A Winter's Respite Read-A-Thon - Giveaway

For those of you participating in A Winter's Respite Read-a-thon, here's a chance for you to add back to your TBR pile just as you thought you were whittling it down!

I'm a lover of new words (imagine how excited I was to pick up my slim copy of Graham Greene's The End of the Affair and find that it had more new-to-me words than most books twice a long!). So here's what I want from you: leave me a comment by the end of the read-a-thon on Sunday with at least two new-to-you words and their definitions. My brain will get a chance to work and you'll get a chance to win a new book. The winner will be drawn on Monday, January 30th and will have a choice of books. U.S. residents only (sorry!). Winner will be selected by random.org.

There are 3 books to choose from: One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson, Me Before You by JoJo Moyes, or Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. In your comment, please let me know which book you'd like if you are picked as the winner.

Coming Soon To A Bookstore Near You! And A Giveaway!

In April I read and reviewed Peter Geye's debut novel Safe From The Sea (my review here). At that time I said:

"I thought perhaps if I waited some time after finishing this book to write this review, I could be more objective. I thought wrong. Weeks after finishing this book, the first word that pops into my mind to describe this book is "brilliant.""

Five months later, I still stand by that assessment. So I'm happy to be able to tell you that if you haven't already read it, on September 6th Unbridled Books will be releasing Safe From The Sea in trade paperback. And if you haven't already read it, run, do not walk, to your local bookstore.  Because this is what happened to me when I read this book:

"I rarely cry when reading a book; I can't remember the last book that brought me to tears. This one did...twice. That despite my knowing well before the book was done what was going to happen."

To celebrate the book's paperback release, Unbridled is letting me giveaway a hardcover copy of the book to one lucky reader. To enter, just leave a comment with a way to contact you. Winner will be drawn on September 6th; U.S. residents only.

Jane Eyre Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations to Michelle, winner of the Jane Eyre prize pack! Thanks to everyone who entered!

And The Winner Is...

Sandy Jay is the winner of a copy of Anna Quindlen's "Every Last One!' I'll be contacting you, Sandy for mailing information and the publisher will be sending the book your way.  Hope you enjoy it!

Jane Eyre Giveaway

 

You may have heard me mention (once or twice, at least) that Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre is one of my all-time favorite books.  So you can imagine how excited I am about the new adaptation of the book that's now in theaters, starring Mia Wasikowska (she of Alice in Wonderland) and Michael Fassbender (he of Inglorious Basterds) as Jane and  Edward Rochester.  Focus Features is sponsoring a giveaway to promote the film and I'm delighted to be able to offer one of my readers the opportunity to win the following:

* Soundtrack sampler

* Bookmark

* Journal

* Pencil
* Copy of the book (the movie tie-in edition)

How about twittering with Charlotte Bronte?  Check out this Twitter Lib to make your own version of some of Charlotte's famous quotes:



There was a video in this post when I put it together; no idea what happened to it.  To see a preview of the movie, click on this link.
I'm joining my sister this weekend to support my niece who's prom royalty.  I think the price for driving her across town and back will be that she's going to have to go the this movie with me!

UPDATE: My sister is off the hook--my entire book club is excited to go see this movie so I'm going to line up a girls night out. 

Giveaway: Boxed Set of Blackboard Books

If you're a school marm, like my mom who often sends me corrections when I forget to run spell check or end a sentence with a dangling participle, you've been salivating over the Blackboard Books ever since they first came out.  Even if you're not an English grammarian, especially if you're not, you're sure to find them an invaluable asset.  Now's your chance to win a boxed set of the books that includes the first three books in the series:


i before e (except after c):
old-school ways to remember stuff In this clever-and often hilarious-collection, you'll find engaging mnemonics, arranged in easy to find categories that include geography, time and the calendar, numbers, and astronomy. Perfect for students of all ages!

