Spotlight and Audiobook Giveaway: THE ISLAND by Elin Hilderbrand; read by Denice Hicks

CLOSED.

Thanks to the generous folks at
Hachette Book Group,

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

THE ISLAND
by Elin Hilderbrand
read by Denice Hicks

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

THE ISLAND

by Elin Hilderbrand

read by Denise Hicks

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Category: Fiction

Format: Audio Book

Subformat: CD (Audio)

Edition: Unabridged

Publish Date: 7/6/2010

Price: $34.98/$41.98

ISBN: 9781607882404

Pages: 0

Description (from the publisher):
Birdie Cousins has planned a getaway with her daughter Chess on rustic, charming Tuckernuck Island off the coast of Nantucket, a chance to bond before Chess's upcoming marriage. Birdie's been through a difficult divorce herself, so she knows the big commitment that marriage entails. She's only recently dared to tiptoe back into the waters of romance.

When Chess abruptly breaks off the wedding and her fiancé shockingly dies in a rock climbing accident, it leaves Chess feeling guilty and deeply depressed. Birdie circles the wagons, convincing her younger daughter Tate, and her own sister India to join them on Tuckernuck for the month of July. Secrets and intrigue soon make their way to the surface, as Elin Hilderbrand once again weaves a masterful story of summer suspense.

Click here to listen to an excerpt.

Click here to view the video.

Click here to visit the author's website.

About the author (from the publisher):
Elin Hilderbrand lives on Nantucket with her husband and their three young children. She grew up in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, and traveled extensively before settling on Nantucket, which has been the setting for her five previous novels. Hilderbrand is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the graduate fiction workshop at the University of Iowa.

RULES FOR ENTERING THE GIVEAWAY:

• Leave a 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.

• Deadline for entry is 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, August 6, 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: REVOLUTION by Jennifer Donnelly

"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 . . .

REVOLUTION

by Jennifer Donnelly

Pub. Date: October 12, 2010

Publisher: Random House Children's Books

Format: Hardcover, 496pp

Sales Rank: 69,655

Age Range: Young Adult

ISBN-13: 9780385737630

ISBN: 0385737637

Description (from the publisher):
BROOKLYN: Andi Alpers is on the edge. She’s angry at her father for leaving, angry at her mother for not being able to cope, and heartbroken by the loss of her younger brother, Truman. Rage and grief are destroying her. And she’s about to be expelled from Brooklyn Heights’ most prestigious private school when her father intervenes. Now Andi must accompany him to Paris for winter break.

PARIS: Alexandrine Paradis lived over two centuries ago. She dreamed of making her mark on the Paris stage, but a fateful encounter with a doomed prince of France cast her in a tragic role she didn’t want—and couldn’t escape.

Two girls, two centuries apart. One never knowing the other. But when Andi finds Alexandrine’s diary, she recognizes something in her words and is moved to the point of obsession. There’s comfort and distraction for Andi in the journal’s antique pages—until, on a midnight journey through the catacombs of Paris, Alexandrine’s words transcend paper and time, and the past becomes suddenly, terrifyingly present.

Jennifer Donnelly, author of the award-winning novel A Northern Light, artfully weaves two girls’ stories into one unforgettable account of life, loss, and enduring love. Revolution spans centuries and vividly depicts the eternal struggles of the human heart.

About the author (from the publisher):
Jennifer Donnelly is the author of two adult novels, The Tea Rose and The Winter Rose, as well as the young adult novel A Northern Light, winner of Britain’s prestigious Carnegie Medal, the L.A. Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature, and a Michael L. Printz Honor Award. She lives and writes full-time in upstate New York. You can visit her at http://www.jenniferdonnelly.com/.

Book Giveaway: THE IMPOSTER'S DAUGHTER by Laurie Sandell

CLOSED.

