Sunday, February 3, 2013

Mailbox Monday


Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday! MM was created by Marcia, who graciously hosted it for a long, long time, before turning it into a touring event (details here).

Audra at Unabridged Chick is hosting in February.  Stop by her terrific blog for reviews, giveaways, interviews, and more. 

I got one book last week, just in time for Lincoln's birthday:



Lincoln and Oregon Country: Politics in the Civil War Era by Richard W. Etulain, published by OSU Press. Did you know that Abraham Lincoln was asked to be the governor of the new Oregon territory? Just think how history would have been changed!

Etulain is a prolific author of lively, well-penned history books on a variety of subjects.  In this new book, he sets out to show how "men and women of the Oregon Country were personally and emotionally involved in the controversial ideas and events that inflamed the United States during the fractious era" of the Civil War.

Lincoln and Oregon Country would be a great gift for any Lincoln buff.  The book is already gathering praise:
Once again, historian Richard Etulain has provided a scholarly, lively, and definitive look at Lincoln and the Pacific Northwest. Lincoln himself thought the ‘Far Corner’ of Oregon simply too far to become his own home, but his close ties to many friends who did migrate there remained important in both elections and war. Etulain re-creates the pioneer spirit and political fractiousness of Oregon with a keen eye for both the sweep of history and the small anecdotes that make the best history books irresistible.
Harold Holzer, Lincoln scholar and Chairman of the Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation.

2012 European Reading Challenge: Wrap-Up & Winners

The European Reading Challenge
January 1, 2012 to January 31, 2013
FINISHED



THIS IS THE WRAP-UP POST FOR 2012
TO FIND THE 2012 REVIEWS, GO TO THIS PAGE
TO FIND THE 2012 WRAP UP POSTS, GO TO THIS PAGE

THE 2013 EUROPEAN READING CHALLENGE IS LIVE NOW -- GO TO THIS PAGE TO SIGN UP OR READ MORE

2012 was the first year for this challenge.  Big thanks to all the participants who joined me for the Grand Tour!

WINNERS

Mary Galliver at Whiskers and Tales was the big winner of the Jet Setter Grand Prize.  Mary posted reviews for 35 books!  Mary won a $25 gift card to Powell's Books (can be used in store or on line).

Lizzy Siddal at Lizzy's Reading Challenges won a $10 Powell's gift card for reviewing the most books in the Culture Vulture category, meaning books that won literary prizes in their countries.

Honorary Mention (but no prizes) go to several participants who read 10 or more books:

Congratulations to all 23+ readers who completed the challenge! Twenty-three people posted wrap-up posts.  For those who finished the challenge but didn't post a wrap-up, feel free to do so now and link it on this page.

JOIN THE 2013 CHALLENGE! SIGN UP HERE.

The gist: The idea is to read books by European authors or books set in European countries (no matter where the author comes from). The books can be anything – novels, short stories, memoirs, travel guides, cookbooks, biography, poetry, or any other genre. You can participate at different levels, but each book must be by a different author and set in a different country – it's supposed to be a tour.