Who Cares About Being Stuck in Traffic When You Get To Listen to Johnny Depp Reading Keith Richards' LIFE

My post title says it all -- almost. I'll just add that I arrived at work a half hour late but in an excellent mood! (And that was just Disc 1!)

LIFE

by Keith Richards, James Fox

read by Keith Richards, Johnny Depp, Joe Hurley

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Category: Biography & Autobiography

Format: Audio Book

Subformat: CD (Audio)

Edition: Unabridged

Publish Date: 11/16/2010

Price: $34.98/$39.98

ISBN: 9781600242403

Pages: 0

Size: 5-1/4" x 5-3/4"

Description (from the publisher):

As lead guitarist of the Rolling Stones, Keith Richards created the riffs, the lyrics, and the songs that roused the world. A true and towering original, he has always walked his own path, spoken his mind, and done things his own way.

Now at last Richards pauses to tell his story in the most anticipated autobiography in decades. And what a story! Listening obsessively to Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters records in a coldwater flat with Mick Jagger and Brian Jones, building a sound and a band out of music they loved. Finding fame and success as a bad-boy band, only to find themselves challenged by authorities everywhere. Dropping his guitar's sixth string to create a new sound that allowed him to create immortal riffs like those in "Honky Tonk Woman" and "Jumpin' Jack Flash." Falling in love with Anita Pallenberg, Brian Jones's girlfriend. Arrested and imprisoned for drug possession. Tax exile in France and recording Exile on Main Street. Ever-increasing fame, isolation, and addiction making life an ever faster frenzy. Through it all, Richards remained devoted to the music of the band, until even that was challenged by Mick Jagger's attempt at a solo career, leading to a decade of conflicts and ultimately the biggest reunion tour in history.

In a voice that is uniquely and unmistakably him--part growl, part laugh--Keith Richards brings us the truest rock-and-roll life of our times, unfettered and fearless and true.

Click here to listen to a clip read by Johnny Depp.

Click here to listen to the introduction  by Keith Richards.

Mailbox Monday: November 29, 2010

Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia at The Printed Page, is being hosted this month by Julie at Knitting and Sundries. If you'd like to join in, stop by Julie's and leave a link - or just browse through the comments to see what new books have been showing up.

What's in your mailbox?

I recently joined PaperBack Swap ("PBS"). If you don't know what that is, I strongly urge you to click here and check it out. Basically, for the low cost of postage, you can trade books (and audio books) with other readers. I decided to give it a shot as a way to keep myself in audio books because I have become absolutely addicted to them for my daily commute. Now I feel slightly addicted to PBS!

THE FIRST PRINCESS OF WALES
by Karen Harper

THE STONES CRY OUT
by Sibella Giorello

STILL LIFE
by Louise Penny

THE FUNNY LITTLE WOMAN
by Arlene Mosel
illustrated by Blair Lent

WHISPERING TO WITCHES
by Anna Dale

GIRAFFE (audio book)
by J.M. Ledgard

THE HOUSE ON TRADD STREET (audio book)
by Karen White

PEOPLE OF THE BOOK (audio book)
by Geraldine Brooks

MIDDLESEX (audio book)
by Jeffrey Eugenides

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2010

HOPE EVERYONE HAS A

HAPPY AND HEALTHY THANKSGIVING

ENJOY!

Spotlight and Audiobook Giveaway: THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART PRESENTS EARTH (THE AUDIOBOOK)

CLOSED.

Thanks to those humorous folks at
Hachette Book Group,

I have been authorized to
give away three (3) audio book copies of

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents
EARTH (The Audiobook)

Rules for entering this giveaway
are at the bottom of this post.

THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART PRESENTS 

EARTH

(A Vistor's Guide to the Human Race)

by Jon Stewart

read by the author, et al.

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Category: Humor

Format: Audio Book

Subformat: CD (Audio)

Edition: Unabridged Selections

Publish Date: 10/8/2010

Price: $24.98/$27.98

ISBN: 9781607886150

Pages: 0

Description (from the publisher):
Where do we come from? Who created us? Why are we here? These questions have puzzled us since the dawn of time, but when it became apparent to Jon Stewart and the writers of The Daily Show that the world was about to end, they embarked on a massive mission to write a book that summed up the human race: What we looked like; what we accomplished; our achievements in society, government, religion, science and culture -- all in a lavishly produced audiobook of approximately 200 minutes.

