REVIEW: THE APOTHECARY by Maile Meloy

With illustrations by Ian Schoenherr

Normally I don't read young adult books for review.  I think this is due mostly to the fact that I never really read them when I was a young adult.  I sort of skipped that and went straight on to adult titles (The most notable exception being the wonderful stories of John Bellairs). That, and I suppose I am so buried under books written for adults that to expand genres would only complicate matters.  But something about the descriptions drew me to The Apothecary and I wasn't disappointed.  

The young heroine is a smart and insightful, but terribly self-conscious fourteen year-old girl.  Already struggling (like anyone) to make the awkward transition from kid to teenager in a sunshiny, idyllic Los Angeles of the early 1950s, she is forced to uproot and move to London.  Her parents, successful television writers in Hollywood, are under surveillance by HUAC.  Rather than  fight a losing battle against unfounded suspicion, they decide to take jobs writing for the BBC.  

Just one of the gorgeous illustrations by Ian Schoenherr

Dropped in the midst of postwar London, without a friend or a clue, Janie Scott becomes immersed in a strange and magical world.  She befriends the son of the local apothecary (the pharmacist, in American) and discovers that the shop dispenses more than the usual remedies.  They are charged with keeping safe an ancient book with recipes and must keep it from falling into the wrong hands. 

Janie's adventure is great fun.  And like any true young adult book ought, not everything turns out perfectly.  Having just been to London myself this past summer, I especially enjoyed seeing the city through the eyes of another who also felt wonder and overwhelmed at every turn.  

I was incredibly thrilled that the Chelsea Physic Garden figures into the story.  It might have been my favorite stop in London; I didn't want to leave.  It's truly an oasis in the middle of the city, and  is a very impressive garden in its own right.  

One of my MANY photos from the Chelsea Physic Garden

All to often books talk down to young readers.  Not so here.  The book is well written and moves right along.  It's adventurous and imaginative.  Despite its young tone, I was never bored.  I can highly recommend it for young ladies with a particularly precocious spirit.  

A great many thanks to Penguin for the review copy.  

______________________

ISBN 9780399256271 | 368 pages | 04 Oct 2011

Putnam Juvenile | 9.25 x 6.25in | 10 - AND UP years

GIVEAWAY: A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES

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!!

REVIEW: GOOD NEIGHBORS by Ryan David Jahn

It's called the "bystander effect" and its real.  It's been proven time and again by psychologists.  And it has been under discussion again with the Penn State scandal.  (Read about it here from NPR) Most people think they would intervene if they saw a crime happening in front of them.  They would either step in, or at least call the police or an ambulance.  The truth is, as humans, it's not that cut and dry.  The more witnesses there are, the less likely it is that someone will come forward.  Why?  Everyone assumes that someone else will pick up the phone.  The mind makes excuses.  

In 1964, this bystander effect cost a young woman her life.

Based on the true events surrounding the attack of Kitty Genovese, Ryan David Jahn explores the by stander effect, creating scenarios for each of the neighbors who did nothing.  Each chapter changes point-of-view, showing what each character was doing, instead of helping Kitty.  Failing marriages, draft papers, corrupt cops and an ailing mother all lurk behind the windows, safely inside.  

Kitty Genovese

Jahn creates a set of very believable characters and the book begins quite strongly.  But as the story progresses, it devolves into repetitive, spiraling narratives about selfish and shallow people. The only threads that kept me slogging through the mid-pages were that of Frank and Erin and Patrick and his mother.  It finds its footing once again as the threads come together once again in the final chapters.  Most effective is the first-person narrative of Kitty.  Her inner thoughts of terror and determination for survival is gripping, and is the strength of the book.  Even as it is a novel to be read for itself, hopefully, it will remind its readers of the importance of stepping in, speaking up and making a difference.

______________________

Many thanks to Penguin for the review copy.

ISBN 9780143118961 | 288 pages | 31 May 2011 | Penguin | 5.15 x 7.87in | 18 - AND UP

MORE GREAT READS FOR HALLOWEEN

Can't get enough of ghoulish stories?  Neither can I!  Which means I have even more creepy titles to suggest for Halloween -- and any chilly, fall night best spent by the fire.

How about something easy to get into and tough to put down?  Try MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN by Ransom Riggs.  It's a very fun read and interspersed with strange photographs.

Read my entire review here.

Can't get enough of salacious mysteries?  Try THE CRADLE IN THE GRAVE by Sophie Hannah.  Frighteningly realistic police procedural.

Read my entire review here. 

