Giveaway: Do Over! by Robin Hemley

Giveaway : Do-Over by Robin Hemley

If you had it all to do over again, would you? OK, how about just 'parts' of it?! Well, that's just what Robin Hemley does...

The Giveaway has ended.... Congratulations to Heidi, Gaby, & Rebecca! They each won a copy of Do-Over! And Thank you to EVERYONE who entered the giveaway!

About the Book...

Robin Hemley's childhood made a wedgie of his memory, leaving him sore and embarrassed for over forty years. He was the most pitiful kindergartner, the least spirited summer camper, and dateless for prom. In fact, there's nary an event from his youth that couldn't use improvement. If only he could do them all over a few decades later, with an adult's wisdom, perspective, and giant-like height...

In the spirit of cult film classics like Billy Madison and Wet Hot American Summer, in DO-OVER! Hemley reencounters paper mache, revisits his childhood home, and finally attends the prom--bringing readers the thrill of recapturing a misspent youth and discovering what's most important: simple pleasures, second chances, and the forgotten joys of recess.

Robin Hemly, 48 and a father of three girls, had some regrets growing up... In second grade he had one simple line to say and he blew it! In summer camp he was a failure (not athletic enough) and was always the last one picked for teams, He didn't go to his prom at 16 because he was too shy to ask out Lizzie Clark, and the list goes on. He didn't consider himself a failure, but inside he still felt like the kid who forgot his lines in second grade. He thought if he could go back and redo some of these 'failures', maybe he could unburden himself and live a happier life "internally". So he makes a list.... A Do Over list...

What a fun read too! Especially the interactions he has with the children he encounters as he tries to 'fit in'! It's interesting to see how the he handles his do-overs with an adult perspective, and touching how he even gets advice from one of his young daughters, Olivia, of the finer points of dodgeball... The writing is entertaining, funny and well worth the time. The story held my interest! I rooted for him, maybe because as he succeeded I felt like I succeeded too! Because I'm sure we all have things we'd like to do-over... I know I do! And I want to thank Anna B. of Hachette Book Group for sending me a copy to review! Thank you I really enjoyed it!

Now About the Giveaway...

NOW for the Giveaway! I have 3 copies of Do-Over! for a giveaway to my readers courtesy of Anna B. of Hachette Book Group. Thank you Anna for the opportunity to share this wonderful book!

To Enter this giveaway...

*For one entry leave me a comment with your email address!

*For another entry, follow my blog and leave a comment to let me know you just became a follower. (if you already are a follower you will get an extra entry!)

*Blog or tweet about this giveaway and leave me the link.

* For an extra entry, share with us something you'd like to "do over" from your childhood!

I know I'd like to do over the day I got sent to the corner in first grade when Mrs. B. thought I was rocking JoAnne's chair back & forth when we were all suppose to be listening to her. ( it was actually JoAnne rocking back & forth on her own and I just happen to place my hand on the back of her chair) Talk about humiliating. I was so shy I didn't say anything, I just walked into that corner and stood there for what seemed hours...and I'd have to think now what to do, but it sure is a vivid memory! :D

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only.(No PO boxes). The books will be shipped to the winners directly from the publishers. Contest ends 11:59pm EST on August 22nd. I will randomly pick the winners the next day and email them! (please check your email.. winner must reply to me within 3 days! Thanks!) Good Luck!

Giveaway : Stand the Storm ...by Breena Clarke

Giveaway: Stand the Storm by Breena Clarke

From the back cover:

"Even though former slaves Annie Coats and her son Gabriel have managed to buy their freedom, their lives are still marked by constant struggle and sacrifice - Washington's Georgetown neighborhood where the Coatses operate a tailor shop and laundry, is supposed to be a "promised land" for former slaves but is effectively a frontier town, gritty and dangerous, with no laws protecting black people.

The remarkable emotional energy with which the Coatses wage their daily battles - as they negotiate with their former owner, as they assist escaped slaves en route to freedom, as they prepare for the encroaching war, and as they strive to love each other enough- is what propels Stand the Storm and makes the novel's startling denouement so powerfully affecting."

The story you walk into when you open Stand the Storm is simply wonderful. Breena Clarke's writing is like bits of poetry that produce amazing images when read out loud. From the first few sentences of the book " There are endless stitches to count. Handwork promotes calculation. Gabriel watched his mother pause in her knitting to rest her fingers for the briefest moment - a pause most observers wouldn't notice..." I wanted to see what Gabriel's mother was working on. I learned along the way that Sewing Annie, Gabriel's mother, was working on much more than her knitting - she was working on a life of freedom & dignity for herself and family.

Stand the Storm follows Sewing Annie from her humble beginnings on the plantation after her "mam was sold south" when she was assigned to learn to knit & sew on the Ridley Plantation under the watchful eye of "Knitting Annie" to her eventual life as a free woman. We are there when she falls in love, gives birth and fights for the rights every human being should be entitled to. We become part of her family and watch her son & daughter grow up and become strong individuals in their own right. We see how the desire for freedom is rarely spoken in words and how dangerous even the thought can be. We see how their experiences as slaves and even as 'freed slaves' shape their thoughts and actions. We go to war for them as well as with them when the Civil War begins and the Union & Confederacy fight.

This novel is unusual in that it portrays the Coatses not as slaves working out in the fields, but skilled craftsmen. And because of this the Coatses become integrated in the community and the story allows us to take a long look at slavery from the perspective of their own experiences as they try and live in harmony with those around them.

*Book Clubs - There is a reading group guide available! And what a great discussion Stand the Storm would make... the interaction of the characters, slave life in the 19th century, the Underground railroad... just to name a few topics. And I know as a book club member, I am always looking for a book that will first of all hold my attention but also have enough substance for a lively talk - this book does both. Take a look at the reading guide: Here . Read an excerpt : Here. I loved the book! And I especially loved Sewing Annie!

NOW for the Giveaway! I have 3 copies of Stand the Storm by Breena Clarke for a giveaway to my readers courtesty of Valerie Russo of Hachette Book Group. Thank you Valerie for the opportunity to share this wonderful book!

To Enter this giveaway...

• For one entry leave me a comment with an email address.
• For another entry, follow my blog and leave a comment to let me know you just became a follower. (if you already are a follower you will get an extra entry!)
• Blog or tweet about this giveaway and leave me the link.

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only.(No PO boxes). The books will be shipped to the winners directly from the publishers. Contest ends 11:59pm EST on June 27th, 2009. I will randomly pick the winners the next day and email them! (please check your email... winner must reply to me within 3 days! Thanks!) Good Luck!

Thanks to EVERYone who entered the giveaway! AND CONGRATS to the winner's! The Winner's are: Beth, Sara & Casi !