Winners! – Book Read ‘Round the World Giveaway

WINNERS!

Please contact me within 48 hours. If I do not hear from you, I will randomly choose another winner (e-mails have already been sent to the winners).

   

~ Winner of The Lunatic Express ~

Shelley Z. (did not contact me w/in 48 hours)

New Winner!  -  Mandy M.

~ Winners of the Origami Earrings ~

Crane Earrings – Manon de R.

Kimono Earrings – Zoe O. (did not contact me w/in 48 hours)
New winner Kimono earrings - Norma C.

I should have packages in the mail by Tuesday, October 12 (I think the post office is closed on Monday for Columbus Day).

BlogFest is Here!

On Fridays I normally do Friday Coffee Chat posts but this week is special because it’s time for BlogFest! Don’t worry though because Jennifer at Girls Gone Reading is still doing a Friday Coffee Chat post so get your cup of joe ready and go chat with her about Overblown Authors—Too much hype, too little delivery. I can think of a few myself so I’ll be sure to take my opinion to her chat!






A Journey of Books is hosting BlogFest this year and during the days September 10-12, 2010, blogs that have signed up have agreed to post at least one giveaway on their blog. I am posting a few giveaways this weekend!
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Giveaway #1 – Book Read ‘Round the World (Giveaway Closed)



The first is an ongoing giveaway that will run through October 1. The giveaway is international and is open to anyone who would like to enter! For my Book Read ‘Round the World event that is ongoing, I am giving away a signed copy of The Lunatic Express by Carl Hoffman. Mr. Hoffman was excited about the event and was nice enough to provide a copy to give away. The book is fantastic. Click HERE to read my review.

I am also giving away two pairs of origami earrings that my wonderful cousin made. The first are paper cranes and the second are kimonos. I love them both and secretly want to keep them even though she sent me my own pair as well!

This giveaway is open through October 1, 2010 and is International. Winners will be announced shortly after October 1.
**You MUST write in what order you prefer the prizes (ex. 1. The Lunatic Express, 2. Kimono Earrings, 3. Paper Crane Earrings)**
*Winners will be chosen by Random.org.

                

Enter the Book Read ‘Round the World Giveaway!

Giveaway #2 – Reclaiming My Shelf Space
Giveaway closed

OK…I’m not gonna lie. I need to get rid of some of the books I’ve read to make room on my shelves for some shiny new books! So here are a few that I am getting rid of and can be yours to read!

This giveaway is U.S. Only and will be open until September 12. Winners will be announced on Wednesday, September 15.
*Winners will be chosen by Random.org


Beat the Reaper – Josh Bazell
From the back of the book:
Dr. Peter Brown is an intern at Manhattan’s worst hospital. He has a talent for medicine, a shift from hell, and a past he’d prefer to keep hidden. Pietro Brnwa is a hit man for the mob, with a genius for violence, a well-earned fear of sharks, and an overly close relationship with the Federal Witness Protection Program. Nicholas LoBrutto is Dr. Brown’s new patient, with three months to live and a very strange idea: that Peter Brown and Pietro Brnwa might—just might—be the same person… As goons, G-men, and death itself descend on the hospital, Dr. Brown must do whatever it takes to save his patients, himself, and his last shot at redemption. He just has to get through the next eight hours—and somehow beat the Reaper.

The Bourne Identity – Robert Ludlum 
From the back of the book:
Jason Bourne. He has no past. And he may have no future. His memory is a blank. His bullet ridden body was fished from the Mediterranean Sea. His face has been altered by plastic surgery. A frame of microfilm has been surgically implanted in his hip. Even his name is a mystery. Marked for death, he is racing for survival through a bizarre world of murderous conspirators—led by Carlos, the world’s most dangerous assassin. Who is Jason Bourne? The answer may kill him.

The Art of Racing in the Rain – Garth Stein
From the back of the book:
A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope—a captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life…as only a dog could tell it.






Empress Orchid – Anchee Min
From the back of the book:
From a master of the historical novel, Empress Orchid sweeps readers into the heart of the Forbidden City to tell the fascinating story of a young concubine who becomes China’s last empress. Min introduces the beautiful Tzu Hsi, known as Orchid, and weaves an epic of a country girl who seized power through seduction, murder, and endless intrigue. When China is threatened by enemies, she alone seems capable of holding the country together. In this “absorbing companion piece to her novel Becoming Madame Mao” (New York Times), readers and reading groups will once again be transported by Min’s lavish evocation of the Forbidden City in its last days of imperial glory and by her brilliant portrait of a flawed yet utterly compelling woman who survived, and ultimately dominated, a male world.









Giveaway #3 - Celebrating Becoming a Book Depository Affiliate
Giveaway closed





For my last giveaway, I am advertising becoming a Book Depository affiliate by giving away any book of your choice that is less than or equal to $15 USD. This giveaway is International and will be open through September 12. Winners will be announced on Wednesday, September 15.
*Winners will be chosen by Random.org






Last, but not least, here is the link to the next blog for BlogFest! Make sure you visit:







Blog #256 - Jordan Deen   

For a full list of blogs participating in BlogFest, make sure you visit (and also for trackback purposes):

A Journey of Books

The Lunatic Express – Carl Hoffman

I am giving away a copy of The Lunatic Express by Carl Hoffman on my blog for the Book Read ‘Round the World Event. Mr. Hoffman was nice enough to send me a signed copy of his book for the event so if you are interested in owning a shiny new copy, make sure you enter the giveaway.

The giveaway is open until October 1 and is International.

