After Dark

Hello, everyone! It has been a while, but we are still here, don't worry. Chris S., our resident Chippewa, won the first book this month, After Dark by Haruki Murakami.

Chris said:

I chose this book because I'm a big Murakami fan (I'm currently reading 1Q84). I discovered a bookstore in my town that I didn't know was there previously and I asked if they had any Murakami (which they did!). The shopkeep there talked with me for a few minutes and recommended me After Dark heavily. I've read most of Murakami's catalog but not After Dark, so I requested it here so I could own it. Thanks a lot!

December Breadline Open

Boys and girls, the breadline is open for December! So ask for a book already. It's like a present wrapped in brown packaging material!

The Stranger

Holden A. of Nebraska secured the second spot in the breadline this month, and came away with a copy of The Stranger by Albert Camus. Why did I wait seventeen days to post this? Because this could be the most exciting thing to happen on this blog this month.

Holden writes:

I chose this book because I read it a long time ago and loved it. I'm a huge fan of Camus now. I had ordered a bunch of his books recently, but the copy of the Stranger I got was actually a study guide for it or something. I was so disappointed and haven't been able to order a new copy. Thank you so much!

November Winner #1

Catie L. of Ohio was first to respond this month, and continued the trend of literary classics by choosing Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.

"The reason I chose Great Expectations is because oddly enough, it's the one Dickens book that I've never had the opportunity to read! Which is odd, because Charles Dickens has to be one of my favorite authors (I have a few really). Many people I've talked to have had many great things to say about it, so I can't wait to sink my teeth into it! I know it will be a well-loved book in my collection!"

November Breadline Open

Free books abound! Yes, the breadline for November is now officially open, so send in those requests.

This is how it really happened.

If you're new here, you might want to check out these links. That's all, folks.

October Winner

This month, our most intellectually-speaking breadliner won the Breadline Books drawing. Dee of California chose The Recognitions by William Gaddis, specifically a new edition of the novel which won't come out until next year.

Dee says:

"Gaddis is to my mind one one of the four greatest North American novelists, with Faulkner, Melville, and McCarthy [the fifth to be a scrum usually awarded to authors to my mind of less facility, such as Pynchon or Hemingway, or breadth, par exemple Clemens.]"

Also, breadliners, be looking out for the November breadline to open soon!

Kevin Reads

Who wouldn't want to stroke that beard?

October Winner #2

A young scholar by the name of Kevin T. happened to be standing just behind Kristen this month, and won himself a good old-fashioned Vladimir Nabokov masterpiece. Pale Fire is no Lolita, Nabokov's most popular and most pedophilia-based novel, but I'm sure it fondles the intellect just the same.

Quoting Kevin:

"I read Lolita by Nabokov this summer and was totally blown away. The way he used language was unlike anything I had ever read, and the fact that he could tell a story about a delicate subject like pedophilia without being cheap or vulgar was really refreshing. I knew I wanted to read something else by the same author, and I've heard good things about Pale Fire. Also, I can probably read this one in public without people thinking that I'm a creep. That's almost always a plus."

Don't Stare Into the Light!

"It's sepia because we're dark and edgy."  -Katelyn T.

It's going to be hard to one-up a picture of this magnitude, but rumors have been zipping up and down the breadline of a mini photo shoot (yes, a photo shoot) featuring one of our past winners and his or her chosen book.

Remember, at the end of the year the winner with the best picture gets a prize! Don't give up on your dreams!

October Winner #1

If you are into juicy confessions, please read on...

But before we get to that, Kristen H. of New York was first in the breadline this month, and chose Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life by Steve Martin.

"Well," said Kristen, "it's just one of those books I've been meaning to read for years and have never gotten around to actually committing to. What? Not enough? Ok, well then you can't deny this man's long and varied career is impressive and I imagine his memoir would be a pretty interesting read. What? Still not enough?"

And now for the confession:

"Ok, ok, you got me.

"I've always secretly dreamt of becoming a stand-up comedian/performer.

"There, I said it. In front of the entire Internet. And I hope that's enough because you won't be getting anymore secret confessions out of me, Breadline..."

October Breadline Open

The title says it all. Have at it, readers - the breadline is now open for October. Email Breadline Books and you could win your very own paper-based companion.

