I'm not a terribly patient person.  I wish I was.  It would come in handy with this whole motherhood thing and, really, this whole life thing.  Generally, my inability to wait gets me in trouble, either because I spend too much money on something I could have gotten for cheaper or I make a rash decision that would have turned out better if I'd thought about it a little or well, you get the point.  Occasionally, though, my impatience pays off.  For someone.  In this case, it's you.  Here's what happened:

I was visiting with a friend, who happens to be a huge Dan Wells fan.  When she asked me if I'd read the author's new book, I (very articulately) said, "Huh?"  Being the incredibly informed book blogger that I am, I somehow missed the news about Well's newest, The Hollow City.  After my friend gushed about how brilliant the novel is, I knew I needed to read it.  Being of a practical mind (Will someone tell my husband to stop laughing?), I checked for it at the library.  No dice.  Then, I thought of Tor/Forge, Wells' fabulous publisher, a company which also happens to send me review books on a regular basis.  Maybe, just maybe, they were winging a copy to me.  A few weeks went by and nothing happened.  Finally, after hearing more great reviews of the book, I snapped.  I couldn't wait another second.  So, I ordered it online.  A few hours later, the doorbell rang.  The UPS guy handed me—what else?—a brand, spankin' new copy of The Hollow City, courtesy of the publisher.  After bemoaning my own impatience (not for the first time, believe me), I rushed to the computer and tried to cancel my online order.  Again, no dice.  I probably could return the second book to the online store from which it came, but, frankly, I'm just too darn lazy.  So, I decided to give it away instead.

First, let me tell you about the book.  Then, I'll give you all the details on how to win your own copy.  The jacket copy goes a little something like this—

Dan Wells won instant acclaim for his three-novel debut about the adventures of John Wayne Cleaver, a heroic young man who is also a potential serial killer.  All who read the trilogy were struck by the distinctive, believable voice Wells created for John.  (This is true in my case.  Though I found the books disturbing, they were, without a doubt well written.  Click on the book titles to see my reviews:  I Am Not A Serial Killer; Mr. Monster; I Don't Want to Kill You)


Now Wells returns with another innovative thriller told in a very different, but equally unique voice; a voice that comes to us from the realms of madness.

Michael Shipman has paranoid schizophrenia; he suffers from hallucinations, delusions, and complex, horrific fantasies of persecution.  They are as real to him as your life is to you.  He is haunted by sounds and voices, stalked by faceless men, and endlessly pursued by something even deeper and darker—something he doesn't dare think about.

Soon the authorities are linking him to a string of gruesome serial killings, and naturally no one believes his protestations of innocence.  On his worst days, he doesn't believe them himself.  Hounded on every side, Michael contemplates a terrifying possibility: that some of the monsters he sees are real.

Who can you trust if you can't even trust yourself?  The Hollow City is a mesmerizing journey into madness, where the most frightening enemy of all is your own mind.

Intriguing, right?  I haven't read the book yet—I'm starting it today, in fact—so I can't tell you much about it except that it sounds really, really good.  If you've read it, what did you think?

I promised you giveaway details, so here you go:  You can win a brand new, hardcover copy of The Hollow City by Dan Wells.  All you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling me about your favorite psychological thriller (supernatural or otherwise), be it a book or a movie (or both!).  If you do not have a public blog that you check regularly, please leave your email address as part of your comment.  The giveaway is open to readers with U.S. and Canadian addresses and will close on August 15.  That's it.  Unless, of course, you want to spread the word about the giveaway or chat up my blog in the social media venue of your choice.  Because I give extra entries for that.  I'll give you a breakdown of how that works here in a second—please tell me, in the comments section, which you did (no need for a bunch of separate entries) and I'll reward you accordingly :) Good luck!

- Follow my blog via GFC or other method (though I prefer GFC): (+1)
- Follow me on Twitter (@bbbforme): (+1)
- Become a fan on Facebook (you can click on the badge in the left sidebar): (+1)
- Blog, Tweet, or post on Facebook about this contest (+1 per method of word-spreading)

Oh, and don't forget to enter the other giveaway I've got going on right now.  I don't have too many entrants at the moment, so the odds of winning are very, very good!

I don't usually post on Sunday (day of rest and all that), but since this kinda sorta has to do with church (mine, anyway), I'm going to go ahead:

The LDS Publisher blog is sponsoring Summer Book Trek, a reading challenge that encourages people to read books by authors who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (commonly referred to as the LDS Church or the Mormon Church).  You do not have to be LDS to participate.  Before you turn away, thinking this is just a ploy by those sneaky Mormons to lure you into their clutches with a bunch of preachy books, STOP!  Any kind of book (except maybe picture books—not sure on that one) counts as long as it's by an LDS author and, honey, there are a whole lot of them:  Stephenie Meyer, Ally Condie, James Dashner, Brandon Sanderson, Brandon Mull, Dan Wells, Robison Wells, Kimberley Griffiths Little, Bree Despain, Emily Wing Smith, Brodi Ashton, Glen Beck, Richard Paul Evans, Jessica Day George, Shannon Hale, Janette Rallison, etc.  And that's just a short list of the ones who write books geared toward the general public.  There are plenty more.

Need another reason to join up?  How about this—prizes!  LDS Publisher has lots and lots of books and other fun stuff to give away.  There are many easy ways to earn points.  Plus, so far, there aren't many participants, which means you've got an even greater chance of winning prizes.  And, oh yeah, the rules are totally flexible.  You can read as many or as few books as you'd like.  You can change your reading list—add items, subtract them, alter them, whatever—at any time.  So, really, why wouldn't you join?

The challenge runs through the month of August (although you can start earning points now), and it's going to be lots of fun. Wanna join up?  Click here for all the details.


Here's a very tentative (and no doubt unrealistically ambitious) list of the books I'm hoping to read:  


The Hollow City by Dan Wells
Faith, Hope & Gravity by Merrill Osmond
Infinity Ring by James Dashner
Twitterpated by Melanie Jacobson
Evertaster by Adam Glendon Sidwell
Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf
Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Possession by Elana Johnson

I know.  It's impossible, but that's the cool thing about this challenge, I can add/delete titles at any time.  Sweet!