Admission by Jean Hanff Korelitz - Giveaway!

Admission

by Jean Hanff Korelitz

For years, thirty-eight-year-old Portia Nathan has hidden behind her busy -- and sometimes punishing -- career as a Princeton University admissions officer and her less than passionate relationship.  Then suddenly, the piece of her past that she has tried so hard to bury resurfaces, catapulting her on an extraordinary journey of the heart that challenges everything she ever thought she believed.  Soon, just as Portia must decide on the fates of thousands of bright students regarding their admission to Princeton, so too must she confront the life-altering decision she made long ago.

Admission is at once a fascinating look at the complex college admissions process and an emotional examination of what happens when the secrets of the past return and shake a woman's life to its core.

Jean Hanff Korelitz is the author of The White Rose, The Sabbathday River, and A Jury of Her Peers, as well as a children's novel and a poetry collection.  She was a part-time reader for Princeton's Office of Admission during the 2006 and 2007 admissions seasons.

Grand Central Publishing's interview with Jean on Blog Talk Radio.

You can find here a Reading Group Guide for Admission.

Giveaway

I have three copies of this book to giveaway courtesy of Hachette Books. For your first entry (MUST DO THIS ONE FOR ANY OTHER ENTRIES TO COUNT) let's talk about colleges - If you went to college - where did you go? Or do you have kids in college now? (I attended Cornell College in Iowa, Sand Diego City College in San Diego and Barat College in Illinois) Please leave your email address.

For additional entries:

1. Sign up to follow through Google Friend Connect (old followers let me know) - 2 entries for this one. (leave 2 comments)

2. Follow me on Twitter and tweet about it. Please leave link in comments.

3. Post it on your blog - please leave link in your comments.
 

Each entry must have it's own comment. (Five entries total.)

This giveaway is for U.S/Canada only - no PO boxes.

It ends Apr 27.

So Many Winners!

I have been a bad blogger! I haven't announced the winners of the last 6 giveaways! (and there have been winners!) I also haven't thanked all my readers! Spread the word - there will be a large giveaway coming up sometime before Thanksgiving. I am not sure how I am going to do it yet, but I will be giving away a lot of books!

Speaking about giveaways - you must follow the directions in the rules in order to be entered - I do switch up the rules from time to time, sometimes asking for something specific in your comment and I ALWAYS ask for an email address - this must be in your comment, I just don't have time to look them up. If you fail to put the requirements in your comment, the entries will not count. I have had people not be entered lately because they did not put in requested info. . .

Winners of Cult Insanity

1. Lee P
2. Belinda M
3. debsdesk
4. hippmom
5. roxxyroller

Winners of The Gift of an Ordinary Day - requirement was that they had to share something they treasured - so here are the winning answers (picked by Randomizer.com)

1. Amanda Sue - I treasure my dog, she keeps me from going insane LOL and even though I hate my job I treasure that I am lucky enough to have a job with the economy the way it is.
2. Karen K (anonymous) - I treasure waking up every morning...and thank God for this new day.
3. quilting reader -I treasure my cat.
   
4. MoziEsme - Moments with my baby girl! (Though sometimes I have to remind myself of that...) Mozie Esme already won though - so Crystal - I treasure my time with my husband and kids. In a more shallow way I treasure my time at the end of the day with a cup of Sleepytime tea and some chocolates :) - Crystal has also already won - so next one up was Beth who said - I treasure each moment with my husband. He is battling cancer and now is in remission - praise the Lord!
5. Beth - I treasure my furry babies! Beth also already won so the book went to - Benita (anonymous) - I most treasure my husband. Although he is very ill now, I hold fast to old memories and the love we've shared all these years.
   

Heyer Promo from Sourcebooks -

1. Marjorie - she chose - How Not to Have a Perfect Wedding
2. cats99 - she chose - Improvisation for the Spirit

Detectives Don't Wear Seat Belts

1. Clenna
2. Bingo
3. HODGEPODGESPV - She also had the most entries - and I promised an additional 5 entries to the person with the most. Turns out she didn't need the extra 5 as she won with one of her original ones! Hodgepodege has already won it - so the next winner is Sara!
   
4. jasmyn
5. CherylS22

A is for Admission

1. enyl
2. Anonymous (bgcchs)
3. Rue
4. Anonymous (Aliya D)
5. Nancye

Stray Affections

1. scottsgal
   

All winners have been emailed - but not everyone has responded yet - So if your see your name and you haven't received an email from me - Check your spam folders!

A is for Another Great Giveaway from Hachette!

A is for Admission: The Insider's Guide to Getting into the Ivy League and Other Top Colleges
by Michele A. Hernandez, EdD

Plenty of college admission guides promise to help students crack the Ivy League, but few of these have detailed knowledge to back up their advice. Michele Hernandez, on the other hand, is the ultimate insider. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Dartmouth College, she also worked as Dartmouth's assistant director of admissions for four years. In A Is for Admissions, Hernandez describes the step-by-step process Ivy League schools use to evaluate an application. Along the way she settles some ancient debates, including the comparative importance of SATs versus high-school grades, public versus private high schools, and extracurricular activities versus part-time employment. She evaluates every possible factor affecting chances for admission, including special categories of students such as recruited athletes, minority applicants, and legacies. Most dramatically, Hernandez reveals the precise mathematical formula used by admissions officers to rank applicants. Using her guidelines, readers can calculate their own AI (Academic Index) and--should their scores come up short--learn ways to compensate in other areas.

Refreshingly, Hernandez helps would-be Ivy Leaguers keep their goals in perspective. She strongly advises against "grade grubbing" or "working for the grade." If you think attending a top college is the key to success, Hernandez cautions that the Ivies may not be for you. "If your goal is to make money, but you don't enjoy studying or reading, don't waste your time by trying to get into an Ivy League or highly selective college.... The beauty of an Ivy League/highly selective education lies in the intellectual atmosphere.... It does not lie in the prestige of having a diploma from Princeton or Dartmouth on your wall." Levelheaded and clearly written, A Is for Admission is the perfect guide for the student (or parent) who has his eyes set on the stars. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. (Amazon.com Review)

Rules for the giveaway:

1. Five copies to giveaway.
   
2. Open only to U.S. and Canada.
   
3. No PO Boxes
4. All entries can be in one comment.
5. +1 Must leave email address in comment.
6. +2 if you are a new or old follower - but please let me know. How ever you follow - all will count for 2 entries (Twitter, Facebook, Google, Feed Reader, Email, etc, etc, etc)
   
7. +3 if you post this on any social network LEAVE A LINK TO GET BACK TO THIS POST OR IT WILL NOT COUNT - If you post on Twitter - please use @kherbrand. Go Crazy! No Limits on Entries!
   
8. +3 for referrals of NEW followers - if you already follow, you will not get entries for saying someone referred you - you can however get entries for referring new people...
9. Giveaway ends on Sept 25th.