My Grammar and I...Or Should That Be Me?: How to Speak and Write It Right
Avoid grammatical minefields with this entertaining refresher course for anyone who has ever been stumped by spelling confusion, dangling modifiers, split infinitives, or for those who have no idea what these things even are.

I Used to Know That: Stuff You Forgot from School 
Take a trip down memory lane with this light-hearted and informative reminder of the many things we learned in school that have been forgotten over time, from Shakespeare and diphthongs to quotients, phalanges, and protons. After all, as Stantayana reminds us, "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

I've got one set to giveaway to a U.S. resident only.  To enter, just leave a comment with a way for me to contact you.  I'll announce the winner on December 19th.

CSN Stores Giveaway

Be sure to head over to my Gilmore Girls Challenge page and enter to win a gift certificate to CSN stores.  I'll be drawing the winner of an $80 gift certificate on Sunday--how's that for a treat for Halloween?

Sunday Salon - October 17th

Happy Sunday!  What a beautiful day it is here.  I've got the windows all thrown open, bedding airing out and I'm craving fried apples.  I think a trip to the apple orchard is in order this week.  I've hit a point in my reading where I'm all caught up on what needs to be read and I'm looking forward to being able this week to kind of pick a book by the eeny-meeny-miney-mo method.

The winner of a copy of The Man Who Loved Books Too Much is Sarah of Sarah Says. Congratulations, Sarah!

Oops! I almost forgot--I promised a second copy of the book!  The winner of that copy is Jess of Tangled Up In Blue.  Congrats, Jess!

Celebrating 200 Followers With A Giveaway!

In celebration of the paperback release October 5th of Allison Hoover Bartlett's "The Man Who Loved Book Too Much," Riverhead Books has generously offered to give one of my readers a copy of the book. Since I just noticed that I've hit 200 followers, let's throw in a second copy of the book, shall we?  Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.  Please leave a comment with a way to contact you.  I'll announce the winners this Sunday in my Sunday Salon post.

The Crying Tree--A Giveaway

Many of you expressed on interest in this book and now you're in luck!  The publicist for Naseem Rakha's "The Crying Tree" has generously offered to give a copy of the book to one of my lucky readers.  This is one you won't want to miss--and don't just take my word for it.

"Oregon author and winner of the 2010 Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award, Naseem Rakha's best-selling debut novel, The Crying Tree, has just been chosen as the only American title of eight “page turners” featured by the Richard and Judy Book Club based in London. Just returning from hiatus, the Richard and Judy Book Club is back as the biggest book club in the UK and perhaps the most influential force in British publishing. It is the equivalent to Oprah's book club here in the U.S.

Streaming interviews with Rakha will be featured in a dedicated area of the Richard and Judy Show website (www.richardandjudy.co.uk), along with reviews and reader feedback. The Crying Tree has been given a new cover especially for this occasion, sharing the spotlight with a pool of bestselling international authors, and one other debut novelist."

To enter the drawing for this giveaway, just leave a comment with a way to contact you.  I'll post the winner next Friday, September 10th.

Winner of A Signed Copy of The Threadbare Heart

Congratulations to Lori, the winner of a signed copy of The Threadbare Heart by Jennie Nash! Of course you all know how much I love The Gilmore Girls so Lori caught my interest with that and I love how she compared her own situation to the fictional family to show why she likes them so much.

"This was really tough. I wanted to say Vivi and Sidda from Ya-Ya Sisterhood, but they don't have a tremendous relationship. So I had to go with my standby. I love Lorelai and Rory from The Gilmore Girls. Their relationship is so natural and comfortable to them. I wish that I had that with my own mom. I guess ours is more like Lorelai and Emily, but in the later seasons, after some level on understanding is found. We get along for the most part, but it can turn really quickly. I think that my feelings towards Lorelai and Rory are because I find so much of myself in both of them that I can't help watching and loving them. "

Happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers, mothers-to-be, and everyone who has ever mothered a child in some way!

