ARE YOU LISTENING? BREED: AN AUDIO BOOK PREVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

WELCOME TO BOOKIN' WITH BINGO'S"

ARE YOU LISTENING? DAY"
I AM EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE TODAY'S
AUDIO BOOK CHOICE....

 giveaway ended
BREED

BY CHASE NOVAK

READ BY PETER GANIN

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Alex and Leslie Twisden lead charmed lives-fabulous jobs, a luxurious town house on Manhattan's Upper East Side, a passionate marriage. What they don't have is a child, and as they try one infertility treatment after the next, yearning turns into obsession. As a last-ditch attempt to make their dream of parenthood come true, Alex and Leslie travel deep into Slovenia, where they submit to a painful and terrifying procedure that finally gives them what they so fervently desire . . . but with awful consequences.

Ten years later, cosseted and adored but living in a house of secrets, the twins Adam and Alice find themselves locked into their rooms every night, with sounds coming from their parents' bedroom getting progressively louder, more violent, and more disturbing.

Driven to a desperate search for answers, Adam and Alice set out on a quest to learn the true nature of the man and woman who raised them. Their discovery will upend everything they thought they knew about their parents and will reveal a threat so horrible that it must be escaped, at any cost.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Chase Novak is the pseudonym for Scott Spencer. Spencer is the author of ten novels, including Endless Love, which has sold over two million copies to date, and the National Book Award finalist A Ship Made of Paper. He has written for Rolling Stone, the New York Times, The New Yorker, GQ, and Harper's. BREED is his debut novel as Chase Novak.

OTHER BOOKS BY AUTHOR CHASE NOVAK/SCOTT SPENCER: 

                

                

               

 

  GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO MITCH AT HACHETTE

BOOK GROUP, I HAVE ONE AUDIO BOOK 

TO GIVE AWAY TO A LUCKY FOLLOWER

   

--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES, PLEASE
--INCLUDE EMAIL ADDRESS IN COMMENT
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE IN

ORDER TO COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE ENTRY

 
HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FOUND INTERESTING ABOUT BREED THAT WOULD MAKE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS AUDIO BOOK

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND LEAVE A LINK I CAN FOLLOW IN THE ENTRY

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE OTHER CURRENT GIVEAWAY YOU HAVE ENTERED ON MY BLOG. IF YOU ENTERED MORE THAN ONE, YOU CAN COMMENT ON EACH ON SEPARATELY AND GAIN MORE ENTRIES THAT WAY 

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE WAY YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG. IF YOU FOLLOW MORE THAN ONE WAY, YOU CAN COMMENT SEPARATELY AND EACH WILL COUNT AS AN ENTRY

 

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT

6 PM, EST, DECEMBER 14

GOOD LUCK!

 

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LET'S GET COZY! MURDER ON THE HOUSE: AUTHOR INTERVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

 

GIVEAWAY ENDED
MURDER ON THE HOUSE

A Haunted Home Renovation Mystery

BY JULIET BLACKWELL

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Juliet Blackwell is back with the third in her national bestselling paranormal mystery series about a woman who owns a construction company and also specializes in ridding homes of unwanted ghosts.  

Mel Turner’s secret is out: having successfully “dealt with” ghosts in two haunted San Francisco homes, the Haunted House Quarterly publishes an article labeling her a ghost buster.  Turner Construction’s office is flooded with requests for her services.  

