Tag Archives: giveaway

GIVEAWAY: THE BOOKMAN’S TALE by Charlie Lovett

by mwgerard Posted on May 7, 2013

Hello Dear Readers!

I have a great giveaway for you.  Just leave a comment and be entered to win this new book.  I just started reading it myself and am enjoying it quite at bit.

BookmansTale

 

Description:

Hay-on-Wye, 1995. Peter Byerly isn’t sure what drew him into this particular bookshop. Nine months earlier, the death of his beloved wife, Amanda, had left him shattered. The young antiquarian bookseller relocated from North Carolina to the English countryside, hoping to rediscover the joy he once took in collecting and restoring rare books. But upon opening an eighteenth-century study of Shakespeare forgeries, Peter is shocked when a portrait of Amanda tumbles out of its pages. Of course, it isn’t really her. The watercolor is clearly Victorian. Yet the resemblance is uncanny, and Peter becomes obsessed with learning the picture’s origins.

As he follows the trail back first to the Victorian era and then to Shakespeare’s time, Peter communes with Amanda’s spirit, learns the truth about his own past, and discovers a book that might definitively prove Shakespeare was, indeed, the author of all his plays.

The kind folks at Viking/Penguin will send one copy of this brand new book to one lucky winner to an address in the Continental US.  Here’s what you need to say in the comments:

1) Leave your first name
2) Include your email address in the following format — name (at) email (dot) com — to prevent spam.
3) Tell us your favorite work by Shakespeare.

I will contact the winner to get mailing address information.  Entries open until Wednesday, May 15 at 6 p.m. PST.  So get thee to the comment section!

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GIVEAWAY: YOUR HOUSE IS ON FIRE, YOUR CHILDREN ALL GONE

by mwgerard Posted on October 11, 2012

Just in time for Halloween, the kind folks at Penguin have sent me a giveaway copy of the new creepy book by Stefan Kiesbye, author of Next Door Lived A Girl.

Here is what others are saying:

“Creepy in a way that actually made me quite nervous.” —Ben Loory, author of Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day

“With a chilling twist here and there, a sly, stark wit, and a fascinating cast of lost boys and girls, Your House Is on Fire, Your Children All Gone is part nostalgia trip and part horror show, as honest and heartfelt as The Virgin Suicides in its portrait of adolescent yearning, anxieties, and heartbreak.” —Timothy Schaffert, author of The Coffins of Little Hope

“Full of dark folk magic and frightful, lurid wonder. It casts a spell, winking all the way through every grim detail and shadowy secret.” —Paul Elwork, author of The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead

So, you want to read it now, right?  Well you can win a copy right here.  It’s pretty easy.

1.  In the comments below, leave your name (just your first is fine), email (name [at] domain [dot] com to prevent spam).

2. In the comments below, tell me your favorite thing about Halloween.

3. Post on Twitter or Facebook about this giveaway.

4.  Have a US mailing address.

That’s it!  I will select a winner randomly.  The contest is open until Thursday, October 18 at 5:00 p.m. EST.  Good luck — and Happy Halloween!

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GIVEAWAY: JASPER FFORDE’S “THE WOMAN WHO DIED A LOT”

by mwgerard Posted on October 3, 2012

 

I have adored Thursday Next ever since she burst onto bookshelves everywhere (and in every dimension).  For me, there was finally a heroine for nerdy, literary, smart young women – like me.  Or, like I want to be.

Thanks to the generous people at Viking, I am happy to announce I have copy of the latest installment, THE WOMAN WHO DIED A LOT, for you to win!

All you have to do is leave a comment with:

1) Your name (first is fine)
2) Your email address (“name [at] domain dot com” to prevent spam)
3) What book you would want Thursday Next to take you into?
4) Share this giveaway with your friends and followers on FB and/or Twitter.  {Tag me @cineastesview}
* US Only, please.  Contest open until 10/10/12, 7:00pm EST *

This giveaway is now over.  Congratulations to Audra!  Thank you for entering.

This service has been brought to you by the Goliath Corporation, reminding you to eat your toast every day.

 

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ARMCHAIR BEA 12: Giveaways

by mwgerard Posted on June 5, 2012

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW OVER.

I’ve got two books for giveaway for this year’s Armchair BEA.  I should mention I have not read either; I’m merely hosting a giveaway.

The description from the publicist:

In Such a Pretty Fat, Jen Lancaster learned how to come to terms with her body. In My Fair Lazy, she expanded her mind. Now the New York Timesbestselling author gives herself—and her generation—a kick in the X, by facing her greatest challenge to date: acting her age.