Last Chance To Enter For A Signed Copy of Jennie Nash's The Threadbare Heart!

Entries are due by midnight, Saturday, May 8th. Winning entry will be posted Sunday, May 9th! What fictional mother/daughter pair is your favorite?

Giveaway: "The Singer's Gun" by Emily St. John Mandel

Thanks to Unbridled Books, I have one hardcover copy of Emily St. John Mandel's "The Singer's Gun" to giveaway!

Please leave me a comment with a way to get in touch with you. Giveaway is limited to U.S. residents only and entries must be received by May 1st.

Have you read any of Unbridled Book's titles?

And The Winner of "South of Broad" Is...

Congratulations, Holly!

Thanks to Knopf Doubleday for offering this book for giveaway!

Giveaway - "South of Broad" by Pat Conroy

Thanks to the publisher, I have one copy of "South of Broad" to giveaway. Please leave a comment with a way to get a hold of you. Winner will picked on Monday, April 12th.

To learn more about Pat Conroy, check out his website at:
http://www.patconroy.com/

Pat Conroy is also the author The Prince of Tides, The Lords of Discipline and The Great Santini, all of which have been made into movies.

"Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" giveaway

I'm so excited to announce that Random House has offered a copy of "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet," by Jamie Ford, to one of my readers! You know how much I liked this book and I can't wait for one of you to be able to read it, too. The only requirement for entering is to be a follower. To enter, just leave a comment. If you'd like, you can send a separate comment with your email address that I won't post to avoid spam. Just be sure to leave one somewhere. Giveaway ends February 13th.

The Believers by Zoe Heller: A Review and a Giveaway

The Believers by Zoe Heller
352 pages
Published March 2009 by Harper Collins
Source: TLC Book Tours and Harper Collins

Joel and Audrey Litvinoff first met in London in 1962 when he was already a respected radical lawyer and she was a young girl just beginning to form her own ideas. One night they met and the next day she asked him to take her back with him to the U.S.

Forty years later, the Litvinoffs are icons of the left wing, both revered and reviled. They've raised two daughters and an adopted son as atheist, protest marching, liberals. Daughter Rosa has given up her revolutionary ways and is pondering a life of Orthodox Judaism. Daughter Karla, a social worker, is married to a union leader whose union has just joined forces with **gasp** a Republican. And son Lenny seems to be a hopeless drug addict.

When Joel suffers a massive stroke and slips into a coma, a secret is revealed that will make Audrey question everything she has always believed about Joel and her marriage. Audrey is no saint to begin with and the whole situation makes her even harder to be around. As she continues to act as an enabler for Lenny, she gets even nastier about Rosa's exploration of religion and Karla's weight. As the entire family deals with Joel's condition, they fight amongst themselves and with almost everyone else they come across. And each of them is forced to make some decisions about what it is they truly believe in. Rosa's exploration of Judaism makes sense to her emotionally but not intellectually. Karla believes her marriage is the best she can do for herself but she can't make herself do the work needed to begin the adoption process her bully husband is so gungho about. When an opportunity to find love presents itself, she has to take a long look at herself. Even Lenny makes an attempt to find a clean life for himself.

Can I just say, right up front, that Heller knows more big words than Merriam or Webster. Heller also does a marvelous job painting a picture--when Karla walks into her parents' home to find out that the maid hasn't been in a more than a week and Audrey hasn't even bothered to remove a pan of chicken soup that's been on the stove for nearly that long, I almost gagged. Heller does keep the story moving along, only occasionally getting bogged down, mostly when writing from Rosa's point of view. She's also skillfully combines humor and sadness. What I had a hard time with was connecting with the characters.

As one reviewer said, if you have to like the characters in a book to like the book, this is not a book you'll enjoy. None of the characters Heller has created are particularly likable. Which isn't especially important to me--I grew quite fond of Olive Kitteridge it must be said. So I was willing to go along for the ride except that, at some point, you also have to care what happens to the people in the book even if what you are hoping for is disaster. At one point, it seemed that Audrey had a major revelation about her own character and it seemed that things may take a turn for the better.

