Christmas Giveaway!

Hey - we're back home! We had a great Thanksgiving, and hope everyone else did too. We have a great Christmas giveaway for you - please read the rules first, and good luck!

Up for grabs:



Impossible, by Nancy Werlin
Young Adult, 2008
Raspberry: Only real problem with this one was how she gets pregnant, which may sort of be your living nightmare. However, an interesting plot that has you sighing with relief in the end. Her parents and friend Zach are a bit unrealistically supportive, but they kind of have to be to make it work. Graded a B.

Lucy is seventeen when she discovers that the women of her family have been cursed through the generations, forced to attempt three seemingly impossible tasks or to fall into madness upon their child's birth. But Lucy is the first girl who won't be alone as she tackles the list. She has her fiercely protective foster parents and her childhood friend Zach beside her. Do they have love and strength enough to overcome an age-old evil?

* Paperback copy in almost perfect condition, the cover is of her sideways in the red dress instead.
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Greywalker, by Kat Richardson
Adult, 2006
Raspberry: Writing a bit sloppy, wasn't a huge fan, but should appeal to Charlaine Harris fans.

Harper Blaine was slogging along as a small-time P.I. when a two-bit perp's savage assault left her dead. For two minutes, to be precise. When Harper comes to in the hospital, she begins to feel a bit ...strange. She sees things that can only be described as weird-shapes emerging from a foggy grey mist, snarling teeth, creatures roaring. But Harper's not crazy. Her "death" has made her a Greywalker-able to move between our world and the mysterious, cross-over zone where things that go bump in the night exist. And her new gift (or curse) is about to drag her into that world of vampires and ghosts, magic and witches, necromancers and sinister artifacts. Whether she likes it or not.

*Slightly worn tall paperback copy.

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Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians, by Brandon Sanderson
Juvenile, 2007
Trackgeek: An incredibly silly book, it'll only really appeal to the younger (12 and down) crowd.

A hero with an incredible talent...for breaking things. A life-or-death mission...to rescue a bag of sand. A fearsome threat from a powerful secret network...the evil Librarians.

*Paperback copy in almost perfect condition, slightly different cover.

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Remarkable Creatures, by Tracy Chevalier
Adult, 2009

In the early nineteenth century, a windswept beach along the English coast brims with fossils for those with the eye! From the moment she's struck by lightning as a baby, it is clear Mary Anning is marked for greatness. When she uncovers unknown dinosaur fossils in the cliffs near her home, she sets the scientific world alight, challenging ideas about the world's creation and stimulating debate over our origins. In an arena dominated by men, however, Mary is soon reduced to a serving role, facing prejudice from the academic community, vicious gossip from neighbours, and the heartbreak of forbidden love. Even nature is a threat, throwing bitter cold, storms, and landslips at her. Luckily Mary finds an unlikely champion in prickly, intelligent Elizabeth Philpot, a middle-class spinster who is also fossil-obsessed. Their relationship strikes a delicate balance between fierce loyalty and barely suppressed envy. Despite their differences in age and background, Mary and Elizabeth discover that, in struggling for recognition, friendship is their strongest weapon.

*This is an ARC, but in perfect condition.

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A Countess Below Stairs, by Eva Ibbotson
Young Adult, 1981
Raspberry: B
Trackgeek: B-

In the early 20th century, Anna and her family flee their homeland of Russia, leaving behind their nobility and wealth. In England they survive by trying to fit in, all the while hoping for their lost servant to show up with their jewels. Anna takes a position as a maid in the Westerholme mansion, but finds herself falling in love with her master. And of course, he has an absolutely horrible fiancee...

*Gently read paperback copy.

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Snowfall, by K. M. Peyton
Young Adult, 2006
Raspberry: I was so frustrated by the end, that I never even reviewed this book. It was similar to an Eva Ibbotson YA book, but not as good.

In this Victorian novel, Charlotte finds herself unable to stop her grandfather from giving her in marriage to a man she swears she can never love. Journeying with her brother and a group of friends to the Alps, she hikes, falls in love, and learns to appreciate the earth. After she becomes a housekeeper to escape her grandfather's plans, she falls in love again - this time with her match.

*Ex-library hardback edition with a slightly different cover. Worn in some spots, and some tears on the inside cover, but will still look nice on the shelf.
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Rules:
1. I will draw 3 names - the first winner gets his or her choice of three books, the second gets his or her choices of two books (that are left) and the last person gets the last book left if they want it.
2. To make this easier, I would ask that you list in order the books you would prefer. If you already own/don't want/aren't interested, please don't list those at all. If someone is only interested in one book and wins, then I'll choose a fourth winner.
3. You get one entry for entering, which includes your list of preferences and a way to contact you if you win.
4. You may get only one extra entry, and that would be for either being a follower, posting it somewhere...etc. Leave a link or let me know what you did for that extra entry.
5. Giveaway ends December 15th (which is a Tuesday). I can't guarantee you'll get your book(s) by Christmas, but the odds are pretty good.
6. And yes, I apologize, but this is U.S. and Canada only.

7. And purely for discussion's sake, and because it makes commenting, or at least reading the comments fun, answer this question: If you could get absolutely ANY book for Christmas, what would it be, and why?