Spring Cleaning Continued....

In the continuing saga of bookshelves far too overloaded, A Reader's Respite is offering Debra Dean's The Madonnas of Leningrad.

The cover tells us that it was a "National Bestseller" and "An unforgettable tale of love, survival, and the power of imagination." We wouldn't know because we've never actually read the thing.  We do know that it's about WWII.  Oh, and Russia.  Yep, WWII and Russia.  But it looks good, doesn't it?

Part of our book addict recovery process is to admit that we will *never* get around to reading it and, therefore, to let the book go.

If you're interested in saving A Reader's Respite from our addiction (and thereby feeding your own), leave a comment and we'll draw a random winner on April 1st. Be sure to check back and see if you won (international peeps always welcome!).





Dear FTC Man:

We cannot remember how this book came to be in our library. We suspect it broke in our home in the middle of the night and became a squatter on our shelf.  Maybe you can fine it?

Spring Cleaning

A Reader's Respite has decided it's time for Spring Cleaning.  Of the bookshelves, that is.  We can tell it's *that* time because our bookshelves are becoming Double-Booked.  You know what we're talking about....it looks like this:

We've started to stack books in front of our stacks of books and this is disturbing.  As a matter of fact, books are beginning to migrate all around the house (we suspect they do this whilst we are sleeping).  They end up here:

And here:

And here:

And even up here:

We're embarrassed to say that it's getting a tad out of hand.

So over the next couple of months, we're going to be giving some of these books away.  Yes, we could just box them up and tote them down to Goodwill, but we thought we'd give you all first dibs.

We'll start this Spring Cleaning business with The Jewel of Medina, by Sherry Jones.  Remember the stink this book caused a couple of years ago in the Muslim community?  Big fuss for such a small book.  But if you missed reading this one the first time around, here's your chance.

Leave us a comment telling us you want it and on March 29th, we'll pick a random winner.  That's all there is to it.  You don't have to "follow" us or subscribe to us or even give us a compliment.  We're pretty easy going that way.  Just remember to check back here on March 29th to see if you've won!  (International peeps always welcome!)

Books and Lists and More Books....

People who love books tend to also be people who love lists. And if it involves a list of books, well that's just the cat's meow.

Take, for example, the wildly popular best-seller 101 Books to Read Before You Die. Or even Amazon's Listmania program. See what we mean? Book lovers are list lovers. The two just go hand in hand.

As it turns out, one of our favorite book lovers/list makers Nancy Pearl, celebrated librarian and author of Book Lust, has paired up with writer Lizzie Skurnick of Jezebel fame to give us this:

That's right, baby. Shelf Discovery: The Teen Classics We Never Stopped Reading is a collection of musings of the enduring classic books we devoured as teens. Think of it as a list with nostalgic notations.

So why is A Reader's Respite telling you about this? Because you now have an opportunity to get your own complimentary copy. Listen up:

On Wednesday, September 23rd at 3 pm EST, Blog Talk Radio will be featuring a interview with authors Pearl and Skurnick. If you call or write in with a question for these two fabulous ladies, you will receive a complimentary copy of Shelf Discovery.

Seriously, how cool is that?




Now here's the important part: you must, must, must subscribe to Blog Talk Radio (a worthwhile endeavor in any case if you haven't already checked them out!) before you'll be able to submit your questions. So go HERE to get yourself all set up before the show. Then tune in, ask your questions and enjoy the show (and your new book!).

Want more information? Here's the show's preview page.

So a free book and a chance to ask two very talented writers some questions. What more could you want?


Who loves ya, baby? That's right, we do.

Speaking of giveaways.....

In our continuing effort to recruit more unsuspecting reading fools into the Outlander Series cult, there is a huge, huge giveaway going on over at The Outlander Reading Challenge site.


Hosted by yours truly and One Literature Nut, it is a giveaway of the entire Outlander Series.

Yep, the whole kit-n-kaboodle.

So if you've always wanted to read the series (or know someone who does), get over there pronto and enter!

Read the rules and have fun.

