I liked "The Puppy Who Refused To Die" on FB and posted on the wall.
“Water for Elephants” tells the story of Jacob Jankowski, a young man who is filled with grief due to the loss of his parents. Not knowing what to do with his life, Jacob runs away from veterinarian school and finds himself with nowhere to go. Jacob hops on a train and starts his adventure.
I was excited by this character’s name and instantly felt a connection. My mom’s maiden name is Jankowski, and it doesn’t seem like that is a very popular surname. It was easy for me to imagine that Jacob was a long lost relative of mine and I was sitting next to him listening to him reminisce.
Though the main story takes place when Jacob was young, he is telling it from the vantage point of his older self. The parts of the book that take place in Jacob’s nursing home are heartbreaking. Again, being able to imagine the character as my own family, I wanted to go save Jacob, but I knew the story wouldn’t be the same.
I would highly recommend “Water for Elephants” to anyone who enjoys a good story with relatable characters. I can imagine you sitting out on the patio with a glass of iced tea, losing track of time as you become absorbed into the tale of Jacob and his life with the circus. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did!
Giveaway: I am giving away my copy of "Water for Elephants" to one reader who wants to read the book. PLEASE NOTE: This is a USED copy, and it is well-loved. Please do not think you will be getting a new or near-new copy of this book.
U.S. entries only, please. This giveaway will be open through Tuesday, June 7th, 2011 at 8:00 PM Arizona time. Winner will be chosen using Random.org and will have 48 hours to accept prize from the time I email. If the winner does not respond, a second number will be picked using the same method.
There are several ways to win. Please be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry and include your email in each so I can contact you if you win. There are five ways to enter. Enter once or all five times. It's up to you!
Entry #1: Tell me what appeals to you about "Water for Elephants." In other words, WHY do you want to read this book?
Entry #2: Follow my blog, Karen's Healthy Lifestyle, via Google Friend Connect. See the left side bar to follow. If you are already a follower, just be sure to leave a comment saying so!
Entry #3: "Like" Karen's Healthy Lifestyle on Facebook- see left side bar for link. If you already do this, just leave me a comment letting me know!
Entry #4: Read the first chapter of "The Puppy Who Refused to Die" and come back here to tell me your experience with animal rescue.
Entry #5: "Like" The Puppy Who Refused to Die on Facebook and leave him a note to say hello! Don't forget to come back here and leave a comment that you've done this.
Good luck on the giveaway, and happy reading!
22 comments:
I would like this book, because it was recommended to me by a friend a while back, I just haven't got around to getting it!
untrainedhairmom at gmail dot com
http://untrainedhairmom.blogspot.com
Follow your blog
I like you on fb
Untrained HairMom
I also already like the puppy who refused to die on fb
Untrained HairMom
Karen, great review!!
So cool that you are doing a giveaway :)
Too bad lots of my readers are from outside the U.S.!
PS I've just seen the movie and thought it was a pretty good adaptation :)
PS I hope whoever wins your giveaway will review it and link up to Mrs Readalot's linky as well! - the linky is open until the end of June :)
Great review! I agree - the title didn't sing out to me and it wasn't until I was personally recommended it to read that I actually picked it up. That's amazing that that's your mums maiden name - not a very common name at all! I've come across your blog through Mrs Readalot's linky :-)
I like the fact that you could personally relate to the last name of the characters! And what a great idea to pass on the book afterwards!
I'd enjoy reading this book. My maiden name is Polish and ends in "ski" so I was intrigued like you were by the name.
crochet4hats[at]gmail[dot]com
I think I would like to read it because it takes place in a circus. My great grandmother and grandmother were circus folks for a period of time.
Thank you,
bookloon at gmail dot com
I read the First Chapter of "The Puppy Who Refused To Die" it was very interesting. All of the dogs that I have had were rescues. My current dog, Jubilee, was rescued from the pound. I just want a good pet not necessarily a specific breed, so, rescue dogs suit me just fine.
bookloon at gmail dot com
We just had to put my Dad in a nursing home, so when you said "The parts of the book that take place in Jacob’s nursing home are heartbreaking"...well, not that I need any more heartbreak right now, but living far away from him now and him being less able to communicate, it's another way to connect. If I like the book I'd get it for him too.
ecarian at yahoo dot com
I just recently tried to rescue a baby rabbit...we think a cat brought her to our door (it was lying right behind the cat who was curled up on our doorstep). Unfortunately, the little bunny died.
Sad about the Puppy Mills.
ecarian at yahoo dot com
I want to read Water for Elephants because I want to see the movie but I would like to read the book first.
janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com
I follow you publicly on GFC - janetfaye
janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com
I like Karen's Healthy Lifestyle on FB - Janet Fri
janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com
I like The Puppy Who Refused to Die on FB - Janet Fri
janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com
My friend just read this and raved about it. We are getting ready to go on vacation and I need a good book to read!
mikebelindaconnor at hotmail dot com
GFC follower
Belinda
mikebelindaconnor at hotmail dot com
I read the First Chapter of "The Puppy Who Refused To Die". It is a sad reminder of all the innocent animals that are abandoned or don't survive due to irresponsible owners. Thankfully, it sounds like the dog in this story will get a happy ending. We adopted our dog Sammie, 11 years ago from a shelter. She is the best dog! We decided to add to our family about 6 months ago and took our boys to pick out a new puppy from a shelter. It is heartbreaking. We wanted to bring them all home! We adopted Maggie that day and not only has she made an excellent pet for our kids, but a wonderful companion for Sammie. I haven't seen so much life in Sammie in years! Needless to say, we are big proponents of adopting shelter animals!
mikebelindaconnor at hotmail dot com
I liked "The Puppy Who Refused To Die" on FB and posted on the wall.
Belinda B
mikebelindaconnor at hotmail dot com
I've been wanting to read this book for awhile, mostly to see what the hype is all about, but also because my best friend read it and LOVED it. We usually have the same taste in books, so I trust her. It seems like a character driven book and those are my favorites.
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