Ignoring her new-found fame, Mel is called in to consult on the renovation of a beautiful old gothic home.  The prospective buyers insist that the home is haunted; they plan to market it as “San Francisco’s Most Haunted Bed and Breakfast.” But they need Mel to convince the house’s unfriendly ghosts to go along with their plan. Soon the house has another ghost – that of the recently murdered, and very confused, owner. And Mel must find out who wanted the house badly enough to kill.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Juliet Blackwell is the NYT bestselling author of the Haunted Home Renovation mystery series (If Walls Could Talk, Dead Bolt, Murder on the House) and the Witchcraft mystery series (Secondhand Spirits, A Cast-off Coven, Hexes and Hemlines, In a Witch’s Wardrobe). As Hailey Lind, Juliet penned the Art Lover’s Mystery series, including Agatha-nominated Feint of Art. A former anthropologist and social worker, Juliet has worked and studied in Mexico, Spain, Cuba, Italy, the Philippines, and France. She now lives in a happily haunted house in Oakland, California, where she is a muralist and portrait painter. She was a two-term president of Northern California Sisters in Crime.   Visit Juliet at www.julietblackwell.net; http://www.facebook.com/JulietBlackwellAuthor; and Twitter @JulietBlackwell

AN INTERVIEW WITH JULIET BLACKWELL:
Welcome, and thank you for agreeing to an interview for BOOKIN‘ WITH BINGO. Is there any personal information you would like to start out with today?
1. Thank you for having me! I’m a former anthropologist, so when I set out to write paranormal mysteries I wanted to base the tales in traditions and folktales from all over the world.  I don’t adhere to any one tradition; rather, I have fun picking and choosing the parts I want to include as I write my stories. And one of the best aspects of being a writer is that I get to spend so much time researching, reading about history and talking to people about their beliefs.

2.  Where did you get the inspiration or idea for this book?
Murder on the House takes place in a neglected historic house in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco. The building is based on a home I visited when I was working as a decorative painter—back then, I spent a lot of time on renovation job sites. The new owners of the building wanted us to play up the idea that the house might be haunted, because they were going to open a Bed & Breakfast and wanted it to have a special appeal. The “haunting” in the book is based on a true story from the early 1900s, when a prominent San Francisco family was found, deceased, in their beds.  That story began to blend in my mind with the idea of a B&B full of ghosts. 

3. How did the title of your book come about?
Oh, that’s a tough one!  I’m actually terrible at titles.  But with the Haunted Home Renovation series, I keep thinking of titles that include a reference to the building arts, or homes or houses.  One day I heard someone say a drink was “on the house” and I thought to myself—great title! The next in the series will be called “Home for the Haunting,” which I also love :)

4. Do you see yourself in your characters? Which characters are easiest or more difficult to write?
I see a lot of myself in Mel Turner, protagonist in the Haunted Home Renovation series.  She’s a former anthropologist, went through a difficult divorce, and her father is essentially my father!  Of course, there are differences as well…I don’t spend a lot of my time with ghosts, for example. And my romantic life is very different from Mel’s.  But I can relate to her feelings of insecurity and the yearning for escape, even while she is coping with her work, her family, and the burden of too many obligations.

5. What books would you say have made the biggest impression on you, especially starting out? What are you currently reading? 
Before I started writing, I read Janet Evanovich’s first few books in her Stephanie Plum series and I realized I could be funny, and base a semi “cozy” novel in an urban setting.  So she was wonderfully motivating! When I was much younger, Elizabeth Peters was my first introduction to smart, fun adventure mysteries.  The stack of books-to-read by my bed is always high, but at the moment I’m reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn – it’s a great novel so far.

6. What is the next or current book/project you are working on?
Currently I’m writing the fourth Haunted Home Renovation book, Home for the Haunting.  It takes up Mel’s story after Murder on the House, which will be released December 4th .  The fifth Witchcraft Mystery, Tarnished and Torn, is already with my publishers and will come out in July of next year.  So after I finish Home for the Haunting, I will start on the sixth Witchcraft mystery…after spending six months with Mel and the gang, it’s always fun to check in with the characters from the other series!

