One More Chance to Win a Bookstore Gift Certificate!

Guess what today is? It’s your last chance to win a $100 gift certificate to the bookstore (online or bricks and mortar) of your choice. Tomorrow I’ll use a random number generator to pick from all the comments my blog’s received in the last month and a half. I’ll cut off the contest tonight, December 23rd, at 10pm EST and I’ll announce the winner on Saturday, Christmas Eve.

I’ll make it really easy for you to leave a comment today. Just tell us the best book you read this year. (Naming one of mine will not increase your chances of winning, since as I mentioned, the winning comment will be randomly selected.) Right after New Year’s, I’ll be sharing my personal list of favorites reads for 2011. Right now, I can’t wait to hear what yours is!

58 Comments

  1. Fallon Colon on December 23, 2011 at 7:26 am

    The Help 🙂

  2. Barbara on December 23, 2011 at 8:33 am

    It is hard to name just one:
    The Big Rock Candy Mountain by Wallace Stegner
    The Color of Light – Karen White
    China Road – Rob Gifford
    While My Sister Sleeps – Barbara Delinsky
    The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks – Rebecca Skloot

  3. Sheree Gillcrist on December 23, 2011 at 9:00 am

    Summer of the Bear by Bella Pollen for me. Quirky, magical and endearing. How the faith of a father’s love for his only son can take onnew shape and form but never lessen in it’s intensity. I ept buckets for the beauty of the message.

  4. Karla on December 23, 2011 at 10:28 am

    There were many, but I couldn’t narrow it down to just one so here’s the top three:

    1. Night Road by Kristin Hannah
    2. Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult
    3. Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

  5. Nicole spivey on December 23, 2011 at 10:34 am

    The Help
    The Midwife’s Confession

  6. Stacey C. on December 23, 2011 at 10:36 am

    The Hunger Games!!! Great book!!

  7. Marianne Bailey on December 23, 2011 at 10:36 am

    Room by Emma Donoghue fantastic story couldn’t put it down and also When God was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman a quirky unputdownable read

  8. Christie Davenport on December 23, 2011 at 10:41 am

    The Help

  9. Jerriann Graff on December 23, 2011 at 10:42 am

    It would have to be Bring Me Home for Christmas by Robyn Carr, it’s hard to pick becuase of the amount of books I read.

  10. Beth on December 23, 2011 at 10:43 am

    Too many to choose from….but I loved The Midwife’s Confession!

  11. Sarah Paulson on December 23, 2011 at 10:43 am

    Sarah’s Key

  12. Stacie on December 23, 2011 at 10:45 am

    Naming just one is hard. I like These Things Hidden and The Kingdom of Childhood.

  13. Sarah Rhiannon Jhnson on December 23, 2011 at 10:48 am

    I started with The Midwife’s Confession and worked backwards. Can honestly say that it was the best book I have read this year. The storylines all have unpredictable twists and I have even converted my colleague, who really is a fussy reader!! 😉

  14. Kim Jordan on December 23, 2011 at 10:49 am

    I also have many to choose from, but when I look back over the year, I think it will be known as the year I got to know Stephanie Plum very well. And if I have to pick just one book from that series, I think I have to pick Finger Licken Fifteen. I laughed so hard I had to put the book down and blow my nose!

  15. Kelly on December 23, 2011 at 10:52 am

    I also find it hard to choose just one. Looking back at my list of books read this year though The Midwife’s Confession is my top pick. I had a hard time putting it down, hated to finish it, looked for other books by you, and recommended to friends … All of my criteria for an excellent book!

    I also really enjoyed The Caster Chronicles series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, as well as Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness.

  16. Suzette Phillips on December 23, 2011 at 11:05 am

    The Mid Wife’s Confession
    The Moment by Douglas Kennedy
    The Butterfly’s Daughter by Mary Alice Monroe
    And too many others to name 🙂

  17. Corrine Rypka on December 23, 2011 at 11:12 am

    The Midwife’s Confession

  18. Patti Millar on December 23, 2011 at 11:19 am

    It is REALLY hard to choose a favourite book this year because I read SO many amazing books. However, the book that had the most profound impact on me is PUNISHED by Vanessa Steel. This is a true story of such horrific abuse and neglect that it takes the reader’s breath away. What this woman was forced to endure was nothing short of a holocaust to her spirit. The path to her survival is a testament to self-love and hope. It is a book not for the faint of heart but so redeeming and satisfying. I have read 75 books this year – The Help, Sarah’s Key, Before I Go to Sleep, The Mid-Wife’s Confession (actually this is the book that helped me discover Ms. Chamberlain!), Sing You Home, House Rules, Water for Elephants – and so many others my husband thought I would go blind from reading. But Punished is that rare book that moved me so deeply, I wrote a note to the publisher thanking them for having the courage to publish it.