Jen is finally ready to put away childish things (except her Barbie Styling Head, of course) and embrace the investment-making, mortgage-carrying, life-insurance-having adult she’s become. From getting a mammogram to volunteering at a halfway house, she tackles the grown-up activities she’s resisted for years, and with each rite of passage she completes, she’ll uncover a valuable—and probably humiliating—life lesson that will ease her path to full-fledged, if reluctant, adulthood.

ISBN 9780451233172 | 368 pages | 01 May 2012 | NAL | 9.25 x 6.25in | 18 – AND UP

Many thanks to Melissa at Penguin for this title.

 

Also up for grabs is a new book, due out TODAY, called Little Night by Luanne Rice.

 

The description from the publisher:

LITTLE NIGHT has elements of classic Luanne Rice—the complex family dynamics, the atmospheric sense of place (specifically, her incredible descriptions of New York’s wildlife and natural areas). But it is also extremely suspenseful as we learn the truth of what Grit has endured the past twenty years. Because Grit’s mother Anne is absent for most of the book, she has a ghostlike, haunting presence, affecting Grit and Clare as deeply as if she were present. Above all, LITTLE NIGHT is a riveting story about women and the primal, tangled family ties that bind them together.

ISBN 9780670023561 | 336 pages | 05 Jun 2012 | Pamela Dorman Books | 5.98 x 9.01in | 18 – AND UP

Many thanks to Lindsay for the giveaway copy!

So… here’s how it works!  There will be two winners, one for each book.  Winning is really easy.

- In the comments section below, leave your first name and your email in the following format email (at) domain (dot) com.

- You can earn extra entries (one for each) by:

1) posting a link to this giveaway on your blog/site (post the link below so I can find it)
2) linking to it on Twitter (please include my handle @cineastesview and #armchairbea)

- Contest closes at 11:59pm EST June 7 (Thursday!) so get those entries in.  Winners will be notified by email.  Books will be sent directly from the publisher to a US mailing address only.  THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW OVER!

GOOD LUCK!

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNERS!

Bonnie Regan, you’ve won JENERATION X.
Mary Ward, you’ve won LITTLE NIGHT.
LADIES, I will be in touch soon.

Thank you to everyone who entered. Happy Armchair BEA!

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GIVEAWAY: Midnight in Peking

by mwgerard Posted on April 19, 2012

Thanks to the folks at Penguin, I am giving away a hardcover copy of MIDNIGHT IN PEKING by Paul French.  It’s the best historical true crime I’ve read since The Devil in the White City. (My full review is here)

To enter, please:

1. Leave a comment, with link to a Facebook or Twitter post in which you linked to this giveaway

2. Submit between now and Monday, April 23, 2012 at 4p.m. EST,

2.2 Due to technical difficulties on my part, I’ve extended this giveaway until Monday, April 30, 2012 at 4 p.m. EST.

3. In the comment, include your email in the following format (to reduce spam): name (at) domain (dot) com.

Winners will be chosen via random.org from among the valid entries. US mailing addresses only, please.

Good luck!

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GIVEAWAY: A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES

by mwgerard Posted on December 24, 2011

Christmas hustle and bustle got you harried?  Want to win something? For yourself?  You don’t have to tell… just leave a comment below and  you’ll be entered to win a copy of A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES, out in paperback this December 27.  Easier than reciting a magic spell!

Here’s a bit about the book:

- Set in real, storied and historic places on the campus of Oxford University, England.
- It debuted at # 2 on the New York Times bestseller list and was published in 34 countries.
- Warner Brothers has acquired screen rights to A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES and its sequels.
- A second installment in the All Souls Trilogy, Shadow of Night, is due out in summer 2012.
- Read about the author and her works here: http://deborahharkness.com/discovery-of-witches/

THIS GIVEAWAY IS OVER.  CONGRATULATIONS TO JENNIFER.

Here’s a bit about the giveaway:
- To enter, leave a comment on this post with A) Your First Name & B) Your Email in the following format  [email (at) domain (dot) com.
- Winner will be chosen via random.org.  Entries must be posted on December 30, no later than 5:00pm EST.
- Prize is one paperback copy of A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES by Deborah Harkness.
- Prize will be mailed directly to the winner from the publisher.

Good luck!!

