Today is the 9th Anniversary of Smart Bitches! We were founded 31 January 2005, and what a long, funky nine years it's been!
Thank you for being here to talk about romance and all the other things we love and enjoy and don our ragepants about. I'm so glad you're here.
To celebrate, I usually do a silly giveaway that's tied to the traditional or modern gifts for that year's anniversary. Last year, the traditional gift included linen and lace, so I gave away fichus. (Bitches love fichus).
This year? OH, THE TRICKERYNESS. Because sometimes, the traditional and modern anniversary gifts are completely difficult, like this year: pottery and china! Or willow!
Or LEATHER GOODS.
I have some leather goods for you right here:
No, I'm not giving away a leather-clad Fabio. I wouldn't know where to find him.
I could go with , or some shoes. A leather trench coast would be interesting, but if you had to hunt vampires or werewolves, it might endanger your life with all that creaking and noisy swooshing that leather makes, so that wouldn't work.
Or, I could get everyone some pot, but that's only legal in two states.
Hmmm.
But soft! What gift idea from yonder browser window breaks? There are a bunch of different and very cute bags named “Willow.”
AW YEAH.
For our 9th anniversary, I'm giving away bags. Willow bags – bags named “willow” – each perfect for carrying one's books and reading essentials. And each one comes with a $50 gift card to the bookstore of your choice.
Meet your Willows!
This is the Kipling Willow, a canvas bag, the right size for the essentials. It has a zipper closure, and is 7″ (17.8cm) high by 13″ (33cm) wide. It also has a set of double top handles with 7″ drop, plus an adjustable detachable long strap with 26″ drop.
Another Willow! This is the Sherpani Willow bag:
It's a little funky, a little different, but still a good size for a book and your essentials — and reviewers online say the front pocket is perfect for a Kindle. It's 10″ by 10″ (25cm x 25cm), with an adjusaible crossbody strap.
But wait! There's one more Willow! This one satisfies the leather AND the willow gifts:
This is the McKlein Leather Briefcase. It's 16.5″ x 11.5″ (41.9cm x 29.2cm), with a compartment for a small latop up to 15.4” in screen size.
Want to try to win a willow and a $50 bookstore gift card? Easy! Just leave a comment as to what book you'd put in your bag, either in paper or digital format. I'll select three winners at random. One comment enters you to win one of the three bags and gift cards.
Entries will close on Tuesday 4 February 2014 at noon eastern. I'll announce the winners shortly afterward. Standard disclaimers apply. Void where prohibited. Open to international residents where permitted by applicable law. Must be over 18 and ready to read and rock a righteous bag to enter. By submitting an entry to the contest as set forth herein, each entrant does acknowledge and agree that, in the event such entrant is victorious, such entrant will perform a ceremony reasonably appropriate to such circumstance, including, without limitation, the Miposian Dance of Joy or, in the alternative, Gangnam Style.
Thank you for making 9 years of Smart Bitches so much fun. Happy anniversary!
I’d be carrying around whichever Cat & Bone book I was currently re-reading in preparation for reading the last book in the series.
Happy 9th Anniversary!
I would carry Wicked After Midnight by Delilah S. Dawson.
Happy Anniversary to my go-to book review website! I, too, have a Kindle with over 1,000 books on it, so it’s hard to choose, but when Anne Calhoun’s “Jaded” releases, it’s moving to the top of the list.
I don’t remember not when I started reading sbtb or why but it’s a part of my day. I would carry fangirl by Rainbow Rowell until the new one comes out.
Happy Anniversary! I would put my e-reader loaded with Emma’s Arabian Nights series by Ann Mayburn.
Happy Happy! I’ve been visiting the Bitchery for seven of your nine years, and it’s always worth the trip:)
My bag would contain my Kindle, chock full o’sweet, sweet reading, and my original copy of Meredith Duran’s The Duke of Shadows.
Happy Anniversary! I have a Sherpani willow in a different pattern and it’s a great bag. The back pocket is perfect for my kindle. The book I would put in there is Murder in Thrall by Anne Cleeland. I heard about it here and have checked it out at the library TWICE. It has a favorite trope of mine, love obsessed. I don’t know why I love that trope so, because if that actually happened to me, I would FTFO. Who can explain our quiet desires? Certainly not I.
Happy Anniversary! Gorgeous bags, just the right size for my iPad and/or kindle. I am anxiously awaiting the release of the newest JD Robb, Concealed in Death.
Happy Anniversary, dear Smart Bitches, and thank you for all the wonderful blog posts along the way!
If I were carrying my Willow bag on a three day spring break trip to the tropics, I’d take my Nook loaded with two books upcoming in March that I’m excited about: Julie Anne Long’s “Between the Devil and Ian Eversea” (March 25) and C.S. Harris’ “Why Kings Confess” (March 4).
If I were bound for a desert island with no hope of rescue, I’d take my dear, battered copy of Georgette Heyer’s “The Masqueraders” because it’s my first, my favorite, my forever, and I really couldn’t do without it.
Happy Anniversary! Like so many others I love this blog!
I’d put Patricia Briggs’ upcoming book “Night Broken” in the bag because I want it now!
If I had to choose just one book, it would be Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen.
Happy Anniversary! Cake and champagne all around!
Thanks for a great giveaway. I’d put my Kindle filled with books, including Tessa Dare’s Romancing the Duke, in my Willow.
Happy Anniversary!
Kindle loaded with The Duchess War by Courtney Milan!