7. What is something about you that you would want people to know about you that we probably don’t know?
I have a weakness for potato chips and good scotch.  Wait…maybe you *did* know that!  It’s not exactly a secret amongst my colleagues. :)

8. Do you own an eReader of any kind and how do you feel about their impact on books, as well as you as an author?
I feel good about anything that encourages people to read!  Personally, I like paper – I spend more than enough time sitting in front of electronic devices during my work day!  I also like reading in the bath, and I’d be afraid of dropping an ereader.  Plus, I like to keep my favorite books on the shelf, where they sit like good friends….even just seeing their covers reminds me of their stories, and makes me happy.  However – ereaders are great for people who travel, people with vision problems, and people who find paper books hard to hold…or just people who enjoy gadgets more than I do.  So I don’t have any judgment around the use of ereaders – as long as people keep reading!  

9. What is your advice to anyone, including young people, who want to be writers?
Don’t stop.  It’s really as simple as that.  A lot of people have a story they want to tell, but only a fraction of those people sit in a chair and work at their novel for as long as it takes.  If you want to write, WRITE. Don’t read books on writing, or go to workshops on writing, or take creative writing in school, unless those things help motivate you to sit down and write your own story.  Too many people procrastinate by trying to figure out a “trick” to writing, when the only thing you really need to do is sit down and write, and by writing, you will find your voice.  Martha Graham once said: “there is only one of you in all time.  This expression is unique and if you block it, it will never exist…it will be lost.” Know that your voice is worth fighting for, and that it should be heard.  Then get to work!  

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO KAYLEIGH AND THE GOOD FOLKS

AT OBSIDIAN AND PENGUIN BOOKS,

I HAVE ONE COPY OF MURDER ON THE HOUSE,

TO GIVE AWAY TO A LUCKY READER

 
--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES
---INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
IN CASE YOU WIN!
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE TO 
COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!

HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON WHAT WHAT YOU READ ABOVE ABOUT MURDER ON THE HOUSE THAT MADE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS BOOK, AND DON'T FORGET YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS

+1 MORE ENTRY: READ THE INTERVIEW ABOVE AND WRITE A QUESTION YOU WOULD HAVE LIKED TO ASK AUTHOR JULIET BLACKWELL

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG AND/OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND COME BACK HERE AND LEAVE ME YOUR LINK

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FIND INTERESTING AT JULIET BLACKWELL'S WEBSITE HERE 

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE WAY YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG. IF YOU FOLLOW MORE THAN ONE WAY, YOU CAN COMMENT SEPARATELY AND EACH WILL COUNT AS AN ENTRY

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON A CURRENT GIVEAWAY THAT YOU HAVE ENTERED ON MY BLOG. IF YOU ENTERED MORE THAN ONE, YOU MAY COMMENT SEPARATELY FOR EACH TO RECEIVE MORE ENTRIES

 

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT

6 PM, EST, DECEMBER 12

   GOOD LUCK!

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LET'S GET COZY! LET IT SEW: A PREVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

 

 GIVEAWAY ENDED
LET IT SEW

A Southern Sewing Circle Mystery

BY ELIZABETH LYNN CASEY

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Down south, the holidays mean family—and for Yankee librarian Tori Sinclair, family means the Sweet Briar Ladies Society sewing circle. It may not be a white Christmas, but it’s one she’ll never forget—no matter how hard she tries…

Instead of spending a nice, relaxing Christmas with her fiancé, Tori Sinclair has been drafted into Sweet Briar’s holiday Decorating Committee. And the season has brought sad tidings as well: Charlotte Devereaux, a sewing circle founding member who unraveled after her storybook marriage fell apart, has passed away.

Charlotte’s last days were foggy, distressed, and feverish… except for the sketches she produced. One detail in particular jumps out at Tori and leads to a shocking revelation: Charlotte’s husband didn’t leave her—he was murdered! And as she gets closer to the truth, Tori will discover that just about everyone in town has got notches on the naughty list this year.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

It’s not often that someone can provide visual proof of the exact moment their lifelong dream was born. Which means I’m one of the lucky ones…

Nestled safely in the top drawer of my filing cabinet is the very first book I ever wrote—a six-page illustrated story entitled, Kidney Learns a Lesson. Looking back, I can’t help but think the more accurate title would have been, A Dream Is Born.

