Showing posts with label Monday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Monday. Show all posts
October 11, 2010
Monday Book Give Away
October 4, 2010
Monday Book Give Away
September 27, 2010
Monday Book Give Away, #52
I'm giving away a well read ARC, of my favorite book from last year. I've passed this around to many friends and my Tai Chi class. Most of the members of my Tai Chi Class are readers, yeah for smart active seniors. Inspite of the many times this copy has been read, it's in very good shape.
Publishers Weekly
Starred Review.
American readers will have their imaginations challenged by 14-year-old Kamkwamba's description of life in Malawi, a famine-stricken, land-locked nation in southern Africa: math is taught in school with the aid of bottle tops ("three Coca-Cola plus ten Carlsberg equal thirteen"), people are slaughtered by enemy warriors "disguised... as green grass" and a ferocious black rhino; and everyday trading is "replaced by the business of survival" after famine hits the country. After starving for five months on his family's small farm, the corn harvest slowly brings Kamkwamba back to life. Witnessing his family's struggle, Kamkwamba's supercharged curiosity leads him to pursue the improbable dream of using "electric wind"(they have no word for windmills) to harness energy for the farm. Kamkwamba's efforts were of course derided; salvaging a motley collection of materials, from his father's broken bike to his mother's clothes line, he was often greeted to the tune of "Ah, look, the madman has come with his garbage." This exquisite tale strips life down to its barest essentials, and once there finds reason for hopes and dreams, and is especially resonant for Americans given the economy and increasingly heated debates over health care and energy policy.
I've been giving away books on Monday mornings for over 13 months. I've skipped a week, here and there, so this is my 52nd book give away. Today, I went back and counted the total books I've given away; 72 books, and my bookshelves are still bulging!
If you're interesting in winning The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, leave a comment. A couple of notes, you are allowed to win more than once, and be sure I have a way of contacting you; this is especially important if you're a no comment blogger. The winner of The Mullah's Storm is Jan.
September 20, 2010
Monday Book Give Away, #51
From Publishers Weekly:
At the start of Young's well-crafted first novel, a transport plane carrying a high-value prisoner, a radical mullah, is forced down in the rugged Hindu Kush of Afghanistan. Maj. Michael Parson, the plane's co-pilot, and female Master Sergeant Gold, an interpreter who speaks Pashto, must brave a ferocious winter storm and reach a nearby Special Forces team with the mullah, but they wind up in the hands of Taliban insurgents.The SF team rescues Parson, but the Taliban escape, taking the mullah and the translator in opposite directions.The team must try to recapture the mullah, but Parson can't abandon Gold because"You love your comrades more than you hate your enemies."Young (The Speed of Heat: An Airlift Wing at War in Iraq and Afghanistan) draws on his own war experiences for verisimilitude, which, along with believable characters and an exciting plot, makes this one of the better thrillers to come out of the Afghan theater.
The copy I'm giving away is an ARC, if you're interested leave a comment on this post; just for fun, tell be your favorite thing about autumn. Be sure I have a way of contacting you. The winner of give away #49, How to Read The Air by Dinaw Mengestu, is T+E; I've sent him/her an email.
September 6, 2010
Monday Book Give Away, #50
Today, an ARC of How to Read The Air by Dinaw Mengestu. The novel will be released next month.
This is the review from the Library Journal:
The characters in Mengestu's triumphant second novel (after the award-winning The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears) are forever having what one of them calls a "leaving experience." Ethiopian immigrant Yosef passed many borders before arriving in America; wife Miriam continually walks away from her abusive husband (even leaving their wrecked car in a ditch) before finally achieving permanent escape; and their diffident son, Jonas, the story's narrator, leaves dreams unfulfilled and eventually leaves his marriage—though, says his wife, he was never really there in the first place. The well-constructed narrative parallels Jonas's story and that of his parents, deftly cutting from the slow fizzle of Jonas's marriage to his parents' troubled lives to their iconic car trip from Peoria to Nashville before he was born. After his marriage ends, Jonas reconstructs that trip—a device that frames the novel, though it's really the emotional journey that matters. VERDICT In authoritative prose that flows like liquid gold, Mengestu tells an absorbing story of how we learn that simply going forward is in fact to triumph. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 5/1/10.]—Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal
If you're interested leave a comment and please be sure I have a way to contact you. Last weeks' Toot and Puddle give away is Becky. Two Becky's entered this week, this is Becky of Becky and Gary fame!