  19. Gina on December 23, 2011 at 11:21 am

    The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

  20. Sandra Rodarte on December 23, 2011 at 11:51 am

    Midwive confessions by diane Chamberlain

  21. Maggie on December 23, 2011 at 11:55 am

    Killing The Blues by Michael Brandman. I chose this one because it was released after Robert B. Parker death and I wanted to see how the person who took over his estate handled his series.

  22. Alana on December 23, 2011 at 11:55 am

    The ONLY book I read this year was The Midwife’s Confession. I Need/Want to read more.

  23. Jean on December 23, 2011 at 11:57 am

    From Sea to Shining Sea
    Moloka’i
    The Hangman’s Daughter

  24. Ann Hite on December 23, 2011 at 12:00 pm

    Here’s my list. I’m such a book junkie I can’t choose one. They are not in any particular order.

    1. The Taker by Alma Kastu
    2. Kingdom of Childhood by Rebecca Coleman
    3. Witches On The Road Tonight by Sheri Holman
    4. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
    5.The Butterfly’s Daughter by Mary Alice Monroe
    6. Coming Up for Air by Patti Callahan Henry
    7. The Dovekeepers By Alice Hoffman
    8. The Orphan Sister by Gwendolen Gross
    9. Amaryllis in Blueberry by Christina Meldrum
    10. Pictures of You by Caroline Leavitt
    11. The Bird Sisters by Rebecca Rasmussen
    12. The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry
    13. Falling Together by Marisa de los Santos
    14. The Dry Grass of August by Anna Jean Mayhew

    Okay I’m finished. 😉

  25. Diane on December 23, 2011 at 12:01 pm

    Right off the bat, I want to say, please don’t make me choose one book, Diane, which I’ve read this year that is my favorite, and that is because I have read so many wonderful books this year. If I have to choose the one that had the most profound effect on me, the one that will stay with me throughout the rest of my life, no doubt, it would have to be The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, and I feel the reason for that is because of the events occurring in my own life at the time I was reading it. In the book the protagonist slowly loses her brother as he keeps strangely disappearing until he finally ends up being a mere extension of a chair. Bizarre, I know. How, then, can this peculiar set of circumstances possibly relate to my own life, you may ask? I was caring for my own dear brother, who had cancer, at the time, and oddly enough, due to his cancer, he literally for the most part, came to live out of his chair. I have to believe that it was no coincidence that I was somehow led to this book.

  26. Nancy Ibarra on December 23, 2011 at 12:06 pm

    Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson,
    The Mid Wife’s Confession

  27. Joy Cook on December 23, 2011 at 12:11 pm

    Unbroken was the best historical book I read this year. I had heard that it was a “man’s book”, but I really enjoyed reading it and learning from it.

  28. Corrie vanKampen on December 23, 2011 at 12:29 pm

    I enjoyed the Help. I also enjoyed Susanna Kearsley’s latest, The Rose Garden. And of course Midwife’s Confession! Can’t wait for a new one from you, Diane!

  29. Robert Howe on December 23, 2011 at 12:36 pm

    So many books this year…

    The most outstanding was Issacsons biography of Steve Jobs. But I read Alan Sugar’s autobiography immediately after, which was an excellent contrast. Super Freekonomics was also excellent.

    I wonder what brilliant new reads next year will bring?

    Rob.

  30. A. Berger on December 23, 2011 at 12:47 pm

    The Beach Trees by Karen White

  31. Wanda on December 23, 2011 at 12:58 pm

    Though I have read many good books this year, the one that stands out in my mind is Discovery of Witiches. I am usually not prone to read books that deal with vampires. This book called to me several times before I bought it. I have a theory, if I walk into a book store or librabry and a book catches my attention on three or more subsequent visits then I am meant to read it.That is how I ended up reading The Da Vinci Code, and Discovery of Witches, both books I truly enjoyed. It seems that some books are just mean tto be read by me. Thank you for this chance to win

  32. Elna Barber on December 23, 2011 at 1:04 pm

    Mid-Wife’s Confession or The Stone Flower Garden
    I also liked Hadley which I read before I read The Paris Wife about Hadley Hemmingway.

