Mailbox Monday
I received one book last week and I was so excited when it arrived!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
I received one book last week and I was so excited when it arrived!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Giveaway: DESPERATE DEEDS By Dee Davis
Book Description:
As the demolitions expert for A-Tac, a black-ops CIA unit masquerading as Ivy League faculty, Tyler Hanson has two great loves: literature and explosives. She lives by the motto "Duty First" and doesn't have time for personal attachments . . . until a steamy one-night stand turns into a professional partnership.
BURNED BY BETRAYAL
When Tyler meets Owen Wakefield, a handsome British operative, she seduces him with no intention of ever seeing him again. But then the sexy Brit is brought into A-Tac, and despite Tyler's efforts to keep her distance, she finds herself falling for him. Trusting him.
Owen seems too good to be true - and he is. He's hiding his true motives and identity, and no matter how he feels about Tyler, he can't keep her secrets. One of A-Tac's members has turned traitor and helped terrorists to hijack a shipment of nuclear weapons. As witnesses start dying and evidence starts disappearing, Owen and Tyler must race to find the mole - and prevent a final, cataclysmic act of destruction.
The number of entrants to this giveaway will determine how many copies of this book I will giveaway:
1-10 entrants= 1
11-20 entrants= 2
21 or more entrants= 3
Here are the rules:
1. For one entry, leave a comment. Please be sure to include your email address (if it isn't available in your profile), so that I can contact you if you win. If I can't find your email either in the comments or your profile, you will be disqualified!
2. For two more entries, post about this giveaway on your blog and leave link to your blog post in the comments. You will also get an entry for each person who tells me that they learned about this
giveaway from you.
3. For another 5 more entries: Become a Follower of my blog or subscribe to my blog through Google Reader or other subscription service. If you are already a subscriber or follower you still get the five extra entries! Please do not comment that you are a follower five times! I will give you the extra entries myself. I will delete any extra entries that you make as it will just confuse me when I go to pick the winners.
Sorry, the giveaway is only open US and Canadian residents only.
The winner’s mailing address: NO P.O. Boxes.
Only one entry per household/IP address
Winners will be subject to the one copy per household rule, which means that if you win the same title in two or more contests, you will receive only one copy of the book.This giveaway will end on Thursday, September 16th , 11:59 P.M. E.S.T. The winners will be notified by email, so remember to include your email address in the comments, if it isn't available in your profile! Winners must respond within TWO days or will be disqualified.
Giveaway: AH-CHOO! By Jennifer Ackerman
Book Description:
Some colds are like mice, timid and annoying; others like dragons, accompanied by body aches and deep misery. In AH-CHOO!, Jennifer Ackerman explains what, exactly, a cold is, how it works, and whether it's really possible to "fight one off." Scientists call this the Golden Age of the Common Cold because Americans suffer up to a billion colds each year, resulting in 40 million days of missed work and school and 100 million doctor visits. They've also learned over the past decade much more about what cold viruses are, what they do to the human body, and how symptoms can be addressed. In this ode to the odious cold, Ackerman sifts through the chatter about treatments-what works, what doesn't, and what can't hurt. She dispels myths, such as susceptibility to colds reflects a weakened immune system. And she tracks current research, including work at the University of Virginia at Charlottesville, a world-renowned center of cold research studies, where the search for a cure continues.
Just in time for cold season!
The number of entrants to this giveaway will determine how many copies of this book I will giveaway:
1-10 entrants= 1
11-20 entrants= 2
21 or more entrants= 3
Here are the rules:
1. For one entry, leave a comment. Please be sure to include your email address (if it isn't available in your profile), so that I can contact you if you win. If I can't find your email either in the comments or your profile, you will be disqualified!
2. For two more entries, post about this giveaway on your blog and leave link to your blog post in the comments. You will also get an entry for each person who tells me that they learned about this
giveaway from you.
3. For another 5 more entries: Become a Follower of my blog or subscribe to my blog through Google Reader or other subscription service. If you are already a subscriber or follower you still get the five extra entries! Please do not comment that you are a follower five times! I will give you the extra entries myself. I will delete any extra entries that you make as it will just confuse me when I go to pick the winners.
Sorry, the giveaway is only open US and Canadian residents only.
The winner’s mailing address: NO P.O. Boxes.
Only one entry per household/IP address
Winners will be subject to the one copy per household rule, which means that if you win the same title in two or more contests, you will receive only one copy of the book.This giveaway will end on Thursday, September 16th , 11:59 P.M. E.S.T. The winners will be notified by email, so remember to include your email address in the comments, if it isn't available in your profile! Winners must respond within TWO days or will be disqualified.Sunday, August 29, 2010
Quality Street by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
In Quality Street, Sochienne arrives back in Nigeria after attending university in the United States. Her mother, Mrs. Njoku is quite disheartened by the change in her daughter. Sochienne not only turned vegetarian but she also is advocating for the lower class. She goes as far as inviting their driver to join herself and Mrs. Njoku for lunch. Instead, Mrs. Njoku promptly tells the driver to take them home, after arguing with Sochienne.
