Musings on blogging conversation: One of the things I love about book blogging is the sense of community between book bloggers. However, the thing that I still miss about reading in my English classes is getting to have a conversation about a book. Sure, we can review books and get comments on our blogs, but with so many blogs to read and comments to leave, it’s hard to go back to comments you’ve already left to have a conversation about a book.
Recently, I’ve seen a bunch of awesome ways that book bloggers have started to overcome what I see as a disadvantage to blogging about books rather than finding “in real life” people to talk about books with. Amy from My Friend Amy and Ali at Worducopia had a conversation/review of Gerald Kopland’s book Etta. Citizen Reader hosts a monthly Book Menage for bloggers to read and chat about two different books via comments to the blog. And Nymeth hosted the Try Something New Mini-Challenge that encouraged bloggers to read new books together.
Here’s the giveaway: Those are all very cool, and they inspired me to try something of my own — a book and conversation giveaway of The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean! (It’s also Buy a Friend a Book Week, which is the impetus I needed to get this giveaway off the ground.)
For inexplicable reasons, I ended up with two copies of The Orchid Thief (both gently used). This seems like the perfect opportunity to try a conversation — I’ll keep one and give the other copy away to someone who wants to read the book with me then have a book chat about it!
Here’s how it works: To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment on this post letting me know you’re interested. For one extra entry, tell me why you want to read The Orchid Thief. That’s all there is, simple. This post closes for comments on Wednesday, April 8 at midnight. I’ll announce the winner next Thursday. You DO NOT need to have a blog to enter, you just need to be able to get the book and have a way to chat with me once we’re finished.
Once I pick a winner, I’ll send them the book and we’ll agree on a date to try and finish it by. Once we’re finished, we’ll do a chat or series of e-mails discussing whatever about the book. Once we’ve done our chat/review, we can both post it to our blogs (or, if you don’t have a blog, I’ll just post it here.) Sounds cool, maybe?
Remember, if you win The Orchid Thief, you’re also “winning” the chance to have a book chat/e-mail interview with me about it. It won’t be time consuming at all, but please don’t enter the giveaway if that doesn’t sound like fun for you (even though it should, I’m fun!).
Photo by flickr user Pathfinder Linden
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{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Kim,
I would love to read this book! It sounds really interesting. Have never read any of Susan Orlean’s books. I had to look this up at Amazon.Com as my library hasn’t got a copy of it. I am not an orchid person, but I do like flowers and have a garden. It’s toooo cold where I live to have orchids. Have a great evening!
Sherrie
P.S. This is a great idea!!
Please include me in your giveaway.
Thanks
Debbie
debdesk9@verizon.net
I won’t enter because I already have this book, but awesome idea
I hope you and the winner enjoy it as much as I did.
I don’t want to win this book (as you can prob guess) but I will post so to help you get lots of interest – - IT’s a fun to book to talk about !
What a great idea Kim! I wanted to do the co-review for the exact reasons that you mentioned…I wanted to share the experience of reading the book. And I would love to share an experience with you, too!
This sounds like so much fun that it almost wouldn’t matter what the book was. Would love to play. And the book looks great. I haven’t seen the move so I would have no preconceived ideas.
This is such a great idea. Do you mind if I borrow it from you?
Hello,
I gave you an award. You can pick it up <a href=”http://booksandneedlepoint.blogspot.com/2009/04/i-am-feeling-loved.html”here!
darn html error!
Try here
sounds wonderful thanks for the giveaway
Looks like a great book……..
Hi! I’d love to read this book because it intriques me. I have had an orchid plant in the past, but gave it away when I moved as it was the middle of a cold, Alaskan winter. It wouldn’t have survived the journey to the car, much less another into the new house. I’ve always wondered about plant collectors as well. It sounds like this book could shed some light on that a bit for me.
Also, I’m having a giveaway for BAFAB over on my blog if you’d like to stop by and enter.
thanks for the giveaway! Please enter me.
I’m in! You know where I am
Thanks for the chance!
I have too much reading going on at the moment to join your giveaway, but I do agree that it’s fun reading “together”, even via internet. There are loads of online groups set up for just that. Anyone interested, head over to the Literature Reading Circle yahoo group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LiteratureReadingCircle), it’s a kind of master group with links to many other groups. And members of the Lit Reading Circle get an email each week with schedule of books selected for months ahead. It’s great! Cheers, Abbie
Win a conversation with you?! THATS the real prize
does sucking up get me an extra entry?
That is such a great idea!
I’ve been curious about the book ever since seeing Adaptation (ages ago), but somehow I didn’t get around to actually reading it (I didn’t run across it in any library, that probably explains it).
Can I pretty please be entered?
(the conversation part is an extra incentive for me as I always dream about talking to someone about the book I’m currently reading too! I am not the world’s greatest conversationalist but I’d sure like to give it a try)
I’ve tried to pick this book up and read it, but I’m reading so many books lately;
its impossible. It would help if I had my own copy. God bless all posters!
I would love love to do this!
I have wanted to read this one for a while now, also after seeing Adaptation. It was such an interesting movie and I’ve heard that this book does not disappoint.
Me too! This book has been on my TBR forever, but I kept waiting until I could think of a way to do something with both books.
Thanks Care!
Not at all, feel free to borrow the idea. We’ll see how well it works