After two weeks of hard work and nights in the recording studio, they had their audiobook. EARTH (The Book) is the definitive guide to our species. With their trademark wit, irreverence, and intelligence, Stewart and his team will posthumously answer all of life's most hard-hitting questions, completely unburdened by objectivity, journalistic integrity, or even accuracy.

Click here to listen to an excerpt.

Click here to visit earththebookwebsite.com

About the author (from the publisher):
The Daily Show is the top-rated news program in its time-slot in the younger demographics and its fan base among all ages continues to grow.

Jon Stewart was born in New York and lives with his wife in New York City.

RULES FOR ENTERING THE GIVEAWAY:

• Leave an original comment on this post telling me you would like to win. Include an email address with your comment so that I can contact you if you do win. Use a spam-thwarting format such as geebee.reads AT gmail DOT com or geebee.reads [at] gmail [dot] com

• You must leave an email address in order to qualify. If I can't contact you, you can't win!

• You can earn an extra entry by being or becoming a Follower or Subscriber of this blog and telling me about it in a separate comment.

• Blog about this contest and provide me with the link to the post in a separate comment, and I'll give you yet another entry.

• Tweeting about this contest and providing me the link in a separate comment will get you one more entry. I've added a Retweet button at the bottom of every post.

• Stumble this blog, Digg it, or Technorati Fave it, whatever, and leave a separate comment for another entry.

• Winners must provide a U.S. or Canadian street address. Hachette is unable to deliver to P.O. Boxes.

• PLEASE NOTE: One win per household. If you win this title in another contest hosted at another blog, Hachette will only send one copy per household address.

• Deadline for entry is 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, December 17, 2010.

• Winners will have 48 hours to respond to my email announcing that they have won; if I don't hear from a winner, I will draw another name.

• Winners are determined using the sequence generator at Random.org.

Thank you to Anna
at Hachette Book Group

for making this giveaway possible.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!
THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

Waiting on Wednesday: INDIA CALLING by Anand Giridharadas

"WAITING ON WEDNESDAY"

is hosted by Jill from

Breaking the Spine.

Join in and tell us . . .

What are you waiting for?

My pick for this week is . . .

INDIA CALLING

by Anand Giridharadas

Times Books

1/4/2011

ISBN: 978-0-8050-9177-9

ISBN10: 0-8050-9177-7

6 1/8 x 9 1/4 inches

288 pages

Description (from the publisher):
Reversing his parents' immigrant path, a young American-born writer returns to India and discovers an old country making itself new.

Anand Giridharadas sensed something was afoot as his plane from America prepared to land in Bombay. An elderly passenger looked at him and said, "We're all trying to go that way," pointing to the rear. "You, you're going this way?"

Giridharadas was returning to the land of his ancestors, amid an unlikely economic boom. But he was interested less in its gold rush than in its cultural upheaval, as a new generation has sought to reconcile old traditions and customs with new ambitions and dreams.

In India Calling, Giridharadas brings to life the people and the dilemmas of India today, through the prism of his émigré family history and his childhood memories of India. He introduces us to entrepreneurs, radicals, industrialists, and religious seekers, but, most of all, to Indian families. He shows how parents and children, husbands and wives, cousins and siblings are reinventing relationships, bending the meaning of Indianness, and enduring the pangs of the old birthing the new.

Through their stories, and his own, he paints an intimate portrait of a country becoming modern while striving to remain itself.

Click here to read an excerpt.

Click here to visit the author's website.

About the author (from the publisher):
Anand Giridharadas writes the “Currents” column for the International Herald Tribune and The New York Times online. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, and a graduate of the University of Michigan, he worked in Bombay as a management consultant until 2005, when he began reporting from that city for the Herald Tribune and the Times. He now lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Spotlight and Book Giveaway: SUNDAYS AT TIFFANY'S by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet

CLOSED.

SUNDAYS AT TIFFANY'S

is now a Lifetime original movie

from Sony Pictures Television

and will be airing on

Monday, December 6

at 9:00 PM ET/PT, 8:00 PM CT

In honor of this event, Hachette Book Group

has authorized me to give away
one (just 1!) copy of

SUNDAYS AT TIFFANY'S

 by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet.

Rules for entering this giveaway

are at the bottom of this post.

