Really Random Tuesday #42: A Winner and a Wonderful Interview

(Photo courtesy of my daughter Angela)

Mugsy and I hope you had a lovely Christmas, and wish you a very happy New Year! Twenty twelve has a nice ring to it!

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Please congratulate Yvonne from Socrates' Book Review Blog and the Socrates' Cozy Café (the very title makes me wish I were curled up with a cozy mystery). Yvonne is the lucky winner of The CHICK-tionary by Anna Lefler. If you didn't win this time, please take a look at the other book giveaways listed on the right side of my blog.

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No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to make a dent in my to-be-read pile. But I was reassured a bit to learn that a very prolific author has a pile of to-be-read books on her own night table! Her novels center around the lives of women, feature magical realism and myth, and are read by millions worldwide. Please visit Lost in Fiction for a short but wonderful interview with Chilean author Isabel Allende by Lucy Hannau.

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Appearing on random Tuesdays, 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 another Really Random Tuesday post, please visit Vivienne's blog, Serendipity Reviews.

The CHICK-tionary: Review and Giveaway

Can we increase our intelligence as we get older?

I enjoy reading the dictionary to learn new words or to study words I already know. On Wednesdays I often stop by BermudaOnion's Weblog to peruse her Wondrous Words Wednesday meme. Call me a geek or a nerd (or a logophile), but I love words, and routinely add new ones to my vocabulary list.

Published in 2011, The CHICK-tionary: From A-Line to Z-Snap, the Words Every Woman Should Know by Anna Lefler is a tongue-in-cheek collection of more than 450 words (and some phrases) in alphabetical order (like a regular dictionary). There were many terms in it that I'd never heard before, such as cankles, denim rage, Fauxga, and scrimmage marriage (popular in the state I live in, CA). I do feel smarter now, or at least more well-informed. I laughed out loud numerous times at some of the outrageous definitions. Anna Lefler skillfully uses exaggeration to make her book as humorous as possible (which helps to soften the sting of what she's describing).

The CHICK-tionary, noun
Droll and amusing source book for women of a certain age

Whether you're an alpha girl, bag hag, cougar, puma, or just a regular gal, contending with Aunt Flo, a baby bump, flapjacks, or just a below-average mood, this book will lift your spirits. It deserves a special place on the shelf near other reference books, or next to your chick lit.

Good news! The publisher, Adams Media, is offering a copy of The Chicktionary as a giveaway (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 PST on Monday, December 26. One lucky winner will be randomly selected and announced on Tuesday, December 27. Good luck!


Special thanks to Lisa from TLC for sending me this book. For more reviews, please visit the other stops on TLC's The Chicktionary book blog tour. To visit Anna Lefler's blog, stop by Life Just Keeps Getting Weirder.