The Winner of the Sharon Shin 2 book prize package,
Reader and Raelynx & Quatrain,
is:
Tricia R. (TriciaLynn)
Congratulations! Your books are on the way to you!
Thank you to everyone who commented on the Blog!
Archive for June, 2013
Free Book Friday Winner!
Sunday, June 30th, 2013Free Book Friday!
Friday, June 28th, 2013
This week we are giving away a 2 book prize package, by Sharon Shinn:
King Baryn has decided that if he marries his daughter Amalie to a high-ranking noble, the rebellious marlords might be pacified and he might be able to avert a war. So he invites all the young serramar to the royal city to court his daughter. To protect Amalie from any unsavory suitors, the mystic Cammon is installed to monitor all of Amalie’s courtships, because Cammon is a reader who can tell if someone harbors violence or malevolence in his heart. Much to the dismay of her advisors, Amalie begins to fall in love with the wholly unsuitable Cammon. Even worse, war comes to Gillengaria anyway, and Amalie can only be kept safe through the combined efforts of the Riders, the mystics — and the wild raelynx that has mystical powers of its own.
Mass Market Paperback, ISBN 9780441016457
AND
The four novellas in Quatrain are set in worlds created for “Archangel,” “Heart of Gold,” “Summers at Castle Auburn,” and “Mystic and Rider.” “Flight” follows a former angel-seeker who used to be in love with the Archangel Raphael and now is determined to keep her beautiful niece from making her same mistakes. “<em>Blood” is the story of a fierce young gulden man who comes to the city to seek his mother, whom he hasn’’t seen since he was a boy and she ran away from his abusive father. In “Gold,” a crown princess escapes the hazards of war by hiding among the fairylike aliora, where she encounters an altogether different sort of danger. And in “Flame,” the mystic Senneth uses her magic to save a little girl, an act that wins her new friends but puts her own life at risk.
Mass Market Paperback, ISBN 9780441017584
We will choose one winner at random to receive both books from comments we receive here on the Blog from PBS members.
You have until Sunday, June 30, 2013 at 12 noon EDT, to leave a comment.
Good Luck to everyone!
Note: All the books given away on Free Book Friday are available in the PBS Market. There are many more titles that your Dad may enjoy. We have thousands of new and new overstock titles available right now, with more added hourly. Some of the prices are amazing – and you can use a PBS credit to make the deal even better!
Remember, every new book purchase supports the club and helps keep membership free!
Fiction Review – Temple of a Thousand Faces
Wednesday, June 26th, 2013
Temple of a Thousand Faces by John Shors
Review by Mirah W. (mwelday)
John Shors is a sure bet for me when I’m looking to escape into the pages of a book. In his latest novel, Temple of a Thousand Faces, Shors takes his readers to Cambodia. He captures the lushness of the land, the majesty of Angkor Wat, and the essence of the people in a way that transports me to another time and place.
The novel takes place in the 12th century and is centered on the attack on the Khmer people by the rival Chams, led by King Indravarman. We meet people of all walks of life amongst the Khmers and their experiences throughout the attack and occupation by the Chams.
Prince Jayavar and his wife Ajadevi lead the Khmer people with wisdom and humility. Their love for one another and their people propel them to do what is honorable and best for their people. Working class fisherman Boran, his wife Soriya, and twin sons Vibol and Prak remain loyal to Prince Jayavar and develop plots to fight the Chams. Voisanne is the daughter of a wealthy family taken by the enemy during the attack and given to one of King Indravarman’s best warriors, Asal, for his efforts in the Cham army. Voisanne and Asal develop a connection that transcends the differences of their people and circumstances. Po Rame is an assassin for the Cham king and takes pleasure in watching the souls leave the bodies of his victims. Thida is a young woman who gains all of her self-worth from her beauty and is used by King Indravarman in his efforts to entrap Asal and Voisanne. Shors weaves the lives of all of these characters together into a vibrant tapestry to bring to life a time period and people about which little is documented.
The theme of reincarnation is explored throughout the book with various characters but especially with Ajadevi. She is able to access wisdom gained through experiences during past lives and apply that wisdom to her current situations. She provides support and counsel for Prince Jayavar and is his primary confidant. Her strength and dignity make Ajadevi one of my favorite characters in the book.
In my opinion, Temple of a Thousand Faces deserves 5 stars for these reasons: 1) the complex and compelling characters provide a variety of perspectives on a singular event, thus providing a richness to the overall story; 2) the obvious research Shors completed in order to write this novel provide an end product that is detailed, descriptive, and allows the reader to picture the landscape and people clearly; and 3) the themes of reincarnation and redemption are explored in different ways for the various characters thus making the novel a multi-layered experience for the reader.
Looking for a way to travel this summer but don’t have the budget to physically take a trip? Try picking up this novel. And for a bonus, you can experience Cambodia without the frustrating mosquitoes described in the book.
Summer 2013 Referral Reward Contest!
Tuesday, June 25th, 2013
This contest is easy – refer members to PaperBackSwap, and win Book credits!
You already get Book Credits for referring other members, as you know (if you don’t know, see How do I refer others to PBS?). Now, during the Summer 2013 Referral Reward Contest, your referrals can earn you even more.
The nuts and bolts
- Refer new members to the club
- When those new registrations are completed and the accounts active, you will earn your usual, automatic rewards (read How do I refer others to PBS? for details).
- Each Monday, the member with the most active/completed new referrals (the WoW or Winner of the Week) will win 5 Book Credits!
- Each month (end of May, end of June, end of July, end of August), three winners will be announced – First Place WoM (Winner of the Month) will get 10 Book Credits, Second Place WoM will get 5 Book Credits, and Third Place WoM will get 2 Book Credits.