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REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY: AGATHA CHRISTIE

by mwgerard Posted on November 9, 2011
An Autobiography

As much as I love biographies, I’m often hesitant about autobiographies.  Everyone has an interesting story — that doesn’t meant they know how to tell it.  There is no doubt Dame Agatha Christie knew how to tell a story.  Hundreds of them.  But her best may be her own.
She begins at the beginning (sort of) and tells a roughly chronological series of events.  In fact, her fanciful meanderings are part of what makes the book so endearing.  Her descriptions of late Victorian / early Edwardian society are not only priceless anthropologically, but an absolute joy to read.  The tone is light and joyful, as a small child might tell her grandmother about the fairies at the bottom of the garden.  Indeed, her young life was rather ethereal.  One of those English upbringings that one wonders if it actually ever existed.  Imagination was encouraged to run rampant and adventure was to be met head-on. 
Her observations on life itself, too, are absolute gems.  One could extract an entire philosophy from her thoughts.   While recalling her studies in Paris, she muses, “It seems to me that teaching can only be satisfactory if it awakens some response in you.  Mere information is no good, it gives you nothing more than you had before.”  Or her recollections of Christmas as a child.  ”After the pleasurable inertia of Christmas afternoon – pleasurable, that is, for the elders: the younger ones read books, looked at their presents, ate more chocolates and so on — there was a terrific tea with a great idea Christmas cake as well as everything else, and finally a supper of cold turkey and hot mince pies.  About nine o’clock there was the Christmas tree, with more presents hanging on it.  A splendid day, and one to be remembered till next year, when Christmas came again.”  These and other memories of dances, parties, traveling to Egypt with her husband archaeologist and trips with grandchildren are an entirely enjoyable read.  In fact, one doesn’t need to be a fan of Agatha Christie or even mysteries to enjoy it.  
My review copy does not include the audio disc of Agatha’s actual voice dictating her memoir.  I can only imagine it, too, is nostalgic and lovely.
In honor of this reissue from HarperCollins, we have teamed up to host a giveaway in honor of Dame Christie.  
I’ve got a great little prize pack:  A copy of Cards on the Table, a delightful little Hercule Poirot murder mystery surrounding a game of bridge in a strange scenario; a pack of Agatha Christie bookmarks; and a black and red Agatha Christie totebag.  (This image is not to scale — obviously.)
So, do you want to win?  Leave a comment below with your NAME, EMAIL (at) DOT COM, and why you think you would be a good detective.  This giveaway is open to anyone with a US mailing address.  Have your comment posted before Friday, November 18, 2011 at 10:00 p.m. EST to be entered.  Winning entry will be chosen by Random.org.  
A huge thanks to Danielle at HarperCollins for the great gifts and the review copy of An Autobiography. 
_____________________________
ISBN: 9780062073594
ISBN10: 0062073591
Imprint: Harper 
On Sale: 11/22/2011
Format: Hardcover
Trimsize: 6 x 9
Pages: 544; $29.99; Ages: 18 and Up
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WINNER: MEMOIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES

by mwgerard Posted on September 28, 2011

And we have a winner!  Terry’s comment was chosen on random.org.

Of Sherlock, Terry said: “As to why I love Mr. Holmes, he’s the original, brilliant misanthrope. Before there was Gregory House, almost before there was even Allan Quatermain, there was Sherlock Holmes.”

Thanks to everyone who entered and to the folks at Penguin Classics for providing the prize!

Keep sleuthing everyone!

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GIVEAWAY: THE MEMOIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES by Sir A.C. Doyle

by mwgerard Posted on September 21, 2011

I don’t suppose it’s entirely fair for me to be reviewing a classic.  It’s fairly certain that the tales of Sherlock and Watson are good.  As one who grew up on them and the Granada series (Jeremy Brett IS Sherlock), it’s hard to imagine my literary memory without them.   Rereading them was a joy.  I’d forgotten how lithe and modern the writing was.  Doyle also creates such vivid characters.  Each of their voices is different.  It’s no wonder than 120 years later, people are writing new stories, blockbuster films are being made and critically-accliamed television shows keep people riveted to their sets.  Not to mention, scores of people making the pilgrimage to 221B Baker Street itself (yes, I admit, I went.  And it was wonderful).  
At Sherlock’s house.
Penguin Classics has reprinted this collection of stories, which includes: “Silver Blaze”, ” The Yellow Face”, “The Stockbroker’s Clerk”, “The Gloria Scott”, “The Musgrave Ritual”, “The Reigate Squires”, “The Crooked Man”, “The Resident Patient”, “The Greek Interpreter”, “The Naval Treaty”, and “The Final Problem.”  You can see Doyle’s growing impatience with Sherlock as he reaches fatal finale at Reichenbach Falls. Not to worry, though.  It seems Sherlock isn’t going anywhere for some time.  I’m pretty protective of Sherlock, but it seems in general his inspiration has brought about some fabulous story-telling.  