How to not win a book.

Remember a couple of weeks ago when A Reader's Respite announced a winner of a beautiful, shiny, new copy of The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns?

Remember all those entries to win the book?

We randomly chose one lucky winner. But we-thinks perhaps this lucky winner may be too busy reading this summer to claim her prize since no mailing address was forthcoming.

So here's the gig: if you entered to win The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns (you know who you are!) and weren't chosen, be the first to comment here on this post with a correct list of the Seven Deadly Sins (making you work for it, ain't we?) and your email address and you will be our new winner!

Help us find this book and new and loving home!

Giveaways Make Me Hungry

Those of you who have been hanging out at A Reader's Respite for a while might remember this review of Erica Bauermeister's The School of Essential Ingredients that we posted some months back.

In a nutshell? We LOVED this book. Everyone LOVED this book. You can't not LOVE this book if you appreciate gorgeous writing.

Now Erica and A Reader's Respite both call the great Pacific Northwest home and that means we consume a lot of seafood. The difference between us is that Erica knows how to prepare culinary works of art, while A Reader's Respite knows microwavable popcorn.



So who would you rather get a sumptious seafood recipe from? Yeah, that's what we thought. Oh, and how about a giveaway of The School of Essential Ingredients while we're at it....

Interested? We thought you might be. Read what Erica has to say.....

*****

Some fifteen years ago now, my husband and I bought a slim bit of land on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state. The property rose up some 250 feet, but technically it was waterfront and we bushwhacked our way through poison oak and clambered down ladders and ropes and stood, triumphant, on our beach. The view down the bay was endless; the seals poked their heads up from the water and looked at us with soft brown eyes. We fell in love.

Our beach is rocky and when the tide goes out it leaves behind a vast expanse of oysters. For some of our friends, the bounty is overwhelming and they sit on the rocks in a kind of stunned bliss for hours, oyster knife in hand. Alas, neither my husband nor I like oysters. We’ve tried. We’ve barbequed and baked, lemoned and hot sauced and stewed. Nothing doing.

We do, however, love crab, and there are crabs down in the deep, cold water just off our beach. So every summer we drag our canoe over the utterly offended mollusks and set out in search of crustaceans.

As a cautionary note, I’d like to say that crabbing by canoe is a highly questionable proposition. Still, my husband likes adventure, so we bought a lovely orange canoe that looked just like something you would put four little Girl Scouts in at summer camp. It lasted a few years until a big winter storm caved its side in while it lay tied up on the beach.

Now we have a new canoe - Tank Girl. Tank Girl is big and strong and so heavy that I truly do not understand how she floats. When the tide is out and the beach looks like a battleground littered with sharp-edged grenades... well, let’s just say you have to like crabs to drag Tank Girl across all that to the water.

Which we do. And wanting to learn how to prepare our catch well led me to take a cooking class, where we were taught how to kill them with our bare hands. Which led to The School of Essential Ingredients.

People have asked for the recipe for roasted crab from Claire’s chapter in the book, so here ‘tis. And Claire and Helen want you to know that if you can only find already cooked crabs (or you don’t relish the idea of killing them), you can also use this as a truly decadent dipping sauce.

Claire's Roasted Crabs

2 live crabs
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup onion, chopped
2 T ginger, minced
2 T garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup dry white wine

Lay live crab belly side down and hold from the rear with one hand (avoiding the big claws!). With the other hand, grip the edge of the back shell with your fingers. Pull up sharply to remove the shell, then cut the crab into two halves with a large knife. Wash the body cavity, removing lungs and guts. With large knife, cut between each of the legs and crack the shells with the side of the knife, to allow openings for the roasting sauce to enter. (for more extended description, you can go to pages 46-47 of The School of Essential Ingredients).

Melt butter in sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent. Add ginger, garlic, salt, & red pepper flakes and saute about a minute until garlic becomes translucent but not browned.

Put crabs in a roasting pan & coat well with sauce. Roast for 15-20 minutes in 375 degree oven. Stir 2-3 times.

