My Second Blogoversary and a Giveaway!

Exactly two years ago today I posted my very first blog entry.  This blog was supposed to be about books and chocolate, but the chocolate and cooking entries seem to have fallen by the wayside.  I haven't blogged nearly as much as I wanted to lately -- I recently started a wonderful part-time job at the public library, and I'm continuing with Spanish classes.  That and my home life keep me pretty busy.  But I did want to thank all the people who have read and commented on my blog the past two years, so again I've decided to celebrate by giving away one of my favorite reads since my previous blogoversary.

Here are the rules:  ONE winner will receive a paperback copy of the following books, his or her choice, shipped via The Book Depository [if the winner resides in the U.S., I reserve the right to ship via Amazon or Barnes & Noble].   To see if The Book Depository will ship to you, click here.  I'll choose a lovely edition for you.

To enter: please select one of the following books, some of my favorite reads from 2010-2011.  


In the comment section below, please tell me why you'd like to read it, or why you liked the review.  You MUST include a link or email address so I can contact you if you win! 

One entry per person.  UPDATED:  The deadline for entry is now midnight Saturday,  September 17, 2011, Central Standard Time.  

At Home: A History of Private Life by Bill Bryson.  A long book about the social history of Victorian houses and so much more!  This was probably my favorite nonfiction read of 2011.

Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope.  Dear Trollope!  Backstabbing and bitchery among the clergy in a small Victorian English town.  It's a great introduction to Trollope.

Excellent Women by Barbara Pym.  A great, subtle novel about a spinster in 1950s England and her eccentric neighbors.  Pym has been compared to Jane Austen, and I love her wry observations.

A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin.  Completely unlike most of my other reading, but so good!  It will get you completely sucked into the world of Winterfell and the Seven Kingdoms.

Germinal OR Pot-Bouille by Emile Zola.  Two very different books from Zola's Rougon-Macquart cycle of novels.  Both were wonderful, so the winner could choose either one.

Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon.  A GREAT Victorian sensation novel and my most recent posting.  I had to include it!

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell.  Another book for the person who's read all of Jane Austen.

Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley.  A charming novella about books, booksellers, and finding love.

The Slaves of Solitude by Patrick Hamilton.  My favorite so far of the NYRB Classics, about the residents of a small boarding house in WWII era London, trapped by life and circumstances.  I loved it.

Someone at a Distance by Dorothy Whipple.  I had to include at least one Persephone, and this is one of my favorites.  Whipple is the best-selling author in the Persephone book catalog, and it's easy to see why.

Very Good, Jeeves! by P. G. Wodehouse.  I didn't technically write a complete post on this book, I've read a lot of P. G. Wodehouse the past few months and I couldn't keep him off the list!  I feel the need to spread the humor of Wodehouse, and this is a great starting place.

Good luck and happy reading!