Sociology of Sheena’s book GIVEAWAY – CLOSED
August is my birthday month and I want to spend the month giving away things! Just for fun! There will be giveaways specific to social networks like twitter, facebook, youtube or my site and some giveaways will span all four. Who knows! The prizes will range from books to homemade products to gift cards to CASH. AAAhhhh. It’s exciting. Just you wait!
GIVEAWAY 2 of Week ONE is specific to Sheena LaShay.com. If you have any questions, leave them below. Otherwise enter, if you like the prize.
Just leave a comment on this post stating your favorite book and a winner will be chosen at random.
Contest closes on August 9th 2010 which is a Monday at 12:00am EST.
UPDATE: The contest is open to *Canadians. 
UPDATE 2: The Winner of the book giveaway is Louise of Positive Impact Living. I recorded the process of selecting the random winner via Random.org and will post the video later.
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I was just thinking to myself. Wow I need a new book to read.
Just finished Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert. She is the best selling author of Eat, Pray, Love. I recommend both books. Committed is a follow up to her memoir Eat, Pray,Love and it weaves in the history of marriage into her narrating her 10 month journey of reconciling with the idea of marrying again. It helped me to reflect on why I married, divorced, remarried. How I view my marriage and why some people don’t marry. Revealed some things about extreme feminists at the end. Interesting.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Seriously LOVE LOVE LOVE this fiction book. Mississippi 1960′s. First person narrated from the vantage point of 3 main characters. One young white woman, aspiring to be a writer and living back at home after graduating from college. Two black women who work for white women in their homes. Very unexpected AND funny twists and turns. This is Kathryn’s first novel and I can’t wait for her next one.
Water for Elephants. Depression era. Traveling Circus. Drama. Suspense. Happy Ending. Things happen at the circus that you wouldn’t expect. WOW really? (fiction)
Coming of Age – Anne Moody Autobiography
A Million Miles in One Thousand Years – Donald Miller
Linchpin – Seth Godin
Half Broke Horse – Jeannette Walls
kimlampe(at)travelingsanctuary(dot)com
First off….happy birthday early! Thomas and Katarina both have August birthdays….so I love me some August people….and I love you too!! =)
Almost as much as I love my August folks, I love books. LOVE books!
My favorite (I can only pick one?? You realize how hard that is, right?) is Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. It is spectacular, amazing, and it inspired me to be more honest about my own personal story and life.
“The Alchemist” By Paulo Coelho
Happy birthday August baby! My birthday is the 20th!
Now on to the task at hand: My favorite book (right now) is called The Kite Runner. I “read” it in highschool, but recently in my Philosophy class in college we read it again. It was nice to revisit that book because I didn’t really pay attention to the story that well. By taking philosophy I was able to actually enjoy the book because I can look at it and read it from a more profound perspective. It has really good lessons about friendship in there. Anyway, I don’t know if were supposed to give you a story behind our book choice though so let me stop rambling.lol. Again, my favorite book at the moment is The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Swing Low, A Life, by Miriam Toews is one of my favorite books. Another favorite of mine is, one I am sure almost everyone has read, To Kill A Mockingbird.
My favorite book would be The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason by Sam Harris. Because of this book , I actually started to begin pondering about my belief , faith and religion. As a child , I didn’t believe in “a god.” I always thought that if there was a god , like what other people say , why isn’t he/she completing what I ask him/her? Such as , can people really walk on water? The simple answer is no. In the bible , it states that Jesus walked on water. I don’t want to offend anyone but , that’s easily proven to be fake.
What’s funny is that , I’m really interested in Religion. My parents are devout buddhists , my cousins are devout christians. With the diverse religions and faith , it got me interested in studying about religion and different aspects of cultures in college. At the moment , I’m learning about the Islamic religion , Muslim.
My favorite book it Some People, Some Other Place by J California Cooper. If you haven’t read it do so. I couldn’t put it down. Thanks.
Happy Birthday, Sheena! I cannot begin to describe how excited I am about this giveaway! I love, love, LOVE all things related to books, reading, and writing!
How kind of you to give presents during your birthday month.