SUNDAY'S AT TIFFANY'S

by James Patterson

and Gabrielle Charbonnet

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Category: Romance

Format: Trade Paperback

Publish Date: 1/6/2009

Price: $13.99/$15.99

ISBN: 9780446199445

Pages: 336

Size: 5-1/4" x 8"

Desciption (from the publisher):
AN IMAGINARY FRIEND
Jane Margaux is a lonely little girl. Her mother, the powerful head of a New York theater company, makes time for her only once a week, for their Sunday trip to admire jewelry at Tiffany's. Jane has only one friend: a handsome, comforting, funny man named Michael. He's perfect. But only she can see him. Michael can't stay forever, though. On Jane's eighth birthday he leaves, promising that she'll forget him soon. He was there to help her until she was old enough to manage on her own, and now there are other children who need his help.

AN UNEXPECTED LOVE
Years later, in her thirties, Jane is just as alone as she was as a child. And despite her own success as a playwright, she is even more trapped by her overbearing mother. Then she meets Michael again--as handsome, smart and perfect as she remembers him to be. But not even Michael knows the reason they've really been reunited.

AND AN UNFORGETTABLE TWIST
Sundays at Tiffany's is a heart-wrenching love story that surpasses all expectations of why these people have been brought together. With the breathtaking momentum and gripping emotional twists that have made James Patterson a bestseller all over the world, Sundays at Tiffany's takes an altogether fresh look at the timeless and transforming power of love.

http://www.jamespatterson.com/
http://www.facebook.com/jamespatterson

http://www.mylifetime.com/
http://twitter.com/lifetimetv

http://www.mylifetime.com/facebook-twitter

RULES FOR ENTERING THE GIVEAWAY:

• Leave an original comment on this post telling me you would like to win. Include an email address with your comment so that I can contact you if you do win. Use a spam-thwarting format such as geebee.reads AT gmail DOT com or geebee.reads [at] gmail [dot] com

• You must leave an email address in order to qualify. If I can't contact you, you can't win!

• You can earn an extra entry by being or becoming a Follower or Subscriber of this blog and telling me about it in a separate comment.

• Blog about this contest and provide me with the link to the post in a separate comment, and I'll give you yet another entry.

• Tweeting about this contest and providing me the link in a separate comment will get you one more entry. I've added a Retweet button at the bottom of every post.

• Stumble this blog, Digg it, or Technorati Fave it, whatever, and leave a separate comment for another entry.

• Winners must provide a U.S. or Canadian street address. Hachette is unable to deliver to P.O. Boxes.

• PLEASE NOTE: One win per household. If you win this title in another contest hosted at another blog, Hachette will only send one copy per household address.

• Deadline for entry is 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, December 10, 2010.

• Winners will have 48 hours to respond to my email announcing that they have won; if I don't hear from a winner, I will draw another name.

• Winners are determined using the sequence generator at Random.org.

Thank you to Valerie
at Hachette Book Group

for making this giveaway possible.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!
THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

Waiting on Wednesday: DEATH AND THE VIRGIN QUEEN by Chris Skidmore

"WAITING ON WEDNESDAY"

is hosted by Jill from

Breaking the Spine.

Join in and tell us . . .

What are you waiting for?

My pick for this week is . . .

DEATH AND THE VIRGIN QUEEN

by Chris Skidmore

Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: 1/18/2011
ISBN: 978-0-312-37900-1
ISBN10: 0-312-37900-5
6 1/8 x 9 1/4 inches
 448 pages
 Includes 4 b&w photos throughout plus one 8-page color photo insert

Description (from the publisher):
In the tradition of Alison Weir’s New York Times bestselling Mary, Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley, comes the most sensational crime story of Tudor England. On the morning of September 8, 1560, at the isolated manor of Cunmor place, the body of a young woman was found at the bottom of a staircase, her neck broken. But this was no ordinary death. Amy Robsart was the wife of Elizabeth I’s great favorite, Robert Dudley, the man who many believed she would marry, were he free. Immediately people suspected foul play and Elizabeth’s own reputation was in danger of serious damage. Many felt she might even lose her throne. An inquest was begun, witnesses called, and ultimately a verdict of death by accident was reached. But the mystery refused to die and cast a long shadow over Elizabeth’s reign.

Using recently discovered forensic evidence from the original investigation, Skidmore is able to put an end to centuries of speculation as to the true causes of Robsart’s death. This is the story of a treacherous period in Elizabeth’s life: a tale of love, death, and tragedy, exploring the dramatic early life of England’s Virgin Queen.

