Two Book Signings, Books to Win + Pepperoni Pizza
[Updated 24 January, 2010. Two winners have been chosen by random.org. Shan, you win a copy of The Wisdom of a Broken Heart. Abby, you win a copy of The Happiness Project. Congratulations to you both. And happy reading!]
My obsession with books began in elementary school. It didn't start, but it certainly gained steam with Pizza Hut's BookIt! Club. I always hit the max number of pizzas per month. (Who didn't?) By the end of the school year, I was forfeiting pizzas because one girl can only eat so much cheese and pepperoni in a thirty-day period. But I never could get my fill of books.
Even though there wouldn't be pizza, I was excited to learn two writer-friends were going to be in Boulder and Denver two nights in a row this week. Boulder hosted Susan Piver, author of The Wisdom of a Broken Heart. Denver hosted Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project.
Susan's talk was on cultivating a state of open-heartedness. She walked around the table and sat on it. Her cowboyish boots and a long necklace dangled. She gestured using her hands as she talked. She spoke eloquently of the ways in which you can, "stabilize your heart in the open state." By sharing her story of heartbreak in her early twenties she described moving through loss in a state of oblivion and then inching towards awareness. Shambhala Buddhism is her path. And her reminders to cultivate a warrior spirit are timeless and moving.
Gretchens' talk was spirited and thorough - starting with everyone's dark secret. Clutter. (And how she conquered hers.) She wore a flower print top and delivered her talk the way a former lawyer might - with compelling facts to back up her statements. I loved it. And I loved having tea with she and Joel after her signing. I told her the truth: I've decided The Happiness Project is the last self-help book I'll ever read. (Read my review.)
On my way home from Gretchen's talk I decided to help both authors out with some word of mouth love. Leave a comment here over the next twenty-four hours (so, winners chosen on January 23, 2010 and announced sometime the next day) and if random.org chooses you, you'll win either Gretchen or Susan's book (one copy of each up for grabs). If you comment elsewhere (or blog this), you get two entries. Spread the word about authors and the hard work they do while out on the road, on tour, without their families.
You won't get a pizza out of the deal. But we all know we weren't in it for the pepperoni, anyway, right?
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Thank you for all your suggestions of writers who blog/tweet to follow. They are fantastic. (I believe there's a special place in Heaven for folks who support artists and authors.)
Friday, January 22, 2010
Reader Comments (32)
Sounds fab! (my kids LOVE the pizza hut book club)
I LOVED the pizza hut book club! I religiously put my stickers on that big pin and proudly took it in for my free personal pan pizza :)
"I told her the truth: I've decided The Happiness Project is the last self-help book I'll ever read"
Huh?
First you give up coffee, and now you give up self-help books. At this rate, you won't have any addictions left, Gwen.
I do think it's a great idea to point out the hard work that authors do to promote themselves. A writer who can write but can sell him/herself will probably never be read.
Am I too old for the Pizza Hut Book Club? Don't remember it...but have been obsessed by books since a very young age. I loved going to the book fair, just like now I love going to the book store.
I *really* want to read The Happiness Project. It feels like the kind of book I could really use these days. :)
BookIt! I remember that big wearable button with the little gold stars on for each time you completed one of the pizzas. I always filled up my badge. And my favorite part of the school year was Book Fair--a portion of our school day actually set aside for book shopping? Be still, my heart.
I was hoping to make it to Gretchen's stop in Chicago (which is about 4ish hours away), but I won't be able to... so it's nice to be able to get first-hand accounts from others. Thanks, Gwen!
I never knew about the Pizza Hut BookIt! club until now, but I too was a voracious reader as a kid - escaping into a book got me through my adolescence. I still love books. I'm currently reading The Happiness Project but Susan Piver's book sounds just as intriguing. I'm also reading Casanova's autobiography, Purple Cow, Dark Nights of the Soul, The Angel with One Hundred Wings, A Year of Living Consciously, and The Ante-Room. Kinda crazy, right? Anyway, my point is... I LOVE BOOKS. And I wish both Gretchen and Susan continued success.
BookIt! I'd almost forgotten. I can't believe it's still around...that's great :)
Don't you love Gretchen Rubin?! I think she's fabulous. What I particularly love about The Happiness Project is that everyone's Happiness Project looks different, but we all have something to learn from each other. Inspiration is everywhere.
Now I'm also very intrigued to check out Susan Piver's book. Thanks for the recommendation!
I'd love to read The Happiness Project. More to the point, everybody SHOULD read it. And yes, we should all take part in spreading the love. :)
Wow-thanks for sharing this. I did not know pizza hut had a book club either and I have a ten year old. I am an author who just did a first book signing for a new book tonight. Would love to win another book. MAybe I can throw in a copy of my book for a third winner. A-Z Guide to Healing Foods. Love reading your blog.
Oh. How did I miss not one, but both of these? Argh. I am in my own doghouse. Both these women are amazing and I have my eye on both their books. (Also welcome back Gwen!)
I didn't know there were pizza hut bookclub either (but I don't live in the USA)!
Thanks for spreading the word about Susan Piver as I had not heard about her book before. I had indeed hear about Gretchen Rubin's and am already following her with interest... Will you say more about your wish to quit reading self-help books?
The PIzza Hut Book Club sounds great - don't think we had that here. These women sound very interesting and inspiring, I would love to read their stories and thoughts.
Oh wow. I DO remember the Pizza Hut book club!
Though I don't remember earning any of the pizza.
hmmm.....
I've been following Gretchen's blog and I'm excited to read the Happiness Project. Thanks for the tip about the Wisdom of a Broken Heart -- sounds right up my alley.
I'd love to read Susan Piver's book. My hear broke open at the loss of a loved one some years ago and it turned out to be the way through for me to a better way to be. Resisting the pain is not the answer; freedom comes only in accepting it and then finally not identifying with it.
I, too, was a die-hard Book It club member! I loved books so much that it was effortless to meet the goal each month. The pizza was just a perk - the books were the real reward!
Count me in! I was also a Book-It devotee and I think it sparked my love for charts and lists. I do wish I could get my broke adult self a pizza once in a while for reading, though!
Man, what memories you brought back with the pizza hut book club. And all that greezy pizza.... I wish I could have driven down to Denver to see Gretchen's talk, or to Boulder for Susan's.
I love Gretchen Rubin! Reading her blog is one of the highlights of my day! I am so excited that her book is doing so well.
I loved the book fair at school. It was the best day ever. We didn't have the Pizza Hut book club, but we had other contests for reading. I have never needed a contest to entice me to read, but it was a nice perk. I love the idea of going to a signing, but I live in the boonies...no one comes close to me.
I am looking to read both of these!! How cool would it be to win one??
My daughter is in 2nd grade, and every week she gets her Book-it Prize. The funny part is we do not even have a Pizza Hut. I'm very excited about both books offered for the giveaway. I hope I win.
Ooh, I'm always looking for new books to read. Thanks for the giveaway, Gwen!
I'm not sure if the giveaway is still open, butttt I absolutely loved BookIt too. I was a bit of an awkward kid and so I read an absolutely insane amount until I was probably 13 or 14 - and still love reading. Bonus of doing it so much as a kid is that I'm a super fast reader!