Tag Archives: Giveaway

Giveaway: Sanctuary Line by Jane Urquhart

Posted on March 27, 2013 | 10 Comments

A while ago, MacLehose Press kindly sent me a paperback copy of Accabadora by Michela Murgia and Sanctuary Line by Jane Urquhart. Since I previously received hardback copies of both books for review, I have decided to offer the paperbacks for giveaway after consultation with the publisher.

Two weeks ago I gave you a chance to win Accabadora. That giveaway was won by entrant number 4 (out of 6), congratulations Zibilee!

Sanctuary Line - Jane UrquhartToday, I have Sanctuary Line by Jane Urquhart on offer.

The publisher’s description reads as follows:

Solitary, nostalgic Liz Crane returns to her family’s now-deserted farmhouse to study the migratory habits of the Monarch butterfly.

A rich family history – all the anecdotes and blarney of successful Irish immigrants – is now tainted with sadness. Her cousin Amanda, a gifted military strategist, has been killed in Afghanistan, a loss foreshadowed by the earlier disappearance of her charismatic father.

Reflecting on the fragility and transience of human life and relations – mirrored in the Monarchs’ restless flight – Liz finds that love is there to be found where you least expect it.

You can read my opinion on the book here. I felt it was a “beautifully executed story, tackling themes in an interesting way and in prose that I am sure many will love.” Unfortunately, I did not feel a deeper connection beyond appreciation for its beauty and the craftmanship of Urquhart.

I am offering you the chance to see if you’ll like this one. If you want to enter for a chance to win a paperback copy of Sanctuary Line, all you have to do is leave a comment before the 10th of April. Make sure your comment includes a valid email address (either in the details section or in the comment itself) so I can contact you in case you win. The contest is open internationally.

I will email the winner after April 10.

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Giveaway: Accabadora by Michela Murgia

Posted on March 12, 2013 | 7 Comments

A while ago, MacLehose Press kindly sent me a paperback copy of Accabadora by Michela Murgia and Sanctuary Line by Jane Urquhart. Since I previously received hardback copies of both books for review, I have decided to offer the paperbacks for giveaway after consultation with the publisher.

Accabadora - Michela MurgiaFirst up is Murgia’s Accabadora (Sanctuary Line will follow next week).

Over at MacLehose Press’ website Michela Murgia’s Accabadora is described as follows:

When Maria, the fourth child of a widow, is adopted by the old and childless Bonaria Urrai, her life is instantly transformed – she finally has the love and affection she craves. But her new ‘soul mother’ is keeping something hidden from her, a secret life that is intimately bound-up with Sardinia’s ancient traditions and customs.

You can read my thoughts about the book here. I particularly appreciated Murgia’s portrayal of Sardinian village life, or as I said in my post: “The whole story is very human, very much about a community, how it functions, how people love and strife and clash together.”

If you want to enter, all you have to do is leave a comment before the 26th of March. Make sure your comment includes a valid email address (either in the details section or in the comment itself) so I can contact you in case you win. The contest is open internationally.

I will email the winner after 26 March.

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Giveaway: The Book of Everything by Guus Kuijer

Posted on June 28, 2012 | 8 Comments

Given my enthusiasm for The Book of Everything, I want to offer you the chance to read it too. Unfortunately, it seems the book is currently out of print. So, I have tried to find another way of gifting the book to one of you. But unfortunately, it means I cannot offer everyone the same thing, so please read the following:

The Book of Everything - Guus KuijerI am offering to give one of you a Kindle ebook of The Book of Everything through Amazon. (Barnes and Noble offers the book in ebook format too, but I cannot order it from there as I don’t live in the US myself). This means everyone can enter the giveaway as long as you a) own a kindle or b) are willing to read the book on your computer. For UK people I can also offer to buy a used version of the book. Unfortunately, due to shipping restrictions, this offer is UK only.

Curious what The Book of Everything is about? Here’s the plot summary I wrote for yesterday’s post on the book:

The Book of Everything is the story of a boy called Thomas. Thomas knows what he wants to be when he grows up: he is going to be happy. But he also knows that that’s easier said than done. Especially when you grow up in a household with a father who beats your mother and you. Thomas knows it might take a while before he finds happiness. In the meantime, he records everything he finds of note in his “book of everything”. These are small things, things that sometimes no one else can see. For example, he sees the magic of his neighbour Mrs. van Amersfoort and her efforts to help Thomas. He is struck by the beauty in a girl called Eliza, who has an artificial leg. And he sometimes talks to Jesus during the evening’s prayer.