Click here to visit the author's website.

About the author (from the publisher):
Chris Skidmore was born in Bristol, England in 1981. His first book was Edward VI: The Lost King of England. He taught history at Bristol University is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. In 2010 he was elected as a British Member of Parliament.

Book Giveaway: PEACE AND PLENTY: Finding Your Path to Financial Serenity by Sarah Ban Breathnach

CLOSED.

Thanks to the generous folks at
Hachette Book Group,

I have been authorized to
 give away three (3) copies of

PEACE AND PLENTY
by Sarah Ban Breathnach

Rules for entering this giveaway
are at the bottom of this post.

PEACE AND PLENTY:

Finding Your Path to Financial Serenity

by Sarah Ban Breathnach

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Category: Self-Help

Format: Hardcover Book

Publish Date: 12/29/2010

Price: $24.99/$27.99

ISBN: 9780446561747

Pages: 448

Size: 5-1/2" x 9-1/4"

Description (from the publisher):

"When money is plentiful, this is a man's world. When money is scarce, it is a woman's world." Unearthed in a 1932 Ladies Home Journal, this quote is the call to arms that begins PEACE AND PLENTY, Sarah Ban Breathnach's answer to the world's-- and her own personal-- financial crisis. As only Ban Breathnach can, she culls together this compendium of advice, deeply personal anecdotes, and excerpts from magazines, books, and newspapers-- particularly those of the Great Depression-- to inspire readers who are mired in today's financial difficulties.

Focusing on her own personal path, Sarah Ban Breathnach will relate never-before revealed details about how she fell from the financial top to the bottom. Readers will immediately see how deeply she understands the plight of those trying to maintain a happy and comfortable home, while at the same time not even knowing if they will be able to make the mortgage to keep that home.

Sarah has proved to be the voice of comfort for years to women who are spiritually bankrupt, and now she will reach to those who are financially strapped, showing them how to pull themselves out of their psychic and fiscal crises while providing deep comfort and reassurance throughout.

About the author (from the publisher):
In addition to SIMPLE ABUNDANCE, Sarah Ban Breathnach is the author of THE SIMPLE ABUNDANCE JOURNAL OF GRATITUDE, SOMETHING MORE, and MRS. SHARP'S TRADITIONS. She currently resides in California. Please visit her website at www.simpleabundance.com.

RULES FOR ENTERING THE GIVEAWAY:

• Leave an original comment on this post telling me you would like to win. Include an email address with your comment so that I can contact you if you do win. Use a spam-thwarting format such as geebee.reads AT gmail DOT com or geebee.reads [at] gmail [dot] com

• You must leave an email address in order to qualify. If I can't contact you, you can't win!

• You can earn an extra entry by being or becoming a Follower or Subscriber of this blog and telling me about it in a separate comment.

• Blog about this contest and provide me with the link to the post in a separate comment, and I'll give you yet another entry.

• Tweeting about this contest and providing me the link in a separate comment will get you one more entry. I've added a Retweet button at the bottom of every post.

• Stumble this blog, Digg it, or Technorati Fave it, whatever, and leave a separate comment for another entry.

• Winners must provide a U.S. or Canadian street address. Hachette is unable to deliver to P.O. Boxes.

• PLEASE NOTE: One win per household. If you win this title in another contest hosted at another blog, Hachette will only send one copy per household address.

• Deadline for entry is 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, December 17, 2010.

• Winners will have 48 hours to respond to my email announcing that they have won; if I don't hear from a winner, I will draw another name.

• Winners are determined using the sequence generator at Random.org.

Thank you to Anna
at Hachette Book Group

for making this giveaway possible.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

Spotlight and Audio Book Giveaway: THE REVERSAL by Michael Connelly; read by Peter Giles

CLOSED.

Thanks to the generous folks at
Hachette Book Group,

I have been authorized to
 give away two (2) audio book copies of

THE REVERSAL
by Michael Connelly
read by Peter Giles

Rules for entering this giveaway
are at the bottom of this post.

