My randomly selected winners for Michael Koryta’s The Cypress House (Little, Brown, Jan. 24) are:
Congrats! As usual, hit the “contact” button or red envelope icon in my sidebar and let me know your address. I’ll forward your info to the publisher and they’ll ship the books to you directly. If I don’t hear from you by 9 a.m. PST Saturday, Jan. 22, alternate name(s) will be chosen.
Thank you to all who shared your spooky stories with me!
If you’re still a little poor from the holidays but desperately want a copy of Michael Koryta’s new book, The Cypress House (Little, Brown, Jan. 24), you’re in luck. Thanks to Hachette Book Group, I get to give away three copies. Here’s the description:
A journey to Florida’s coast becomes an inescapable nightmare in the newest supernatural thriller from international bestseller Michael Koryta.
Arlen Wagner has seen it in men before–a trace of smoke in their eyes that promises imminent death. He is never wrong.
When Arlen awakens on a train one hot Florida night and sees death’s telltale sign in the eyes of his fellow passengers, he tries to warn them. Only 19-year-old Paul Brickhill believes him, and the two abandon the train, hoping to escape certain death. They continue south, but soon are stranded at the Cypress House–an isolated Gulf Coast boarding house run by the beautiful Rebecca Cady–directly in the path of an approaching hurricane.
The storm isn’t the only approaching danger, though. A much deadlier force controls the county and everyone living in it, and Arlen wants out–fast. But Paul refuses to abandon Rebecca to face the threats alone, even though Arlen’s eerie gift warns that if they stay too long they may never leave. From its chilling beginning to terrifying end, The Cypress House is a story of relentless suspense from “one of the best of the best” (Michael Connelly).
Sound good? To enter:
Giveaway ends next Wednesday, January 19 at 5 p.m. PST. Winners will be randomly selected then announced here and on Twitter. I won’t be notifying you personally so please check back to see if you’ve won. Any prize(s) not claimed within 48 hours will be given to alternate winner(s).
Let’s hear some creepy tales!
For the giveaway, I asked for creative versions of a Joe Pike pizza and you stepped up with some great concoctions. The first winner had the entry I thought best exemplified Joe’s persona:
Hardtack crust? Meat from the Esox lucius ? I think Pike’s mouth would twitch if you told him he had a pizza like that named after him. He wouldn’t necessarily eat it but that’s not the point.
The second winner’s name was randomly drawn:
Though Patrick was randomly chosen, he also had a great entry. Love the gunpowder topping and the pizza being served with a vengeance.
Congrats to both! You get an ARC of The Sentry to wave in front of your friends’ faces and brag on Facebook that you get to read it before it’s released on January 11. But first, you must hit the “contact” button or the red envelope icon in the sidebar and let me know your address (no P.O. boxes). If I don’t hear from you by Saturday Dec. 18 at noon PST, alternate winner(s) will be chosen.
If you didn’t win, you can pre-order the book from the venues below (I belong to their affiliate programs).
I’m thrilled to share with you the following video I made. You don’t need to know anything more; just click play. Then check out the giveaway below where you can win one of two ARCs of Robert Crais’s The Sentry (Putnam, January 11, 2011). U.S., Canada and Mexico residents are eligible!
Can’t wait to see the REAL video and read The Sentry, right? For more info, visit the Robert Crais website and check out his tour dates.
Now, how about an advanced reading copy of the book? Putnam has generously allowed me to give away two.
To enter:
Giveaway ends next Wednesday, December 15 at 5 p.m. PST. It’s a short window but I want you to get the ARCs before Christmas, even (especially?) if you’ve been naughty.
For one copy, I’ll pick the commenter with the most creative Joe Pike pizza and for the other, I’ll randomly select a name. Winners will only be posted here and on Twitter; I won’t be notifying you personally so please check back to see if you’ve won. Any prize(s) not claimed within 48 hours will be given to alternate winner(s).
Have fun and show me some pizza!
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend whether or not you celebrated Thanksgiving. I think we should treat every weekend as a holiday, and by that I mean we should sleep in, never change out of our pajamas, do movie marathons and behave in a general lazy manner.
But it’s Monday so let’s get down to business.
First, let’s get the winners of The Harry Bosch Novels: Volume 3 out of the way. The three randomly selected names are:
Congrats! Please hit the “contact” button at top of page or red envelope icon in sidebar on right and let me know where you’d like your books sent. If I don’t hear from you by Wednesday midnight PST, alternate winner(s) will be selected.