A strange disappearance and a race to find the truth are the object of the entirely-true, bone-chilling tale of THE LOST CYCLIST by David Herlihy.

Read my entire review here.

Or try something in the realm of the impossible made entirely plausible in a collection of short stories by Ben Loory.  STORIES FOR THE NIGHTTIME AND SOME FOR THE DAY is unlike anything else.

Read my entire review here.

Science, too, can be terrifying, when we take a look at how far we've come.  Check out MEDICAL MUSES: HYSTERIA IN 19TH CENTURY PARIS by Asti Hustvedt and learn about some of the first studied ideas about sanity. 

Read my entire review here.

REVISIT: A SECRET GIFT - Coming Soon to Paperback

Read my review of this amazing book here.  It's out soon in paperback.  A must-give for the Thanksgiving season. 

The mysterious benefactor of "A Secret Gift"

REVIEW: RULES OF CIVILITY by Amor Towles

I loved this book.  I loved reading it, the story, the cover art, the photo insets, almost everything about it.  It's probably blasphemous for me to say, but I enjoyed it more than The Great Gatsby.

Set in a post-Depression Manhattan, it follows the trials and triumphs of a small group of friends (and sometimes lovers) in a glittering, Art-Deco New York City. Katey Kontent (yes, the name is a bit self-conscious, but so is Katey) is the narrator of the tale and is far from content.  She works as a secretary in a very respectable firm and finds fun where she can with her friend Eve Ross.   Both of their fates take a turn on New Year's Eve in a dark jazz club -- the night when Tinker Grey comes into their lives.

The overall theme is that life is an adventure unwritten, and not every turning reveals good fortune.  When a shattering accident affects all in their small but close-knit group, it sends each shard of their relationship in multiple directions.  

Publicity postcard for Rules of Civility

Rules of Civility refers to George Washington's book of the same name in which he laid out guidelines for keeping polite company.  Tinker sometimes references it, though often ironically.  This book instead creates its own witticisms and aphorisms.  There are too many to recount, but a favorite, early on, is "Learning dance steps was the sorry Saturday night pursuit of every boardinghouse girl in America."  And I couldn't agree more with this sentiment: "No matter how much you think of yourself, no matter how long you've lived in Hollywood or Hyde Park, a brown Bentley is going to catch your eye.  There couldn't be more than a few hundred of them in the world and every aspect is designed with envy in mind."

Fashion photo by Hoyningen-Heune, 1938

Towles sets out a very metered pace and in a structured narrative.  It spans exactly one year, told in flashback.  Interestingly, Towles manages to withhold "how it all ends" despite the fact that he begins at the end.  Effectively, it shows the reader how "naive" we are, just as Katey is.  Also quite effective are the photographs by Walker Evans that mark sections of the book.  This series of subway candids reminds us easily read body language and facial expression is, particularly when our guard is down.  Washington's Rules of Civility do not apply here.

As a setting - time and place - it is incredibly well-researched, but comfortably so.  It doesn't feel forced or sound like it is name-dropping for effect.  There is only one portion of one chapter that falls flat.  The rest is as effervescent as a newly popped bottle of champagne.

___________________________

Many thanks to the folks at Viking/Penguin for the review copy.

Book: Hardcover 

5.98 x 9.01in 

352 pages 

ISBN 9780670022694 

26 Jul 2011

Viking Adult

18 - AND UP

COVER IMAGE: The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

Great new cover.  Same great stories.

My review coming soon...

REVIEW: STORIES FOR THE NIGHTTIME AND SOME FOR THE DAY by Ben Loory

It's a deceptive little book.  Not too thick; it's compact and fits easily into your bag.  Just pull it out while you wait at the car wash or in the subway.  Something to pass the time.  

But that's what it wants you to think.

Soon you will be swept away into dimensions where a TV set can write an opera, a man and a moose are good friends, and an octopus is named Harley.  Also, Harley likes to drink tea.  Yet it makes sense.  None of it is as fantastical as it sounds.  Author Ben Loory's tone and style are so matter-of-fact that the reader hardly blinks.  The stories are so darn sure of themselves that the reader doesn't bother to question it.  

Author Loory, as enigmatic as his stories.

Loory has a few outings under his belt -- he's already appeared in The New Yorker, The Antioch Review,  Danse Macabre and dozens of others.  But something that sets these tales apart is a sense that they belong together.  Their style is simple and less wordy than previous stories.  Not that his writing is flowery by any means, but Stories... is different.  The characters don't have names (well, except for the octopi, of course). They have little if any physical description.  They are only important as puppets or stick figures in a diorama. 