THE REVERSAL

by Michael Connelly

read by Peter Giles

Publisher:  Hachette Audio

Category: Fiction, Suspense & Thrillers

Format: Audio Book

Subformat: CD (Audio)

Edition: Unabridged

Publish Date: 10/5/2010

Price: $39.98/$44.98

ISBN: 9781600247255

Pages: 0

Description (from the publisher):
Longtime defense attorney Mickey Haller is recruited to change stripes and prosecute the high-profile retrial of a brutal child murder. After 24 years in prison, convicted killer Jason Jessup has been exonerated by new DNA evidence. Haller is convinced Jessup is guilty, and he takes the case on the condition that he gets to choose his investigator, LAPD Detective Harry Bosch.

Together, Bosch and Haller set off on a case fraught with political and personal danger. Opposing them is Jessup, now out on bail, a defense attorney who excels at manipulating the media, and a runaway eyewitness reluctant to testify after so many years.

With the odds and the evidence against them, Bosch and Haller must nail a sadistic killer once and for all. If Bosch is sure of anything, it is that Jason Jessup plans to kill again.

Click here to listen to an excerpt.

Click here to visit the author's website.

About the author (from the publisher):
Michael Connelly is the bestselling author of the Harry Bosch series of novels as well as The Poet, Blood Work, Void Moon, Chasing the Dime, and the #1 New York Times bestsellers The Scarecrow and The Lincoln Lawyer. He is a former newspaper reporter who has won numerous awards for his journalism and his novels. He spends his time in California and Florida.

RULES FOR ENTERING THE GIVEAWAY:

• Leave an original comment on this post telling me you would like to win. Include an email address with your comment so that I can contact you if you do win. Use a spam-thwarting format such as geebee.reads AT gmail DOT com or geebee.reads [at] gmail [dot] com

• You must leave an email address in order to qualify. If I can't contact you, you can't win!

• You can earn an extra entry by being or becoming a Follower or Subscriber of this blog and telling me about it in a separate comment.

• Blog about this contest and provide me with the link to the post in a separate comment, and I'll give you yet another entry.

• Tweeting about this contest and providing me the link in a separate comment will get you one more entry. I've added a Retweet button at the bottom of every post.

• Stumble this blog, Digg it, or Technorati Fave it, whatever, and leave a separate comment for another entry.

• Winners must provide a U.S. or Canadian street address. Hachette is unable to deliver to P.O. Boxes.

• PLEASE NOTE: One win per household. If you win this title in another contest hosted at another blog, Hachette will only send one copy per household address.

• Deadline for entry is 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, December 10, 2010.

• Winners will have 48 hours to respond to my email announcing that they have won; if I don't hear from a winner, I will draw another name.

• Winners are determined using the sequence generator at Random.org.

Thank you to Anna
at Hachette Book Group

for making this giveaway possible.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!
THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL: A Pop-Up Book by Charles Dickens; illustrated by Chuck Fischer; paper engineering by Bruce Foster

CLOSED.

Thanks to the holly-jolly folks at
Hachette Book Group,

I have been authorized to
 give away one (only 1) copy of

A CHRISTMAS CAROL
A Pop-Up Book
by Charles Dickens, Chuck Fischer.

Rules for entering this giveaway
are at the bottom of this post.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

A Pop-Up Book

by Charles Dickens

illustrated by Chuck Fischer

paper engineering by Bruce Foster

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Category: Fiction, Juvenile Fiction

Format: Hardcover Book

Publish Date: 11/10/2010

Price: $30.00/$36.00

ISBN: 9780316039734

Pages: 12

Size: 7-3/4" x 9-3/4"

Description (from the publisher):

This beautiful re-imagining of Charles Dickens's timeless fable, A Christmas Carol: A Pop-Up Book features artist Chuck Fischer's richly painted depictions of the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, brought to life in intricate pop-up scenes by paper engineer Bruce Foster. The entire text of A Christmas Carol is reproduced in five removable, illustrated, keepsake booklets. An introductory booklet provides a biography of Dickens and an illustrated feature on the enduring appeal of this beloved story.

Click here to view the pop-up book.

Click here to visit the website of paper engineer, Bruce Foster.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

My Thoughts:
Let's face it -- it hardly seems like Christmas without Dickens' A CHRISTMAS CAROL. But, let's continue to face it, after a lifetime of retelling, the story can get a little -- how can I put this? -- stale. If that's how you're feeling about this classic story, then this is the book for you! Chuck Fischer's beautiful illustrations and Bruce Foster's ingenous paper engineering literally bring this old favorite to 3-D life.

