Omnivoracious Sweepstakes II: Win Our April Editors' Picks

By Tom

We had such a good time with our first sweepstakes that we're doing it again. As before, all you have to do to enter is subscribe to our daily email digest (and if you're already a subscriber--thanks!--to put your name in the hat for this new sweepstakes just go to the same page and fill out a short form). That page also has all the rules & regs.

The prize this time? Once again, we figured the best thing we could do was share our favorite books, so this time we're offering a complete set of our April Significant Seven, our Best of the Month editors' picks. Here they are, with a short quote from each of our reviews:

• The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley (our Spotlight pick). Lauren wrote: "As the pages fly by, you'll be rooting for this curious combination of Harriet the Spy and Sherlock Holmes."
• Genesis by Bernard Beckett. Mari said: "His near-future tale feels unique, and oddly credible.... Genesis reads like a thriller to the last word, propelled by the power of ideas longing to be unleashed."
• The Day We Lost the H-Bomb by Barbara Moran: Dave wrote: "The Day We Lost the H-Bomb explores an awakening to the
  realities of a nuclear age.... Cold War anxiety over the
  ever-reaching arm of Communism fueled massive increases in U.S.
  military spending, yet not enough attention was given to the dangers of
  an arms race until this fatal accident abroad."
• The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton: Mari sez: "As Morton draws you through a thicket of secrets that spans
  generations, her story could cross into fairy tale territory if her
  characters weren't clothed in such complex flesh, their judgment
  blurred by the heady stench of emotions (envy, lust, pride, love) that
  furtively flourished in the glasshouse of Edwardian society."
• In-N-Out Burger by Stacy Perman: Brad recommends: "If you've never had an In-N-Out burger, Perman's book just might
  inspire you to find a good reason to get yourself to Southern
  California and seek out an off-the-menu 3x3 with a side of Animal Style
  fries."
• The Song Is You by Arthur Phillips: Said I: "Their courtship--as Julian evades a marriage split by an unbearable
  loss and Cait shoots single-mindedly toward stardom--is an intricately
  constructed pas de deux that is both surprising and convincing throughout. It's Phillips's first novel set in the present since Prague, and in its artful structure, style, and heart it's a match for that smart and charming debut."
• Vanished Smile by R.A. Scotti: Jon wrote: "Along the way we're treated to a tour
  of turn-of-the-century Paris, the birth of modern forensics, and a
  biography of the enigmatic painting itself. To this day the mysterious
  theft of the painting the French call La Joconde remains unsolved--only Mona Lisa knows, and she's not talking."

We'll take entries until noon on May 29, and we'll announce the winner soon after. And if you want to spread out your chances, check out the sweepstakes that all the Amazon blogs listed along the top of our page will be announcing in the next day or so, with prizes ranging from a doggy bed to, most intriguingly, an autographed lyric sheet from Randy Newman. Best of luck. --Tom