The Apple Store in Legoland: Where the brick phone is cool.

If you're new to Breadline Books or just have a bad memory, try visiting these links for more info:

1) What is Breadline Books?

2) Frequently Asked Questions

Onward!

September Drawing Winner

Greetings, Breadliners. A couple of things on our plate this evening. 1) Amanda B. in Michigan won the September drawing and chose to receive Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, the greatest novel of all time. 2) There was only one thing.
 

Amanda has been trying to win Catch-22 for a long time now, and it finally happened. There's a lesson in persistence there. Here's what she has to say about why she chose this book over the millions of other less interesting books in the world:

"One day while browsing a used book store, I noticed Catch-22 sitting on the shelf. I began to tell my friend that I haven't read it before, and she looked at me with her mouth wide open and screamed. She then proceeded to hit me and then told me I was crazy. Okay, she probably didn't scream, nor did she hit me because she's not mean like that. Anyway, many people seemed to be surprised that I haven't read it yet, so I decided that winning it through Breadline was a pretty cool way to get the book. I've been told that it's satirical and makes you laugh. I like laughing."

And oh yeah... soon the breadline will be open again. It's that time of month around here. Keep your eyes open, people.

September Winner #1

After a week of waiting for the most anticipated response in the history of Breadline Books, we finally have our answer. Friends of Chris S. urged him to choose Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, and Chris said, "Okay."

Remember, everybody, the breadline is still open! Email me your book requests and you'll have a shot at a brand new Yamaha Electric Drum Kit! A lot better chance of it being a book, though.

September Winner #2

Yes, that's right: number TWO. Number ONE has yet to claim his/her free book, so consider this your ultimatum, number ONE. You have five days. You know who you are!

So, Katie, who was second in the breadline this month, chose Pulitzer Prize winner Godel, Escher, Bach by Douglas R. Hofstadter.

I think it's called... Crazy Stairs.

Katie says:

The reason I chose this book is because of the way it discusses how many different systems have common links between them and the author explains this by highlighting the surprising shared themes in the work and lives of logician Kurt Gödel, artist M. C. Escher, and composer Johann Sebastian Bach.

The book also covers topics such as human and artificial intelligence, computers, mathematics, and recursion; all things that I find interesting.

It seems like a pretty heavy book, but I've read that Hofstadter finds ways to make it funny and easy to follow. I think I will appreciate the way he brings Science, Art, and Music together to explain topics covered in all three and I think anyone who has an interest in Science, Art, or Music should consider looking into this book, as well.

September Breadline Open

The September breadline is now open, everyone! The books are waiting!

Black Friday is in September, right?

As always, for anyone new to Breadline Books there are guidelines here and frequently asked questions right here. And here is a picture of a guy dressed as Bert from Bert and Ernie.

Good luck!

August Winner UPDATE

Thankfully, Sarah made it back home to her "apartment in the middle of the hood," as she put it, and swiftly replied with a personal and awesome story about her meeting Jonathan Safran Foer. I'm just going to copy and paste Sarah's comments verbatim because I think it is that cool. Here's her story:

Jonathan Safran Foer is one of my favorite authors of all time. I read Everything is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close in high school and they immediately became two of my most-loved books. When I was 16, I went to a reading/Q&A/book signing of his in Manhattan and was blown away by how insightful and gracious he was, as an author and human being. I wanted to wait to read Eating Animals because I was afraid that reading it would convince me to become a vegetarian, and it was a decision I wanted to make on my own. I've read the first few pages and it's not a guilt-fueled pro-veggie diatribe (thank god), but JSF's writing carries a lot of weight with me. I've been a vegetarian for a year now and I am so excited to finally read this!

Sarah endangering Jonathan Safran Foer.

And for fun, attached is a photo of me at 16 (more than 5 years ago) positively out of my mind with happiness meeting JSF. The staff at the bookstore told me I couldn't take a picture with him, but he heard me at the front of the line pleading with one of the employees and asked what the problem was. He told them they were being ridiculous and of course we could take a photo, that I should come around behind the desk. The employee said that wasn't allowed, for his safety, and he was like, are you crazy? You think this little girl is putting me in danger? Fine, we'll just lean over the table and make it work. I was completely gushing over his books and he signed them with such appreciative, heartfelt notes. They're my most prized physical possessions now.