Author, screenwriter and host Rod Serling. 

They are generally unwitting pawns to a skewed universe. In fact, his stories are more like fables.  And many of them are very short - just a page or two.  But there is a mysterious world packed into those few words.  And like an episode of the classic Twilight Zone, a meaningful change of perspective that gives new context to the story just when it seems you have figured it out.  Yet there is no thin layer of American cheese that seems to appear in many of Serling's episodes.  Loory's tales are clear and simple.  And yet neither simple nor clear-cut.

Did I mention it is deceptive?

__________________________

Thank you to Lindsay and the folks at Penguin for the review copy.  This book is also a featured title in a series of original fiction called Penguin Makes Paperbacks.

ISBN 9780143119500 | 224 pages | 26 Jul 2011 | Penguin | 8.26 x 5.23in | 18 - AND UP 

BOOK PHOTO: Stories for the Nighttime And Some For the Day

Here is a preview of my next book review.
The review will be posted on July 21. 

STORIES FOR THE NIGHTTIME AND SOME FOR THE DAY by Ben Loory

From The Tv: "One day the man wakes up and finds that he does not feel like going to work.  He is not sick, exactly; he just doesn’t feel like going to work.  He calls the office and makes an excuse, then he pours himself a bowl of cereal and sits down in front of the television."

Read more:

http://www.newyorker.com/fiction/features/2010/04/12/100412fi_fiction_loory#ixzz1RWLLRv5B

REVIEW: DEATH AT THE CHATEAU BREMONT by M.L. Longworth

Any lover of wine, cigars, and old world charm -- as well as a good yarn -- should read this mystery.  It poses no genre-defying questions,  and it really doesn't really hold any gasp-enducing surprises.  But that's ok, because it is the perfect hammock read for the summer.  Antione Verlaque is a slightly cranky, somewhat older, but not yet entirely jaded, magistrate of Aix-en-Provence.  When the heir of the local aristocracy turns up dead, he reluctantly begins an investigation.  What at first seemed like an accident turns out to have more mysterious circumstances.

A chateau in Provence

Longworth's greatest strength lies in her ability to paint a picture of the setting.  The south of France is a locale most can only dream of visiting, let alone living in, and her descriptions are intoxicating.  The rhythm of daily life with cafes, tobacco shops, gardens, groves and jaunts to the sea are fabled, to be sure, and she makes them real for a modern reader. 

The cour Mirabeau, a main location in the novel

Longworth is also able to create realistic dialogue among her characters.  Verlaque has a complicated relationship with an ex-girlfriend, Marine Bonnet, but he must include her in the investigation.  Their awkwardness is palpable.  Bonnet's best friend, Sylvie, is blunt, funny and outspoken (At times I wondered if she were named after Audrey Hepburn's best friend in Charade).  These very distinct characters make for a fun jaunt of a murder mystery.

At some points, the mystery itself is a bit weak.  There are no holes, which is always a danger.  Still, the unraveling of the clues themselves is less exciting than her characters' dinner parties.  The climax itself is one that can be seen coming a mile away and leaves the reader yelling at the characters, like a horror movie -- "Don't go in the basement! ... Well, at least turn on the lights if you're gonna do that!" But sometimes the fun is knowing a bit more than they do -- "Well, if I were there..."  And who wouldn't want to be in Provence?

____________________

Many thanks to Gabrielle at Penguin for the review copy. 

Paperback, ISBN 9780143119524 | 320 pages | 28 Jun 2011 | Penguin | 8.26 x 5.23in | 18 - AND UP 

Author M. L. Longworth's site.

GIVEAWAY: Unknown by Didier Van Cauwelaert

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!

QUICK REVIEW: Eiffel's Tower by Jill Jonnes

And the World's Fair Where Buffalo Bill Beguiled Paris, the Artists Quarreled, and Thomas Edison Became a Count

An enticing and engrossing snapshot of one of (if not the) most recognizable landmarks in the world.  Author Jonnes brings together all of the tidbits and urban legends you've heard - and several you haven't - to illustrate a vibrant moment in history. 

When Gustav Eiffel suggested to the committee for the Internationale Exposition that the centerpiece should be a large, iron, skeletal tower, more than a few were unconvinced.  Notably, many public figures insisted the  structure would be hideous.  A few even suggested it would change weather pattens, crush homes in the area and act as a giant magnet, pulling nails out of walls and collapsing whole blocks of the city.