If you entered but didn’t win, don’t despair. I thought I’d go ahead and post my next giveaway now since the holidays are approaching fast and it might be nice for you to win a gift for someone or yourself.
I have up for grabs two copies of Pat Conroy’s My Reading Life, a recent release from Doubleday. From the dust jacket:
Starting as a childhood passion that bloomed into a life-long companion, reading has been Conroy’s portal to the world, both to the furthest corners of the globe and to the deepest chambers of the human soul. His interests range widely, from Milton to Tolkien, Philip Roth to Thucydides, encompassing poetry, history, philosophy, and any mesmerizing tale of his native South. He has for years kept notebooks in which he records words and expressions, over time creating a vast reservoir of playful turns of phrase, dazzling flashes of description, and snippets of delightful sound, all just for his love of language. But reading for Conroy is not simply a pleasure to be enjoyed in off-hours or a source of inspiration for his own writing. It would hardly be an exaggeration to claim that reading has saved his life, and if not his life then surely his sanity.
I haven’t had a chance to read this yet but intend to soon. I always love hearing about how people’s reading life began.
To enter, leave a comment telling me what/who first got you interested in books. You also have to:
Giveaway ends next Monday, Dec. 6, 5 p.m. PST. Winners will be randomly selected then announced here and on Twitter. I won’t be e-mailing you so please check back to see if you win. Alternate winner(s) will be chosen for any prize(s) not claimed within 48 hours.
Now, tell me about your beautiful reading life!
Thanks to Hachette Book Group, I’m giving away three copies of this new omnibus which includes three complete Harry Bosch novels: A Darkness More than Night, City of Bones, and Lost Light. Perhaps you already have individual copies of the books but they’re in paperback and are getting tattered. Or you know someone who only recently discovered Connelly’s work and doesn’t have these titles yet. Either way, this is a handsome hardcover edition to add to your or some lucky person’s collection.
Speaking of giving, I’d like to try something this season which was inspired by what the folks over at Concord Free Press are doing, which is giving away the books they publish and only asking that you consider making a charitable donation in return. I don’t publish anything but would like you to think about giving a small amount to your favorite charity if you win one of these books. When I say small, I mean $5 or $10 or some canned goods for your local food drive. (Lest you think five bucks don’t amount to much, my local soup kitchen says $2 will feed 3 people for Thanksgiving.) How about donating some of your used books to the library? That won’t cost anything at all. You’d come out on top since the omnibus retails for $21.99.
I want to be clear this is completely optional. If you win and make no donation, it’s perfectly fine and I won’t know about it anyway. No proof of good deed will be required before you get your prize (I’d love to hear, though, if you do donate something). This is simply my way to hopefully stimulate a little giving for the holidays.
So, back to the giveaway. To enter, leave a comment telling me what you’re relentless about since Connelly has used that word often to describe Harry Bosch. It could be something big or small. I was once in New York City freezing my tail off during its coldest day in 85 years. I got this craving for chicken noodle soup and was relentless about finding it. For whatever reason, no restaurant was serving it that day, just split pea or lentil or cream of one thing or another. I jumped on and off the subway, ducking into different places until I found the perfect chicken noodle and it was worth it.
To be eligible, you also have to:
Giveaway ends next Monday, Nov. 22, 5 p.m. PST. Winners will be randomly selected then announced here and on Twitter. I won’t be e-mailing you so please check back to see if you win. Alternate winner(s) will be chosen for any prize(s) not claimed within 48 hours.
Now, let’s see how relentless you are!
My three randomly selected winners are:
Congratulations! Please hit the “contact” tab at the top of the page or the red envelope button in the sidebar to send me your address, which I’ll forward to Hachette. If I don’t hear from you by midnight PST Wednesday Nov. 10, alternate winner(s) will be chosen.
Thanks to all who entered. I have several exciting giveaways planned for the rest of the year so check back to see what goodies you can win!
Little, Brown is releasing Joseph Wambaugh‘s Hollywood Hills on November 16 but generously letting me throw three copies out into the crowd now. This is the latest in the author’s Hollywood series which started with Hollywood Station and it features characters from the previous novels.
The product description:
The legendary Hollywood Hills are home to wealth, fame, and power–passing through the neighborhood, it’s hard not to get a little greedy.LAPD veteran “Hollywood Nate” Weiss could take or leave the opulence, but he wouldn’t say no to onscreen fame. He may get his shot when he catches the appreciative eye of B-list director Rudy Ressler, and his troublemaking fiancée, Leona Brueger, the older-but-still-foxy widow of a processed-meat tycoon. Nate tries to elude her crafty seductions, but consents to keep an eye on their estate in the Hollywood Hills while they’re away.