Warm lemon juice & white wine. Add to crab before serving.

Supply your guests with many, many napkins, baskets of crunchy french bread and a fresh green salad. Utensils for getting the meat from the shells are handy as well....

*****

Now, for the giveaway! If you'd like to win a copy of The School of Essential Ingredients (and if that doesn't get you in the mood for some serious cooking, we don't know what will!), leave us a comment telling us the best meal you ever ate.

That's it. Easy peasy, right?

Contest will remain open until June 3rd at which time a completely random winner will be drawn and announced right here so be sure to check back to see if you won! Unfortunately we have to limit this one to U.S. and Canadian entrants only, please. (A Reader's Respite will make up for that soon, I promise!)

A Visit from Santa

Okay, not really Santa, but the next best thing: author Joshua Henkin.
The season of giving is upon us and Josh is one author who epitomizes generosity this year! Josh has been traveling through blogland this month, offering signed copies of his New York Times Notable Book, Matrimony, and I'm happy to announce that he's making a stop here at A Reader's Respite.




And one of you are going to be the lucky recipient of an autographed, inscribed copy of Matrimony!

In Matrimony, a man and woman meet in college, fall in love, and spend the next fifteen years finding their way through the ups and downs of marriage. It’s the second novel from author Joshua Henkin, and Matrimony reflects the maturing talent of a writer who auspiciously emerged on the literary scene nine years ago with the critically praised first novel Swimming Across the Hudson.

Longer in scope, more ambitious with its characters, and grounded with realism and wry humor, Matrimony introduces us to Julian Wainwright and Mia Mendelsohn, two intensely likeable yet wonderfully flawed characters, who meet their freshman year at Graymont College, a liberal arts school in western Massachusetts. Julian, an aspiring writer, has arrived at college from New York to study with his literary hero. Mia has come from Montreal searching for something new and unknown. When they meet, folding laundry, they fall deeply and happily into first love.

But real life soon intrudes, and a family crisis arises at the end of their senior year that will cement their relationship more seriously and quickly than they could have imagined. Together they make their way through the next fifteen years — through career changes, family conflicts and losses, betrayals and successes. From the university towns of Ann Arbor, Berkeley, and Iowa City, to the brownstones of Greenwich Village, the novel moves back and forth between Julian and Mia’s perspectives as Henkin explores the choices and sacrifices we make at different stages in our lives, our changes in ambition and desire, and how we come to lead the lives we live.

From Pantheon Books



Would you like to enter? Just leave a comment telling me about the best Holiday present you've ever received and you'll be in the running!


This contest is open to all domestic and international entrants and will remain open until New Year's Eve (Pacific Time, -8 GMT), at which time we will pick a random winner. Don't forget to check back on New Year's Day to see if you won!


If you'd like to read more about Josh and his writing, visit his website and blog! Josh is also a new contributor over at Reading Group Guides where he shares his adventures in touring and also the backstory behind Matrimony. Please feel free to join in the discussions online or if you have a book club of your own, Josh regularly contributes to discussions via phone (or maybe even in person if your club meets in New York, New Jersey or Philadelphia!). Go to his website to learn more and download the Matrimony Reading Group Guide.


Good luck and Happy Holidays!

It's Twilight Mania

I don't normally address movies around here, simply because with two children under the age of three, I don't get to see movies. Ever. (Okay, except Pixar.)

But the debut of Twilight this past weekend, generating $70.6 million in two days, caught my attention. Now I've read these books, but I figure I won't see the movie till it's out on DVD network TV.

In the meantime, however, I think it's possible that there may be a few folks left on the planet who haven't read the books yet. On the off-chance that might actually be true, I've decided to give away the entire Twilight Series, by Stephanie Meyer.

Yep, you heard right. I've got a copy of each of the four books in the series (all read just once and in new condition -- well, except for the first one, which my son sat on last week; ooops).

It's a win-win situation: someone will get to read the series, while I get to clear off some shelf space and watch a spike in my blog traffic for a couple of days (cheap entertainment). Good times, right?