Jonnes also highlights some of the personalities surrounding the 1889 fair.  Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show and Annie Oakley played to sold out shows daily, and became highly respected in Parisian society.  Thomas Edison showcased his voice recording machines, while the entire fair was lit by his light bulbs.  A temperamental James Gordon Bennett Jr. launched the Paris Herald, a very successful English newspaper for expatriates (like himself) and visitors to the fair.  Van Gogh and Whistler struggled to be seen. Paris was a wonderland, it seems, with a revival of arts, culture, ideas and science.

Jonnes' carefully-researched book certainly makes one wish they could have see these wonders firsthand. 

_________________________

Read more about the author and her book here: http://www.jjonnes.com/index.html


Reviewer did not receive a review copy of this title.

Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics); Reprint edition (April 27, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0143117297
ISBN-13: 978-0143117292
Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches

REVIEW: Unknown by Didier Van Cauwelaert

Previously published as Out of My Head

Translated from the French by Mark Polizzotti

Without a number of artistic elements this would be nothing but a slapdash pulp action.  Fortunately, Van Cauwelaert brings pulp up several notches.   Plenty of action, a femme fatale and a sympathetic narrator make it pulpy.  But the writing is strong, confident and refined. 

It's told from the first-person perspective of Martin Harris, famed botanist, awakes from a coma after a taxi accident.  According to the cab driver, he's been out for three days and she has been sitting with him, full of guilt.  She drives him home to his expensive flat, and they expect to never see each other again.  Harris is given a great shock, however, when he excitedly arrives at his front door, only to be met by someone else named Martin Harris and a wife who doesn't recognize him.  Angered and confused, he sets out to prove his identity and determine who is trying to erase him.  

Because the story is told from Harris' point of view, we have of course a unreliable narrator, yet we believe him.  This is enhanced by a couple of things.  Firstly, Mark Polizzotti's translated preserves the lively cadence of the language, yet avoids flowery phrasing.  Secondly, the author mirrors the the style of writing with Harris' state of mind.  As he becomes more erratic, so does the narrative.  Settings jump around and conversations are truncated.  Thirdly, the details are rich but not overwhelming.  It was a small stroke of genius to make Harris a botanist rather than a retired cop or a physician.  His tangents into the world of botany are both cogent and humanizing. His observations become almost another character. 

Kruger and Neeson on set

The reveal is not nearly as fulfilling as the rest of the novel.  Still it is a very enjoyable read.  It has been made into a film, slated to release in February of 2011.  It stars Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones, Aidan Quinn and Frank Langella.  It certainly has a pacing like Taken that should be a perfectly watchable movie.  I am curious to see how they integrate Harris' inner thoughts, however.  It also seems the film was shot in Berlin, but the book takes place in Paris.  It is unclear where the film is supposed to be set at this point.  Following its release, a film review will be posted at http://acineastesview.blogspot.com.

________________

Many thanks to Meghan at Viking/Penguin for the review copy (movie tie-in edition). 

In keeping with the theme of the book, it seems there is no listing for it on the Penguin/Viking site. ISBN - 9780143119012

Thanks

It has been just about a year now that I have been doing book reviews -- and I'm having a blast.  I'd like to thank everyone who takes the time to read my reviews.  But mostly I'd like to thank those that read books, those who write the words that inspire us, those that work tirelessly to see the book on a shelf.

And thank you to Penguin for being very supportive to a rookie reviewer.  Here's to another year!

REVIEW: THE TRUTH-TELLER'S LIE by Sophie Hannah

This gripping mystery from the UK is not for the faint of heart.  Naomi, the main protagonist, has endured the most unspeakable of personal horrors yet found a way to carry on.  So unspeakable that three years later her closest friends are still unaware of it.  That is until she becomes obsessed with finding her missing lover.  Further complicating her story is the fact that her lover is an unhappily-married man.  Knowing the police will be unlikely to look for him if she reveals herself to be the "other woman", she lies about her relationship with him.  And thus begins a tenuous string of truth among lies, leading to the underlying reality.

The novel alternates perspectives between Naomi and Detective Sargaent Charlie Zailer, the tomboy, hard boiled officer assigned to the case.  Their voices are the ones we hear as the bizarre tale unravels. Author Hannah has a natural, believable way of writing the female psyche -- one that is refreshing in a book list burgeoning with immature narratives.  The characters are complicated and display questionable judgement, perhaps, but are not two-dimensional or predictable.  It stretches the psychological boundaries of first-person narrative, especially from a doubtful narrator.

Author Sophie Hannah lives in Yorkshire, England.

Also refreshing is the fact that the publisher/editor for the US did not alter the local flavor.  Characters use words that are only British, and they haven't been watered down for the American reader.  It makes a true difference in the mood and style of the novel.  (For example, a holding cell is a "nick".)

