I won a book!

Okay, so I know it’s not that exciting but 1) I never enter contests in my own name and 2) I was quite sure if I did, I’d never win.  I was always unlucky at the annual Halloween cake walk.  Magical chairs?  Bah!  Once, on a whim, I slipped my mother’s name in a drawing for a pearl necklace, symphony tickets, and additional loot to the tune of about $1,000.  She won.  Just for clarification, she gave me the symphony tickets, not the pearls.  I was 17.

So when I discovered that my fav booksite, Goodreads, had first-read giveaways, I was skeptical.  I entered, quickly forgetting about a lovely new book possibly being mailed to my door, but alas, I won (thank you, Penguin Group!)  I can see the future already: I’m going to turn into one of those hopeful contest junkies. 

The loot:  Neighborhood Watch by Cammie McGovern

Synopsis: “A riveting and frightening tale of false accusation from the author of Eye Contact

Twelve years ago librarian Betsy Treading was convicted of murdering her neighbor, the bohemian loner Linda Sue. After DNA testing finally exonerates Betsy, she returns to her suburban community determined to salvage her life and find the true killer. As she begins to pick apart the web of secrets, lies, and love affairs uncovered in the wake of her trial, Betsy suspects that her tight-lipped neighbors may know something that she has denied even to herself.

In Neighborhood Watch, Cammie McGovern captures the nail-biting electricity of the best literary thrillers and zeros in on the subterranean tension abuzz in a town whose dark secrets threaten to obliterate the glossy façade of a perfect life. It is also the story of a woman coming into her own, finding her strength, and taking control of her life. It asks readers, what sort of price would you pay for the sake of your reputation? Intricately woven, psychologically astute, and filled with complex and surprising characters, Neighborhood Watch marks a significant step in the career of this talented author.”

Sounds good, doesn’t it?  I don’t normally read contemporary novels but I’m really excited about this one.  Keep an eye out for the review when I’m done.

Georgian word of the day:  Demy-rep (or demi-rep), 1749

Literally, a reputation split in halves.  It is considered the shortening of demimondaine, a mistress of a wealthy, upperclass lover.  A demy-rep would be a part of the demimonde, the hedonistic underworld on the fringes of society.  Of rarer use, demy-rep may also refer to a person (not specifically a woman) of doubtful respectability and reputation.

Note:  Many words originate in Georgian England and the following period, Regency,  for a woman who provides sexual services for payment, suggesting that they were not only commonplace but that many men required their services.

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2 thoughts on “I won a book!

  1. I once won a 7Up themed four person raft from walmart, and found out years later only because my boyfriend at the time stole the other entry sheets. Moments like these make a person wonder, if my life would be billed as a comedy or tragedy? hehe

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