Also minding the mansion is Raleigh Dibble, a hapless ex-con trying to put the past behind him. Raleigh is all too happy to be set up for the job–as butler-cum-watchdog–by Nigel Wickland, Leona’s impeccably dressed art dealer. What Raleigh doesn’t realize is that under the natty clothes and posh accent, Nigel has a nefarious plan: two paintings hanging on the mansion’s walls will guarantee them more money than they’ve ever seen.
Everyone’s dreams are just within reach–the only problem is, this is Hollywood. A circle of teenage burglars that the media has dubbed The Bling Ring has taken to pillaging the homes of Hollywood celebutants like Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, and when a pair of drug-addled young copycats stumbles upon Nigel’s heist, that’s just the beginning of the disaster to come. Soon Hollywood Nate, surfer cops Flotsam and Jetsam, and the rest of the team at Hollywood Station have a deadly situation on their hands.
Hollywood Hills is a raucous and dangerous roller coaster ride that showcases Joseph Wambaugh in vintage form.
Want a copy? To enter, leave a comment telling me which Hollywood home you’d like to, ah, sneak into if you were a member of the Bling Ring. Me, I’d like to see the inside of Spielberg’s home because he might have cool memorabilia from his movies. If the Ark of the Covenant is just sitting around in the den, I’m taking it for sure.
To be eligible, you also have to:
Giveaway ends next Monday, Nov. 8, 5 p.m. PST. Winners will be randomly selected then announced here and on Twitter. I won’t be e-mailing you so please check back to see if you win. Alternate winner(s) will be chosen for any prize(s) not claimed within 48 hours.
Now, let’s hear your thieving hypotheticals!
I know I’m late making this announcement but my randomly selected winner is:
Congrats! Contact me by Tuesday Oct. 26, 5 p.m. PST and you’ll get a hardcover copy of Our Kind of Traitor.
I’ve got fantastic giveaways already lined up for the next couple months so check back often if you didn’t win this time!
My 3 randomly selected winners for an audiobook of Jon Stewart’s Earth are:
My 3 winners for audiobooks of David Sedaris’s Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk are:
Yes, EIREGO, your name was drawn in both drawings! I think you should immediately book a trip to Vegas this weekend.
Winners, please hit the “contact” tab above (or the red envelope button in the sidebar) and send me your addresses. Hachette will ship the prizes. I must hear from you by Wednesday, Oct. 13, midnight PST or alternate winner(s) will be selected.
Thanks to everyone for your clever, witty entries. The animal personal ads made me laugh. You can still enter my giveaway for John Le Carré’s Our Kind of Traitor here. I’ll also have lots more drool-worthy items to give away in the coming months so stay tuned!
My randomly selected winners are:
Congrats! Please hit “contact” above and give me your addresses. Hachette will ship each of you a copy of The Reversal as long as I hear from you by midnight PST Sunday, October 10. If not, alternate name(s) will be chosen.
Thank you to all who entered and shared your great stories. I love doing giveaways not just because I can help put free books in your hands; I really enjoy reading your clever entries.
If you didn’t win this time, I have other giveaways here.
Because we’re at the weekend and it’s time to party, I’m giving away another free book. Woo-hoo! Loverboy’s got nuthin’ on me. (Yes, I know that’s an ancient reference to a cheesy ’80s band. Your point is?)
Today’s title is John Le Carré‘s latest, Our Kind of Traitor, being released Oct. 12 by Viking. Thanks to the generous folks there, I have one copy to give away. I haven’t read this one yet but it’s been getting rave reviews, including starred ones from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus. From the product description:
Perry and Gail are idealistic and very much in love when they splurge on a tennis vacation at a posh beach resort in Antigua. But the charm begins to pall when a big-time Russian money launderer enlists their help to defect. In exchange for amnesty, Dima is ready to rat out his vory (Russian criminal brotherhood) compatriots and expose corruption throughout the so-called legitimate financial and political worlds. Soon, the guileless couple find themselves pawns in a deadly endgame whose outcome will be determined by the victor of the British Secret Service’s ruthless internecine battles.
Who wants it? You know any novel that contains internecine battles has to be good.
To enter:
Giveaway ends next Saturday, October 16, 5 p.m. PST. The winner will be randomly chosen via Random.org then announced here and on Twitter. I won’t be notifying via e-mail so please check back to see if you’ve won. Winner will have 48 hours to claim the prize before an alternate name is chosen.