- At the end of the summer (September 1st 2013), the member who has made the most eligible referrals will be the Overall Winner (OW) and will get 25 Book Credits!
The fine print
- To be eligible to grant referral credit, a new account must be the first for that household, must comply with the Terms of Use (no underage or false or duplicate accounts, for example), and may not be created by the referring member.
- Referrals must complete registration by providing name, email address and mailing address, and listing 10 books that belong to the new member that he or she will send out upon request.
- To give everyone a shot at winning, no one can be WoW more than once in a month, or WoM more than once. But you can be WoW in one month and then WoM that same month, and you can be WoW for 2 or more different months.
- In case of a tie – the member who reaches the most referrals first (earliest in the week or month) will be deemed the winner.
Tips on referring others to PaperBackSwap
- Make a public profile – and give the Nickname when you refer. Not only does it keep your email address private, but it makes sure that the new member specifies you as his or her referrer. Remember, a name (first/last) will not record the referral. A Nickname will, though.
- Information and instructions about this can be found in How do I choose a PBS nickname/make a public profile?
- Use our Spread the Word page – it’s under Community at the top of any page on the site, and from that page you can
- print bookmarks, business cards, flyers. Personalize them with your referral information with one click! It’s much easier to pass a business card to someone at the library, instead of hunting for paper and a pen to write out the information. Carry the bookmarks/business cards with you. Put the flyers up in community areas that allow public announcements to be Posted.
- cyber share. If you have a web page or a blog, include the code on the Spread the Word page for linked icons – be sure to personalize them so that your referral is embedded, and when someone clicks and then registers, you are recorded as the referrer automatically. You can also tweet, or share on facebook, and if the referred member gives your PBS Nickname when registering any resulting referrals will be credited to you.
- let your email do the talking. You can find email sigs on the Spread the Word page that you can use for your regular email, making sure that you are sharing with every email you send; you can also send Tell-a-Friend emails from the Spread the Word page.
Mystery Monday – The Wind Blows Death
Monday, June 24th, 2013
The Wind Blows Death by Cyril Hare
Review by Matt B. (BuffaloSavage)
Amateur sleuth Frances Pettigrew appeared in five of Cyril Hare’s mysteries, sometimes with Inspector Mallet, sometimes by himself. Pettigrew is a remarkable character in that he explicitly rejects seeing murder as a parlor game. Such is his desire “to leave the business of detection to my betters” that he never offers help to the investigation, but always waits to be asked. Or dragged in.
In this 1949 mystery, Pettigrew is pressured by Chief Constable MacWillams to assist without the knowledge of Inspector Trimble of the City Division of the Markshire County Constabulary. A greenhorn, Trimble is in over his head as he runs the investigation of the strangulation of a visiting professional violinist who was hired to play a solo with the Markhampton County Orchestral Society. Since Pettigrew’s wife plays the fiddle with other enthusiastic amateurs, Pettigrew, who practices at the bar and has an unfounded reputation as a practical man, has been deputized to be the society’s treasurer.
Cyril Hare was only 57 when he died, so his output is small – only nine novels and a handful of short stories – compared to the enormous production of that other mystery writer-lawyer, Erle Stanley Gardner. Hare’s mysteries are skillfully written, with sophisticated yet amiable humor, and often using a twist in the law in his reveals.
This novel, whose UK title is When the Wind Blows, was considered by critics Barzun and Taylor to be “a masterpiece by any standards” on their classics of crime list.
Free Book Friday Winner!
Sunday, June 23rd, 2013
This week’s Free Book Friday Winner is:
Susan L. (sazbelle)
Congratulations! Your Book is on the way!
Thank you to everyone who commented on the Blog!
Free Book Friday!
Friday, June 21st, 2013
Today’s Free Book is:
Fall of Giants by Ken Follett
Thirteen-year-old Billy Williams enters a man’s world in the Welsh mining pits…Gus Dewar, an American law student rejected in love, finds a surprising new career in Woodrow Wilson’s White House…two orphaned Russian brothers, Grigori and Lev Peshkov, embark on radically different paths half a world apart when their plan to emigrate to America falls afoul of war, conscription, and revolution…Billy’s sister, Ethel, a housekeeper for the aristocratic Fitzherberts, takes a fateful step above her station, while Lady Maud Fitzherbert herself crosses deep into forbidden territory when she falls in love with Walter von Ulrich, a spy at the German embassy in London…
These characters and many others find their lives inextricably entangled as, in a saga of unfolding drama and intriguing complexity, Fall of Giants moves seamlessly from Washington to St. Petersburg, from the dirt and danger of a coal mine to the glittering chandeliers of a palace, from the corridors of power to the bedrooms of the mighty. As always with Ken Follett, the historical background is brilliantly researched and rendered, the action fast-moving, the characters rich in nuance and emotion. It is destined to be a new classic.
Mass Market Paperback, ISBN 9780451232854
Please note: While this is a brand-new book, this copy was damaged in handling. There is a slice on the front cover, which appears to have happened when someone opened the box with a box cutter. The cover is intact and no other pages are affected.
We will choose one winner at random, for each book, from comments we receive here on the Blog from PBS members.
You have until Sunday, June 23, 2013 at 12 noon EDT, to leave a comment.
Good Luck to everyone!
Note: All the books given away on Free Book Friday are available in the PBS Market. We have thousands of new and new overstock titles available right now, with more added hourly. Some of the prices are amazing – and you can use a PBS credit to make the deal even better!
Remember, every new book purchase supports the club and helps keep membership free!