August 30, 2010
Monday Book Give Away, #49
Meet Toot and Puddle--two small, endearing pigs who are friends and as different as different can be. While Toot likes to travel to places unknown, Puddle prefers to stay home and revel in the joys of everyday life. Whimsical postcards capture the excitement of Toot's travels, while scenes of Puddle celebrate mundane moments spent in familiar confines. Full color.
If you're interested leave a comment on this post. Please be sure I can contact you, in case you're the winner. The winner of last weeks' offering, One Day, is Marianne.
P.S. The string quilt, in the background is one of the first quilts I made. No, it's not included!
August 23, 2010
Monday Book Give Away, #48
This novel has been out for a couple of months; it went straight to trade paper. The copy I'm giving away is an ARC from the publisher. The movie version has already started filming in London. It stars Ann Hathaway and Jim Sturgess.Synopsis:
It's 1988 and Dexter Mayhew and Emma Morley have only just met. They both know that the next day, after college graduation, they must go their separate ways. But after only one day together, they cannot stop thinking about one another. As the years go by, Dex and Em begin to lead separate lives lives very different from the people they once dreamed they'd become. And yet, unable to let go of that special something that grabbed onto them that first night, an extraordinary relationship develops between the two.
Over twenty years, snapshots of that relationship are revealed on the same day July 15th of each year. Dex and Em face squabbles and fights, hopes and missed opportunities, laughter and tears. And as the true meaning of this one crucial day is revealed, they must come to grips with the nature of love and life itself.
If you're interested in winning my copy, leave a comment. I'll do the drawing on Sunday night.
August 16, 2010
Monday Book Give Away, #47
This is an ARC, the hardcover will be released Sept. 21. I love reading debut fiction, and Dogfight, A Love Story by Matt Burgess does not disappoint. This is a gritty novel, not for the timid.From Publishers Weekly:
Burgess's high-octane debut is a post-9/11 shout-out to the borough of Queens, with its roiling mix of cultures. The story chronicles one tense weekend in the life of Alfredo Batista, a 19-year-old Puerto Rican weed dealer trying to set up a dogfight to celebrate older brother Tariq's release from prison for holding up a catering hall. Alberto, who skipped out on the job at the last minute, worries that Tariq might wrongly suspect him of having snitched. Complicating matters is Tariq's girlfriend, Isabel, who's now Alberto's baby mama. And then there is Vladimir, a 15-year-old Ecstasy dealer Alberto rips off and whose brother turns out to be a Russian gangster. Accompanied by his Haitian best friend, Winston, Alberto spends most of the weekend dodging trouble and trying to steal a dog for the fight, but he can't avoid the bloodshed that erupts during the novel's attenuated climax. Despite sometimes lax plotting, Burgess's gritty, punchy narrative, propelled by fresh gusts of language, should remind readers of another outstanding outer borough literary debut--Richard Price's The Wanderers.
If you're interested, leave a comment. Tell me if you've been to NYC or if you want to go.
Last week's offerings go to Darlene - Flipped, and Allie - I Am Number Four.
August 9, 2010
Monday Book Give Away, #46
Two books for today; both are teen or young adult reads.
The first is Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen. Oden donated this one, he really enjoyed it. He initially read it because the movie has just been released, but he's glad he read it.
The chapters of this clever novel alternate between two narrators—Julianna and Bryce—who meet after first grade when they become neighbors. Julianna takes to Bryce immediately, but he dislikes her eagerness to become friends and avoids her for years. Then in middle school, he sees her with new eyes as smart, entrepreneurial and committed to what she believes in. Telling incidents and perfectly pitched middle-school voices reveal how these characters' positions flip.