Media Mail

It happened again.

And by "it" I mean someone sent me a book, two this time, a taste of my own doughy, yeast-raised medicine.

With pre-highlighted passages!

Dee from California was nice enough to mail me a couple of books he snatched up at a sale last week: Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections, and The Lessons of History by Will and Ariel Durant.

Thanks, Dee!

August Drawing Winner

In response to hurricane Irene I had Sarah's book, Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer, sent to Brooklyn by remote control speedboat rather than UPS. It should arrive between October and June.

Sarah is at a friend's place now, she says, but she will give us the details on her reasoning for choosing this book when she gets home. Also, watch for a September reopening of the breadline very soon.

Karen is Ms. Monster

UPS MAN MISSING AFTER SEEMINGLY STRAIGHTFORWARD DELIVERY. RECIPIENT HAS NO COMMENT.

August Winner #2

What's the only thing harder than living in the Tennessee hills?

Seth S. believes it's magic.

The North Carolinian appeared in the breadline just behind Beckie this month, requesting Hard Magic by Larry Correia. This is the first I've heard of this book, but judging by the cover (and I do that) it looks bloody and old-timey and a little science fiction-y. Yes please. And whoever the mafia dude is, I bet it's not bunnies he's pulling out of that hat.

 

"I found out about this author a few months ago," Seth says, "by reading some reviews of his Monster Hunter series on Elitist Book Reviews."

Seth also says this book was featured on Writing Excuses, where it was described as a "hilarious historical urban fantasy set in the Roaring '20s."

Great pick, Seth. Now send us a pic!

August Winner #1

This month, Beckie R. of Prestonsburg, Kentucky jumped in the breadline first. Two minutes after the opening bell she was there, politely demanding this Appalachia-related anthology, Degrees of Elevation: Short Stories of Contemporary Appalachia.

Beckie says, "I personally know two of the contributing authors (Jarrid Deaton and Sheldon Lee Compton), and along with their work, I'm also a huge fan of several of the other writers included in the collection." She says the stories in this collection "portray a more accurate picture of life in the Appalachias than most works published about the area, which tend to be sugar-coated and colored with nostalgia."

I can only speak from my nineteen years of living and collecting tree sap in the Tennessee hills, but from what I know it is indeed a very laborious way of life, and the more I think about it the more I want to read about it.

"These stories are real," Beckie says. "Here poor is poor, love is hard, and sometimes right is wrong and wrong is right... each author included in this collection has his/her own knack for illustrating that aspect of mountain living in the most eloquent of ways."

Beckie also mentioned hopefully getting a picture of the book with herself and the two authors mentioned above. So let's hope for that, hold her to it, promise our friends and family it will happen, and extradite her from the blog if it doesn't.

Alright!

The breadline is still open for drawing participants until the end of the month, so don't forget to drop in your request at breadlinebooks@gmail.com.

August Breadline Open

Everyone, the August breadline is now officially open. So get in line already!



You might even win a brand new car!

If this is your first time in line, you might be wondering, What is Breadline Books? And if you still have questions after reading that, try checking out the FAQs.

Good luck!

July Drawing Winner

Twenty, thirty years from now, we will look back and remember, foremost, that on this day Hernan J. of Detroit won the July Breadline Books drawing. Somewhere in the neurotic network of folds and grooves in our brains there will always be the memory of simple Hernan taking home not only a paperback East of Eden, but also this grammatically incorrect yet tastefully two-dimensional computer game trophy. Congrats, Hernan, you're legend!

Hernan had no comments on the trophy, but said this about the Steinbeck novel:

"A friend recommended I read some Steinbeck after finding out I was never assigned his books in school.... I've been trying to expand my literary horizons by reading through books that I should have read during school. Usually, all the books that were assigned felt like a chore to read."

Sadly, this does signify that the July breadline is now closed. However, watch for an August reopening very soon!

July Winner #2

Karen.

That's the name of the person who won the second book for July. According to Wikipedia, Karen means "a man-made pile of stones."

Just kidding! That's a cairn. But I do enjoy hiking.

Karen wants to read Mr. Monster, by Dan Wells. I had never heard of the guy, but Karen thinks he is pretty cool.