Click HERE to enter. (Giveaway Closed)

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Book: The Lunatic Express
Author: Carl Hoffman (Click author’s name to go to his website)
Publisher: Broadway Books
283 pages (I purchased and read the Kindle Edition of the book though)
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Daily travel for the developed world is a relatively safe endeavor for most commuters. When newspaper articles kept popping up about how unsafe transportation in many nations is, Carl Hoffman decided that this would be an excellent experience to write about. So, he packed his bags and set out across the world to experience the world’s most dangerous modes of transportation. His journey took him to South America, Asia, Africa, and North America where he took planes, trains, automobiles, and ferries that would at the very least give most of us pause and would send most of us fleeing in the opposite direction. What he finds on his journey is an amazing demonstration of the goodness of people and a special connection that would not have otherwise been made had he not lived like the locals.

The book starts off with Carl Hoffman traveling to Cuba by plane—not just any plane--a  fairly ramshackle and unsafe feeling plane. Well, I obviously knew that he survived his trip so I felt like I could roll with his adventure through the streets of Havana before he moved onto South America. By the time Peru rolled around, I wondered how many pages would either be ghost written or blank because I was truly terrified. You see, the roads in Peru are not good roads, AND they happen to hug some wicked cliffs. In fact, the introduction to one of the sections on Latin America included a news story of a bus that had disappeared of a 1,600 foot gorge. I have a small fear of heights…ok…a BIG fear of heights. My stomach is actually feeling a little tingly and weak just thinking about that section because I cannot even imagine being in a bus on sketchy roads that hug cliff faces. I was really glad when the Latin America section was over and Mr. Hoffman moved on to Africa.

Each section is preceded by a news story of some terrible transportation accident or physical dangers from people that might do others harm. It sets up each trip he takes as harrowing even though he is just a passenger. Every section was unsettling and dangerous, but the people he meets in each place transcend the danger and make the journey an interesting and worthwhile experience. If anything, the book helps restore some faith in humanity as complete strangers open up themselves and at times their homes to Hoffman. I found that beautiful and was thankful to see that despite language and cultural differences, there is a common humanity that people can exhibit especially when they have so few material things to give. This was my favorite thing about the book as Hoffman traveled around the world. It was a rare moment when his willingness to share the experience of the traveling poor wasn’t rewarded with an act of kindness. Even in places where the camaraderie was in short supply, there was usually a small incident that showed how wonderful people can be.

I also really enjoyed how candid Carl Hoffman was about his experience and his motivations to take the trip. It was more introspective and raw than I was expecting, and it made me enjoy the book that much more. I think it must be so difficult to express some of the internal trials that we all go through as human beings, but Hoffman shared a part of himself that I wasn’t expecting and his honesty was refreshing. The trip was as much about discovering where he was in his life as it was about discovering the world’s most dangerous transportation.

There was one thing I found lacking in the book. The map in the Kindle edition is not very easy to examine. I was lucky enough to have a paper copy that I could look at as well. While that was disappointing, it didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the book in the least. It was an amazing journey all-around and it made me look at travel in a whole different way. I can’t say that I would be willing to travel in a broken down truck with no heat in the cold desert of Mongolia, brave a war torn country like Afghanistan, or sleep on a ferry that I shared with thousands upon thousands of roaches, but it definitely makes me want to embrace more experiences that might cause some personal discomfort but will open the world to me in ways which I never expected. I enjoyed every moment of the book and highly recommend it if you are looking for a book about really off the beaten path travel.


Links of Interest
Sophisticated Dorkiness' review of The Lunatic Express
Website for the book, The Lunatic Express
Carl Hoffman’s Blog
Follow author Carl Hoffman on Twitter

**Note of Disclosure: I purchased my copy of The Lunatic Express for my Kindle, but I did receive a copy of the book from the author, Carl Hoffman, for a giveaway on my blog.

Giveaway! Book Read 'Round the World

Book Hobo wants to thank everyone for following his travels by giving away a few things he's found along the way!

I have been promising a giveaway for a LONG time, and I've finally acquired all the items I wanted to for my first giveaway! 

I wanted to thank all the bloggers who have signed up for Book Hobo's travels around the world so they'll get an extra entry, but the giveaway is open to everyone around the world as well!

Here are the items:

Two pairs of origami earrings made by my wonderful cousin!
Both pairs will come with earring backs

• The first pair are paper cranes--they are very beautiful, but I couldn't get them to stand out well in a photograph
• The second pair are paper kimono earrings

 

One SIGNED copy of The Lunatic Express by Carl Hoffman

(A BIG "Thank You" to Mr. Hoffman for providing his book for this event giveaway)

The only reason why I didn't list The Lunatic Express as a book in the event is that it was in hardcover so it was a little heavier than I wanted it to be for shipping. Mr. Hoffman was nice enough to send me an signed copy to giveaway for the event. I've bought a copy for myself and will review it in the near future (please keep me accountable on this--2 weeks from now bug me to post one)!

Kim at Sophisticated Dorkiness has reviewed The Lunatic Express on her blog. Click HERE to read her review.

Click HERE to read my review of The Lunatic Express.

Giveaway Sign-Up! (Giveaway Closed)

• This giveaway is International
• You are NOT required to follow my blog (although it you like what you see, I don't refuse followers...hehe)
• You MUST write in what order you prefer the prizes (ex. 1. The Lunatic Express, 2. Kimono Earrings, 3. Paper Crane Earrings)
• Giveaway closes on October 1, 2010. Winners will be contacted by e-mail first and announced on my blog within one week of the closing date.