Here's a photo of Oden reading Flipped, while I'm driving us to the Zoo.
The second book is an ARC of I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore. This is one of the books that had a lot of buzz at Book Expo America, this May.
From the Publisher
Nine of us came here. We look like you. We talk like you. We live among you. But we are not you. We can do things you dream of doing. We have powers you dream of having. We are stronger and faster than anything you have ever seen. We are the superheroes you worship in movies and comic books—but we are real.
Our plan was to grow, and train, and become strong, and become one, and fight them. But they found us and started hunting us first. Now all of us are running. Spending our lives in shadows, in places where no one would look, blending in. we have lived among you without you knowing.
But they know.
They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They killed them all.
I am Number Four.
I am next.
BTW, Pittacus Lore is a pseudonym for writer James Frey and co-author Jobie Hughes.
If you're interested in either of these books, leave a comment - be sure I have a way to contact you. The winner of last week's book, A Little Big Life, is Jan.
August 2, 2010
Monday Book Give Away, #45
A Big Little Life : A Memoir of a Joyful Dog by Dean Koontz; this is a signed ARC.DEAN KOONTZ thought he had everything he needed. A successful novelist with more than twenty #1 New York Times bestsellers to his credit, Dean had forged a career out of industry and imagination. He had been married to his high school sweetheart, Gerda, since the age of twenty, and together they had made a happy life for themselves in their Southern California home. It was the picture of peace and contentment. Then along came Trixie.
Dean had always wanted a dog—had even written several books in which dogs were featured. But not until Trixie was he truly open to the change that such a beautiful creature could bring about in him. Trixie had intelligence, a lack of vanity, and an uncanny knack for living in the present. And because she was joyful and direct as all dogs are, she put her heart into everything—from chasing tennis balls, to playing practical jokes, to protecting those she loved.
A retired service dog with Canine Companions for Independence, Trixie became an assistance dog of another kind. She taught Dean to trust his instincts, persuaded him to cut down to a fifty-hour work week, and, perhaps most important, renewed in him a sense of wonder that will remain with him for the rest of his life. She mended him in many ways.
Trixie weighed only sixty-something pounds, Dean occasionally called her Short Stuff, and she lived less than twelve years. In this big world, she was a little thing, but in all the ways that mattered, including the effect she had on those who loved her, she lived a big life.
If you're interested in winning this ARC, leave a comment telling about an animal you love. I'll announce the winner next Monday. The winner of The Historian is Allie.
July 5, 2010
Celebrate
This week I'm celebrating two things; my 2,000th post and my 66th birthday. I thought I'd celebrate by giving away some books, since that's my thing. Just leave a comment if you're interested in winning one or more of these books. I'll do a different drawing for each book.
City Quilts:
Turn your love of urban cityscapes into beautiful quilts. In this book, you'll discover the secrets of minimalist design-how to find beauty in the basic elements of your environment. These projects deliver exciting, vivid results with solid color fabrics.
Shit My Dad Says:
This is one funny memoir. Halpern's dad is a great guy, a pull yourself up by your bootstraps, success story. He went from being a poor kid in Kentucky to an Oncologist in San Diego. For all his success, he has a tough time expressing his love for his sons and usually uses lots of colorful language in the process. This book is fabulous but it is "R" rated; Tuesday's with Morrie meets F My Life. One chapter had me laughing so hard, that my husband and grandson wanted to know what was going on; so I read it to them and they were soon laughing, too. I bought this copy for my daughter Carrie, but she'd already read it. This is a hardcover.
Room:
Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, ROOM is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child, a brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another. This is an ARC, that will be published 9/13/10.
Oogy:
Heartwarming and redemptive, OOGY is the story of the people who were determined to rescue this dog against all odds, and of the family who took him home, named him "Oogy" (an affectionate derivative of ugly), and made him one of their own. This is an ARC that will be published 11/1/10.