As I mentioned, it is not for the faint of heart.  It is not gory, but it is disturbing and unsettling.  But it is so well-written that you want to keep reading.  Expect to be up late at night. This is a great book to start on a winter afternoon with a cup of hot chocolate, a warm fireplace and a cat for your lap.  I look forward to reading more from Sophie Hannah. 

Thanks to Meghan at Viking/Penguin for the review copy.

Book: Paperback | 5.43 x 8.07in | 400 pages | ISBN 9780143115854 | 28 Sep 2010 | Penguin | 18 - AND UP

REVIEW: The Girls of Murder City by Douglas Perry

Fame, Lust, and the Beautiful Killers Who Inspired Chicago

This book is absolutely as much fun as you think it is.  But what isn't immediately obvious from the cover (and engrossing subtitle) is how very well-researched and detailed the tales of the recently liberated women of Chicago.  Perry delves into each murderess' past with the nose of a bloodhound.  Drawing on newspaper clippings, quotes, letters and interviews, he sketches a transitional moment in time -- a perfect storm of social upheaval.

Each woman is given equal treatment, and is a sympathetic character if not innocent.  He is more interested in illustrating the conditions that brought about their crime rather than placing judgement on them.  After all, judgement was passed 80 years ago.  

Maurine Waktins

The most compelling character may be the cub reporter Maurine Watkins, a shy, pretty young girl from small town Indiana.  Her staunch Christian values were constantly foiled in the tumultuous 1920s. In a press interview, Perry says of Watkins, "That Maurine Watkins willingly embraced this professional ethos is astonishing.  As I mentioned, she was cripplingly shy. Se had trouble looking a man in the eye... In Chicago, she became fascinated with gangsters.  She even developed a crush on one.  She said that the 'nicest man I men during the time I was doing newspaper work was supposed to be the toughest gunman in Chicago's West Side.  He was like something you read about, such a charming courteous man'." Watkins went on to pen the Broadway smash play Chicago (the Fosse musical would come years later, after her death) as well as William Powell / Myrna Loy films Libeled Lady and I Love You Again.

Much to his credit, Perry also writes in a prose style that makes the action, drama and wit immediate.  There is nothing staid or dusty about this historical study.  Perhaps, like Maurine, we too are at once entranced by the lifestyle, and surprised at our own entrancement. 

Visit Douglas Perry's Site.

Book: Hardcover | 5.98 x 9.01in | 320 pages | ISBN 9780670021970 | 05 Aug 2010 | Viking Adult | 18 - AND UP  Viking Listing

Thanks to Meghan and Gabrielle for the advance copy.

REVIEW: The Art Detective by Philip Mould

Fakes, Frauds and Finds and the Search for Lost Treasures

I could not have enjoyed reading this book more.  It is fresh, fast, and furiously entertaining.  If you need a summer read with some substance, look no further. Part Indiana Jones, part London academia, Mould shares tales of his years in portrait dealing with elegant charm.

The Hampden Portrait of Elizabeth I, one of Mould's finds.

He leads off with a tale of a packrat who had amassed as many pieces of junk as he had treasures.  There is an aching sadness as both the narrator and reader realize how the collector's life was consumed.  Thankfully, the extensive collection was salvaged and donated to SCAD in Savannah.  

He also delves into the nail-biting world of research (yes, it is exciting), discovery and finally winning at auction.  Many hours are spent in dusty corners of libraries, scouring tidbits of information on the internet, and interogating other experts in the field -- all to determine who put brush to canvas, who made that little smear of paint.  The answer can cost a collector millions of dollars, in either direction.  (It reminds an old soul like myself of the wonderful episode of the Dick Van Dyke Show when they go to auction to get ideas for an episode of the Alan Brady Show.)

Dick Van Dyke & Mary Tyler Moore

This book is great fun, and educational but refreshingly not didactic.  And Mould is quick to give credit to others in his gallery and in the field who are constant sources of assistance and perspective.  It's rather like watching Antiques Roadshow UK (of which he is a appraisal member) -- it's more about the stories behind the art, and the people who love art, than the price tag associated with it.  

Thanks to Meghan at Viking/Penguin for the review copy!

Book: Hardcover | 5.51 x 8.26in | 272 pages | ISBN 9780670021857 | 10 Jun 2010 | Viking Adult | 18 - AND UP

GIVEAWAY: A 75th Birthday Celebration for Penguin

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.

GIVEAWAY & CONTEST - The Quickening Maze

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