While Kidney (a sweetly drawn little brown bear) was learning the kind of lesson its ten-year-old creator felt noteworthy, I was falling in love with the process of writing…of creating a world that came to life beneath my pencil.

With my path chosen, I began devouring every book I could find—my earliest favorites being penned by the likes of Carolyn Keene, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Mary Higgins Clark…

Through them, I learned the joy of reading. Through my devotion to craft, I learned the joy of plotting and creating. And through my readers, I’ve learned the joy of providing a momentary escape from life—a chance to explore a new place, a new career, a new hobby, a new experience.

Because that’s what books do. They allow us to dream…

And dreaming is something I know all about.

~Elizabeth Lynn Casey taken from her website "bio" HERE.

SOME OTHER BOOKS BY ELIZABETH LYNN CASEY:

              

                 

                 
 

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO KAYLEIGH AND THE GOOD FOLKS

AT BERKLEY PRIME CRIME AND PENGUIN BOOKS,

I HAVE ONE COPY OF LET IT SEW,

TO GIVE AWAY TO A LUCKY READER

 
--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES
---INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
IN CASE YOU WIN!
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE TO 
COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!

HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON WHAT WHAT YOU READ ABOVE ABOUT LET IT SEW THAT MADE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS BOOK, AND DON'T FORGET YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG AND/OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND COME BACK HERE AND LEAVE ME YOUR LINK

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FIND INTERESTING AT ELIZABETH LYNN CASEY'S WEBSITE HERE 

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE WAY YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG. IF YOU FOLLOW MORE THAN ONE WAY, YOU CAN COMMENT SEPARATELY AND EACH WILL COUNT AS AN ENTRY

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON A CURRENT GIVEAWAY THAT YOU HAVE ENTERED ON MY BLOG. IF YOU ENTERED MORE THAN ONE, YOU MAY COMMENT SEPARATELY FOR EACH TO RECEIVE MORE ENTRIES

 

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT

6 PM, EST, DECEMBER 9

   GOOD LUCK!

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THE CHRONICLES OF DOWNTON ABBEY: AUTHOR INTERVIEW AND PREVIEW

THE CHRONICLES OF
DOWNTON ABBEY

A NEW ERA

BY JESSICA FELLOWES 
& MATTHEW STURGIS

With a foreword by Julian Fellowes

ABOUT THE BOOK:

The all-new, official companion to all three seasons of the hit MASTERPIECE on PBS TV series, THE CHRONICLES OF DOWNTON ABBEY beautifully highlights the history, the characters, and the behind-the-scenes drama as Downton Abbey enters the 1920s. The book is beautifully illustrated with color photos throughout.

The Great War has ended, but Downton Abbey is far from peaceful...

"Americans can't get enough of 'Downton Abbey,'" said The Boston Globe. As Season 3 of the award-winning TV series opens (MASTERPIECE on PBS premiere date is Sunday January 6th), it is 1920 and the occupants of the Great House are waking up to a world changed forever by World War I.  New challenges to the established order and new guests abound, with more intrigue, rivalry and romance than ever.

In this new era, different family members arrive (including Cora's American mother, played by Shirley MacLaine) and new secrets and dramas emerge. Who will give Lord Grantham his first grandchild?  What will become of the servants, both old and new?  And is it possible that the Crawley Family might have to leave Downton Abbey?

THE CHRONICLES OF DOWNTON ABBEY, carefully pieced together at the heart and hearth of the ancestral home of the Crawleys, takes us deeper into the story of every important member of the Downton estate. This gorgeous, entirely new book focuses on each character individually, examining their motivations, their actions, and the inspirations behind them. An evocative combination of story, history, and behind-the-scenes drama, it will bring fans even closer to the secret, beating heart of the house. 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
JESSICA FELLOWES is the New York Times and Globe and Mail bestselling author of The World of Downton Abbey. Formerly the Deputy Editor of Country Life, she has also been a columnist for the London Paper. Jessica also writes for the Daily Telegraph, Telegraph Weekend, The Lady and Sunday Times Style, and lives with her family in London.