This story does make a statement about the class system however the main theme is that of mother and daughter. In fact, it reminded me a lot about my relationship with my mother when I came home after being away at school.
I have always been a pretty "down to earth" kind of person but I became even more so after I was able to experience some of life on my own. I got engaged to a man with a Master's degree but he came from a lower middle class family. My family was perhaps just slightly more well off but of course, mom disapproved. In the end my parents gave me the wedding of my mom's dreams. I wanted simple but got lavish, complete with ice sculptures and hundreds of people I had never even met before and never saw again. In Quality Street, Mrs. Njoku wanted to give Sochienne a wedding quite like the one I had.
My marriage only lasted two years but it was not because of class or income. I realize now that my mom did want what was best for me but also wanted to keep up with her higher class friends. I also know now that she went along with my getting married out of fear of losing all together. I love her for that!
After I moved here to Canada and met the true man of my dreams, we paid for our own wedding and kept it simple. Mom and Dad and our other immediate family came. It was such a lovely day and 13 years later we are still together and very much in love.
Dad passed away, three years ago, September. I miss him like crazy. Now my mom is elderly and is here visiting, perhaps for the last time. The trip seems to be too hard on her. I am trying to come to terms with the fact that she probably won't be around much longer but it is so hard. Even through our ups and downs in our relationship, I always knew that Mom was always be there for me and she always has been. It's doesn't seem fair that eventually, we all lose our parents.
Mailbox Monday
My mailbox took a vacation from books for a few weeks, but came up with a big one this week:
Friday, August 27, 2010
Freebie: The Witch Queen's Secret
To celebrate, Anna is offering a free download of her short story, "The Witch Queen's Secret." You don't have to try to win it, just go here and get it, free.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Giveaway: THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN by Garth Stein
This book isn't all about the cover though, this was one of my favorite books of 2008. It's not a cute dog story although the narrator is a dog named, Enzo. You can read my review here.
Now for the Giveaway: Sarah Daily of Terra Communications has offered one of my readers a new copy of The Art of Racing in the Rain, along with a swag bag filled with notepad, lapel pin and bookmark.
Here's the book description:
Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver. Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn't simply about going fast. Using the techniques needed on the race track, one can successfully navigate all of life's ordeals. On the eve of his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling all that he and his family have been through. In the end, despite what he sees as his own limitations, Enzo comes through heroically to preserve the Swift family, holding in his heart the dream that Denny will become a racing champion with Zoë at his side.
A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope, The Art of Racing in the Rain is a beautifully crafted and captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life...as only a dog could tell it.
Here are the rules:
1. For one entry, leave a comment. Please be sure to include your email address (if it isn't available in your profile), so that I can contact you if you win. If I can't find your email either in the comments or your profile, you will be disqualified!
2. For another two entries, comment on my review of The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
and then come back to this post to let me know you did it.
3. For two more entries, post about this giveaway on your blog and leave link to your blog post in the comments. You will also get an entry for each person who tells me that they learned about this
giveaway from you.
4. For another 5 entries: Become a Follower of my blog or subscribe to my blog through Google Reader or other subscription service. If you are already a subscriber or follower you still get the five extra entries! Please do not comment that you are a follower five times! I will give you the extra entries myself. I will delete any extra entries that you make as it will just confuse me when I go to pick the winners.
5. If you do all of the above, you will have 10 entries!
Sorry, the giveaway is only open US and Canadian residents only.
The winner’s mailing address: NO P.O. Boxes.
Only one entry per household/IP address.
This giveaway will end on Friday September 10th, 11:59 P.M. E.S.T. The winners will be notified by email, so remember to include your email address in the comments, if it isn't available in your profile! Winners must respond within TWO days or will be disqualified.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Guest Post:: Researching 'A Place for Delta' by Melissa Walker
I asked Melissa to write a post about how she did her research for the book. Welcome to So Many Precious Books Melissa.
I use the word “research” as an active verb that involves finding people who know what I want to learn, arranging appointments, asking questions in a casual environment, and conducting formal interviews. Sometimes a telephone call yields what I’m looking for, but often more is required. Finding what I needed to write the Delta book required much more: flying across the continent and up to remote places inaccessible by motor vehicle, driving through mountain passes down dead-end roads, bunking in unheated shared quarters in an Arctic research station, and peeking through barred windows waiting to see roaming polar bears.
