This edition released December 2008 (Little, Brown and Company) * 384 pages * ISBN 13: 9780316033497

I have a confession to make. I may, on occasion, just for a minute or two, watch a reality TV show — or two, or three. This is usually accompanied by a lot of eyerolling from my other half, but the TV stays on. My favourite show I won’t miss (the others I can take or leave) is The Amazing Race.

It’s not so much that it’s a bunch of Americans running around the world complaining about the “foreigners” who don’t speak English (although that’s good for a laugh or two), but the dynamics between the contestants within and between teams that interest me. I’m often left wondering what goes on behind the scenes and why these pairs of people would put themselves through all of this (aside from the money which only one team gets). It’s often obvious that the contestants are dealing with “issues” but you never see what goes on behind the scenes. You also have to wonder how much of the contestants’ “personalities” are staged.

That’s the premise of Lost and Found by Carolyn Parkhurst. There’s a game show, there’s slogging around the world doing meaningless tasks chasing a pot of money, but it’s more about the contestants than the contest. At least, as far as I can tell. I wasn’t going to offer this book on my blog, but I went and read the first chapter and was hooked. So while I’m waiting for my review copy I’m going to give you a chance to win your very own copy courtesy of Hachette Book Group.

Here is Hachette’s description of the book:

A suburban mom, her troubled daughter, divorced brothers, former child stars, born-again Christians, and some young millionaires have all been selected to compete on LOST AND FOUND, a daring new reality show. In pairs of two, they will race across the world to compete for a million-dollar prize. The only question is not only who will capture the big jackpot, but at what price.

Interested? There’s more information on amazon.com (where it’s called a muted satire) or you can read Chapter 1 on Hachette’s site (no download necessary).

Giveaway Details (Sorry, this giveaway is now closed)

Eligibility

1. Open to residents of the United States and Canada. Sorry, you must have a street address (no P.O. boxes) to enter. Shipping courtesy of Hachette Book Group. I do have a giveaway that’s open worldwide if you aren’t eligible for this one.
2. You must be contactable. If I can’t reach you, you can’t win.

The Book

The winners will each receive a new finished copy of Lost and Found by Carolyn Parkhurst.

How to Enter

There are a number of ways to enter, depending on how many entries you want. The list only looks long. You can do only #1 and be done. The extra ways to enter just increase your chances of winning (pick any or none of them or come back later and do more of them):

1. Post a comment on this post saying that you want to be entered (1 entry). If you want more entries, keep reading. If one’s enough for you, thanks for coming by and don’t forget to check out the other freebies and giveaways at the end of this post.
2. Help me keep in touch:
   • Subscribe to my RSS feed in a reader OR by e-mail (no need to do both) and tell me in your comment (2 entries). If you are already a subscriber let me know that too.
   • Follow me on Twitter (1 entry). If you already follow me on Twitter, remind me when you post.
3. Help me publicize this giveaway:
   • Blog about this giveaway and link back here OR link this giveaway on your blog sidebar (3 entries).
4. Show me you’re interested in the book by answering this question:
   • Do you watch any reality shows regularly? (Yes/No = 1 entry, further explanation =2 entries).

Deadlines

This giveaway is a bit different because there are five copies to give away so there are several closing dates (ALL entries count for ALL draws):

On November 9, 2008 I will draw up to 3 winners based on the number of entries on November 8 at 11:59 pm Mountain Standard Time. If there are at least 10 unique entries I’ll draw one winner, at least 20/two winners, and at least 30/three winners.

The remaining two winners will be drawn November 17 and November 24 (cut off for those draws is 11:59 pm Mountain Standard Time the night before). Remember all entries (except for winners) are eligible for all draws. There may be more ways to enter as the month wears on, so don’t forget to come back (better yet, subscribe to the RSS feed or follow me on Twitter)!

The winners will be announced and e-mailed the day of the drawings (unless I’m swamped, but I’ll try not to be). If the winners don’t reply to the e-mail notification within 72 hours, new winners will be drawn.

More Free Stuff

If you’re new to Booklorn, check out the free reading tag. Don’t forget to come back for the other book giveaways this month, check out the links to other bloggers’ giveaways in my sidebar and wander over to the Book Giveaway Carnival running November 3-8th.

Related Posts

1. Lost and Found by Carolyn Parkhurst (Review)
2. A brief little note …
3. Free Book Downloads – Part 18