I’m delighted to have teamed up with my Writers Ask Writers friends, Annabel Smith, Amanda Curtin, Dawn Barker and Emma Chapman, to bring you the mother of all giveaways – an eight-book bonanza which contains each of our latest novels plus a book we would choose to give to our mum for Mother’s Day.
You can enter this contest up to five times by visiting each of our pages and following the instructions. For this page, all you have to do to be in with a shot is to sign up to my newsletter, where you’ll find all my latest news plus other book giveaways too – AND leave a comment below telling me which author you would recommend to your mum/mother-in-law/grandma.*
This prize has been generously sponsored by Beaufort Street Books, one of the finest independent bookshops in Australia, based in Mount Lawley, WA. They have also added a bonus prize of two tickets to see Jennifer Saunders discussing her autobiography My Life in Laughs at the Octagon Theatre in Perth on 28 April 2014, 7.30-8.30 pm. If the books are won by someone interstate we’ll draw an additional Perth winner who’ll receive these tickets – HOWEVER, we will need to know if you live in WA, so please add a comment on one of our blogs letting us know you’re a local!
My pick for the Mother’s Day giveaway, The Light Between Oceans, is the story of Tom Sherbourne, a young lighthouse keeper who lives on a remote island off the coast of Western Australia in 1926. He and his wife Isabel lead a quiet life, cocooned from the rest of the world, until a boat washes ashore carrying a dead man and a crying infant. What they choose to do next sets off a chain of heart-rending consequences.
Sometimes life turns out hard, Isabel. Sometimes it just bites right through you. And sometimes, just when you think it’s done its worst, it comes back and takes another chunk.
I chose The Light Between Oceans as the book I’d give to my mother on Mother’s Day, although I’m being a bit sly as I already gave it to her last year, and she loved it! She said the story was so unusual and the predicament so tragic and understandable – and I would add that I was blown away by ML Stedman’s writing. I found myself underlining paragraphs because they were just so good that I wanted to go back and savour them. I was lucky enough to meet ML Stedman at a writer’s dinner and she was incredibly gracious and down-to-earth. She had obviously spent a lot of time focused on learning the craft of writing, and the effort she put in shines through on every single page. Not only did I love this book, I learned a lot from it too.
Here are the links to the pages of Amanda Curtin, Emma Chapman, Dawn Barker and Annabel Smith for more chances to win. Good luck!
*Competition open to Australian residents only. The giveaway ends on Tuesday 15 April and the winner will be announced on the 17th.col-md-2
Would love to win these wonderful books by incredibly talented authors. Thanks so much for the opportunity to enter! The author I would recommend to my Mum (and my grandmother) would be LM Montgomery. The Anne of Green Gables series of books are among my favourites since childhood and represent a more sedate time period. Would love the chance to see Jennifer Saunders in Perth — I’m a local!
I’m already signed up to your newsletter :-) I would recommend Hannah Richell to my mum, as I thoroughly enjoyed both her books. I’d love for my family to read Tim Winton’s Eyrie, but I don’t think they’d really get it, living in the UK. :-( If my grandma was still alive I think I’d have given her an Anna Jacobs novel to try.
The author I would recommend to my Mum would be Kate Morton, who writes books that would keep her turning the pages without being too heavy reading to scare her off.
Mel xx
(Perth – Bayswater)
Would love the chance to win these amazing books. The book that I would give to my mum would be The Turning by Tim Winton. And I would give my nan The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
The author I would recommend to my mum would be Kate Forsyth. I love her writing and she covers so many wonderful topics that she would really enjoy.
Wow, what a wonderful prize. Thank you Writers Ask Writers and Beaufort St Books – finally a bonus to living in Perth!
My nanna is actually my godmother, but I’ve always called her Nanna. She’s 92 tomorrow and I think she’d love Jean Fullerton’s books, in particular Call Nurse Millie. This book follows a district nurse in London post-WWII and I think it would bring back lots of happy memories for her.
The Author I would recommend to my mum would be Fleur McDonald. I was lucky to have the opportunity to listen to and meet Fleur during a Author tour this week. Not only does she amaze me with her stories of the land in our rural state of WA she is also a genuinely lovely person and very humble about her success. My mum too shares a love of home grown WA rural literature.
I am a Perth local and I am already signed up to your newsletter :-)
Mum always borrows my books of its very easy to pick for her – I just buy something I like and I know she will like it too!
Thanks Bec, I have a habit of trading books with my mum too!
Ah, Fleur is lovely, isn’t she – and prolific!
Thanks Jeanie, I haven’t heard of these books, will look out for them. Happy birthday to your Nanna!
Great choice, Amy!
I have read some of Tim Winton, but not The Turning – I’ll have to move it up my list!
Kate Morton is a brilliant choice, Mel, I loved The Secret Keeper.
