Armchair BEA 2012 – Giveaway

Armchair BEA is for book bloggers who can’t attend Book Expo America and the Book Blogger Convention in New York this June (June 4 – 8, 2012).  So we don’t have to miss all the fun – this virtual convention is the place to be!

It’s a dream of mine to get to attend BEA in person, but since I can’t do that this year, the Armchair BEA is a great opportunity to stay connected and feel like a part of Book Expo America.

Day 2 of the Armchair BEA is Giveaway!

For this giveaway, I will be awarding the book, A Once Crowded Sky by Tom King.  This is an ARC I received from Simon and Schuster – in fact, they were so generous I received two copies.  :)

If you are interested in this book and would like to enter this giveaway, please enter your information in the form below.  I can only mail to US addresses.  I will use Random.org to choose the winner, and you will be notified with the email address you provided.  One entry per person.

This giveaway opens immediately, and closes Friday AM, June 8th.

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World Book Night – Update

Today I picked up my box of books from the local Barnes & Noble for World Book Night next week!  If you haven’t heard of WBN, it’s an annual celebration designed to spread the love of reading and books.  It is held in the U.S., the U.K. and Ireland.  This date also commemorates the passing of Cervantes and the birth and death of Shakespeare.   Next week I will get to give out free books in my small community, to anyone who is interested!  I’m considering going door to door giving out books, or perhaps setting up in my favorite coffee shop with a lapel pin, a large sign, and a table full of books (and coffee).  There is almost nothing more exciting to a devoted reader and book lover than the chance to share that love with others.

Are any of you WBN book givers?  If so, I’d love to hear which book you chose to give away.  There was a list of 30 books to choose from, and you had to list your first, second and third choice book, when applying to be a book giver.  I haven’t read all of the books on the list yet, but I plan to!

What is your favorite book in this list, and why?

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Wintergirls by Laurie Anderson

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Friday Night Lights by H. G. Bissinger

Kindred by Octavia Butler

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

Little Bee by Chris Cleve

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Blood Work by Michael Connolly

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

Zeitoun by Dave Eggars

Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick

Q is for Quarry by Sue Grafton

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

The Stand by Stephen King

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson

Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Just Kids by Patti Smith

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

See the list of books and cover art at the WBN website here.

The Way We Fall

The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe

Megan is giving away copies of this book on her blog.

 

You can read an excerpt of the book here.  The Way We Fall is all about infection — the virus spreading through Kaelyn’s town as it infects her neighbors, friends, and family.

Although I have not yet read this book, I’ve read about it in two other blog posts before going to Megan’s website to find out more about it.  Its definitely on my list of books I’d like to read and own.

Although I haven’t seen an epidemic, there are so many in history and in futuristic lore, movies and TV shows that you can’t help but think about what you would do if faced with one.  The “zombie apocalypse” is one of the most popular theories, presented in a hundred different ways in books, movies and TV shows.  I’m not a fan of “shoot-em-up” games, so the only game involving shooting my little one plays is shooting zombies.  I allow this because if we should ever face a zombie apocalypse, I want some back-up at those gun turrets I plan on adding to our house.

In addition to reconstructing our home, I’m also putting together a list for emergencies.  Since the zombie’s only known enemy is a necrophiliac, and I don’t know any, we are gonna have to plan on staying in for a while.  We’ll be hoarding canned goods, water, lots of deodorant and body spray (since we won’t be showering) , a battery operated weather radio and I probably need to consider battery operated security cameras, and a reinforced fence around the perimeter.  A generator and gasoline stores are also on my list, and less I stress myself out like Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) in Zombieland, I think I’m gonna store some Twinkies too.

How would you prepare for an epidemic?  (Zombie related or otherwise?)

Giveaway – “Wayward Saints”

Thanks to the publishers, I have two copies of “Wayward Saints” by suzzy roche (No, my shift button did not quit working – this is how it is written on the book cover).  To be entered to win, you must be following this blog, and leave a comment and your email address.  Drawing will be Tuesday, January 17, 2012.

Books will only be shipped to US addresses.

From the publisher:

“Mary Saint, the rule-breaking former lead singer of the almost-famous band Sliced Ham, has given up on music after the death of her band member and lover Gargagio seven years earlier.  With the help of here best friend, Thaddeus, Mary is trying to make mochaccinos in San Francisco.  Meanwhile, back in her home town of Swallow, New York, her mother, Jean Saint, struggles with her own ghosts.

When Mary is invited to give a concert at her old high school, Jean is thrilled, though she’s worried about what Father Benedict and her neighbors will think of songs such as “Sewer Flower” and “You’re a Pig.”  But she soon realizes there are going to be bigger problems when her arch-nemesis, Adele from the Silver Tray Bakery, gets involved.

Wayward Saints is a touching, emotionally complex, and hilarious look at how the past always bumps up against the present.  Punctuated by winks at the music business and loving flourishes about family, faith, and the unpredictability of talent, the novel touches on the very deep pain of loss, and the possibilities of the miraculous.

Author’s note:

I have always loved to read novels, but whatever drove me to sit down and write one is a mystery.   Through the years I’ve had a tendency to create poems and stories but they remained, for the most part, private.

I like to think of Wayward Saints as a fable. I wanted to write about faith and art, and how it manifests differently in everyone.  I also wanted to write about the absurdity and dangers of the music business, the consequences of violence, the power of forgiveness, and the possibility of the miraculous.

I guess I know that my book is a little unconventional, but I hope it will find its place in the world, and be meaningful to someone out there.  I’m grateful to other writers who encouraged me, especially Meg Wolitzer, who has been uncommonly generous with her time and also has shared her process with me.  Also, I am incredibly lucky to have met my agent Gail Hochman and my editor at Hyperion, Elisabeth Dyssegaard.