And The Winners Are….

Congratulations to all of the winners of fabulous Book Blogger Convention auction items.  Here is who won what items:

Chronicle Books Prize Pack – Bookjourney
Atria Meet & Greet – Bermudaonion
Sarah Blake’s The Postmistress – Bookjourney
Gina Welch’s In the Land of Believers – Amymckie
Jenny Gardiner’s Winging It – Joanne Mackey
Fountain Bookstore Prize Pack – Florinda
WondLa Muthr Maquette – Alison’s Book Marks
Powells Gift Card – Serena Agusto Cox
Book Club in a Box – Trisha
Sarah Johnson’s Historical Fiction II – Daphne
Susan Kelly’s By Accident – Kay
Beautiful Creatures Swag – Flourishblotts
Peachtree Publishing Gift Basket – Alipet813
Patricia Harman’s The Blue Cotton Gown – Kay
Kindle – Barbara
Stephanie Meyer’s The Host – Elyse
Unbridled Books Literary Lunch – Laura
Bon Jovi’s When We Were Beautiful – Serena Agusto Cox
Ellen Hopkins Glass and Crank – Amymckie
Susan Gregg Gilmore Book Club Pack – Bookjourney
Author’s on the Web Gift Basket #2 – Lenore
Author’s on the Web Gift Basket #1 – Kay

Winners, please contact the organizers of The Book Blogger Convention at bookbloggercon@gmail.com to claim your prize and receive information on how to move forward.

Congratulations and thanks to all of our generous bidders we’ve made approximately $1086 for First Book.

Chronicle Books Prize Pack

Chronicle Books Prize Pack		Donor: Chronicle Books
A collection of our Middle Grade and YA Books + Packaged in an exclusive Chronicle Books 2010 BEA Tote Bag Books Include: Escape Under the Forever Sky Tortilla Sun Noonie’s Masterpiece Blue Plate Special The Space Between Trees Prisoners in the Palace* (available to ship August 2010) + one book of the winners choice valued up to $30 available at Chronicle Books.com Minimum Bid: $25

Atria Books Meet & Greet With Sarah Pekkanen

Come with author Sarah Pekkanen to her publisher’s office  (Atria Books/Washington Square Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster) for a meet-and-greet and chat about hot new books for the upcoming year! Bring along a bookbag as you’ll collect an armful of new releases. We’ll go on Thursday around 2:30, before the Book Blogger Convention reception.

Donor: Sarah Pekkanen

Minimum Bid: $25

Sarah Blake’s The Postmistress (signed ARC)

Sarah Blake’s The Postmistress (signed)		Donor: S. Krishna’s Books
According to the publisher The Postmistress is about: “Those who carry the truth sometimes bear a terrible burden… Filled with stunning parallels to today’s worl, The Postmistress is a sweeping novel about the loss of innocence of two extraordinary women and of two countries torn apart by war. On the eve of the United State’s entrance into World War II in 1940, Iris James, the postmistress of Franklin, a small town on Cape Code, does the unthinkable: She doesn’t deliver a letter. In London, American radio gal Franke Bard is working with Edeward R. Murrow, reporting on the Blitz. One night in a bomb shelter, she meets a doctor from Cape Cod with a letter in his pocket, a letter Franke vows to deliver when she returns from Germany and France, where she is to record the stories of war refugees desperately trying to escape. The residents of Franklin think the war can’t touch them bur as Franke’s radio broadcasts air, some know that the war is indeed coming. And when Franke arrives at their doorstep, the two stories collide in a way no one ould have foressen. The Postmistress is an unforgettable tale of the secrets we must bear, or bury. It is about what happens to love during wartime, when those we cherish leave. And how every story of love or war is about looking left when we should have been looking right.” Minimum Bid: $15

Gina Welch’s In the Land of Believers (signed)

Gina Welch’s In the Land of Believers		Donor: Fountain Bookstore
Described by the publisher: “An undercover exploration of the world of evangelicals, offering an extraordinary behind-the-scenes look at the faithful. Ever since evangelica Christians rose to national prominence, mainstream America has tracked their every move with a nervous eye. But in spite of this vigilance, our understanding hasn’t gone beyond the caricatures. Who are evangelicals, really? What are they like in private, and what do they want? Is it possible that beneath the differences in culture and language, church and party, we might share with them some common purpose? To find out, Gina Wlech, a young secular Jew from Berkeley, joined Jerry Falwell’s Thomas Road Baptist Church. Over the course of nearly two years, Welch immersed herself in the life and language of the devout: she learned to interpret the world like an evangelical, weathered the death of Falwell, and embarked on a mission trip to Alaska intended to save one hundred souls. Alive to the meaning behind the music and the mind behind the slogans, Welch recognized the allure of evangelicalism, even for the godless, realizing that the congregation met needs and answered questions she didn’t know she had. What emerges is a riveting account of a skeptic’s transformation from uninformed cynicism to compassionate understanding, and a rare view of how evangelicals see themselves. Revealing their generosity and hopefulness, as well as their prejudice and exceptionalism, In the Land of Believers is a call for comprehending, rather than dismissing, the impassioned believers who have become so dcentral a force in American life.” Minimum Bid: $20

Jenny Gardiner’s Winging It (signed)

Jenny Gardiner’s Winging It		Donor: Fountain Bookstore
Described by the publisher: “Like many new bird owners, Jenny and Scott Gardiner hoped for a smart, talkative, friendly companion. Instead, as they took on the unexpected task of rasing a curmudgeonly wild African gray parrot and a newbor, they learned an important lesson: parrothood is way harder than parenthood. A gift from Scott’s brother who was living in Zaire, Graycie arrived scrawny, pissed-off, and missing a lot of her feathers — definitely not the Plly-wants-a-cracker type the Gardiners anticipated. Every day became a constant game of chicken with a bird that would do anything to ruffle their feathers. The old adage about not biting the hand that feeds you — literally — never applied to Graycie. But Jenny and Scott learned to adapt as the family grew to three children, a menagerie of dogs and cats, and, of course, Graycie. In this laugh-out-loud funny and touching memoir, Jenny vividly shares the many hazards of parrot ownership, from the endless avian latrine duty and the joyful day the bird learned to mimic the sound of the smoke detector, to the multiple ways a beak can pierce human flesh. Graycie is a court jester, a karaoke partner, an unusual audio record of their family history, and, at times, a nemesis. But most of all, she has taught the family volumes about tolerance, going with the flow, and realizing that you can no sooner make your child fit into a mold than you can turn a wild parrot into a docile house pet. Winging It is an utterly engrossing reminder of the importance of patience, loyalty, and humor when it comes to dealing with even the most unpleasant members of the family. Minimum Bid: $20

Fountain Bookstore Prize Pack

Fountain Bookstore Gift Basket		Donor: Fountain Bookstore
This gift basket includes: THE HANDBOOK FOR LIGHTNING STRIKE SURVIVORS by Michele Young Stone AN UNFINISHED SCORE by Elise Blackwel Both books are signed! Minimum Bid: $35