"I was introduced to this author through a writing podcast he hosts with a few other authors," Karen says. "When he described his first book as 'a teenage Dexter in an episode of the X-files,' I knew I'd like it. I loved the first one, and would like to find out what happens next!"

July Winner #1

Medha H. was first in line this month, and even bragged about it in the subject field of her email. I like that kind of enthusiasm! She also chose a very interesting book, My Family and Other Animals, by Gerald Durrell.

According to Wikipedia, Durrell hiked up and down the 1940s and '50s collecting wild animals for zoos. I can't think of a more manly career.

Medha says, "If you haven't read this book already, you simply MUST. It's hilarious and heart-warming. I've loved it since I was young and I remember wanting it to never end while I was reading it."

Now I really want to read this book. Thanks for the great pick, Medha!

May Breadline Winner #2, data centers, utility closets...

If you haven't already heard, a lad going by the name of Nathan won the second book of the May Breadline, and if you also haven't heard, it is now July. Explanation: Recently technology giant Apple opened a 500,000 square foot data center in Maiden, North Carolina, second only in computing power to Breadline Books' very own server base, located in nearby Chapel Hill in a utility closet in a freshman dormitory at UNC. Regular campus closings left Breadline Books electricity-less and with nowhere to run except straight into the wrong side of the bolt-locked cold wooden door. Dark and stuffy.

All summer.

But gratefully a new group of kids have re-inhabited the halls for yet another year. Well, I think so. No one has unlocked the door. At least there's power now.

Moving on to our second May Breadline Books winner, Nathan... or should I say Peter Parker? Pete, you're not fooling anyone with that Spider-Man Noir: Eyes Without a Face book. You might as well have worn the mask. Come on, hiding your face with a book written about yourself about how you always must hide your face? Who does that?

Anyway, if you're still reading this after all of that, you might be interested in knowing that the Breadline is open again. If you don't know how to get in the breadline, click here.

May Winner #1

Claps for Jonathan M., our first May winner. Jonathan wants to read the Cormac McCarthy novel, Blood Meridian.

"I'd been looking to get into Westerns," Jonathan said, "and Cormac McCarthy in particular for some time now. I was especially interested after seeing other readers praise it in the r/books section of Reddit (any book suggestions there tend to be literary gold).

Nathan went on to say that Breadline Books is "pretty much the best thing ever." Agreed!

I Can Has Buk?

This blog has been up for a couple of months now. Why is this the first cute kitty picture I've received?! Good work, Adam P.

And don't forget, everyone, the breadline is still open. (Notice the new sign on the left.) So send in those requests - it's a free book!

May Breadline Open

The May Breadline is now open for business, so jump in line everyone!

For all you new folk, if this picture does not explain things perfectly you might want to check out this post about Breadline Books. Hurry up now - whatever is in those huge steel bowls is going fast! 

April Drawing Winner

It's time. It has been time for a long time, too long a time, and my belated congratulations goes out to...

Adam P.

Adam chose to receive The Anthologist, by Nicholson Baker, because "it appears to be about a writer who has agreed to write the introduction to a poetry anthology but is suffering from writer's block. So instead of writing that... he writes about writing. Which is both hilarious and depressing at the same time."

Adam is also our first Breadliner to receive an ebook, so we will see how that goes. Remember, anyone from anywhere can request an ebook, but only U.S. participants are eligible to receive an actual hard copy of the book.

Aaaaaand We're Back

Okay, Breadliners, we have a lot of catching up to do. I assume you have your questions, and I have reserved political answers, so I'll be listing the questions I think are appropriate while ignoring the glaring difficult ones.

Q1) Why was Breadline Books down for so long?

A1) Simultaneous to the security breach that left the Playstation Network offline for nearly a month, Breadline Books suffered an external intrusion by the infamous hacker "ßo0kwØrM." All users' private data, including credit card information and passwords, may or may not have been stolen.

Q2) Is this true?

A2) No.

Q3) Does this mean Breadline Books is up and running again?

A3) Yes. Probably.

Q4) What about last month's winners? Did they ever send in a picture of their prized books?

A4) Why yes, yes they did. And here they are - Eileen's "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" and Kelly's "The Shadow of the Wind."