Six delightful page spreads definitely make the story pop -- as in UP, of course! Beginning with a beautifully detailed depiction of a London street at Christmastime. We are then visited by Marley's Ghost and each of the three Christmas Spirits - Past, Present, and Future. The final pop-up is again of the London street but this time the foreground includes the joyous Tiny Tim held aloft on the shoulder of a beaming Scrooge. There is so much detail in each of the individual scenes that you will want to spend some time examining each one. I continually find something new each time I look the book over. I think my favorite depiction is that of the Ghost of Christmas Past. There's an extra little series of pop-ups which give us glimpses of Scrooge's younger years and help explain how he came to be so close-hearted and tight-fisted.

Another thing that I really liked is that each pop-up page includes a little booklet, dividing the text of A CHRISTMAS CAROL into five segments. It makes it easy to read the story a little at a time allowing the reader to savor both the message and the period detail. Additionally, the little pamphlets are illustrated with pictures by John Leech, the original illustrator of A Christmas Carol. The first pamphet contains an essay on the enduring appeal of the story and a brief biography of Charles Dickens himself. These little pamphlets enhance the story told in pop-ups and should not be overlooked.

We've all enjoyed Charles Dickens' A CHRISTMAS CAROL: A Pop-Up Book here at my house. Chuck Fischer and Bruce Foster have created another beautiful book that will appeal to to anyone of any age. I highly recommend it.

About Author

Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was one of the most prolific authors of the nineteenth century. In his many short stories, plays, novellas, and

About the author and illustrator (from the publisher):
Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was one of the most prolific authors of the nineteenth century. In his many short stories, plays, novellas, and novels, he created some of literature's most memorable characters.

Chuck Fischer's paintings hang in some of the finest residences in the world. His designs have been reproduced on holiday ornaments and home furnishings, including wallpaper and fabrics in the permanent collection of the Cooper-Hewitt Museum. He is the author of six previous pop-up books: The White House, Great American Houses and Gardens, Christmas in New York, Christmas Around the World, In the Beginning, and Angels: A Pop-Up Book. He lives in New York and Florida. Click here to visit his website.

RULES FOR ENTERING THE GIVEAWAY:

• Leave an original comment on this post telling me you would like to win. Include an email address with your comment so that I can contact you if you do win. Use a spam-thwarting format such as geebee.reads AT gmail DOT com or geebee.reads [at] gmail [dot] com

• You must leave an email address in order to qualify. If I can't contact you, you can't win!

• You can earn an extra entry by being or becoming a Follower or Subscriber of this blog and telling me about it in a separate comment.

• Blog about this contest and provide me with the link to the post in a separate comment, and I'll give you yet another entry.

• Tweeting about this contest and providing me the link in a separate comment will get you one more entry. I've added a Retweet button at the bottom of every post.

• Stumble this blog, Digg it, or Technorati Fave it, whatever, and leave a separate comment for another entry.

• Winners must provide a U.S. or Canadian street address. Hachette is unable to deliver to P.O. Boxes.

• PLEASE NOTE: One win per household. If you win this title in another contest hosted at another blog, Hachette will only send one copy per household address.

• Deadline for entry is 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, December 3, 2010.

• Winners will have 48 hours to respond to my email announcing that they have won; if I don't hear from a winner, I will draw another name.

• Winners are determined using the sequence generator at Random.org.

Thank you to Anna
at Hachette Book Group

for making this giveaway possible.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!
THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

Waiting on Wednesday: THE WITCH'S DAUGHTER by Paula Brackston

"WAITING ON WEDNESDAY"

is hosted by Jill from

Breaking the Spine.

Join in and tell us . . .

What are you waiting for?

My pick for this week is . . .

THE WITCH'S DAUGHTER

by Paula Brackston

Thomas Dunne Books, 1/18/2011

ISBN: 978-0-312-62168-1, ISBN10: 0-312-62168-X,

5 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches, 320 pages

Description (from the publisher):
My name is Elizabeth Anne Hawksmith, and my age is three hundred and eighty-four years. Each new settlement asks for a new journal, and so this Book of Shadows begins…

In the spring of 1628, the Witchfinder of Wessex finds himself a true Witch. As Bess Hawksmith watches her mother swing from the Hanging Tree she knows that only one man can save her from the same fate at the hands of the panicked mob: the Warlock Gideon Masters, and his Book of Shadows. Secluded at his cottage in the woods, Gideon instructs Bess in the Craft, awakening formidable powers she didn’t know she had and making her immortal. She couldn't have foreseen that even now, centuries later, he would be hunting her across time, determined to claim payment for saving her life.