To win a copy of this book is elementary.  Please leave a comment below.  Include your first name, your email (at) com address, and phrase about why you love Sherlock.  US only, please.  Winner will be chosen at random on Sept 27 2011, at 11:59PM EST.  
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GIVEAWAY: Unknown by Didier Van Cauwelaert

by mwgerard Posted on February 18, 2011




The movie UNKNOWN comes out today!  It stars Liam Neeson, Aidan Quinn, January Jones, Diane Kruger, and Frank Langella.  Which brings up that ongoing debate — is the book really better than the movie?  With your very own copy of the book you can compare, make notes, wring your hands, or just enjoy.

Read my review of the book here.


How to win:

In the comments, please post your name, your email (in the following format to prevent spam [name at email dot com]) and what you would do to prove your identity if you had no ID or paperwork – just memories.  Contest ends February 24, 2011,  11:59pm EST.  Winner will be chosen at random from the entries.

What you win: 
The movie tie-in edition of UNKNOWN by Didier Van Cauwelaert, Previously published as Out of My Head, Translated from the French by Mark Polizzotti.
Good luck!
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WIN BIG — It’s Happy Haul-idays from Chronicle Books!

by mwgerard Posted on December 8, 2010

It’s SO easy to win.  Read about the list of items I’ve put together.  Leave a comment below.  If Chronicle Books picks your comment, we BOTH win up to $500 worth of great stuff in the list below!  Even if you don’t win, you can always visit their website to purchase the items you just can’t live without.  As a fan and customer of Chronicle Books for years, I have no qualms about recommending their products.

Since I have both a film criticism and a book criticism blog, I am combining the two interests into one enormous and amazing list which I’ll call STORIES & STORYTELLERS.

For the Cinephile…

Secret Lives of Great Filmmakers, By Robert Schnakenberg $16.95
What Your Teachers Never Told You About the World’s Greatest Directors

Readers will discover that:
• Charlie Chaplin’s corpse was stolen and held for a 400,000£ ransom.
• Akira Kurosawa dreamed of making the ultimate Godzilla film.
• Alfred Hitchcock “lost” his belly button during abdominal surgery—and often shocked his leading ladies by flashing his curiously smooth tummy.

(I might be able to finish one of these…)
TCM Classic Movie Crossword Puzzles, By Turner Classic Movies $9.95

Foreword by Robert Osborne 7 x 9 in; 96 pp
Art of the Modern Movie Poster - International Postwar Style and Design $75.00
By Judith Salavetz, Spencer Drate, and Sam Sarowitz With text by Dave Kehr
11 x 13 in; 516 pp ; 1500 color images; b/w photos throughout
Critically authoritative, visually stunning, and physically massive, Art of the Modern Movie Poster is the first and last word on post-WWII film poster design.
Hollywood Glamour Pack, includes $27.95
Leading Men 7 x 9 in; 240 pp; 200 color and b/w photographs, paperback



Leading Ladies 7 x 9 in; 240 pp; 200 b/w and color photographs, paperback
Full of surprising trivia, film stills, posters, and stunning photos, Leading Men and Leading Ladies pays tribute to the most charismatic, enduring, and elegant actors of their time.

(A flip-book, one of four “scenes” available.)
Petit Cinéma: Bridge $4.95
From the collection of Gaumont Cinémathèque and The Museum of Modern Art 
4 x 2-1/4 in; 120 pp ; b/w photographs throughout, paperback
Picture Show $19.95
Classic Movie Posters from the TCM Archives
By Dianna Edwards, Foreword by Robert Osborne
9 x 12 in; 168 pp ; 150 color images
Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters $40.00
Defending the Earth with Ultraman, Godzilla, and Friends in the Golden Age of Japanese Science Fiction Film, By August Ragone
8-1/2 x 10-1/2 in; 208 pp ; 200 b/w and color images, hardcover
Moleskine Passions Film Journal $19.95
5 x 8-1/4 in; 240 pp; hardcover
King Kong Journal $10.95
5-9/16 x 8-3/8 in; 96 pp ; debossed cover with tip-on, 2-color throughout, hardcover

Cinescopes $14.95
What Your Favorite Movies Reveal About You By Risa Williams and Ezra Werb
5-1/2 x 7-1/2 in; 176 pp; paperback
The Action Hero’s Handbook $14.95
How to Catch a Great White Shark, Perform the Jedi Mind Trick, Track a Fugitive, and Dozens of Other TV and Movie Skills
By David Borgenicht and Joe Borgenicht
5 x 7 in; 192 pp; paperback