Q5) Don't think we've forgotten about last month's drawing, which, by the way, never happened. What's up with that?

A5) A new post will be up very soon regarding last month's drawing. There!

Q6) And this month's breadline?

A6) Same!

Q7) What about--

Alrighty then, if there are no more questions it looks like we're all square again for the next indefinite period of time.

April Breadline Winner #2

Apparently, in addition to having a name, the wind also has a shadow. Or at least Kelly H. thinks so, our second April winner. Kelly requested The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruis Zafón.

So, Kelly, why did you choose this book?

"A good friend of mine mentioned in a conversation a couple weeks ago that this is his favorite book of all time. It's been a while since I've read a good book (or read a book at all actually...), so I just figured that I'd start with this one. Honestly, I'm not even sure what this book is about. My friend just told me, 'It's complicated. Just read it!' Well, I guess I have no excuse not to now.

Thank you, Breadline Books!"

You're welcome!

April Breadline Winner #1

Right now, as I'm writing this, I'm listening to Who Wants To Live Forever by Queen. (You should listen to it, too.) Why, you ask? Because Queen is epic. Also because our first April book is The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks!

Eileen from New York, who's been waiting patiently in the breadline for over a month, said this book has been on her to-read list for a while, and she suggests we check out this excerpt on Rebecca Skloot's website.

As always, if anyone has read this book (I haven't, for one), leave a comment and tell us what you thought about it!

That's it for now. More from Eileen soon. Keep sending in those requests.

AND WE CAN LOOOOOOOVE FOREVER!!!

Sorry. End of post. Hanging up now...

April Breadline Open!

You heard me, the April breadline is now open! So send in those requests already!

Oh, and if you're new here and this picture doesn't explain things perfectly, read this post about Breadline Books. Good luck!

A book is sent... to me?

One night last month a fellow approached me in a dark alley and said, "You want a book?" So I said yeah and he said, "What do want?" So I asked him what do you got, and he told me, and then I said, "How about that one by Ian McEwan, Black Dogs?" Then he said alright, it's in the mail. I thanked him. Then he beat me up.

That's pretty much how it went down, and I ended up learning his name was Patrick. Nice guy, actually. So, a big thank you to Patrick K. for giving a taste of my own medicine. I can't wait to start reading it!

March Breadline Books Drawing Winner

And the book goes to...

*opens envelope slowly*

Annalisa L.!

Now, Annalisa did not request a specific book - apparently she is incapable of following simple instructions (just kidding!) - she instead asked me to surprise her with a book of my choice. And after mulling it well over, I settled on The October Country by Ray Bradbury.

Why? Because Ray Bradbury is awesome. I have not read the book, but I did order an extra copy for myself. In short, it's a collection of some of his twilight zone-y horror stories. Sounds good, doesn't it? If anyone here has read it, leave us a comment and tell us what you thought. We'll see how Annalisa and I like it!

Also, with the drawing concluded this means that the breadline is now closed (for a short time), and that is no April fools. However, it will open again shortly, sometime in the following week, so don't fall asleep. You'll want to be first in line this month.

Breadline Book #2 Arrives - The Name of the Wind

Tony W. was kind enough to send a photo of his new book, The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss. Hope you enjoy it, Tony!

Remember, the drawing for Breadline book #3 will be held tomorrow night, so it's not too late to send in those requests!

A cool kid, a Wimpy Kid, and guest blogger Andrew J.

Well, it didn't take long for the first Breadline book to get delivered (3 days, exactly), and tonight we welcome our winner Andrew J. to talk about it!

Andrew: Above, a second grader poses with Diary of a Wimpy Kid #1, representing his school as the inaugural winner in Breadline Books' first book giveaway.

This fellow has already read the entire Wimpy Kid series, so this book will head to his school's "free bookstore" later this week to be owned by a yet-to-be-determined student.

Once a week, students go to the bookstore at lunch recess to "buy" books using gold-colored book bucks. One buck buys one book, and it's also required to gain admittance to the store, leading one parent volunteer to dub them golden tickets (in a Gene Wilder, not Johnny Depp sense, I hope). The bucks are earned through academic work and school spirit goals that are achievable by all students.

What are people asking for?

Just for fun, here are a few books in the drawing basket right now: