‘Last Night at the Lobster’ Title Parody Contest – Give Stewart O’Nan Ideas for His Next Novel – Should He Call It ‘Last Jiggle at Hooters’?

Some critics say that the hallmark of a good book title is that it’s distinctive enough to lend itself to wordplay. Think of all the puns and parodies you’ve seen of Hemingway novels alone – For Whom the Belles Toll, The Son Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms Control.

By that standard, Last Night at the Lobster is a great title – so good that Stewart O’Nan www.stewart-onan.com may have trouble topping it with his next novel. So let’s give him some help. What should he call his next book? A few ideas:

Last Nacho at Chi-Chi’s
Last Jiggle at Hooters

Last Boomerang at the Outback

If you have other ideas, please leave a comment by 5 p.m. on March 28. I don’t have a prize for this one. But you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that your wit may have helped someone make it to the weekend. I’ll comment after all the nominations are in. And – who knows? – O’Nan might actually take your suggestion.

© 2008 Janice Harayda. All rights reserved.

I Can’t GIVE Holly Peterson’s ‘The Manny’ Away

Did I make the book sound THAT bad? Or should I have said that if you win it I won’t publish your name and tell people you actually wanted to read its bad sex scenes?

On Saturday I announced the rules for a contest that would let you win Holly Peterson’s novel about a male nanny, The Manny, and nobody has claimed the prize. I can’t say I blame you. But this book probably won’t be out in paperback until 2008. So if you’re worried that you’ve been reading too much high-toned intellectual material lately, here again are the rules: www.oneminutebookreviews.wordpress.com/2007/06/30/.

Here are the links to the review www.oneminutebookreviews.wordpress.com/2007/06/26/ and to the page numbers for some of the worst sex scenes in the book www.oneminutebookreviews.wordpress.com/2007/06/27/.

I’ll be having more contests that let you win bestsellers and other books this summer, announced between 5 p.m. Friday and 5 p.m. Saturday if there’s a contest that week. So check back then if you’re interested. You can see some of the books offered in past contests by clicking on the “Contests” link at right.

(c) 2007 Janice Harayda. All rights reserved.

Win a Copy of Holly Peterson’s ‘The Manny’

What! You STILL want to read Holly Peterson’s The Manny after all I wrote this week about its cringe-inducing sex scenes? Okay, you can win my copy of this new novel about a Park Avenue wife who hires a male nanny to care for her 9-year-old son.

Here’s how to win:

1) Link from your blog to this post or any other on One-Minute Book Reviews (or add One-Minute Book Reviews to your blogroll).

2) Send an e-mail message that includes the link to the address on the “Contact” page on this site. Include your mailing address.

3) If you’re the first person to send a link I can verify and you live in the U.S., I’ll send you the book. (I’ll pay the postage.) This is the copy of The Manny that I used to write the review and reading group guide to the novel that appeared on this site on on June 26 www.oneminutebookreviews.wordpress.com/2007/06/26/. I don’t mark up books (I make notes in a notebook), so the novel in good condition except for a smudge on the cover (underneath the dust jacket, so I didn’t see it until I got it home from the store). You can read the first pages of the novel by going to www.randomhouse.com and clicking on the links for the novel and then on “Read an excerpt.”

4) You must be age 18 or over to enter. And you may NOT link from a porn site or have won another contest on One-Minute Book Reviews within the past 30 days. I decide what’s “porn.”

Because links can be slow in showing up on Word Press and Technorati, you must send an e-mail message to the address on the contact page to win. I’ll judge the winner by the times on the e-mails.

This is the fourth in a series of book giveways that I’ll be having on Fridays or Saturdays on this site this summer. Contests are announced between 5 p.m. on Friday and 5 p.m. on Saturday Eastern time. There may not be a giveaway every week, and not all giveaways may require a link. Some may involve explaining why you want the book.

(c) 2007 Janice Harayda. All rights reserved.