Pocket Posh Logic 2: 100 Puzzles
As convenient as it is stylish and as enjoyable as it is fashionable, the Pocket Posh Logic 2 puzzle book features a cover with a contemporary tactile design and comes in a handy 4" x 6" size, making it a smart, sophisticated accessory that goes with anything. It also fits nicely into a purse or pocket. The Pocket Posh Logic 2 puzzle book is a great way to exercise your mind—and look great while doing it! I have 2 of these to give to perfectly logical people.
This give away is now closed. Thank you everyone, winners will be announced on Wednesday, 7/13.
This give away takes the place of my regular Monday Book Give Away.
The winner of last week's book give away is Allie.June 28, 2010
Monday Book Give Away, #43
As lyrical as a sonata, Ayelet Waldman's explores the aftermath of a family tragedy in todays give away. This is an ARC, Red Hook Road will be released in hardcover July 13th.Set on the coast of Maine over the course of four summers, Red Hook Road tells the story of two families, and of the ways in which their lives are unraveled and stitched together by misfortune, by good intentions and failure, and by love and calamity.
A marriage collapses under the strain of a daughter's death; two bereaved siblings find comfort in one another; and an adopted young girl breathes new life into her family with her prodigious talent for the violin. As she writes with obvious affection for these unforgettable characters, Ayelet Waldman skillfully interweaves life's finer pleasures--music and literature--with the more mundane joys of living. Within these resonant pages, a vase filled with wildflowers or a cold beer on a hot summer day serve as constant reminders of the events that weave everyone together.
If you're interested, leave a comment telling me about the last book you read that you loved. The winner of The Blessings of the Animals is Becky of The Quilting Booklady.
June 21, 2010
Monday Book Give Away, #42
I don't ususally do this post this way, but there's a first time for everything.
1. Click over to my review, and see if you're interested.
2. This copy is an ARC, that was rec'd at the bookstore and has marks on the edges, trying to ensure that it won't be sold, because it was free.
3. Leave a comment if you're interested.
June 14, 2010
Monday Book Give Away, #41
I picked up Alex Coross's Trial, by James Patterson. in the airport, on my way to NY, last month. I've always enjoyed Patterson's writing.The year is 1906, and America is segregated. Hatred and discrimination plague the streets, the classroom, and the courts. But in Washington D.C., Ben Corbett, a smart and courageous lawyer, makes it his mission to confront injustice at every turn. He represents those who nobody else dares defend, merely because of the color of their skin. When President Roosevelt, under whom Ben served in the Spanish-American war, asks Ben to investigate rumors of the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in his home town in Mississippi, he cannot refuse.
The details of Ben's harrowing story--and his experiences with a remarkable man named Abraham Cross--were passed from generation to generation, until they were finally recounted to Alex Cross by his grandmother, Nana Mama. From the first time hear heard the story, Alex was unable to forget the unimaginable events Ben witnessed in Eudora and pledged to tell it to the world. Alex Cross's Trial is unlike any story Patterson has ever told...
Leave a comment, if you're interested. I'll draw a winner next Sunday. The winner of Huck is Carol.
Here's a bonus, today a candid photo of James Patterson, sitting all alone, away from all the hub bub of the main bookfloor, signing books for charity, at the Los Angeles Convention Center, two years ago.
June 7, 2010
Monday Book Give Away, #40
Huck: The Remarkable True Story of How One Lost Puppy Taught a Family--and a Whole Town--About Hope and Happy Endings by Janet Elder. Isn't that title a mouthful? In the tradition of Dewey, A Lion Called Christian, and Homer’s Odyssey, HUCK is an unforgettable true story of a lost puppy and a family who learned a valuable lesson about tenacity, faith, and the generosity of strangers. Janet Elder is the editor for news surveys and election analysis at The New York Times, she really know how to write, in my favorite way - succinctly.
Huck will be published Sept. 28th, so this is an advance reader, (ARC).
Leave a comment, if you're interested. I'll draw a winner next Sunday. The winner of last week's book, Rules of Vengeance, is Allie.