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!
As well as all my digital books, I’d probably be carrying either Red Hood’s Revenge by Jim Hines or Midnight Blue-Light Special by Seanan McGuire. (Or both, they’re small.)
Two words: 1984, Orwell. Actually that’s more than two words… Technically much more than two words, which is preferable for a book.
Happy anniversary!!
Happy 9th!!
I would use mine to tote around my current read, Three Nights of Sin by Anne Mallory.
Happy Anniversary! I definitely need a bag I can fit my kindle in, and Jill Mansell has a new book I can’t wait to get my hands on – so that would be my first choice!
My bag would be a lovely resting place for my Kindle, which is currently loaded up with three Rainbow Rowell books and the newest Courtney Milan Duchess book.
I’d put Rainbow Rowell’s “Eleanor and Park” in there. I just ordered it and I can’t wait to read it! (I just about devoured Rowell’s “Fangirl” and “Attachments” over the holidays!)
Happy anniversary! I’ve been crying over your Twitter posts re: the K9 officer, so I’d need to carry something fun and snarky. Probably ‘The Redhead Plays Her Hand.’
The bag is perfect for the kindle.
Happy 9 years from a mostly wallflower fan.
Happy Anniversary and thank you for 9 awesome years of reviews, recommendations, rants, contests and podcasts! SBTB has meant my book budget is always approaching dire amounts but oh, the fun had along the way!
I’d have to slip my Kindle into the new bag—next book I’m reading is Tessa Dare’s Romancing the Duke!
Happy anniversary!
Gosh, I would probably load up my kindle with all kinds of new books. I’m still working on getting all of Jill Shalvis’ backlist, so that might take up a chunk of the money. 🙂
Happy happy happy anniversary! I would put my newly acquired copy of Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch in one of these kick ass bags. Hey . . . and because I have the room I’d probably also put copies of The Little Friend and The Secret History because Donna Tartt is amazing.
Ahhh! I’d put my Kindle in that Sherpani Willow bag, I think! They are all so cute though! I’m currently reading Goldfinch on the Kindle and while it was slow, it finally has me hooked.
Happy Birthday!
I would put my kindle in the bag since the book series I re-read the most is Neal Stephenson’s Baroque cycle. 3000 pages and like… 20 pounds – what E-readers were created for.
Happy anniversary, SBTB! I’ve had a wonderful time reading all the delicious snark and meta about one of my favorite genres.
The book I would put in one of these pretty, pretty bags: the anthology my husband got me for christmas: Dangerous Women, edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois. It’s great so far, and I have plenty of book still to go. 🙂
thanks so much for bringing us joy and conversation each day—and BOOKS!
Personally, I’m thinking the Sherpani would match a set of Elizabeth Lowell’s modern cowboy books. Have you read “Dangerous Refuge” yet?
Of course I would put Everything I know about Love I learned from Romance Novels <3 :)
Happy Birthday, SBTB!!
I’d put my kindle in my willow bag. So excited to read The Countess Conspiracy, up next for me.
Happy anniversary!
Hmmm if I had one of these bags I’d definitely have my kindle loaded with all my favorites. I’d probably also have a copy of The Dark Highlander or Spell of the Highlander by Karen Marie Moning
Happy anniversary! Tessa Dare’s latest would be going in my bag, but it wouldn’t stay there for long, because I really, really, really want to be reading it. (Weekend, I’m looking forward to you!)
Happy Anniversary! I would load up one of the Willow’s with my iPad, ear buds, Kindle Paperwhite, appropriate chargers and cables. Whatever my mood, I could choose to listen to an audio book, access my BN, Kindle, Kobo, Calibre libraries, and Overdrive checkouts. And of course, could quickly buy any temptations mentioned on SBTB. I love ebooks. All those Connie Willis and Lois Bujold McMasters that you turned me on to, would be just to much to carry. If the bag gets here quickly, I’ll be reading JAK’s latest.
Happy 9th!
I would put my brand new Kindle Paperwhite (just received it yesterday, as my beloved Kindle keyboard sadly expired after a long and useful life) in the bag. It would be the perfect bag to take on vacation next month … my hubby and I are finally getting away for a few days sans kids!!
Happy Anniversary!!!!!!!!
I’m with Susan Renee—having a Kindle means I don’t have to choose just one book, right? One book on my TBR list that I would especially want on my Kindle is Dangerous Women. 200 pages of George R.R. Martin alone!