Now because I figure it's going to cost me in the neighborhood of $3,250.00 to ship these bad boys, I'm going to have to limit it to the U.S. and Canada this time. So that means that I now owe my international friends two giveaways just for them -- I'll make good on that, I promise!

So leave me a comment if you want to be entered. I'll leave it open until December 5th at midnight, Pacific Time and then draw a winner.

Giveaway: Gods Behaving Badly

I thought the premise for this new novel by Marie Phillips looked so fun that I just had to get in on the giveaway! So courtesy of Hachette Books, we are offering up to 5 (yes, 5!) copies of Gods Behaving Badly. Have a look at the premise:

Being a Greek god is not all it once was. Yes, the twelve gods of Olympus are alive and well in the twenty-first century, but they are crammed together in a London townhouse-and none too happy about it. And they've had to get day jobs: Artemis as a dog-walker, Apollo as a TV psychic, Aphrodite as a phone sex operator, Dionysus as a DJ. Even more disturbingly, their powers are waning, and even turning mortals into trees-a favorite pastime of Apollo's-is sapping their vital reserves of strength.

Soon, what begins as a minor squabble between Aphrodite and Apollo escalates into an epic battle of wills. Two perplexed humans, Alice and Neil, who are caught in the crossfire, must fear not only for their own lives, but for the survival of humankind. Nothing less than a true act of heroism is needed-but can these two decidedly ordinary people replicate the feats of the mythical heroes and save the world?

Doesn't that sound like a fun read? There's a few different ways to win. So here's what we'll do...

1. For every ten entries received, we'll throw in another copy of the book to win. (So if 20 people enter, there will be two copies given away, etc, etc...you get the picture).
2. If you blog about it or email a friend about the contest, just comment with your link or cc your email to me and I'll throw your name in again.
3. For the super creative folks out there, tell me in 150 words less who your favorite Greek God is and why, email it to me and I'll throw in your name an additional three more times.

The contest will remain open to all comers until November 10th at 11:59 Pacific Time at which time winners will be randomly drawn and announced. Don't forget to leave a way to contact you!

Unfortunately, because the books are coming from the publisher, this contest is limited to U.S. and Canadian mailing addresses only and no P.O. Boxes. But don't despair because I promise to make it up to my international friends soon!

Some contest news....

As a reminder, you still have one more day to enter giveaway for Requiem for the Author of Frankenstein, by Molly Dwyer. If you haven't entered and would like a chance to read this fantastic novel, go here.

And if you haven't entered The Literate Housewife's contest to win a copy of The Witch's Trinity, by Erika Mailman, please do so! There are three chances to win, so put on your writer's cap and dive in.

A Giveaway!

Now it's your turn! I spent a wonderful week with Requiem for the Author of Frankenstein, by Molly Dwyer. An entire literary movement came alive within the pages of this novel (you can read my review here and don't forget to check out my interview with Molly) and now I want to give a copy of Requiem to one lucky winner.

One of the most fun aspects of this novel was that it reintroduced me to the great Romantic poets: So leave me a comment here telling me what your favorite poem is (from any period) and why. Make sure to leave an email contact, too.

The contest will be open for one week, closing on Thursday, October 16th, at 11:59 pm Pacific Time (-8 GMT). As always, international entries are welcome!

Buy a Friend a Book Week Giveaway!

Okay, so it's Buy a Friend a Book Week and I'm still wondering what you got me? *crickets chirping* Hmmmm....

Well how about if I buy YOU a book? Here's how it works:

1. Leave a comment telling me what recently released book is at the top of your wishlist.
2. Head on over to LibraryThing or GoodReads, whichever you're a member of, and invite me to be your friend. (If you're not yet a member, pick one and sign up...it's free!)
3. If you're already my friend on LT or GR, just leave a comment with your wishlist book and you'll be entered automatically.

It's that easy! Be sure to include your LT or GR member name in your comment that you leave here so I'll know who you are and on Tuesday night I'll pick a random entry and BUY YOU YOUR BOOK!