Thanks to the generous folks at
Hachette Book Group,

I have been authorized to
 give away five (5) copies of

THE IMPOSTER'S DAUGHTER:
A True Memoir
by Laurie Sandell

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

THE IMPOSTER'S DAUGHTER:

A True Memoir

by Laurie Sandell

Publisher: Back Bay Books

Category: Biography & Autobiography; Comics & Graphic Novels

Format: Trade Paperback

Publish Date: 7/12/2010

Price: $16.99/$19.99

ISBN: 9780316033060

Pages: 272

Size: 5-1/2" x 8-1/4"

Description (from the publisher):
Laurie Sandell grew up in awe (and sometimes in terror) of her larger-than-life father, who told jaw-dropping tales of a privileged childhood in Buenos Aires, academic triumphs, heroism during Vietnam, friendships with Kissinger and the Pope. As a young woman, Laurie unconsciously mirrors her dad, trying on several outsized personalities (Tokyo stripper, lesbian seductress, Ambien addict). Later, she lucks into the perfect job--interviewing celebrities for a top women's magazine. Growing up with her extraordinary father has given Laurie a knack for relating to the stars.

Click here to visit the author's website.

About the author (from the publisher):
Laurie Sandell is a contributing editor at Glamour, where she writes cover stories, features, and personal essays. She has also written for Esquire, GQ, New York, and In Style, among others. In her twenties, she spent four years traveling around the world, having unsavory experiences she later justified as "material."

RULES FOR ENTERING THE GIVEAWAY:

• Leave a 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.

• Deadline for entry is 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, August 6, 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 number 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 Audiobook Giveaway: WAR by Sebastian Junger; read by the author

CLOSED.

Thanks to the generous folks at
Hachette Book Group,

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

WAR
by Sebastian Junger
read by the author.

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

WAR

by Sebastian Junger
read by the author

Publisher: Hachette Audio
Category: Biography & Autobiography
Format: Audio Book
Subformat: CD (Audio)
Edition: Unabridged
Publish Date: 5/11/2010
Price: $29.98/$0.00
ISBN: 9781607881988
Pages: 0

Description (from the publisher):
In WAR Sebastian Junger gives breathtaking insight into the truths of war-- the fear, the honor, and the trust among men. His on-the-ground account follows a single platoon through a 15-month tour of duty in the most dangerous outpost in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley. Through the experiences of these young men at war, he shows what it means to fight, to serve, and to face down mortal danger on a regular basis.

Click here to listen to an excerpt.

Click here to visit the author's website.

About the author (from the publisher):
Sebastian Junger is the New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Storm and A Death in Belmont. He is a contributing editor to Vanity Fair, and has been awarded a National Magazine Award and an SAIS Novartis Prize for journalism. He lives in New York City.

RULES FOR ENTERING THE GIVEAWAY:

• Leave a 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.

• Deadline for entry is 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, August 6, 3010.

• 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.

Thank you to Anna
at Hachette Book Group

for making this giveaway possible.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

Teaser Tuesdays: THROUGH THE HEART by Kate Morgenroth

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish memehosted 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!

My teaser:
"Sometimes it is best not to know. I think that was why Tammy didn't tell me more about what she'd seen.  She knew that sometimes the veil God draws over the future is the greatest kindness he has to give."

(from an Advanced Review Copy) Page 57

THROUGH THE HEART
by Kate Morgenroth

Pub. Date: December 2009
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Format: Paperback, 320pp
ISBN-13: 9780452295896
ISBN: 0452295890
Edition Description: Original

Blog Tour and Book Review #49: THE REMAINS by Vincent Zandri

THE REMAINS

by Vincent Zandri

Pub. Date: November 30, 2010

Publisher: StoneHouse Ink

Format: Paperback

ISBN-13: 9780982770504

ISBN: 0982770502

Description (from the publisher):
Thirty years ago, teenager Rebecca Underhill and her twin sister Molly were abducted by a man who lived in a house in the woods behind their upstate New York farm. They were held inside that house for three horrifying hours, until making their daring escape.

Vowing to keep their terrifying experience a secret in order to protect their mother and father, the girls tried to put the past behind them. And when their attacker was hunted down by police and sent to prison, they believed he was as good as dead.

Now, it’s 30 years later, and with Molly having passed away from cancer, Rebecca, a painter and art teacher, is left alone to bear the burden of a secret that has only gotten heavier and more painful with each passing year.

But when Rebecca begins receiving some strange anonymous text messages, she begins to realize that the monster who attacked her all those years ago is not dead after all. He’s back, and this time, he wants to do more than just haunt her. He wants her dead.

My rating:  4 out of 5 Stars -- a thrilling thriller!