I’ve learned through years of exploring and writing to be open to chance encounters and to assume that in certain environments (like Pepe’s Mexican restaurant in Barrow, Alaska) any one person might be helpful. So, what do I do? I listen to the talk around me, usually surreptitiously. In other words, I eavesdrop before I decide which of the people around me seems promising. Then I might start a conversation with a casual question. That’s how I met two men who were leaving the next day for the Colville River where they would dig for dinosaur fossils; and how I met a group of four men who told me they worked in the oil industry, although they assured me they did not work for “Big Oil.” Readers of A Place for Delta will recognize scenes inspired by these encounters. Fran Tate, proprietor of “Pepe’s,” and her son Joe Waterman were as available to me as they were to Joseph and Ada in the book.
Scheduled meetings with experts helped me get the facts straight and to understand the scope of the research conducted by scientists in the Arctic. I learned from wildlife biologists, lawyers, veterinarians, native whaling captains, Eskimo elders, artists and more. Scott Schliebe, polar bear specialist and marine mammal biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, granted me a lengthy interview. From Scott I learned about polar bear habitats and what threatens them and about the methods used to study polar bear dens.
The parts of the story that are set in the Appalachian Mountains of North Georgia required a different kind of research. I revisited an ecosystem that I’ve been exploring from time to time since I was a child. Exploring the woods alone, I once encountered a coil of rattlesnakes in a tree hollow, and another time saw young red salamanders scurrying down a mountainside. Talks with local naturalists have enhanced my knowledge of these and other native creatures.
I still have a great deal to learn about search and rescue dogs. But I learned enough from Pam Nyberg, who trains Labrador retrievers to search out human remains, to write the chapter about a dog’s help in solving one of the book’s mysteries.
From where I sit at my desk are two shelves of books. More than thirty are just about polar bears; some twenty-five about black bears and grizzlies. Among the others are books concerning Alaska in general, the Arctic, expeditions to the North Pole, Arctic flora and fauna, whaling, climate change, and global warming. When I first started acquiring books about the far north, I didn’t think I was doing research for a book. I was interested in Alaska, and so I read about it, traveled there some eleven times, and settled into remote cabins for weeks at a time. My interest in the place came first. Then came A Place for Delta.
Last comes the Internet. Through Google I accessed countless sites with information I could find easily. Especially valuable were sites with videos of cubs being born and vocalizing while nursing their mothers. Another site featured a cub in the wild, floundering in the snow and calling out in a human-like squall for its mother. Especially useful was footage from the Quebec, Berlin, and Denver zoos of cubs being cared for by human caretakers, much as Kate and Joseph take care of Delta.
When I was asked to write about the process of researching A Place for Delta for this blog, I knew I would have fun recalling how I go about learning in order to write a book that can both instruct, inspire, and entertain. So, there you have it. I did it.
Melissa Walker, Ph.D., has been a professor of English at the University of New Orleans and Mercer University and a Fellow in Women's Studies at Emory University. She's has been an advocate for civil rights and a national leader for wilderness preservation. Her current commitment is to empower children to understand their place in the natural world and to discover how they can help save the environment. A Place for Delta is the first of a planned series of novels (chapter books) that will follow the adventures of the characters as they learn to take their place in a complex world. Walker's previous books include Writing Research Papers, 4 editions (W. W. Norton, 1982–1997); Down from the Mountaintop (Yale University Press, 1991); Reading the Environment (W. W. Norton, 1994); and Living on Wilderness Time: Two Hundred Days Alone in America's Wild Places (University of Virginia Press).
Sunday, August 22, 2010
THE QUEEN OF SPADES by Alexander Pushkin
Born in February 1799, Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin is a Russian writer that has been on my "to be Read (TBR)" for a very long time.
I decided it was high time I read something written by him, when I came across this short story. It is considered one of his best works of fiction.
Published in March 1834, The Queen of Spades is described as a gambling story but it is much more than that. Hermann, an army officer seemed to enjoy watching other people gamble but never did do himself. However, one day a friend,Tomsky was telling a story about how his grandmother, the Countess. Many years ago, while living in Paris, the Countess lost a lot of money gambling. A friend told her that if she played three certain cards in succession, she would win her money back and it worked.
This story gave Hermann the idea to find out what the three cards are. The story is about his quest to find out and the people he may hurt along the way. It's a story of good verses evil and of course, greed.
If you would like to participate in Short Story Mondays or just find out about some great short stories, go to John of The Book Mine Set. He has a short story review every Monday and a place for you to link your short story reviews. Come join in the fun!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Winners: THE ISLAND by Elin Hilderbrand- Unabridged Audiobook
Thanks again to Anna Balasi of Hachette Books for making this giveaway possible.
The Winners are:
Autumn
Headlessfowl
Linda
Congratulations! I emailed all three of you. Please respond with your shipping address within 3 days to claim your prize.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