I would put my precious print copy of the new Tessa Dare in a snazzy black Willow bag. I had to go to three Targets before I found one that wasn’t sold out!
Happy Anniversary!
And my book of choice – I’d be bringing my Laura Kinsale with me – as many as can fit, natch!
Happy anniversary, Bitches! And thanks for another great give away. I would definitely carry Moe, my Kobo (my Nook, Larry, finally bit it a couple of months ago and I’m SUPER happy with my new Kobo). It looks like those lovely Willows could also carry some actual books, which is good because i have a bit of a print backlog. I think I’d start by carrying Suzanne Brockmann’s The Unsung Hero. 🙂
Happy anniversary! Smart Bitches has become a fun part of everyday for me and I’m so grateful for the laughs and love.
I would put my Kobo mini (such a great, portable ereader!) in a new bag. I have Maisey Yates’ Silver Creek series cued up to read next!
Right now, the book I’m wanting to get my hands on and read is “Ascension” by Jacqueline Koyanagi http://www.amazon.com/dp/1607014017/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=27LW3H5H8PH75&coliid=I45QQVD5FB8JA
Queer LGBT sf with a heaping helping of romance and neuro-atypicality.
Those bags are to die for, though. I might be wishlisting the Sherpani or Kipling ones. They look like they’d hold my knitting, too.
Happy Anniversary!
I’d put in the next JD Robb – Concealed in Death, if I could put only one book in the bag.
I’d be juggling many more in my arms, including Night Broken by Patricia Briggs, Why Kings Confess by C. S. Harris. So many good books due out in the next few weeks.
Happy Anniversary! And thanks for nine years of spreading the happiness around to all of us!
I’d be carrying the rest of Meljean Brooks’ Iron Skies series, one of the many awesome recommended titles I’ve found here. Looking forward to sharing more fabulous books with y’all!
Happy anniversary! I’d put Eleanor and Park in it, because it was such a sweet and beautiful book, and I want to carry it everywhere.
ACK. I mistyped my last comment. I meant Queer POC SF with romance and neuro-atypical characters.
In case anyone’s scrolling down for book recs (like I do in these threads!) and wonders wtf I was thinking with the redundant Queer LGBT thing. 😛
I will put Winter’s Tale by Mark Helprin and the closest Dresden I can grab from my shelf
Happy anniversary! You all bring so much laughter and snark to your adoring fans that I’m sure good karma shall follow you the rest of your days. (I hope it translates into parking karma on your next mall trip!)
I would have to pick an Anne Bishop book for my bag… I’m tearing through the Black Jewels series at a book per day. So whichever one is up next would go in.
Happy anniversary, and also happy year of the Horse! Due to a disability in the house, all the new books that come in are in audio format, because that way both of us can enjoy them. I still have a few books left from before the changeover, and I’ve been meaning to reread the Canon for a while (that’s the whole Sherlock Holmes oeuvre). So I’d put that in the bag, along with my iPod with the entire Dresden Files series. Because James Marsters. JAMES MARSTERS.
Well, if I put in the Nook, I don’t have to choose, right? Because all my favorites, such as Laurie King’s Mary Russell series, my Noras, my Heyers, would all be right there. If we are talking books without batteries, it would be the lastest Odd Thomas from Dean Koontz because I love them and have them all in hardback and try to take good care of them.
Happy anniversary.
Oh heavens, two of my favorite things ever! Bags and Books. I would pick a Marian Keyes book because I love them and Marian shares my love of a good handbag!! 😀
I’d put Temple Grandin’s Animals in translation and Tschingis Aitmatows’s book about the famous pace horse Gülsary in my brand new bag.
I’d put Suddenly You by Sarah Mayberry in my bag.
Anniversaries are magical, and Smart Bitches is what would happen if Disney and Grimms Fairy Tales had a baby together. So! Because you all are made of majestic goodness, in my fictional winning bag (because let’s face it, if this chick won it would break the law of the cosmos), I say said bag would be magic itself. Willow (much like the character) would spontaneously morph into a supernatural portal out of which I could manifest any novel I damned well wanted. *Insert crazed maniacal I’m-taking-over-the-world-bitches laughter here!*
Happy Anniversary!
I have a kindle but I’d load it with Jayne Ann Krentz novels I don’t currently have.
Thank you for the giveaways!