library - I had to buy them. Yes, had to. While I'm busily making my way through these shiny beauties, let's talk about a couple other things ...

You only have a few more days to enter the giveaway for My Ridiculous, Romantic Obsessions by Becca Wilhite. This is a light, clean, fun romance that really is a delightful read. You know you want it, so enter already. Deadline is midnight on March 20.

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I still haven't heard back from Jenii, who won a copy of Taken By Storm by Angela Morrison. Since I've been out of commission lately, I'm going to give her until Monday to contact me. If I haven't heard from her by then, I'll select another winner.

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The lovely Jillian over at Random Ramblings gave me The Stylish Blogger Award and the Beautiful Blogger Award. Thanks so much! I'm supposed to pass it on to 15 other bloggers. Recently, I discovered Crazy for Books and Jennifer's Book Blogger Hop. I think this is a fabulous idea. I already subscribe to 200+ book blogs on my reader, so it's not like I need to discover anymore, but still ... it's kind of an addiction, you know? Anyway, I'm going to pass the award on to Jennifer and 14 other blogs that I've found through the Hop:

1. Jennifer @ Crazy for Books - for spreading the book bloggy love

2. Robby @ Once Upon A Book Blog - a 14-year-old boy who reviews books in a very intelligent, well-written manner. Need I say more?

3. Laura Fabiani @ Library of Clean Reads - because I always get excited when I find blogs dedicated to clean reads.

4. Christie @ The Fiction Enthusiast - a "kinda crunchy" SAHM reviews YA paranormal books. Pretty blog design, succinct reviews (something I'm always failing at), and fun personality.

5. Libby's Library - fun blog layout and I love how her reviews are short, sweet and look like poetry. Plus, she adores Adriana Trigiani - a girl after my own heart.

6. Bethany @ Words, Words, Words - nice, well-written reviews

7. Tweezle @ Just One More Paragraph - enjoyable reviews and she hates housecleaning as much as I do!

8. Jessica @ Forever Young: A YA Lit Blog - a high school English teacher who reviews YA books. If only all h.s. teachers were so cool!

9. Angela @ Reading Angel - I love the whimsical layout of her blog. Plus, I love finding other SAHMs that read and blog. So fun!

10. The Little Reader - I love how she reads books that are a little different from the norm - most of her newer picks are ones I haven't seen reviewed a million times already.

11. Mrs. B @ The Literary Stew - love the title of this blog and her reviews of classicish books

12. Juju @ Tales of Whimsy - I love the way she sets up her reviews. Also all the recipes. Yum.

13. Jeannie @ Pine Cottage Books - because doesn't "Pine Cottage" just conjure up an image of cozy reading in front of a roaring fire? Plus, this Miss Marple wannabe grandma is funny and writes such enjoyable reviews.

14. Jonita @ The Book Chick - her reviews remind me of mine, which is to say thorough :) [Argh! I've got the wrong URL on this one - anyone know the correct one?]

15. Amanda @ Desert Book Chick - Read Amanda's "About" section and you'll find that she's absolutely fascinating. I love reading what this Australian adventurer has to say!

Phew! That's a lot of book bloggers. And there are so many more out there. Your Google reader will hate you, but you should really join in the Book Blogger Hop and check out all the great book blogs out there.

You're supposed to pass on the award to 15 others. I know some people hate passing them on, so I'll understand if you don't, but it's always nice to spread the bloggy love around.

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I just received an email letting me know that my blog is being included in Rachelle Rogers Knight's Read, Remember, Recommend. It's listed in the Resources section under "Lighter Book-Related Blogs." Cool, huh? According to the publisher (Sourcebooks):

Read, Remember, Recommend brings exceptional works of fiction to the attention of readers while inciting their overall enjoyment by exploring thoughts, feelings and emotions through the course of reading. The journal features dozens of cross-referenced lists of literary awards and notable picks and offers more than 2,500 suggestions to help readers discover great literature and new authors. Users can record books read, jot down thoughts and ideas, and keep track of recommendations, books borrowed and loaned, and book club history.

I'm thrilled to be included. Can't wait to get my copy of the book!

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Angela Morrison. You may have heard that her publisher did not pick up Unbroken Connection, the sequel to Taken By Storm. If you (like me) are a little miffed about this, consider posting about it on your blog or joining the Facebook support page.

Also, Angela wanted me to let you know that "Beth's Song" (from Sing Me to Sleep) is now available on iTunes - find it here. You can also check out the book's Epilogue (which was cut in the final printing) on Angela's website.

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And just for fun, a bookish meme taken from Jillian's blog, Random Ramblings:

1. Book next to your bed right now: I don't usually keep a book on my nightstand. If I'm going to read in bed, I just bring up whatever book I'm reading.

2. Favorite series: I love, love, love series', so I'm just going to list the first 5 that come to mind: Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling; Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani; Temperance Brennan books by Kathy Reichs; The Last Survivors by Susan Beth Pfeffer; Virgin River by Robyn Carr

3. Favorite book: Again, I couldn't possibly choose just one. If you held a gun to my head and made me pick one, it would probably be Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Or Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. Or The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. Or ...

4. The one book you would have with you if stranded on a desert island: Well, the handiest would be "How to Survive on a Desert Island" or, perhaps, Swiss Family Robinson.

5. Book/series you would take with you on a long flight: Hmmm ... some nice, fat family saga.

6. Worst book you were made to read in school: Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. I can't stand that book.

7. Book that everyone should be made to read in school: I agree with Jillian on this one - The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak.

8. Book that everyone should read, period: The Bible; The Book of Mormon; The Lord of the Rings; Jane Eyre

9. Favorite character: Of all time? Anne Shirley, hands down.

10. Best villain: I've been wracking my brain on this one, but I can't think of one. Still wracking ...

11. Favorite concept book/series: Right now I'm really fascinated by post-apocalyptic/dystopian worlds like those in the Gone series by Michael Grant and The Last Survivors series by Susan Beth Pfeffer. My favorite concept, though? Hmmm ... I'm thinking the Inkheart books. Haven't all of us fantasized about stepping into our favorite storybook worlds?

12. Favorite invented world: Since I would NEVER want to step into worlds like those created by Grant and Pfeffer, I'm going to go with Virgin River, the setting for a series of books by Robyn Carr. It's a quaint little town in California populated by good, hardworking folks. Mountains, rivers, Preacher's home cookin' at Jack's Bar, and some eye candy to ogle - what's not to love?

13. Most beautifully written book: Tough question. Let me think on it ...

14. Funniest book/series: Anne of Green Gables is hilarious in a funny, old-fashioned kind of way.

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Whew! I think that's it. I'm going to dive back into Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omololu. And yes, I am going to be shunning housework to read about a teenage girl who has to deal with the humiliation of her mother's excessive hoarding. Oh, the irony!

Welcome to the world of Virginia Shreves, the 15-year-old narrator of The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler. In a family of beautiful overachievers who are dedicated to looking like beautiful overachievers, Virginia's a bit of a misfit. She's not super skinny like her older sister; she's not popular like her older brother; she's not a golf-toting club member like her father and she's certainly nothing like her gym-rat-child-psychologist mother. She's smart enough, sure, but she's also boyfriendless and lonely now that her only friend's been whisked off to Oregon by her vagabond parents. With no social life to speak of, she's been spending her time surfing the Web and downing Doritos, neither of which help with her biggest problem - her weight. Viriginia's not grossly obese, but she's chubby enough to get picked last for any kind of team in P.E. She's "heavy" enough that her calorie-conscious mother has to remind her about it every single day. Virginia's getting the message loud and clear: she is the fleshy blight on what is otherwise a perfect family.