Now of course selecting just one book is extremely difficult for me. How can I choose just one?? Hmmm. Since I honestly have many books that would be classified as favorites, I will give you one title that I recently enjoyed:
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
Since I enjoy writing and reading letters, I was immediately drawn to this fiction as it was written entirely in epistolary format. With descriptive settings and vivid characters that will have you laughing out loud, the authors have a way of drawing you into the lives of a group of interesting people trying to survive troubling times with endurance and friendship.
I hope you enjoy the book if you decide to read it. Happy Reading & Happy Birthday!
It’s hard to pick a favourite book especially since i am not in the front of my book shelf to search for it… But from the top of my head and of the many books i have read I would have to say my favourite book is Slowing down to the Speed of life by Richard Carlson and Joseph Bailey, the book is essentially about living in the moment. I did a lot of reflecting while i was reading the book… Thanks for hosting the contest all of the books in the give away seem really interesting.
There are SO MANY books out there, it is hard to narrow it down to just one, or a few. How much space do I have?
First off, I have to say that The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins is one of my all-time favourites. It is one of the first full length mysteries ever written, back in the mid-1800′s. Full of suspense and Gothic eerieness. It has the classic propriety of a Jane Austen novel, but with the dark underpinnings of Dickens running through it. It is a precursor to my next favourite set of books, and to a whole new era in fiction, that of the serialised Crime Novel. Sir Aruthur Conan Doyle introduced Dr. Watson and his erstwhile room-mate Sherlock Holmes in the late 19th century to a society that was rigid in it’s outward standards, but behind closed doors thrived on gossip and scandal. In this day and age it is not commonly known that drowning and murder victims were displayed publicly, and people paid to stroll by to see the bodies, in hopes of identifying missing loved ones. It was from some of the personal adverts in the Times that Doyle drew the ideas for his 4 Novels and numerous short stories, as well as from the stories and cases of his mentor, Dr. Bell from Edinburgh.
More recently, two novels have struck me through and through. One is “The Shadow of the Wind” by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. It is translated into English from Spanish, but it still has the lyricism of a romance language to it. It is a love story, a mystery, a thriller, a book about books, a coming of age all in one. It was so good that I walked through the streets of Paris with my nose buried in the book instead of looking around me for days– seriously, who does that?
The next book is a young adult novel called “The Book Theif” by Marcus Zuzak. The omnicient narrarator here is Death, and he actually has a bit of a sense of humour. It is set in Germany in WWII, in a house where a a young girl is being fostered and a young Jewish man comes to hide. The story is basically about how the girl steals a book from one of the big Nazi book burning bonfires, and then goes on stealing books and other things….and how she survives the war years…Just a stunning book. I would say it is for mature young adults.
I could go on….
I really loved “Act Like a Lady Think Like a Man” by Steve Harvey. This book was so funny and so the truth!
I have two favorite books. One Fiction and one non-fiction.
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison is my favorite fiction. The language is so beautiful — I have read it many times.
My favorite non-fiction book is The Road Less Traveled
by M. Scott Peck. This book changed my life.
“The Help” by Kathryn Stockett
My favorite book has got to be 19 Minuted- Jodi Picoult.
This book really opened my eyes. I’m still in high school & this book is partly focused on high school students. It opened my eyes to how people really feel inside, & even though I may laugh at something that’s done to someone & take it as a joke, the person on the receiving end could be tearing up & dying inside.
It also taught me hope & perseverance. People are put under pressure in this book, but they stick through it. But I think the biggest thing it taught me is to not keep my feelings & problems bottled up, to find someone to confide in, & not to thing that I’m in everything by myself.
Another good one is Four & Twenty Blackbirds by Cherie Priest. It’s a ghost story set in the south. It might not be for everyone, but I love scary things, so I loved it. Another good creepy book is Coraline. I read that when I was younger, & it really did scare me. The movie does it no justice at all.
My favourite book is ‘The Water Babies’ by Charles Kingsley (and my favourite character is Mrs Doasyouwouldbedoneby).
Otherwise I have favourites in different genres firstly, regarding spirituality or awareness – The ‘kun byed rgyal po’ or ‘The Supreme Ordering Principle in the Universe’ written by Longchenpa, the 14th century adept of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism . It is titled ‘You are the Eyes of the World’ published by Snow Lion. It’s about discovering ‘pristine’ awareness everywhere, all the time. Quote:- ‘Innocents, through deception are seduced to a path that is just an idea, with neither time for setting out nor time for realisation – how will they be able to seek reality on it’s own terms? When following teachings of a monkey like master which have no logical basis. You end up believing in a false path.’ and ‘This message which really opens up one’s primordial condition is beyond all foundations or bases; it is the core reality of pure and total presence…’ It goes on to describe the means and method of realising this awareness.