 

MATTHEW STURGIS is a writer and critic who has written for Harpers & Queen, The Sunday Telegraph, and The Independent on Sunday. He is the author of Passionate Attitudes: the English Decadence of the 1890s and the highly-praised Aubrey Beardsley. He lives in London.

JULIAN FELLOWES is the creator, writer, and executor producer of Downton Abbey, which won nine Emmy Awards and the Golden Globe for best mini-series. Previously, he won the Academy Award® for best original screenplay for Gosford Park, and wrote the bestselling novels Snobs and Past Imperfect. A member of the House of Lords, he lives with his wife and son in London and Dorset, England. 

A "Q&A" WITH JESSICA FELLOWES, AUTHOR OF THE CHRONICLES OF DOWNTON ABBEY:

Edwardian fashion has been resurrected on runways and in style magazines.  What else has surprised you about the popularity of the show?
I think no one could have anticipated the way it's become such a cultural reference point not just in Britain and America but all over the world. 'Dowager gems' is a well-known Twitter hashtag. I don't think Julian could have predicted that!

Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes' great-aunt Isie is the model for Violet Grantham.  Are any of the other characters based on anyone notable or otherwise?
As any writer does, he has drawn on different people he has met or known over the years. O'Brien is based on a particularly mean lady's maid that used to work for a cousin of his grandfather. She was, he says, "as polite as courtier, but she had a black heart, cold and manipulative", driving away all her mistress's friends and family until she alone ruled their Knightsbridge house. Others, are taken more lightly from people he has known – Thomas is based on a dresser from his theatre days; Carson on a wonderful butler, Arthur Inch, who was an advisor on Gosford Park.

What is your favorite episode or scene from the first two seasons of Downton Abbey and why?
Ooh, that's not easy to answer! I'm a blubber – I cry at the readthrough, when I see it on the television, and then again when watching it on DVD! I think the war scenes were striking, and I was pleased, if that's the right word, that current generations would realise what our grandparents and great-grandparents had gone through. But who can possibly forget the final scene of the second series – Matthew and Mary, kissing and happy at last, as the snow fell around them. Aah!

What was the greatest challenge you faced when writing this book?  What was the most fun?
The greatest challenge was probably the timing. Both books were not started until January and were at the printers by July. Given that we had to interview actors and production, go on set, research the period, source the images – photography had to be done alongside the filming – as well as actually write it, this was something of a challenge, but one I was happy to rise to. The most fun for me was definitely the research – it's a period that has always fascinated me, so to have the excuse to immerse myself in it completely was wonderful.

Which character do you think has evolved the most during the course of the first two seasons?
Lady Edith for me is the most interesting. She, like a lot of women at that time, was brought up to expect a certain kind of life, which was completely turned inside out by the war. She thought that all her prayers would be answered in the shape of a husband – marriage was what gave Edwardian aristocratic women freedom, independence and a certain kind of power. Without that, she has to find her own way and it's not as if everyone then moves with the times – nearly everything she chooses to do has to be fought for. It's a lesson to us now to be thankful of what we have and to use it in the best way possible. 

A behind scenes look at one of TV's most beloved shows—including a sneak peek at Season 3.

The Perfect Gift For Any Fan–Order Your Copy Now

FOLLOW DOWNTON ABBEY on Twitter HERE
SEE MORE ABOUT DOWNTON ABBEY ON PBS HERE

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LET'S GET COZY! HOLIDAY BUZZ: A PREVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

 GIVEAWAY ENDED 
HOLIDAY BUZZ

A Coffeehouse Mystery

BY CLEO COYLE

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Holiday time is party time in New York City, but after a sparkling winter bash ends with a murder, Village Blend coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi vows to put the killer on ice…

At the Great New York Cookie Swap, pastry chefs bake up their very best for charity. Clare is in charge of the beverage service, and her famous Fa-la-la-la Lattes make the gathering even merrier. But her high spirits come crashing down to earth, when she discovers the battered body of a hard-working baker’s assistant.

