Who doesn't enjoy shiny, shiny giveaways? CODEX BORN releases today!: seanan

Who doesn't enjoy shiny, shiny giveaways? CODEX BORN releases today!

My dearly beloved friend Jim Hines (http://www.jimchines.com/) has a new book out today: Codex Born, the sequel to Libriomancer. The magic of books has never been so real, or so incredibly dangerous.

I really, really loved this book, which I felt expanded and improved upon the world of the original, so when Jim asked if I would be willing to host a giveaway, I was happy to oblige. This is that giveaway. The rules:

1. Leave a comment on this post, naming the first book that really changed your life.
2. Identify your location in the world (US, non-US).
3. If non-US, confirm that you are willing to pay postage (for we are poor writers).

The winner will be chosen by RNG on Friday, August 9th, and Jim himself will be sending a signed copy of Codex Born to the winner. If you're not familiar with the series, you're in luck: book one, Libriomancer, is out today in paperback, so you can get all caught up.

Books! Magic! Awesomeness!

GAME ON!

ETA: Guys, I know it's tempting to discuss people's awesome taste in books with them, but please DO NOT REPLY to comments on RNG giveaway posts! It confuses the RNG, and has resulted in people NOT getting the prizes that they should have received!

lenamoster

August 6 2013, 18:19:37 UTC 3 years ago

New comment

The Golden Compass was the first book I can remember really affecting me profoundly. It came out while I was in middle school and I just reaaaaaaallly identified with Lyra and the ending of the book just slayed me.

I am in the US!

themysteriousg

August 6 2013, 18:26:47 UTC 3 years ago

Dragonsong, Anne McCaffery
US
I'd pay postage, too

Now I've got another book to buy! yay!

RebeLovesBooks

August 6 2013, 18:31:34 UTC 3 years ago

The first book I remember reading that changed my life was To Kill a Mockingbird. We read it in the 6th grade, and it was amazing. I must have read it 5 times. I'm in the US.

Deleted comment

corucia

August 6 2013, 18:35:30 UTC 3 years ago

Hmm, the first SF I ever read (Rocket Ship Galileo and Have Space Suit WIll Travel by Heinlein) in first grade made a huge splash. However, I think the stand-out is Catch-22, which I read in 7th or 8th grade. It taught me about the power behind irony and sarcasm, but above all, to persevere in the face of daunting odds and to continually think outside the box for the answer to problems.

US reader

cgbookcat1

August 6 2013, 18:37:58 UTC 3 years ago

Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, somewhere around 4th grade. I'm in the US.

anna_sinistra

August 6 2013, 18:38:53 UTC 3 years ago

Joining the chorus on 'Alanna: The First Adventure' by Tamora Pierce.

US!

deire

August 6 2013, 19:00:30 UTC 3 years ago

The Borrowers, Mary Norton. US.

cerulean_sky

August 6 2013, 19:01:17 UTC 3 years ago Edited: August 6 2013, 19:01:34 UTC

Magic's Pawn by Mercedes Lackey. With reading it came the realization that people actually paid other people to write fantasy books. Not quite sure why it took until high school for that realization to hit, but it did.

Also, I am in the US. :)

offcntr

August 6 2013, 19:36:11 UTC 3 years ago

I read Heinlein's Rocket Ship Galileo in the second grade. Oh boy, did that twist me for life...

Oh, in the Untied States.

sexybee

August 6 2013, 19:43:14 UTC 3 years ago

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

I'm in the US.

fullcontactmuse

August 6 2013, 19:46:08 UTC 3 years ago

The first book that changed my life? It would be Stephen King's Skeleton Crew and the opening novella The Mist. That was my introduction to horror. That lead to horror movies and special F/X makeup.

I'm in the US.

mbarr

August 6 2013, 19:50:03 UTC 3 years ago

Not sure. Enders Game was up there.