In present-day England, Elizabeth has built a quiet life for herself, tending her garden and selling herbs and oils at the local farmers' market. But her solitude abruptly ends when a teenage girl called Tegan starts hanging around. Against her better judgment, Elizabeth begins teaching Tegan the ways of the Hedge Witch, in the process awakening memories--and demons--long thought forgotten.

Part historical romance, part modern fantasy, The Witch’s Daughter is a fresh, compelling take on the magical, yet dangerous world of Witches. Readers will long remember the fiercely independent heroine who survives plagues, wars, and the heartbreak that comes with immortality to remain true to herself, and protect the protégé she comes to love.


About the author (from the publisher):
Paula Brackston is the author of a travel book, The Dragon's Trail. She has an MA in Creative Writing from Lancaster University in the UK, and her autobiographical writing has been published in several anthologies. She lives halfway up a Brecon Beacon with her partner and their two children.

Not Quite a Review - I, ALEX CROSS by James Patterson (audio book)

I, ALEX CROSS

by James Patterson

read by Tim Cain and Michael Cerveris

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Category: Fiction, Suspense & Thrillers

Format: Audio Book

Subformat: CD (Audio)

Edition: Unabridged

Publish Date: 11/16/2009

Price: $39.98/$49.98

ISBN: 9781600247682

Pages: 0

Description (from the publisher):

You can't runDetective Alex Cross is pulled out of a family celebration and given the awful news that a beloved relative has been found brutally murdered. Alex vows to hunt down the killer, and soon learns that she was mixed up in one of Washington's wildest scenes. And she was not this killer's only victim.

You can't hide

The hunt for her murderer leads Alex and his girlfriend, Detective Brianna Stone, to a place where every fantasy is possible, if you have the credentials to get in. Alex and Bree are soon facing down some very important, very protected, very dangerous people in levels of society where only one thing is certain--they will do anything to keep their secrets safe.

Alex Cross is your only hope to stay alive

As Alex closes in on the killer, he discovers evidence that points to the unimaginable--a revelation that could rock the entire world. With the unstoppable action, unforeseeable twists, and edge-of-your-seat suspense that only a James Patterson thriller delivers, I, Alex Cross is the master of suspense at his sharpest and best.

Click here to listen to an excerpt.

Click here to read an excerpt.

Click here to visit the author's website.

My Rating:  Shouldn't - Wouldn't - Couldn't (Finish, that is)

My Thoughts: Nothing in the description of this story prepared me for the all-too-frequently-mentioned means of disposing of dead bodies: the woodchipper. Two discs in, and I'm pulling the plug on this one. Gory as the concept is, if it had just been mentioned once or twice, I could have dealt with it, cataloging the information and moving on. Trouble is, the machine has been used at least half a dozen times so far, with the clear inference of long-term use before the story even begins. Ugh!

Generally, I like a good thriller as long as things don't get too sadistic or squishy. I've listened to other Patterson books on audio and enjoyed them. With this one, though, I really felt my stomach turn. I kept asking myself why I didn't just turn it off. I even put it aside and listened to something else and then gave it another try. No go. It just made me sick.

Sure, I want to know who the bad guy turns out to be, but I'll peek at the ending of the print version at the library. With a book, you have the option of skimming over the parts you don't want to dwell on, but  that's not so easy with audiobooks. I'll trust that Alex Cross sees some sort of justice done and leave this story to those whose sensibilities (and stomachs) are tougher than mine. 

Thank you to Anna and Hachette Book Group

for supplying my review copy.

Teaser Tuesdays: EATING ANIMALS by Jonathan Safran Foer

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by
Miz B. of  Should Be Reading.

Want to play along? Here's what to do:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

". . . those who 'believe in meat' and want meat eating to continue without factory farming think vegetarian advocates are the unrealistic ones. Sure, a small (or even large) group may want to go veg, but people in general want meat, always have, always will, and that's that. Vegetarians are at best kindly but unrealistic. At worst they are delusional sentimentalists."
- page 221

EATING ANIMALS
by Jonathan Safran Foer

Publisher: Back Bay

Category: Social ScienceFormat: Trade PaperbackPublish Date: 9/1/2010
Price: $14.99/$17.99
ISBN: 9780316069885
Pages: 368
Size: 5-1/2" x 8-1/4"