Police suspect a serial attacker whose escalating crimes have become known as “The Christmas Stalkings.” Clare’s boyfriend, NYPD detective Mike Quinn, finds reason to believe even more sinister forces are involved. Clare isn’t so sure—and when she finds a second bludgeoned baker, she becomes a target. Now Clare is spending the holiday season pouring over clues, and she’s not going to rest until justice is served.

Includes holiday and cookie recipes!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Cleo Coyle is a resident of Queens, New York. Her Coffeehouse Mystery series is quite a unique hook, that includes recipes, coffee making tips, and fabulous historical facts. 

Cleo Coyle is the pen name for Alice Alfonsi, who writes with her husband, Marc Cerasini. This popular married writing team was born and raised in Pittsburgh, met in New York City, and married in Las Vegas. Together they've authored a number of bestselling books. As Cleo Coyle, they write The Coffeehouse Mysteries. As Alice Kimberly, they write The Haunted Bookshop Mysteries. 

Visit them at http://www.coffeehousemystery.com
Visit Cleo Coyle on Twitter

OTHER COFFEEHOUSE MYTERY BOOKS BY CLEO COLE:
                                 GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO KAYLEIGH AND THE GOOD FOLKS

AT BERKLEY PRIME CRIME AND PENGUIN BOOKS,

I HAVE ONE COPY OF HOLIDAY BUZZ

TO GIVE AWAY TO A LUCKY READER

 
--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES
---INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
IN CASE YOU WIN!
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE TO 
COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!

HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON WHAT WHAT YOU READ ABOVE ABOUT HOLIDAY BUZZ THAT MADE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS BOOK, AND DON'T FORGET YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG AND/OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND COME BACK HERE AND LEAVE ME YOUR LINK

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FIND INTERESTING AT CLEO COYLE'S WEBSITE HERE

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE WAY YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG. IF YOU FOLLOW MORE THAN ONE WAY, YOU CAN COMMENT SEPARATELY AND EACH WILL COUNT AS AN ENTRY

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON A CURRENT GIVEAWAY THAT YOU HAVE ENTERED ON MY BLOG. IF YOU ENTERED MORE THAN ONE, YOU MAY COMMENT SEPARATELY FOR EACH TO RECEIVE MORE ENTRIES

 

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT

6 PM, EST, DECEMBER 7

   GOOD LUCK!

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ARE YOU LISTENING? D'AULAIRES' BOOK OF GREEK MYTHS: A REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

WELCOME TO BOOKIN' WITH BINGO'S"
ARE YOU LISTENING? DAY"
I AM EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE TODAY'S
AUDIO BOOK CHOICE....

 GIVEAWAY ENDED 
D’AULAIRES’ BOOK

OF GREEK MYTHS

BY INGRI AND EDGAR PARIN D'AULAIRE

Read by Paul Newman, Sidney Poitier, 
Kathleen Turner and others

ABOUT THE AUDIO BOOK:

Here are the immortals of Olympus—the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece—as freshly described as if they were alive today.
            

Mighty Zeus with his fistful of thunderbolts; mischievous little Hermes; grey-eyed Athena, goddess of wisdom; Asclepius, the first physician; Orpheus and his beloved Euridice; Helios the sun, crossing the heavens in his fiery chariot. . . these and other equally fabulous figures are featured here with their heroic deeds and petty squabbles illuminated in full dimension.

"For any child fortunate enough to have this generous book...the kings and heroes of ancient legend will remain forever matter-of-fact; the pictures interpret the text literally and are full of detail and witty observation."
--Horn Book.