My thoughts:  I love a good thriller. You know what I mean -- the kind you can't put down. The ones where you keep saying "Just one more chapter . . ." while the the bath overflows, the roast cooks to stone, the sun sinks lower and lower, and the moon starts to rise. And the next day at work you're all bleary eyed and bored -- but the killer has been caught, the heroine is safe, and all is right with the world again. My problem is that as I've gotten older and more experienced, it's harder to find stories that provide that old "thrill." In an effort to hold readers' interests, some authors keep upping the ante by divising increasingly gory, sadistic, and ridiculously complex tortures for their victims to suffer. I say, Give me a break! When I read a thriller, I want a good, believable story -- a protagonist who is intelligent but nonetheless vulnerable; a villian who is cleverly malicious but not maniacally insane. I like a story that I think could actually happen. What I want is a good cat and mouse game where the mouse ultimately bells the cat.

I found such a story with THE REMAINS by Vincent Zandri. There may not be much in the story description that sets it apart from run-of-the-mill thrillers, but it is solidly written with interesting and plausible characters and a story line that kept me flipping through the pages late into the night. I liked Rebecca, the heroine, and found her backstory to be fascinating and believable. As a young teenager, she and her twin sister were abused and traumatized when they were trapped in an isolated and abandoned house for several hours by a serial killer. Thirty years later, her twin has passed away from cancer, her marriage has failed, and her career as an artist is flatlining. The girls never told anyone about their ordeal and so Rebecca still suffers the reprecussions of that terrifying experience, making her all the more vulnerable.

When she begins receiving mysterious text messages, Rebecca finally begins to connect with her ex-husband in a way she never could while they were married. She also receives help and support from her childhood neighbors, an artistic savant, Francis, and his mother. Turns out that Francis knows more about the danger Rebecca is facing than he's able to verbalize. With Francis, Zandri has created a fascinating and sympathetic portrait of an autistic adult.

I totally enjoyed THE REMAINS and plan to read more of Mr. Zandri's novels. Of course, I fully expected Rebecca to survive, but wondering who else would make it out alive -- and how -- kept me completely focused to the last page.  If you like a good thriller, THE REMAINS is a highly entertaining read.  Just start it early on a day you have nothing else to do - you won't get anything else done anyway!
   
The paperback version of THE REMAINS won't be released until the fall, but you can purchase the Kindle version for $2.99 by clicking here.

Click here for a special excerpt and to view the trailer.

Click here to visit the author's website.

Thank you to Dorothy at

Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tours

for organizing this tour and supplying my review copy. 

Looking for Winners: INTO THE BEAUTIFUL NORTH and INNOCENT

Graphic courtesy of Cupcakes for Clara.

Click here to visit her Etsy shop.

!!  CONGRATULATIONS !!

INTO THE BEAUTIFUL NORTH

by Luis Alberto Urrea

#11  Traveler -- Confirmed!

#29 Brenda --  Confirmed!

#47 Priya -- Confirmed!

INNOCENT

by Scott Turow

#11 Debs Desk -- Confirmed!

#17 Just Mom -- Confirmed!
#29 Library Pat -- Confirmed!

All winners have been contacted. Please respond to my email with your snail mail addresses (no P.O. Boxes) by 12:00 noon EST on Monday, July 19, 2010.  If I have not heard from you by then, your win will be forfeit and I will contact the next winner generated by Random.org.

- Thank you to everyone who stopped by and entered. If you weren't one of the lucky ones in this drawing, click here to hop on over to the contest page at Hachette Book Group for listings of other blogs hosting book giveaways.

- Be sure and check my sidebar for other ongoing giveaways.

A big thank you to Hachette Book Group

 for making these giveaways possible.

Winners: FEVER DREAMS and THE CASTAWAYS

Graphic courtesy of Cupcakes for Clara.

Click here to visit her Etsy shop.

!!  CONGRATULATIONS !!

FEVER DREAMS

by Preston & Child

# 19  Martha Lawson

#38  Debs Desk

#45  JHS

THE CASTAWAYS

by Elin Hilderbrand

#4  rubynreba

#45  itsJUSTme

#92 Lindsey

All winners have been notified and confirmed.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and entered the contests. If you weren't one of the lucky ones this time, check out my sidebar for a listing of new giveaways.