Happy Anniversary, Smart Bitches! I have Wolf Hall and The Jinni and the Golem ion my Kindle, just waiting for the right opportunity to be read. A classy new bag might be just the reason to crack those bad boys open.
I would put Dance of Dragons in the bag and would not take it out until I finished – no matter how heavy it got. It’s the only way I’ll ever read it. I’m stalling because I suspect the wait until the next book will be quite long.
Happy anniversary! I’d put in my iPad, all loaded up with a bunch of library books, including Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series. I’m also two books behind in Ilona Andrew’s Kate Daniels series, which needs to be rectified, obviously!
Nine years of fabulousness, brought to us by the color hot pink. Thank you, SB Sarah, for everything. We’re smarter for having hung around here.
The book in the bag? Probably Barbara Michaels’ The Master of Blacktower because the digital prices are starting to come down and it’s time for a reread.
Happy 9th!
It’s SO difficult to choose just one, but… Romancing Mr. Bridgerton by Julia Quinn would be my choice!
Happy Anniversery!
I have my iPad with my kindle app so that I always have access to books
Kate Noble’s “Revealed”
Happy birthday, SmartBitches!!!!
EIKAL and Beyond Heaving Bosoms – what other books would be worthy of living in the SBTB bag, after all? 🙂
Happy Anniversary! I love your weekly deal/recommendation alerts. In my Willow bag I would absolutely put a copy of Sara MacLean’s 9 Rules as it’s on of my very favorite books of all time. I would also put a copy of Julie Garwood’s For the Roses as it’s the book that started it all for me. Thanks for the give aways to celebrate your special day!
I’m doing the Gangnam Style dance right now (well, my lower half is—obviously I’m also typing because I’m very coordinated like that) in celebration of nine Bitchy years. Love, love, love this blog. My willow bag would carry Kinnith (my darling Kindle) along with the other ten pounds of crap I think is essential to have on me at all times. Kinnith has a good bit of my TBR pile already and of course the requisite re-reads for an emotional emergency. Because sometimes you just need Julia Quinn to make everything better.
I have a stack of TBR but I’m jonesing to start River Road by Jayne Ann Krentz. I have to get a school project done for my kiddo first then it’s all mine!
Happy Anniversary!This is such a happy spot for me. Thank you a million times for all the laughs and for being so smart about books and people.
Cheers! To the Bitchery long may she rule!
Happy Anniversary! I love this page, especially the snarky reviews.
I would have to put my Nook loaded with Nora books, the Sharing Knife books by Bujold, and many more in the bag. And maybe my paper copy of Beyond Heaving Bosoms. 😉
Happy birthday SB!! Time for a birthday spanking!
I would keep my loaded tablet with a micro SD card holding my entire ebook collection, so that I can carry my library everywhere! But queued up would be the newest Tiffany Reisz book (Feb 11- yay!).
Like a lot of other people here, I’d bring my Kindle that has ALL my books on it. But if I had to pick just one book, it’d be “Bet Me” by Jennifer Crusie.
Happy anniversary! I love this site. I would put my kindle in the bag, loaded with Nalini Singh’s Psy-changeling series.
Happy Anniversary!
I’d dump my Kindle in there with a big file of Jane Austen. Because it’s been a while since I read through her books, and I think it should be a yearly goal.
Happy birthday, SB, and thanks for the amazing giveaway!
What book goes in a “Willow” bag? How about THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS, of course! Charming, lyrical, thrilling, poignant, and hilarious; the episodic structure makes it perfect for reading a chapter (to yourself or out loud to entertain a child) in line at the bank, or at the doctor’s office, or just about anywhere.
Kindle…. ‘cuz books are like potato chips and M&Ms; ~ can’t have just one 😉
What gorgeous bags!! I would put my phone in my bag, which carries all the books that I read. I would also carry whatever the most recent book is I’m reading (Monsoon Diary right now) and whatever books my two kids were reading.
Happy Anniversary!!!
My RITA books would go in there! I need to be carrying them around right now!
After that? I do believe Shalvis has a new release coming up!
Thanks so much for this giveaway. Those handbags are AWESOME.
What book would I put in the bag? I’d put in Hard As It Gets by Laura Kaye and cart it around hoping to pick up Hard As You Can early and get them both signed. She’s my newest author crush.
I love purses that are big enough for my iPad mini, so that I can carry my entire digital collection of books around. But near the top of my favorites list has to be Pride & Prejudice. It’s in my digital collection, but before that it could often be found in whatever purse I was carrying.
Happy Anniversary!!! xoxoxoxo
I would put in Lord of Scoundrels, Mister Impossible, Welcome to Temptation, Outlander, and Mr. Perfect so I had all my bases covered
Happy Anniversary!! I have been in a “relationship” with Smart Bitches for as long as I’ve been with my husband. Best years eva.
Do you think all the Lisa Kleypas Wallflower books would fit into 1 bag? hmmm…I think I need to at least try!
Happy Anniversary! Thank you for the years of making me laugh, and community of people who “get it”.
I would put my Kindle in my bag, because I’m very much a mood reader, and you never know what I’m going to be in the mood for.
Thanks for the contest! Here’s to many more years of Bitches.
Happy anniversary, and thanks for all the fun! I would be one of those people who carries both a kindle and a paper book—in this case, my copy of Gary Kinder’s Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea, which I’ve had on my TBR pile for way too long.
Also, in the event that I win, I would happily do the Pylean Dance of Joy, but I’m afraid I don’t know the Miposian Dance of Joy.