To listen to an excerpt, click HERE.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS: 
Edgar Parin, originally of Swiss citizenship, was born in Munich, Germany to the noted Italian portrait painter Gino Parin (1867–1944) and Ella Auler, a talented artist and musician who had moved from St. Louis to Paris. Edgar Parin took his mother's maiden name when she changed it to d'Aulaire. After studying architecture for a year in Munich, Edgar began his art studies at the School of Arts and Crafts there. Edgar, a pupil of Hans Hofman and Henri Matisse, studied fresco in Florence, painted murals in France and Norway, and had exhibitions in Paris, Berlin and Oslo. He illustrated many books in Germany from 1922 to 1926 and painted frescoes in Norway from 1926 to 1927.

Ingri Mortenson was born in Kongsberg, Norway. When she was 15, the renowned Norwegian painter Harriet Backer encouraged her to pursue art as a career. Ingri later studied at art schools in Norway, Germany, and France.

Ingri and Edgar met in Munich. They were married in 1925. A modest insurance settlement following a near-fatal bus-trolley collision in Paris provided the seed money to send Edgar to the United States, steerage class, to scout for opportunities. He garnered enough commissions illustrating books to send for Ingri. They initially took up residence in a cold-water walk-up flat in Brooklyn, NY in 1929.

At first, the couple pursued separate careers. Edgar concentrated on illustrating books using wood block engravings and stone lithography; Ingri garnered commissions to paint portraits of prominent businessmen.

Their work caught the eye of the director of the New York Public Library. Acting on her suggestion, the d'Aulaires decided to turn their talents to children's books. They collaborated on the first of many to come, The Magic Rug in 1931. Shortly thereafter they took up United States citizenship. The d'Aulaires lived and worked in Wilton, Connecticut, from 1941 until their deaths in the 1980s. They also had a farm in Royalton, Vermont.

^{SOME OTHER BOOKS BY THE D'AULAIRES:}

               

      

                   

MY THOUGHTS/REVIEW:
Most of us remember the time we were introduced to Greek Mythology in school. That love of these captivating ancient stories, for most, does not go away. D’AULAIRES’ BOOK OF GREEK MYTHS is probably one of the best books of Greek Myths for young and old alike. The book itself, contains gorgeous artwork but the audio is so enthralling that you create mental images of your own as you become entranced while listening.

With the authors’ excellent research, the stories serve as important and valuable resources for all who read them. However, the best part is that the exquisite narrative serves to entertain adults while giving younger readers a valuable first taste of Greek Mythology and surely increases their quest to learn more. The abundance of the myths include just about every God and Goddess, as well as the intriguing monsters and intrepid heroes that make the myths so spellbinding. D’AULAIRES’  BOOK OF GREEK MYTHS is one not to miss and in this audio book, it becomes wonderful entertainment and would make a great holiday gift!

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO RICHARD AND THE GOOD FOLKS

 AT RANDOM HOUSE AUDIO BOOKS,  

I HAVE ONE AUDIO BOOK TO GIVE

 AWAY TO A LUCKY FOLLOWER

   

--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES, PLEASE
--INCLUDE EMAIL ADDRESS IN COMMENT
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE IN

ORDER TO COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE ENTRY

 
HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FOUND INTERESTING ABOUT D'AULAIRES' BOOK OF GREEK MYTHS THAT WOULD MAKE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS AUDIO BOOK

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND LEAVE A LINK I CAN FOLLOW IN THE ENTRY

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE OTHER CURRENT GIVEAWAY YOU HAVE ENTERED ON MY BLOG. IF YOU ENTERED MORE THAN ONE, YOU CAN COMMENT ON EACH ON SEPARATELY AND GAIN MORE ENTRIES THAT WAY 

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE WAY YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG. IF YOU FOLLOW MORE THAN ONE WAY, YOU CAN COMMENT SEPARATELY AND EACH WILL COUNT AS AN ENTRY

 

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT

6 PM, EST, DECEMBER 5

GOOD LUCK!

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