Also, check out the Contest Page at Hachette Book Group for links to dozens of fabulous book giveaways.

A big thank you to

Hachette Book Group

for making these giveaways possible.

Spotlight and Audiobook Giveaway: PUT ON YOUR CROWN by Queen Latifah; read by the author

CLOSED.

Thanks to the generous folks at
Hachette Book Group,

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

PUT ON YOUR CROWN
by Queen Latifah
read by the author.

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

PUT ON YOUR CROWN

by Queen Latifah

read by the author

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Category: Self-Help

Format: Audio Book

Subformat: CD (Audio)

Edition: Unabridged

Publish Date: 5/6/2010

Price: $22.98/$27.98

ISBN: 9781607881964

Pages: 0

Description (from the publisher):

Modeled after Maria Shriver's Just Who Will You Be, Queen Latifah's goal with Put On Your Crown is to help young women build a strong sense of self-esteem. A US Dept. of Justice survey found that females ages 16-24 are more vulnerable to partner violence than any other group, almost triple the national average. Cases like Chris Brown's assault on pop star Rihanna showed an ugly side of adolescent life. However, Queen Latifah has always been a shining example of a woman happy with herself and unwilling to compromise to fit into the "hollywood ideal" of what a confident beautiful woman should look like.

Click here to listen to an excerpt.

About the author (from the publisher):

Queen Latifah was born and raised in Newark, New Jersey. The Queen got her first break in music when a demo tape featuring one of her raps made its way to Tommy Boy Records. She was signed and immediately became a hit. She won the Best New Artist Award in 1990 for her album "All Hail the Queen" which also went platinum. The second single from the album, "Ladies First," was eventually named by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock 'n' Roll.

By the time her second album "Nature of a Sista'" came out in 1991, Queen Latifah had begun investing in small businesses in her neighborhood, and acting both in television and movies. After the death of her brother and a soured deal with Tommy Boy, The Queen released her third album, "Black Reign", and founded Flavor Unit Records and Management. She also landed a regular spot on Living Single and went on to star in a plethora of feature films including: Set It Off, The Perfect Holiday, Taxi, and Bringing Down the House.

RULES FOR ENTERING THE GIVEAWAY:

• Leave a 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.

• Deadline for entry is 11:59 p.m. EST on Saturday, July 31, 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.

Thank you to Anna
at Hachette Book Group

for making this giveaway possible.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!
THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

Audiobook Giveaway: LIVE LONG, FINISH STRONG by Gloria Copeland; read by Kate McIntyre

CLOSED.

Thanks to the generous folks at
Hachette Book Group,

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

LIVE LONG, FINISH STRONG
by Gloria Copeland
read by Kate McIntyre

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

LIVE LONG, FINISH STRONG

by Gloria Copeland

read by Kate McIntyre

Publisher: Hachette Audio
Category: Body, Mind & Spirit
Format: Audio Book
Subformat: CD (Audio)
Edition: Unabridged
Publish Date: 5/10/2010
Price: $24.98/$29.98
ISBN: 9781607882091
Pages: 0

Description (from the publisher):
In LIVE LONG, FINISH STRONG, Gloria Copeland presents a scripturally sound program to help readers claim the Bible promise of a long and blessed life . . . and a glorious death by "divine appointment." Gloria believes the Bible teaches that God desires for every Christian to live healthily beyond 100. In this book, Gloria reveals that the secret to finding this "Bible-based fountain of youth" is in daily receiving by faith and obedience the life-giving Word of God and allowing it to energize and renew our bodies.

Click here to listen to an excerpt.

Click here to visit the author's website.

About the author (from the publisher):
Gloria Copeland is an internationally known Bible teacher and bestselling author. She holds an honorary doctorate from Oral Roberts University. Gloria and her husband, Kenneth, are the founders of Kenneth Copeland Ministries in Fort Worth, Texas (http://www.kcm.org/).

RULES FOR ENTERING THE GIVEAWAY:

• Leave a 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.

• Deadline for entry is 11:59 p.m. EST on Saturday, July 31, 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.

Thank you to Anna
at Hachette Book Group

for making this giveaway possible.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!
THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

Friday Finds: WHEN THE EMPEROR WAS DIVINE by Julie Otsuka

FRIDAY FINDS is hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading.
What great books did you hear about / discover this past week?