Then also I like the edition ‘Yoga spandakarika’ written by Daniel Odier about the origins of Tantra – it has teachings from the ancient Chinese, Tibetan and Kasmiri masters. Quote:- ‘If you don’t do it yourself, what good will Dharma practises of others do you – it is like a beggar’s dream in which he is rich in splendour food and wealth upon awakening all is gone without a trace, like the passing of a bird in the sky, all composite phenomena in the world are just like that.’
Also I have a taste for survival stories because they teach a lot and this was kicked off with a wonderful book by Ian Serraillier’s ‘The Silver Sword’ about refugee children in WW2. I loved Nevil Shute’s ‘A Town Like Alice’. It’s the way they write. I like a writer who isn’t pretentious and can communicate profound thinking with simple words, a certain style of story telling that evokes emotion and depth.
Winnie the Pooh then, certainly informed me as a child and no doubt an adult too. My love of cake is not unlike Pooh’s love of honey in fact me and Winnie the Pooh are quite similar in many respects.
‘Greyfriar’s Bobby’ by Eleanor Stackhouse Atkinson based on true events about a little loyal dog in Victorian Edinburgh with beautiful descriptions of the city You can read the book here – http://bit.ly/a87MVe
Laurie Lee’s ‘Cider with Rosie’ he also wrote ‘As I walked out one Midsummer’s morning’. ‘Lark Rise to Candleford’ by Flora Thompson is in a similar vein and ‘The Black Hills’ by Bruce Chatwain author of ‘Song Lines’. All autobiographical in nature, gentle tales, beautifully written and heartwarming. I also loved Tolkien’s the Hobbit for those same reasons. ‘Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Bronte was an old favourite as a teen especially as I visited the Bronte’s country. I love to go to places in books. Also Jack London’s writing ‘Call of the Wild’ and ‘At the back of the North Wind’ by George MacDonald
Ernest Hemingway’s ‘A Farewell to Arms’. He was a great moment catcher. I once read about an article he wrote ‘Throng at a smallpoox case’ when he chanced upon a crowd of people at a train station. They were surrounding a very sick man who had collapsed with smallpox, the ambulance had been called but did not come… ‘distressed that nobody would help him bring a smallpox-afflicted victim to the hospital… Hemingway called a cab and charged the fare to the Star newpaper’ and took the man himself picking him up and putting him in the cab. That is why I like Hemingway – all his books are a rage at the people who do nothing but stand and stare and he himself was the antithesis of that. If a book doesn’t make you change for the better I generally don’t want to read it; if it doesn’t rouse you out of a stupor, transport you elsewhere and elsewhen or show you which way to go when you did not know – what good is it to write it or read it when life is but a blink of an eye, of not knowing and then you too are but memory and then history?
That last book I read that was pretty interesting would be Letters to a Young Sister by Hill Harper. The book is geared more towards younger teenage ladies. As an adult, I think this book would be a good read for a High School aged young ladies. I am so glad you are doing this, I was just thinking the other day, that I needed some new books to read.
Hi Sheena!
Lol, Im not sure if this contest is open to Canadian (most contests are not international) but I will share with you my favorite books anyway.
Fiction – The Hunger Games By Suzanne Collins and Glass Soup by Jonathan Carroll. You can tell a good fiction novel when you can completly engross yourself in the plot no matter how far fetched it may be.
The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill – This book has such a strong black female lead and really takes an honest look at the history of slavery. I could not put it down. : )
My favorite book is The Power of One, by Bryce Courtenay
Hi girl
first off all Happy Birthday! and thanks for having this great contest that is international. I love to reed and have many favorite books by international writers. Toni Morrison–> Beloved (US), Chris Cleave Little Bee (UK), Arthur Golden–> Memoirs of a Geisha (US). This is my absoluut fav book Tirza by Arnon Grunberg hy is a Dutch writer who lives in New York so a hope this book is translated in English.
have a great birthday month.
xx dorothy B
Happy Birthday (month) Sheena!
So, when I have time to read fiction, it has to be so good that I CANNOT put it down…
READ… The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf
I hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think after you read it!