US :)

sfogarty

August 6 2013, 19:50:53 UTC 3 years ago

The first I can remember was probably "Magic's Pawn." I was young at the time :)
Although "Mio my Son" was pretty powerful.

Texas, US!

admnaismith

August 6 2013, 20:07:06 UTC 3 years ago

The *first* book? Amphigorey. No question about it.

I live in Oregon, USA.

mneme

August 6 2013, 20:23:56 UTC 3 years ago

1. Lord of the Rings [specifically, either Fellowship of the Ring or Return of the King, if we're talking physical books].
2. US

I was 12 when, for the first and last time, I got sent to the principal's office. There, not for the first time, was Andy, the "bad boy" in my little three person coterie--and he was reading Return of the King. A book that looked -wonderful-. Tracking it down showed me that there was a "science fiction" section of the bookstore just filled with exactly the kind of books I liked--and I was hooked.

thebluerose

August 6 2013, 20:53:45 UTC 3 years ago

The first book that totally rocked my world was Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey - it introduced me to grown up fantasy and opened a door into a whole new world and genre of books I am still reading 30 years later!

Im in NZ and happy to pay freight.

I have Libriomancer on its way to me, had it on preorder for ages (I waited for the pb release) and very excited to FINALLY READ IT!

lilithraevyn

August 6 2013, 21:36:58 UTC 3 years ago

I have to list 2:
The Velveteen Rabbit, Margery Williams -- "Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."
...
"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

Black Sun Rising, CS Friedman -- Showed me fantasy & sci-fi legitimately bonded in one story in a way that surprised me. (I was 14.)

I am in the US.

Katy Peppel Holder

August 6 2013, 21:48:28 UTC 3 years ago

I had to call my mom because at 33 I couldn't pick just one book. According to her, for years my favorite book was If you give a Mouse a Cookie and my demand was, of course, a cookie to go a long with it (I was also the child to insisted she could read at age 2, ignoring the fact that what I was "reading" weren't the words on the page but the words that should have been on the page). From there I graduated to Laura Ingalls Wilder, Tamora Pierce, and Robin McKinley. I'm in the US and I'd be willing to pay postage for someone outside the US.

August 8 2013, 02:45:43 UTC 3 years ago

I'm in SC and apparently all about italics (and I'm a librarian-one reason I totally feel for Libriomancer).

maverick_weirdo

August 6 2013, 21:49:12 UTC 3 years ago

Callahan's Crosstime Saloon
US

kaleidors

August 6 2013, 22:29:52 UTC 3 years ago

The Gift Nobody Wants: The Inspiring Story of a Surgeon Who Discovers Why We Hurt and What We Can Do About It
Paul Brand & Philip Yancey

(US)
mech
This is the first book that sprang to mind. The book doesn't tell us "What we can do about it", but it does go into great detail why we should be grateful for pain. It's told as Dr Brand's autobigraphy, working with lepers and with people who can't feel pain. I was in a great deal of pain at the time, and it helped me conceptualize pain not as punishment but as a protective biological function.

archane

August 6 2013, 22:52:51 UTC 3 years ago

The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett. It taught me amazing things about independence, accepting help, and finding joy in unexpected places.

USA

selenay936

August 6 2013, 23:02:55 UTC 3 years ago

Alanna the First Adventure. I read it when I was 12 and for the first time there was a character on the page I could really identify with. I've always loved fantasy of all flavours but there weren't any kick-ass girls out there who didn't let their gender definite their role in life.

I live in Canada and would be delighted to page postage :-D

ardentdelirium

August 6 2013, 23:20:07 UTC 3 years ago

oh man, I loved the first one! count me in!
1. A Wrinkle in Time was the first book I read that, when I closed it, I was still in the story.
2. Washington DC

trishalynn

August 6 2013, 23:27:26 UTC 3 years ago

The Westing Game, because until then I didn't know that books (and authors) could trick you. It was a revelation to me and helped me be more interested in literature and storytelling. Minneapolis, MN, and if I win, I'll still pay for shipping.

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