Here's where to find me:
LibraryThing
Good Reads

International contestants are always welcome!

A Giveaway in Honor of Banned Books Week

One of my favorite books is Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. Coincidentally, this book also makes the Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books list for 2000-2007. I love this book so much that I wanted to name my daughter Scout, after the young girl in the story (and I would have if a certain celeb-utard couple hadn't beat me to the punch!). I simply cannot imagine not having had access to this book when I was a teenager...the lessons it taught became a part of who I am today.

And so in honor of Banned Books Week, this week I am giving away not only a beautiful hardcover copy of To Kill a Mockingbird, but also an autographed copy of Mockingbird, A Portrait of Harper Lee, the wonderfully written biography by Charles J. Shields.

All you have to do to enter is to take a look at the list of banned and challenged books (see link above) and tell me which one had the greatest impact on your life and why. It's that simple!

The contest will run until 11:59 pm Pacific Time (-8 GMT) on October 4th when we'll have a random drawing for the winner!

Edited to Add: Yes, this contest is open to international entrants! (Thanks, Leah, for the reminder!)

Giveaway

Okay so it's not Red Vines...it's even better for historical fiction fans. If you'd like a chance to win both a copy of My Lady of Cleves and Brief Gaudy Hour, by M.C. Barnes, head on over to BookRoom Reviews and enter to win them both! Pretty cool, eh?

Just because Book Blogger Appreciation Week is over...

...doesn't mean the end to giveaways and fun, 'cause I've got two of them for you.

If you zip over to B&B ex libris, there is till time to enter their drawing for a copy of The 19th Wife, by David Ebershoff, a highly endorsed new novel about Ann Eliza Young who was one of Brigham Young's wives. Should be a great read and you have until September 22nd to get your entry in so hurry over!






Now remember in my review of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society when I mentioned that you'll want to buy at least two copies so you can give one away to someone who loves reading as much as you? Well, I did just that and I'd like to give it away to another book lover out there.

Here's what you do...leave me a comment telling us about the most memorable book you've ever read. You know what I'm talking about: the book that even all these years later, you still think about it occassionally and it seems like you read it just yesterday.

1. I'd like to know the name of the book and why it rocked your world, so to speak.
   
2. Now if you have a blog and want to mention this contest, link to your post and I'll enter you a second time.
   
3. Of course, there are some readers who don't have blogs and that's okay! Just email a friend who loves books like you do, cc it to me (see my email in the upper right corner of this page), and I'll give you a second entry as well.
4. Oh, and this one is open to international entries, too!
   

I'll leave the contest open until Thursday at 11:59 pm Pacific Time (-8 GMT) and then we'll draw a random winner. Good luck!

Yet another great book contest!

This Book Blogger Appreciation Week is a goldmine of opportunities for everyone to enter to win a novel they've been dying to read! Now there's a chance to win Philippa Gregory's newest novel, The Other Queen. Just head on over to Book Club Girl to enter. Even if you don't win, you'll want to put her blog on your list of favorites...seems like there's always something interesting posted over there!

It's Michelle Moran Week

Over at Historical Tapestry, they are kicking off Michelle Moran week in celebration of the September 16th release of her highly anticipated new novel, The Heretic Queen. This is a great opportunity to win a copy (autographed!) of The Heretic Queen, for anyone who missed out on the Books 'N Border Collies competition. There will be lots of great discussion going on about Michelle's work and for those who missed out on her previous best-selling novel, Nefertiti, there is a veritable goldmine of information, reviews and discussions on that topic, as well, to get you caught up.

For those of you who -- like me -- tend to lurk in the background, this is a good time to start joining in the discussions and participate in all the fun!

There's still time to enter....

Okay, if you haven't entered the contest already, head on over to Books 'N Border Collies where they are generously offering an opportunity to win an autographed copy of Michelle Moran's new novel, The Heretic Queen, along with copies of her very popular Nefertiti. For those of us who have had Michelle's books on our wishlist forever, this is very exciting! The contest will remain open until September 14....good luck!