Really Random Tuesday #28: Book Winners and Baked Greens

I've chosen random winners for my two most recent book giveaways. Leslie from Under My Apple Tree has won A Game of Character by Craig Robinson, and Amy from The House of the Seven Tails has won Perfectly Untraditional by Sweta Srivastava Vikram. Congratulations to both of you! I hope you'll enjoy reading these books as much as I did.

If you didn't win today, please take a look at the other book giveaways listed on the right side of my blog.

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Baked greens, anyone? The traditional way to cook Southern greens is to boil or simmer them slowly with a piece of salt pork or ham hock for a long time until they are very soft and no longer bitter. My friend, Eriko, told me how to bake them. I know--this has absolutely nothing to do with books. Zilch! But they are delicious and easy to make, and you can munch on them while reading, if you want a connection to books (however tenuous). To make them, you'll need mixed greens. I found a huge bag of turnips, mustard, collards, and spinach from Trader Joe's (for a bargain price, only $2.29!). They aren't organic, but if I ever see an organic version I'll get it, even if I have to pay a bit more. Rinse the greens (even though they are prewashed) and pat them dry. Spread greens on a pan and drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil over them (not too much or they will become soggy), mix them for a moment to spread the oil, and then sprinkle them with salt (and pepper and other spices, if desired). I use Himalayan pink salt crystals, also from Trader Joe's (one of my favorite grocers). Bake at 350º for about 10 to 15 minutes until they are somewhat crispy, turning them occasionally and making sure they don't get too brown. They are wonderful! They taste kind of like crisp seaweed, so if that flavor appeals to you then you will enjoy these.

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Really Random Tuesday is a way to post odds and ends--announcements, musings, quotes, photos--any blogging and book-related things you can think of. If you're inspired by this idea, feel free to copy the button and use it on your own blog. Please leave a link in the comments if you’re participating and I'll add it to this post. For other recent Really Random Tuesday posts, please also visit Avis' blog, she reads and reads, Vivienne's blog, Serendipity, and Naida's blog, the bookworm. These terrific book bloggers "make my Tuesday" whenever they do my meme. Thank you, ladies!

A Game of Character: Review and Giveaway

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.”
~Michael Jordan

I am always eager to learn more about President Barack Obama. In the early days of my blog, I read and reviewed two of his books, Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope. When I found out that the President's brother-in-law, Michelle Obama's older brother, college basketball coach Craig Robinson had written a book, A Game of Character, I was immediately drawn to it. Additionally, this book, a memoir published in 2010, is a NY Times bestseller which is touted as inspirational, so I was definitely not going to miss reading this one. Since childhood, I've enjoyed reading books about successful people, and often find them fascinating and inspiring, stocked with ideas that I try to incorporate into my own life. A book by the First Lady's brother was required reading, as far as I was concerned.

"To the best of my knowledge, my parents never consciously set out to develop a game plan for educating their children as to the importance of character. Nor, for that matter, would Marian or Fraser claim to have had any special knowledge or inherent parenting gifts for creating what I believe was the greatest start in my life that my sister and I could ever have wanted. And yet, the more time passes, the more amazed I am by how much they really did seem to know what they were doing."
~A Game of Character, Craig Robinson

Craig Robinson is an articulate narrator who talks honestly about his life and how he became involved with basketball, first as a player and later as a coach, and how the game of basketball continued to shape and refine his character. Born in 1962, he grew up in the Southside of Chicago, and learned about the importance of education, hard work, and discipline from his loving parents, Marian and Fraser. He excelled academically and in sports--basketball in particular--and attended Princeton University in the 1980s. Using basketball as a backdrop in his book, he discusses valuable life lessons, in chapters such as Meet the Home Team, Learn the Game, Not Just Your Position, and Luck Is Just Another Word for Hard Work, and infuses the book with intelligence and wisdom (which seem to go hand in hand). It truly is a brilliant book.

Having read A Game of Character, I now know that I'd sincerely enjoy meeting the Robinson family and the Obama family. In a sense, I do feel as if I've "met" them, due to this book, which is written in a friendly and down-to-earth manner, and features some family photos. I relished hearing about the Robinson family's initial impressions of Barack Obama, who had begun dating Michelle; they approved of our future president, who played basketball "with guts", right from the start. It's wonderful and reassuring to know that there are such caring, incredible families and people around, because strong family and personal values are at the core of character, on and off of the basketball court. Even if you don't know the "x's and o's, the nuts and bolts", of basketball, there is so much to learn from this book, and so much to be inspired by, that it shouldn't make any difference at all. Coach Robinson uses his life's passion, basketball, to talk about the development of character, and he does so in a very thoughtful and organized manner, making this a thoroughly enjoyable memoir!

Exciting news! Penguin is generously offering a giveaway for a copy of A Game of Character (U.S./Canada only).

• To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment.
• For another chance at winning, become a follower of this blog, or let me know that you're already a follower, or that you subscribe in Google Reader.
• For an additional chance, post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter.

Enter by 5PM PDT on Monday, June 13. One winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Tuesday, June 14. Good luck!


Special thanks to Lisa from TLC for sending me this book. For more reviews of this book, please visit the other stops on TLC's A Game of Character book blog tour.

Mailbox Monday: Feeling Fortunate

You win some, you lose some. Lately, it's been "you win some" for me with regard to books, and it's hard to keep track of them all (this blog helps). I've been feeling very fortunate, book-wise.



I won the book The Paris Wife by Paula McClain on one of Laurel-Rain's blogs, Creations by Laurel-Rain Snow. I also found out that I won two other books, Star Gazing by Linda Gillard on Carol's blog, Dizzy C's Little Book Blog, and a "mystery" novel by Georgette Heyer on Laura's Reviews; these wins are quite recent and I haven't received the books yet.



On Natalie's blog, Pioneer Writer, I won the gorgeous turquoise tiger eye earrings more easily seen in the close-up picture above (photo from Natalie's blog) than in my first photo. Natalie made these earrings! They are quite stunning. She's very talented and has her own Etsy shop. I also "won" two books from authors, Here, Home, Hope by Kaira Rouda, and Perfectly Untraditional, the first novel by writer Sweta Srivastava Vikram. Last but certainly not least, I received A Game of Character by Craig Robinson (Michelle Obama' s older brother!) from TLC for a June book tour. I didn't win this book, although it kind of feels like I did.

Catch some of this book luck and enter my giveaway for Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps, edited by Dave Isay, if you haven't already done so (I will announce the winner tomorrow in a Really Random Tuesday post), or enter one of the other giveaways posted on the right side of my blog.

During the month of May, MariReads is hosting Mailbox Monday, a meme created by Marcia from The Printed Page (now called A girl and her books). What new books have you recently added to your shelves?