The Action Heroine’s Handbook $14.95
How to Win a Catfight, Drink Someone Under the Table, Choke a Man with Your Bare Thighs, and Dozens of Other TV and Movie Skills
By Jennifer Worick and Joe Borgenicht
5 x 7 in; 192 pp; paperback
Movies to Check Out $10.95
By the Imagineering Company
4-3/4 x 6-5/8 in; 128 pp; hardcover 
For the Bibliophile…

Lethal Vintage - A Sunny McCoskey Napa Valley Mystery $23.95
By Nadia Gordon
Lethal Vintage offers a look at what goes on in the mansions above the vines.
Ramayana - Divine Loophole $29.95
By Sanjay Patel
8-3/4 x 8 in; 208 pp; full-color images throughout
Pixar animator Sanjay Patel lends a lush, whimsical illustration style and lighthearted voice to one of Hindu mythology’s best-loved and most enduring tales.
(Awesomest party game EVER)
Dracula’s Heir - An Interactive Mystery $24.95
By Sam Stall 10 x 8 in; 88 pp ; interactive removable features, hardcover
As with The Crimes of Dr. Watson, Dracula’s Heir features an original novella plus several removable clues, including a private journal, a death certificate, a newspaper, and more. Once you’ve solved the mystery, you can open the final signature (sealed at the printer) to test your sleuthing skills.

(I kinda want to try this now… )
The Englishman Who Posted Himself and Other Curious Objects $24.95 
By John Tingey
6 x 9 in; 176 pp ; 125 color and 15 b/w images, hardcover
Mysterio’s Encyclopedia of Magic and Conjuring - A Compendium of Astonishing Illusions $24.95
By Gabe Fajuri
7-1/4 x 9 in; 368 pp; hardcover  
(For lovers of THE KINGDOM OF OHIO)
Lost States - True Stories of Texlahoma, Transylvania, and Other States That Never Made It $24.95
By Michael Trinklein
8 x 10 in; 160 pp; hardcover


And for the Bravest of All: The Writer...
Copywriting - Successful Writing for Design, Advertising, and Marketing $24.95
By Mark Shaw
7 x 10 in; 208 pp ; 100 illustrations, paperback
You Know You’re a Writer When . . . $9.95
By Adair Lara
4 x 6 in; 96 pp; hardcover
(I know I could use this on my desk at times)
The Writer’s Toolbox - Creative Games and Exercises for Inspiring the “Write” Side of Your Brain $24.95
By Jamie Cat Callan
6-3/4 x 9-1/4 x 2 in; hinged box, 64-page, 2-color booklet, 60 cards, 60 wooden sticks, 4 spinning palettes

Like anything on this list?  Have people on your gift list that you’d like to surprise?  Just leave a comment below!
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GIVEAWAY: A 75th Birthday Celebration for Penguin

by mwgerard Posted on July 30, 2010

One of the most famous publishing houses, Penguin, turns 75 years old TODAY.  Founder Allen Lane chose ten titles in 1935 and published them in England, complete with the stamp of that cute little black and white bird.  By 1937, they set up shop in Holy Trinity Church Crypt in New York City.  



Make sure you check out their anniversary website which is full of fun photos, cover art, and even a way to follow that orange Mini.  www.penguin75.com

So to help them celebrate (and because I love the cheeky little penguin) I am giving away TWO books.  Since this is a milestone for Penguin, I thought I’d make it a sort of past-meets-present-sister-act.

You can win a copy of WUTHERING HEIGHTS by Emily Bronte and a copy of THE EYRE AFFAIR by Jasper Fforde (based, of course, on characters created by Charlotte Bronte).

 

All you have to do to enter to win these fantastic literary pieces is:

1) Wish Happy 75th Birthday to Penguin on your Facebook or on Twitter with a link to this post
2) In the comment section for this post, put your name, email and a link to the post you made (see #1).

That’s it!  I will announce the winner one week from today, Friday, August 6.  Happy Reading.

Many thanks to Lindsay at Penguin for providing the titles for giveaway.

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GIVEAWAY & CONTEST – The Quickening Maze

by mwgerard Posted on July 27, 2010

The fine folks at Penguin (via Viking) sent me an extra copy of this interesting novel (my review is here).  So if you would like to win this fine tome, here is what you do:

In the COMMENT section below:

1)  Tell me about a time you were lost – literally or figuratively – in 100 words or less.

2) Leave your first name and email address in the following format: your.email (at) domain dot com

3) Link to this post (after you’ve written your comment) either on your Facebook page or via Twitter.

The winner will be announced one week from today — Monday, August 2, 2010.

Thanks to Meghan Fallon at Viking / Penguin
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