  33. Mrs Mommy Booknerd on December 23, 2011 at 1:08 pm

    GOOD GRACES by Lesley Kagen

  34. Jennifer Downing on December 23, 2011 at 1:29 pm

    Oh my….I have read so many great books this year that its hard to narrow it down to just one. My top three in no particular order are:
    1. The Night Circus
    2. The Midwife’s confession
    3. Best Kept Secret

  35. Lois on December 23, 2011 at 1:31 pm

    The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian

  36. Dawn Byers on December 23, 2011 at 1:56 pm

    Aww there are so many good books to pick from – – wish i had way more time to read
    I would pick
    I LOVE YOU MORE – joy fielding
    ROOM – emma dongahue

  37. Diana Leneker on December 23, 2011 at 2:32 pm

    Saving CeCe Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman….loved it!!!

  38. Sarah GreenfielD on December 23, 2011 at 2:53 pm

    Favourite book this year without a doubt is Midwifes Confession, closely followed by Into the Darkest Corner, Secret Lives and Room.

  39. Hailey Fish on December 23, 2011 at 2:54 pm

    There are way too many books that are my favorites. I’m going to put down the top five favorites. I read every day and I don’t know what I’d do if I wasn’t able to read. It’s my pastime.
    1. Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult (it’s a must read)
    2. The Midwife’s Confession by Diane Chamberlain (it’s a must read)
    3. Southern Lights by Danielle Steel (it’s a must read)
    4. 44 Charles Street by Danielle Steel (it’s a must read)
    5. Women’s Murder Club series by James Patterson (they are must reads)

    This is a nice contest. Thanks, Diane!

  40. Michael Carroll on December 23, 2011 at 2:57 pm

    Here are my top five favorite books.
    1. Connecticut Ghost Stories and Legends by Thomas D’Agostino
    2. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
    3. Haunted Rhode Island by Thomas D’Agostino
    4. It by Stephen King

  41. Debbie Hearne on December 23, 2011 at 4:13 pm

    I choose two favorites.
    The Midwife’s Confession by Diane Chamberlain
    The Butterfly’s Daughter by Mary Alice Monroe

  42. Cheryl on December 23, 2011 at 4:49 pm

    I’ve read so many book this year, it’s hard to choose one favorite!
    A few of the books I have particularly enjoyed are:
    The Help
    The Forgotten Garden
    Winter Garden
    The Midwife’s Confession

  43. Krysia Reilly on December 23, 2011 at 4:56 pm

    Saving Max. Can’t wait for the sequal.

  44. Lori Cimino on December 23, 2011 at 5:08 pm

    I have read so many books, but this year I would have to say my favorite was THE WINTER SEA BY Susanna Kearsley

  45. kelly English on December 23, 2011 at 5:40 pm

    Midwife’s Confession is right up there. Forgotten Garden, and I can’t just pick one Margaret Maron book so……

  46. Tiffany Mickley on December 23, 2011 at 5:53 pm

    The Midwife’s Confession and The Help!

  47. Carolyn Breal on December 23, 2011 at 6:01 pm

    I can literally say that The Midwife’s Confession was my favorite read this year. #1 because it was so good, and #2 because that was my discovery of a new author (for me). Since that time I’ve been reading all your other books as time allows. Before that book, I would have to say The Help was my favorite.

  48. Mina Lloyd on December 23, 2011 at 6:39 pm

    God’s Debris by Scott Adams

  49. Jennifer on December 23, 2011 at 6:43 pm

    The Likeness by Tana French

  50. amanda hampton on December 23, 2011 at 7:09 pm

    I love Kate Pearces Simply series! They are amazing! They are hot hot hot!

  51. Cathy on December 23, 2011 at 7:22 pm

    The Help, Room, and The Hunger Games. Couldn’t decide which.

  52. Susan on December 23, 2011 at 7:44 pm

    I just finished People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks which I really enjoyed.

  53. O Norman on December 23, 2011 at 8:57 pm

    It’s hard to choose but probably it’s “The Best of Me” by Nicholas Sparks.

  54. Gloria Bernal on December 24, 2011 at 12:54 am

    midwives Confession. No question.

  55. Corey Balazowich on December 24, 2011 at 11:59 am

    Things That Keep Us Here by Carla Buckley

  56. Liz on December 25, 2011 at 10:04 pm

    Garden Spells

  57. Carole Molchan on January 10, 2012 at 6:45 pm

    My favorite book of the year was “Before I Go To Sleep”. It kept me on the edge of my seat and I continually put myself in her place. Who do you trust???

  58. Corrine rypka | Carlrberger on April 1, 2012 at 12:24 am

    […] One More Chance to Win a Bookstore Gift Certificate! | Diane …Dec 23, 2011 … The Moment by Douglas Kennedy The Butterfly’s Daughter by Mary Alice Monroe And too many others to name . Reply. Corrine Rypka says: … […]

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