-Zora, The Springsweet
Pretty much every writer started out as a reader; now that we're writers, we can't help but write about people who love books. Sometimes IN the books. It's meta upon meta, but it makes perfect sense to us.
To celebrate books, Saundra Mitchell's blog tour is all about sharing two great things that go great together: books + free. She's kicking it off here because THE SPRINGSWEET takes place in Oklahoma Territory, a great complement to THE REVENANT's historical Oklahoma setting.
Today, you can enter to win a copy of THE REVENANT, and a signed set of Saundra's THE VESPERTINE and THE SPRINGSWEET. All you have to do is comment in this entry, and leave an e-mail address where we can contact you. (US & Canadian residents only, please.)
And tell us about your favorite book, too. Growing a TBR pile is the best gardening there is!
THE SPRINGSWEET
A Companion to The Vespertine
by Saundra Mitchell
Hardcover & E-book
From Harcourt
“A lovely historical romance takes readers back to the 1890 Oklahoma territory. (T)he author conjures a convincing picture of life on the Oklahoma prairie, painting an absorbing portrait of the landscape and of the people there. A high-quality, absorbing drama.”
– Kirkus Reviews, 02/01/12
It’s a long way from Baltimore to Oklahoma Territory. But Zora Stewart will go any distance to put the tragic events of her sixteenth summer behind her. So this city girl heads to the tiny frontier town of West Glory to help her young widowed aunt keep her homestead going.When another Baltimorean shows up in West Glory, Zora couldn’t be more surprised. Theo de la Croix made the long trip out west hoping to court Zora, whom he has long admired from afar.
But Zora has developed an attraction to a rather less respectable fellow: Emerson Birch, a rough-mannered young “sooner” whose fertile land is coveted.
As Zora begins to suspect that there may be more than luck behind Emerson’s good land, she discovers an extraordinary, astonishing power of her own: the ability to sense water under the parched earth. When her aunt hires her out as a “springsweet” to advise other settlers where to dig their wells, Zora feels the burden of holding the key to something so essential to survival in this unforgiving land.
Even more, she finds herself longing for love the way the prairie thirsts for water. Maybe, in the wildness of the territories, Zora can finally move beyond simply surviving and start living.
THE SPRINGSWEET
is available at Indiebound |Amazon| Barnes & Noble
Saundra Mitchell has been a phone psychic, a car salesperson, a denture-deliverer and a layout waxer. She's dodged trains, endured basic training, and hitchhiked from Montana to California. She teaches herself languages, raises children, and makes paper for fun. She's the author of Shadowed Summer, The Vespertine, The Springsweet, and the forthcoming The Elementals and Mistwalker. She's also the editor of the forthcoming YA anthology Defy the Dark. She always picks truth; dares are too easy. 

Oh, dear. It's hard to pick only ONE favorite book. But at this very moment, I think my favorite book would have to be... (I'm thinking about this...) ... SHATTER ME by Tahereh Mafi. That's the first book that comes to mind when I try to think of one. Oh, and I loved THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER by Michelle Hodkin, too! *sigh* So many wonderful books...
ReplyDeletemakesmeworse12@gmail.com
♥Jessica(:
Great recs! Thanks for entering. :)
DeleteI recently read The Vespertine, it was such a treat!!! I can't wait for The Springsweet (and must admit haven't read The Revenant yet, but I keep reminding myself). I'm reading I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga right now, and just finished TRASH by Andy Mulligan. I LOVED this one. Simple with great characters.
ReplyDeleteCool recs. Also, if you loved THE VESPERTINE, I know you will enjoy SPRINGSWEET! Yay! Thanks for entering.
DeleteI absolutely devoured Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard. I have such a love for that novel. Definitely a must read.
ReplyDeleteVivien
deadtossedwaves at gmail dot com
I loved WANDERLOVE, too! Quite a departure for me, and I'm so glad I tried it. Thanks for entering!
DeleteI would say Triangles by Ellen Hopkins. It is by far the most powerful thing I have ever read! Mind blowing.
ReplyDeleteStephanie27
drinkshrunkentears at gmail dot com
Oooh, I'm going to add that title to my list. Thanks for entering!
DeleteGood grief. I'm terrible at picking favorite books. Some of the best things I've read this year would include; Very LeFreak by Rachel Cohn, Will Grayson Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan, and Beauty Queens by Libba Bray.
ReplyDeleteI could use a change of pace and I do love a good period piece. This book sounds very intriguing...so pick me! pick me!
Valerie
valerierlawson@gmail.com
I like your choices and am embarrassed to say I haven't read any of them yet. (I fail.) Thanks for entering, Valerie!
DeleteI just finished - and loved - The Fry Chronicles. I know it's not YA, but I picked it up in the UK and was absorbed from the first page, until the 446th page. It details the Cambridge years of Stephen Fry and is in turns hysterical, tragic, dry...it's a keeper for sure. I can't wait for his next installment!