Thanks Liz, I really enjoyed Secrets of the Tides, I’ll have to try and find Hannah’s second book.
Thanks Maureen, and great choice – Anne of Green Gables was a childhood favourite of mine too, I will have to revisit them when my girls are older!
All these books are fantastic. I’ve read a couple of them, and although I don’t have a mum / mother-in-law / grandma to recommend to, my pick to recommend to anyone would be Liane Moriarty. She is a beautiful writer and tells intriguing and capturing stories. Love her work.
What a great prize pack!
The author I would recommend is Liz Byrski.
Her ability to tell a story about friendship spans the generational divide!
The book I would recommend is Sweet Damage by Rebecca James. It’s a psychological thriller centered around a withdrawn character, Anna London who lives alone in a Sydney mansion. My mum is intrigued by mysterious houses and enjoys a good thriller.
Based in Perth.
Thanks so much for the opportunity to win this fabulous prize! I’m signed up :) I am currently reading Crimson Dawn by our very own Fleur McDonald and loving it, so that would be my choice :)
I think I would choose “How to be a Good Wife” because it sounds so intriguing! :)
Liane Moriarty
I think Mum would love ‘How to be a Good Wife’. And if books could be bookends wouldn’t How to be a Good Wife and The Husband’s Secret make the perfect pair?
hi Sara
Have read all your books and love them especially the suspense. We are so lucky in Perth to have this opportunity. My Mum and Gran are no longer here but my kids have a wonderful proxy Nanna and I am sure she would like to read Barbara Kingsolver’s Flight behaviour. Thanks so much. Delores
What a fantastic prize – I have wanted to read The Light Between Oceans for so long! I would share that with my mum this Mother’s Day.
Ive just started reading again after finding Helene Youngs books and Rachel Treasures. Im in love with aussie writers. Would love to read Judy Nunns . New found passion. Would love to read these books on offer also.
I love Sophie Kinsella and have already recommended her to my mum who has read a few of them now.
Just completed a writing course. The more books I read, the better! Research, that’s what I’ll call it!
Even though I no longer have a mum/mother-in-law/grandma, I’d recommend Kate Forsyth. I’ve always loved her books.
well, as i have read quite a few here. So…. Which one would i give my mum? That’s quite elementary, Ms forster, Elemental. ;) i am already signed up and loving your newsletter.
Hi Sara!
I’m already a subscriber- but the book I’d give to my mum would be Donna Tartt’s ‘The Goldfinch’. Mum loves art history, and good stories, so I think she’d love a book about art theft. All the best! Julia
I had so many books rush to mind when thinking of mum, some recent favourites being Dawn Barker’s ‘Fractured’ and Louise Erdrich’s ‘The Round House’ (both of which are extraordinary novels). But then I thought for the day where I want to make her feel warm and fuzzy, I couldn’t pass up giving her ‘The Rosie Project’ by Graeme Simsion.
P.S. I’m a Perth local too :)
Light between Oceans..sounds great…I hope you and your family have a lovely Easter…truly a family time..We are having a camping Easter so hopeing for good weather…I have had sinusitis so hope Easter will be uplifting…relax..some reading and playing with the grandchildren…..Happy Easter..
I just love any Aussie Author in particular all the great women who are writing these days. Keep up the wonderful work which keeps me up half the night reading.
Would love to win this fantastic prize for my Mum she is a big book fan it would make a great Mothers Day present.
My Mother has such eclectic tastes, so pretty much any book I chose would be most welcome.
I’m thinking a biography or autobiography would be a great choice. Someone political – she is a political animal. She has been looking back over her life & even writing down snippits of her life, so I’m thinking a biography about Winston Churchill would win the day.
I would recommend Alison Weir to my mother, she loves history and enjoys fantastical romance stories – both of which Alison Weir has bucket-loads of! She is also one of my all time favourite authors and i’d easily be able to lend the books to mum!!
WOW – what a fabulously generous giveaway. As I have just finished reading “The Tea Chest” by Josephine Moon, I would choose that for my Mum as a Mother’s Day gift.
Thanks for the chance to win.
Oh, by the way, I’m a WA girl.
Good luck everyone.
Unfortunately my mother and mother-in-law can’t read English, so if I win they’re all mine. :) Personally, The Husband’s Secret sounds intriguing and anything on the New York Times Bestseller List is a must read for me.!
Just read Amanda Curtin’s Elemental and loved it! Would love to give it to my Mother so we could share the wonderful story that unfolds.
So many wonderful choices! I love reading all these entries, thank you to all of you for being part of our giveaway, and good luck!
Hi Sara. So many wonderfully talented writers. I would recommend yourself and Amanda Curtin for my mum. She has trouble with her vision at the moment being in her late eighties, so I would have to read them to her. Perhaps they could be made into audio books? Jennifer Saunders makes me laugh so much.