Share with us your FRIDAY FINDS!

I'm not sure where I "discovered" this novel, but I was immediately attracted by the beautiful and serene cover image. Turns out this top image is from the 2002 hardcover edition and the bottom image is the trade paperback.

Apparently, when the novel was first published, it was something of a groundbreaker. From the description, it sounds like a powerful story, and from the awards it has won, it is obviously a good choice for teens.

I really enjoyed Jamie Ford's HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET, and I recently completed GIRL IN TRANSLATION by Jean Kwok. I think I'll be reading WHEN THE EMPEROR WAS DIVINE very soon.

Has anyone read this one? What did you think of it?

WHEN THE EMPEROR WAS DIVINE

by Julie Otsuka

Pub. Date: October 2003

Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

Format: Paperback, 160pp

ISBN-13: 9780385721813

ISBN: 0385721811

Edition Description: Reprint

Description (from the publisher):
Julia Otsuka’s quietly disturbing novel opens with a woman reading a sign in a post office window. It is Berkeley, California, the spring of 1942. Pearl Harbor has been attacked, the war is on, and though the precise message on the sign is not revealed, its impact on the woman who reads it is immediate and profound. It is, in many ways she cannot yet foresee, a sign of things to come. She readies herself and her two young children for a journey that will take them to the high desert plains of Utah and into a world that will shatter their illusions forever. They travel by train and gradually the reader discovers that all on board are Japanese American, that the shades must be pulled down at night so as not to invite rock-throwing, and that their destination is an internment camp where they will be imprisoned “for their own safety” until the war is over. With stark clarity and an unflinching gaze, Otsuka explores the inner lives of her main characters—the mother, daughter, and son—as they struggle to understand their fate and long for the father whom they have not seen since he was whisked away, in slippers and handcuffs, on the evening of Pearl Harbor.

Moving between dreams, memories, and sharply emblematic moments, WHEN THE EMPEROR WAS DIVINE reveals the dark underside of a period in American history that, until now, has been left largely unexplored in American fiction.

Click here to read an excerpt.

Awards:
WINNER - Booklist Editor's Choice for Young Adults
WINNER - New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age
WINNER - ALA Alex Award
WINNER 2003 - Asian American Literary Award

About the author (from the publisher):

Julie Otsuka was born in Palo Alto and studied art at Yale University. After pursuing a career as a painter, she turned to fiction at age 30. One of her short stories was included in Scribner’s Best of the Fiction Workshops 1998, edited by Carol Shields. WHEN THE EMPEROR WAS DIVINE is her first novel.

Spotlight and Audiobook Giveaway: PRIVATE by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

CLOSED.

Thanks to the generous folks at
Hachette Book Group,

I have been authorized to
 give away 3 audiobook copies of

PRIVATE
by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro
read by Peter Hermann

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

PRIVATE

by James Patterson

& Maxine Paetro

read by Peter Hermann

Publisher: Hachette Audio
Category: Fiction, Suspense & Thrillers
Format: Audio Book
Subformat: CD (Audio)
Edition: Unabridged
Publish Date: 6/28/2010
Price: $34.98/$41.98
ISBN: 9781607884484
Pages: 0

Description (from the publisher):

Former Marine and CIA agent Jack Morgan inherits his father's renowned security and detective business--along with a case load that tests him to the breaking point. Getting to the bottom of an NFL gambling scandal and an unsolved LAPD investigation into 18 school girl slayings would be enough. On top of all that, Morgan takes on solving the horrific murder of his best friend's wife.

As Morgan fights the urge to exact brutal revenge on that killer, he has to navigate a workplace imbroglio that could blow the roof off his elite agency. And it's an especially explosive situation . . . because the love affair is his own.

Click here to listen to an excerpt.

Click here to visit the author's website.

RULES FOR ENTERING
THE GIVEAWAY:

• Leave a 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.

• Deadline for entry is 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, July 30, 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.