ReplyDeleteI'm looking for new YA recommendations too, so I'll be checking back here to see other comments :)
I MUST READ THIS BOOK. I am obsessed with Cambridge at the moment, and I do love Stephen Fry. Thanks for the rec. And thanks for entering!
DeleteAs a believer that we should not get stuck in one genre I'm putting up two faves, both far from YA. Jack Kerouac's On The Road (actually not that far), and Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried (pretty darn far).
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great offer!
carlscott(at)prodigy(dot)net(dot)mx
Classic recs, yay! Thanks for entering. :)
DeleteWhoops, fell at the first hurdle there.. email is scwinegardner(at)gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI LOVE Saundra's books! I got to meet her at a book signing last summer in Michigan and she's absolutely FABULOUS! Hmmm...as for favorite YA's well that's quite a list but here are some of my recent faves: The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han, The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, A Discovery of Witches (which isn't YA but still awesome), The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell, Stolen by Lucy Christopher...yikes I could go on and on, but those are just a few.
ReplyDeleterebekahg22 (At) yahoo.com
Lots of great titles -- thanks for entering!
DeleteI finally grabbed WHY WE BROKE UP, and it was super interesting writing-wise. Loved WANDERLOVE as well, but saw that was already mentioned :) tarynalAThotmailDOTcom
ReplyDeleteI'll have to check out WHY WE BROKE UP. Thanks for entering!
DeleteFavorite book...this is hard! I'll go with my two favorite books that I read this year, which are Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi and Unravelling by Elizabeth Norris.
ReplyDeletemoviefanatic1911(@)yahoo(.)com
Great titles, Alicia! Thanks for entering. :)
DeleteI have so many favorites... Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins, Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready, Hounded by Kevin Hearne, My Life as a White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland. I could keep naming, but I think these are definitely my top 4.
ReplyDeleteSara M
sara_UFblog [at] yahoo [dot] com
Great choices! I appreciate you entering. :)
DeleteOh my goodness, all my recent favorites have already been mentioned! I love Under the Never Sky SO much, it's such an original sci-fi/dystopian. Wanderlove is definitely my favorite contemporary of late. For newer reads, I'm finally diving in to Patrick Ness's Chaos Walking trilogy, and it is SO GOOD. People aren't lying when they say these books are the real deal.
ReplyDeleteI'm ashamed to say I haven't read The Vespertine or The Revenant yet, but I've heard lovely things about both! I"m excited to check out The Springweet too. :)
Thanks for the chance to win!
laurellandau@gmail.com
Oooh, I need to read that Patrick Ness trilogy. Thanks for mentioning it!
DeleteWell I love so many books but some of my favorites are The Unearthly Series by Cynthia Hand!
ReplyDeleteashtreygonesmokeya@yahoo.com
Yay! Thanks for entering!
DeleteThis is such a hard question because I always feel as if the book that is destined to be my absolute favorite is some book on the cusp of coming out. I absolutely loved The Vespertine and I'm so looking forward to favoriting The Springsweet.
ReplyDeleteBut as for favorites that I've actually read, I loved Daphne DuMaurier's Rebecca, Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto, Winter Rose by Patricia McKillip and Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya.
Ooooh, great books. I know you'll love SPRINGSWEET!
DeleteWow cool! I loveddddd The Vespertine, especially because of the fact that it was written with the setting in Baltimore, which is where i was born and raised and still live!!!
ReplyDeleteSome of my favorite YA books are Obsidian (Jennifer Armentrout), Abandon (Meg Cabot), The Hunger Games series (Suzanne Collins), Graceling and Fire (Kristin Cashore), Article 5 (Kristen Simmons), Grave Mercy (Robin LaFevers), Die For Me (Amy Plum), Across the Universe series (Beth Revis), and of course, The Vespertine(Saundra!). But those are just a few. I actually don't have that much of a TBR pile, because I usually borrow or buy books pretty quickly
Thanks for hosting part of the tour and providing one of your books!!! :D
Alyssa Susanna
EMAIL: lilleetleet@verizon.net
I loved The Vespertine when I read it last fall. The writing was just so lyrical. Loved it and can't wait to read The Springsweet and learn more about Zora. My favorite read this year so far was actually an older book. My Soul to Take from the Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent. It was a fun read, and I liked the banshee and reaper idea. Thanks for the chance to win!
ReplyDeleteforgot to add my email:
Deleteamy dot swihart at gmail dot com Thanks!
My favorite book is The Naming by Alison Croggon. It's such a great book, from an author of the land down under! If you haven't read it, you should! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for being part of the tour!
Lily Sooklal
Email: lilypi@verizon.net
I think my favorite book changes depending on the mood, but since the book that really hooked me on reading hasn't changed I would say my favorite book still continues to be Tamora Pierce's book In the Hand of the Goddess.
ReplyDeletewheems01 (at) gmail (dot) com