"How had she ended up like this, imprisoned in the role of harridan? Once upon a time, her brash manner had been a mere posture - a convenient and amusing way for an insecure teenage bride, newly arrived in America, to disguise her crippling shyness...But somewhere along the way, when she hadn't been paying attention, her temper had ceased to be a beguiling party act that could be switched on and off at will."

But she only seems to grow angrier. When Lenny has become sober and is contemplating a life without her, Audrey rips his choices to shreds.

Karla turned out to be my favorite character, mostly because I felt like she was the character that learned the most about herself and really moved forward.

"Depression, in Karla's experience, was a dull, inert thing - a toad that squatted wetly on your head until it finally gathered the energy to slither off. The unhappiness that she had been living with for the last ten days was quite a different creature. It was frantic and aggressive. It had fists and fangs and hobnailed boots. It didn't sit, it assailed. It hurt her. In the mornings, it slapped her so hard in the face that she reeled as she walked to the bathroom."

Writing like that's what pulled me through the novel, regardless of how I felt about the characters.

For more opinions of "The Believers," the tour dates for this book are:
Tuesday, January 26, 2010: Raging Bibliomania
Wednesday, January 27, 2010: Steph and Tony Investigate!
Thursday, January 28, 2010: Life in the Thumb
Tuesday, February 2, 2010: Write for a Reader
Tuesday, February 9, 2010: Rhapsody in Books
Wednesday, February 10, 2010: A Reader’s Respite
Thursday, February 11, 2010: The Brain Lair
Monday, February 15, 2010: Book Club Classics!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010: lit*chick
Wednesday, February 17, 2010: Sasha and the Silverfish
Thursday, February 18, 2010: Nonsuch Book
Now for that giveaway! I have one hardcover copy of "The Believers" to giveaway. Just leave a comment telling me your favorite unlikable character. Leave a separate comment with your email, which I will not publish, so that I will know how to get a hold of you if you win. If you're a follower, please leave that in the comment as well. Drawing will be held January 28th.

The Winners of The 100 Followers Contest Are...

Thanks to everyone who entered the book giveaway to celebrate this blog reaching 100 followers! In the very scientific write-the-names-on-scraps-of-paper-and-throw-them-in-a-cup drawing, we have the following winners, drawn by Miss H:

Breaking The Bank does to Amanda at A Bookshelf Monstrosity
Somebody Else's Daughter goes to Jaydit
The Smart One & The Pretty One goes to Holli
and
The Secret of Joy goes to Coconut Library where you will find right now a giveaway for "How Clarissa Burden Learned to Fly"

I'll be contacting the winners by email later today to get mailing addresses. Congratulations!

Christmas Giveaway at The Christmas Spirit

I don't usually post about giveaways on other blogs but Michelle, from The True Book Addict, has started a Christmas blog which is just lovely and which I wanted you all to know about. She's got all kinds of great information about the origins of Christmas, beautiful pictures, and this terrific giveaway. Michelle is giving away Richard Paul Evans' "The Christmas Box Collection," which is a collection of three holiday stories.

You know the beautiful song "Silver Bells?" Turns out bells were rung to ward off evil spirits as part of the pagan winter solstice festivities.

100 Followers Giveaway!

Thanks to all of you who have helped me reach 100 followers! As a thank you, I'm giving away copies of Melissa Senate's "The Secret of Joy," Claire LaZebnik's "The Smart One And The Pretty One," Yona Zeldis McDonough's "Breaking The Bank," and Elizabeth Brundage's "Somebody Else's Daughter."

We're going to keep this simple. To enter, please leave a comment with a way for me to contact you by Tuesday, December 12th. U.S. addresses only, please.

**Update**
I probably should match the day of the week to the actual calendar date! Oops. So, the drawing will be Saturday, December 12th!