Thank you to Anna
at Hachette Book Group

for making this giveaway possible.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!
THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

Spotlight and Audiobook Giveaway: BACKSEAT SAINTS by Joshilyn Jackson

CLOSED

Thanks to the generous folks at
Hachette Book Group,

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

BACKSEAT SAINTS
by Joshilyn Jackson
read by the author

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

BACKSEAT SAINTS

by Joshilyn Jackson

read by the author

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Category: Fiction

Format: Audio Book

Subformat: CD (Audio)

Edition: Unabridged

Publish Date: 6/8/2010

Price: $34.98/$41.98

ISBN: 9781607882220

Pages: 0

Description (from the publisher):
Rose Mae Lolley is a fierce and dirty girl, long-suppressed under flowery skirts and bow-trimmed ballet flats. As "Mrs. Ro Grandee" she's trapped in a marriage that's thick with love and sick with abuse. Her true self has been bound in the chains of marital bliss in rural Texas, letting "Ro" make eggs, iron shirts, and take her punches. She seems doomed to spend the rest of her life battered outside by her husband and inside by her former self, until fate throws her in the path of an airport gypsy---one who shares her past and knows her future. The tarot cards foretell that Rose's beautiful, abusive husband is going to kill her. Unless she kills him first.

Hot-blooded Rose Mae escapes from under Ro's perky compliance and emerges with a gun and a plan to beat the hand she's been dealt. Following messages that her long-missing mother has left hidden for her in graffiti and behind paintings, Rose and her dog Gretel set out from Amarillo, TX back to her hometown of Fruiton, AL, and then on to California, unearthing a host of family secrets as she goes. Running for her life, she realizes that she must face her past in order to overcome her fate---death by marriage---and become a girl who is strong enough to save herself from the one who loves her best.

BACKSEAT SAINTS will dazzle readers with a fresh and heartwrenching portrayal of the lengths a mother will go to right the wrongs she's created, and how far a daughter will go to escape the demands of forgiveness. With the seed of a minor character from her popular best-seller, GODS IN ALABAMA, Jackson has built a whole new story full of her trademark sly wit, endearingly off-kilter characters, and utterly riveting plot twists.

Click here to listen to an excerpt.

Click here to visit the author's website.

About the author (from the publisher):
Joshilyn Jackson, a native of the Deep South, has worked as an actor and an award-winning teacher, and is now a writer and a mother of two. She is the author of GODS IN ALABAMA; BETWEEN, GEORGIA; and THE GIRL WHO STOPPED SWIMMING. Jackson lives with her husband and children outside of Atlanta. Visit her at www.joshilynjackson.com.

RULES FOR ENTERING
THE GIVEAWAY:

• Leave a 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.

• Deadline for entry is 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, July 30, 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.

Thank you to Anna
at Hachette Book Group

for making this giveaway possible.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!
THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

Book Giveaway: RITA Nominees (3 Sets of 6 Books)

CLOSED

Thanks to the generous folks at
Hachette Book Group,

I have been authorized to
 give away three (3) sets
of the 6 RITA Nominees.

What a way to heat up your summer!!

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

For descriptions of each book, click on the title names.

ONE SCREAM AWAY

by Kate Brady

Best First Book & Romantic Suspense Categories

Mass Market, ISBN 9780446541527, US$6.99 /CAN$8.50

FOR THE LOVE OF PETE

by Julia Harper

Contemporary Single Title Romance Category

Mass Market, ISBN 9780446619189, US$6.99 /CAN$8.50

TO BEGUILE A BEAST

by Elizabeth Hoyt

Historical Romance Category

Mass Market, ISBN 9780446406932, US$6.99 /CAN$8.50

KNIGHT OF PLEASURE

by Margaret Mallory

Historical Romance Category

Mass Market, ISBN 9780446553384, US$6.99 /CAN$8.50

MY FORBIDDEN DESIRE

by Carolyn Jewel

Paranormal Romance Category

Mass Market, ISBN 9780446178242, US$6.99 /CAN$8.50

KILL FOR ME

by Karen Rose

Romantic Suspense

Mass Market, ISBN 9780446616935, US$6.99 /CAN$8.50

Three (3) people will each receive a set of six (6) books.

RULES FOR ENTERING THE GIVEAWAY:

• Leave a 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.

• Deadline for entry is 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, July 30, 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.

Thank you to Anna
at Hachette Book Group

for making this giveaway possible.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!
THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.