This week I’m giving away 5 copies of my debut novel THIRSTY!
And 1 really cool, pretty amazing new bookthingy…appropriately entitled “Bookthingy”…that I discovered a few weeks ago while at the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association conference in Cleveland.
Today's prizes?
2 copies of THIRSTY!
How to win?
Easy. Just answer the following question in the comments section:
- What book made you think a little differently about the world…and how? (This can be any book that you’ve read at any time in your life…anything from Where the Wild Things Are to Pride and Prejudice.)
Got it?
- Read the question.
- Answer the question in the comments section.
- Wait to see if you win. (Winners to be announced on Sunday, November 1.)
Want to know one of mine?
The Odyssey -- Read it in 11th grade English class. Read the whole book out loud. Captivated by Circe and the Sirens...by Tiresias. Loved the Cyclops. Ever since, I've wanted to travel AND write the woman's version of Odysseus' journey.
You?
The Cat in the Hat-- I learned to read with the dull and predictable Dick, Jane and Sally books. And Spot, I don't want to forget Spot. And then somehow I got my hands on The Cat in the Hat and reading changed for me. It became fun, whimsical, unpredictable. In short magical. And that's how it's been ever since.
Posted by: Cara Holman | October 29, 2009 at 12:55 AM
The Road by Cormac McCarthy - This book stripped away all the false values of today's world and boiled everything down to the relationship between a father and son. Powerful stuff.
Martin.
Posted by: Martin McSweeney | October 29, 2009 at 09:08 AM
Five People You Meet in Heaven - I had never thought of things like that before, the story was a tear jerker too!
Posted by: Stacy W | October 29, 2009 at 09:26 AM
To this day, I pull out "A Wrinkle in Time" about once a year to relive the joy. Science fiction and philosophy have been themes in my life and that book was a dear friend in my childhood.
Take care,
Jessica Rosen
Posted by: Jessica Rosen | October 29, 2009 at 09:46 AM
A teacher gave me Trumpet of the Swan when I was in 5th grade. I remember that it made me feel like I could be something amazing someday. :-)
Posted by: Tina | October 29, 2009 at 09:49 AM
Hmmm...good question! I think a recent one was Einstein's Dreams. Such a little book but so much to ponder. Your book sounds so interesting. Thanks for the giveaway!
Posted by: Amanda | October 29, 2009 at 10:33 AM
I have to agree with Jessica Rosen! I can remember reading A Wrinkle in Time and literally feeling like my brain was stretching. I'll never forget it.
Posted by: JenniferWriter | October 29, 2009 at 10:37 AM
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I've read this book a ridiculous number of times since discovering it at about age thirteen. I love being transported to Francie's Brooklyn tenement and reliving all of the little stories that make up her life.
Posted by: Kate | October 29, 2009 at 11:33 AM
Ooh, wonderful! Thanks for posting your life-changing books. They're stirring up all kinds of memories in me. Keep 'em coming...
Posted by: Kristin Bair O'Keeffe | October 29, 2009 at 11:37 AM
Christy, the book that inspired the TV series. Seeing how a love triangle works its way into even the most poverty-ridden setting. I always wondered what it would have been like if Christy chose the Doctor (Neil) instead of the Preacher (David). It made me think of how the choices we make in life determine our destiny.
Posted by: Dawn Herring | October 29, 2009 at 11:43 AM
To the Lighthouse has resonated with me for years; I love, love, love that book and dinner parties will never be the same after reading it...
Posted by: Jim Carmin | October 29, 2009 at 11:57 AM
Thanks for giving us a chance to win your book...so exciting! One book that really impacted my life was Antoine St.Exupery's "Wind, Sand, & Stars." This book shows how connected everyone really is...no one ever really travels through life alone because we are always connected. (There's an awesome example of this in the story when the character is sitting in a cafe drinking a cup of coffee and eating an orange, and he realizes that even though he's sitting by himself, he would never have been able to enjoy his coffee without the people who picked the coffee beans and the people who packed the beans and shipped the beans and the people who ground the beans and made that coffee.) Sorry to get so long-winded! :)
Posted by: Sarah | October 29, 2009 at 04:51 PM
It's so hard to pick, but Ursula K. LeGuin's The Left Hand of Darkness in a Sex and Gender in Western Literature class in college was definitely one of the most important for me. The whole idea of a world where characters change sex/gender regularly was mind-blowing, plus there's a whole artic-type adventure story too, and she's a great writer. It gave me new insights into what aspects of our identity is biologically based vs. culturally defined.
Posted by: Denise Ahlquist | October 29, 2009 at 05:17 PM
Cry the Beloved Country in high school English. First time I remember reading a fictional book about a place so different from my own experience. Made me realize that my corner of the world was so very small compared to what was out there waiting. I'm certain it's the reason I ended up in Africa later on.
Posted by: Melissa Lynch | October 29, 2009 at 07:11 PM
"For One More Day" by Mitch Albom - I realized after reading the book and identifying with the main character how I would have cherished just 24 more hours with my mother before she died. It always reminds me that we should cherish the time we have with those we love while they are still with us.
Posted by: Jill | October 29, 2009 at 08:43 PM
Crossing to Safety, Wallace Stegner -- Have read it three times: First in my 20s, then in my 30s, again when I turned 40. On a blind date with my (now) husband, we realized it was the favorite book of both of us: instant qualifier for second date! CTS is such a wise examination of two couples and the lifelong friendship of the four individuals as well as the intricacies of both marriages. The traits and foibles that exist in each character in youth are still there in their 60s -- some mellowed, some more brittle. Made me realize that we never truly change who we are, but we are responsible for how we handle our flaws.
Posted by: Nichole Bernier | October 29, 2009 at 11:33 PM
I love these stories of books that made all of you think differently about the world. All kinds of funny, sweet memories have bubbled up from them. "Trumpet of the Swan" makes me think of a boy I went to elementary school with...one I just saw a few weeks ago for the first time in 25 years. I remember him at his desk at Hillcrest Elementary School, bent over that book. Thanks for contributing. I'll be drawing winners on Sunday and will announce them on the blog.
Posted by: Kristin Bair O'Keeffe | October 30, 2009 at 09:12 AM