I am going to look for a few that you mentioned and get started early, if I win that would be a BONUS!
I love 2 read also….one of my most favorite authors is J. California Cooper. She has written several novels and short stories. My favorite book written by her is Some People, Some other Place, just love her to life.
My favorite book is Become a Better Me by Joel Olsteen
Sheena, sorry for the 2nd post. Made a typo in the title of my favorite book. Its Become a Better You by Joel Olsteen
my favorite book is Animal Farm by Geroge Orwell
its such an amazing book and even though it involved animals it felt so realistic
And Happy Birthday!!!
My favorite book is Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
It’s such an amazing book that i think everyone should read it.
happy bithday
First Happy Birthday month! Mine is the 29th. I have to say my favorite fiction book is “I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem” by Maryse Condo and non-fiction is “The Autobiography of Malcolm X.”
Hey Sheena,
Here are my two favorite reads this year:
First, Changing My Mind by Zadie Smith. I saw her mentioned on the Paste Magazine website and picked up this collection of essays that I really enjoyed.
I also relished My Stroke of Insight, which was written by a neurologist who survived a stroke on the left side of her brain and recovered sufficiently to tell about was it was like to live solely from the right brain perspective for months. Truly fascinating.
Peace – R.
aghh, I’m so excited. I hope I win, I never win anything lol
My favorite book is my sister’s keeper. You’ve probably already read it, but it brought me and my sisters so close together. Also another favorite is Stargirl. I read it when I was very young a few years back, it taught me that there is nothing wrong with standing out.
Ahh, anyways I hope I win. I’m so excited to read those books. I might just go buy them if I don’t win.
“A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court,” by Mark Twain. For want a of a strong opinion lately, this was my favorite book from 7th grade into college. Every few years I would reread it. Combining the fantasy daydreams of boyhood with what was once valid social criticism and commentary, it is a fun read. If you like to scorn feudalism while imagining jousting against knights, armed with a pistol and a lasso, this book would appeal to you in a simple, fun way.
Sheena:
Free books? What fun!
Voici les préférés:
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (fiction) A slow and measured read, the protagonist reflects on the bonds of faith and family, wonders at the beauty and pain of life and recognizes the sacredness of small, everyday things, which makes the narrative ring with a prophetic echo. (I gush, sorry — but I almost never cry when reading books. This one made me cry.)
Sefarad by Antonio Muñoz Molina (fiction) A series of distinct but interweaving narratives that examine place, exile, identity, and persecution in 20th century Europe. Kind of slow at points (especially the beginning), but thick with haunting details.
The Little Prince by Antoine St-Exupery (fiction) Whimsical, spiritual, melancholy. The prince’s interactions with the fox and the rose bushes speaks deeply to me about what makes life worth living.
After the Locusts by Denise Ackermann (non-fiction) Honest, unflinching questions and reflections on Christian theology in light of her experience as a feminist theologian in apartheid and post-apartheid South Africa. I like the epistolary style, her appeal for an embodied hope, and her refusal to separate faith/theology from real life situations.
The Bible. Pointing to the Source and Resolution of my deepest wanderings, it reminds me of the greatness of the LORD, the mystery of grace, and how much I don’t know.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (fiction) I have a feeling everyone is forced to read this in school at some point, but I was introduced to the story at such a young age (kindergarten) that it played a significant role in my early moral formation. It is an old friend I am always glad to visit.
100 poems by e.e. cummings. Damn, I like this man’s poetry.
I could go on and on and on, but I will stop there.
For now, anyway. Thanks for the invitation to participate — love your expansive and generous spirit.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FRIEND. YOU ARE DEARLY LOVED.
Another great read in the mystery/thriller genre is “A Cadger’s Curse” by Diane Gilbert Madsen.
It is set in Chicagoland area, which makes it a fun read for those from the area.
Enjoy!
Hmmm… well, ok, I think I have to go with “My Name is Asher Lev” by Chaim Potok. Because as many other books as I love and reread over and over and over, that one is simply one that sticks out the most, and the first I always recommend to people. =) Also… I really hope I’m not too late! We just got back from a family mini vacation, and I’m not sure which 12am you mean (because there’s the official one and the one everybody else says…) =/
Either way, you know I love me some August birthdays
Just a few more days to go!