To enter, you have to:

  • be over 13;
  • leave a comment stating you wish to enter and providing a way to contact you in case you win (preferably an email address, this can be the email address entered to log in to comment, so only I will be able to see it. Be sure it is an address you check regularly!)
Please note that
  • the giveaway is open until midnight GMT on July 5 2012;
  • the giveaway is open to everyone (please read the information above).
  • Those who have or are posting on a Dutch book in translation during June, or participate in the read along of The Tea Lords, will receive an extra entry. One extra entry for each post. There is no rush to know or enter the details for upcoming posts right now. You can come back and leave a follow-up comment with the appropriate URL on a later date during June. Also, please consider adding the data to the Dutch Literature in Review Database.

Good luck to those entering! The winner will be announced on July 6th and will be contacted through email. If he or she has not replied to the email within 7 days, I will choose another winner.

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Dutch Lit Month: Giveaway of Repatriated by Adriaan van Dis

Posted on June 12, 2012 | 10 Comments

Today I am offering my hardcover copy of Adriaan van Dis’ Repatriated. Not interested in this particular book, I have another giveaway open for a copy of Eep! by Joke van Leeuwen.

Repatriated - Adriaan van DisRepatriated is set during the years after the Second World War and the decolonisation of Indonesia. This story of a boy who remains unnamed is about his efforts to break free of the shadows of his family’s past. His father in particular suffers from the loss of his possessions in the Dutch East Indies, and is still haunted by his experiences during World War II. He raises his son in constant vigilance for war, while the boy’s mother and step sisters are trying to rebuild their lives with little to no money because the boy’s father is jobless. In all of this, the boy is lost between the gulf of not having shared his family’s experiences in Indonesia, the constant reminder of his father’s mental instabilities, and a wish to become his own person.

I very much enjoyed my reading of Repatriated. While the very last pages of the book leave something to be desired, the rest of the book offers a convincing story about the lasting impact of war and a family’s effort to rebuild a sense of normality. Want to know more? Check out yesterday’s review.

To enter, you have to:

  • be over 13;
  • leave a comment stating you wish to enter and providing a way to contact you in case you win (preferably an email address, this can be the email address entered to log in to comment, so only I will be able to see it. Be sure it is an address you check regularly!)
Please note that
  • the giveaway is open until midnight GMT on June 29th;
  • the giveaway is international;
  • the giveaway is open to those who are and who are not participating in Dutch lit month.
  • Those who have or are posting on a Dutch book in translation, or participate in the read along of The Tea Lords, will receive an extra entry. One extra entry for each post. There is no rush to know or enter the details for upcoming posts right now. You can come back and leave a follow-up comment with the appropriate URL on a later date during June. Also, please consider adding the data to the Dutch Literature in Review Database.

Good luck to those entering! The winner will be announced at the end of Dutch Lit Month, and will be contacted through email.

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Dutch Lit Month: Giveaway of Eep! by Joke van Leeuwen

Posted on June 8, 2012 | 6 Comments

The first giveaway for Dutch Lit Month consists of the book Eep! which I will order from the bookdepository for the winner of this contest.

Eep! - Joke van LeeuwenFrom my review posted earlier this week:

Eep! tells the story of Warren, a birdwatcher, who one day finds an unknown species under the bushes on a field where he is birdwatching: Is it a girl in the form of a bird, or a bird in the form of a girl? He takes the girl with wings home and Warren and his wife, Tina, decide to keep the child and raise it as their own. But they soon discover that raising a girl with wings is not as straightforward as raising a child. Especially when the wings make Eep long for the freedom to fly wherever she wants..

I thoroughly enjoyed this quirky, funny and moving story of a girl with wings who longs for freedom, but meanwhile also touches the life of many of the people she meets. Now, I want to give one of you the chance to read it.

To enter, you have to:

  • be over 13;
  • live in a country the bookdepository ship to. You can check whether they do in their help section;*
  • leave a comment stating you wish to enter and providing a way to contact you in case you win (preferably an email address, this can be the email address entered to log in to comment, so only I will be able to see it. Be sure it is an address you check regularly!)
Please note that
  • the giveaway is open until midnight GMT on June 29th;
  • the giveaway is open to those who are and who are not participating in Dutch lit month. 
  • Those who have or are posting on a Dutch book in translation, or participate in the read along of The Tea Lords, will receive an extra entry. One extra entry for each post. There is no rush to know or enter the details for upcoming posts right now. You can come back and leave a follow-up comment with the appropriate URL on a later date during June. Also, please consider adding the data to the Dutch Literature in Review Database.

Good luck to those entering! The winner will be announced at the end of Dutch Lit Month, and will be contacted through email. For those uninterested in Eep!, I have other giveaways coming up later this month.

* This is an affiliate link. If you buy a product through this link, I will receive a small percentage of the purchase price.

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