Happy Haul-idays: Chronicle Books Will Make a Readers Day

Have you heard of Chronicle Books? Thanks to Gwen at Chew & Digest Books, I heard about a totally AWESOME contest they're having called Happy Haul-idays. If you've got a blog, you come up with your ultimate wish list from Chronicle. One blogger will win their list - up to $500 worth of books! A dream come true for a book lover like me. And, it gets better. Not only will the blogger win their list - one of their readers will win it too!

It was SO hard to narrow it down, but here's what I finally came up with.

For the Kids

I love kids books and so far Sam has gotten some of that love passed on. Chronicle has some really unique and fun children's books, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to pick out a few.

I love quirky children's books and am drawn in by illustrations.

Other Goose: Re-Nurseried and Re-Rhymed Children's Classics Retold and Illustrated by J.otto Seibold ($19.99) - I love re-imagined classic stories, so I figure Sam and I could really enjoy this one together.














Shadow by Suzy Lee ($15.99) - Sam has been really into shadows lately and making shadow puppets, so I think he'd really like this one.






The Present by Bob Gill ($15.99) - This one looks really cute, and Sam has a big imagination so I think it would inspire him.












Odd Velvet by Mary Whitcomb ($14.99) - If you've got a kid who's just a little different, books like this are awesome. They show that it's okay to be yourself, and open the door for discussions about what makes each of us unique.











Humor

Laughter is a great release, and Chronicle has some great books to make you laugh out loud. What better way to start the new year than with a laugh?

Tiny Art Director by Bill Zeman ($14.95) - What parent hasn't been bossed around by their child? Imagine being an artist and hearing your child's opinions about your art. Just look at that cover - who could resist?







F in Exams by Richard Benson ($9.95) - I'm sure that a lot of you have seen those chain emails with the hysterical answers people write. Well, this guy wrote a book. And I want it!
















Dirt is Good for You from the editors of Babble.com ($15.95) - As a parent, I can't help liking stories of parenting got wrong. They remind me that we're all human, and none of us are alone.















All my friends are dead. by ($9.95) - A picture book for grown ups, this book presents the downside to being everything from a dinosaur to a clown to a zombie. I bet that Sam would think this one was really funny too, he has a great sense of humor!














Dirty Little Secrets from Otherwise Perfect Moms by Trisha Ashworth and Amy Nobile ($12.95) - Just another look into the pitfalls of parenting! I am a sucker for these stories.
















Photography

Since I love photography but don't usually splurge on really nice photo books, I couldn't resist some of the cool collections that Chronicle makes.

Animal Logic by Richard Barnes ($65.00) - "Through his lens, sights and objects normally hidden from public view—half-installed dioramas, partially wrapped specimens, anatomical models, exploded skulls, and taxidermied animals in shipping crates—take on a strange beauty." How cool does this sound? I love photo-journalism, and this sounds like a great collection of captured moments.









Bloom by Ron van Dongen ($35.00) - If you've been around here for a while, you may have noticed that I love photographing flowers. So how could I resist this gorgeous volume?










Girl Culture by Lauren Greenfield (40) - "In Girl Culture, she combines a photojournalist’s sense of story with fine-art composition and color to create an astonishing and intelligent exploration of American girls." On my bookshelves, I have a section of books about women and girls. Feminist type books, books about birth and friendship and being a woman. I'd love to add this one.






Creature by Andrew Zuckerman ($60.00) - "This collection of astonishing studio portraits of 175 wild creatures—from baby leopards to parrots, bears, mandrills, and many more—are stunningly foregrounded against white backgrounds, depicting their subjects with rare sensitivity, insight, humor, and wonder." I love animals, and this just looks so cool. I love the idea of being able to look at the animals with the white background and really see them like never before.






Humanity by Geoff Blackwell ($24.95) - "This stunning treasury of color and black-and-white photographs was sourced from a major international photography competition to find extraordinary and geographically diverse photographs that celebrate humanity's moments of intimacy, laughter, and kinship." More captured moments for me!











The New Photography Manual by Steve Bavister and Lee Frost and Rod Lawton and Andrew Fleetwood and Patrick Hook ($29.95) - "...definitive illustrated guide to all things photography-related. A veritable bible for beginners as well as an invaluable reference for accomplished photographers, this volume covers the ins and outs of photography equipment and techniques." I may be SLIGHTLY jumping the game because I don't actually have my new camera yet... but I can start learning!

Random

Sometimes you just come across a book that you need to add to your collection. Here's a little insight into the quirky stuff you might find on my bookshelf.

Extreme Encounters by Greg Emmanuel ($15.95) - There's just something about close encounters isn't there? Escaping just by a hair. Call it luck or skill, these are stories of things most of us will (hopefully) never experience. I can't resist!















Back to Us: A Couple's Journal of Reconnection and Growth by Raphael Cushnir ($19.95) - "Back to Us is designed to take couples on a journey that will lead them to a more fulfilling relationship, whether they have been together for five years or fifty." You may have noticed that marriage is not always easy. I LOVE the idea of using a guided system of prompts, quizzes and conversation starters to reconnect and nurture my relationship.










The Exquisite Book by By Julia Rothman, Jenny Volvovski,
and Matt Lamothe Foreword by Dave Eggers ($29.95) - "The Exquisite Book, one hundred indie artists play an ingenious version of the Exquisite Corpse drawing game. Each adorns a page with artwork—having seen only the page of the artist immediately prior and using a single horizon line to connect the two." This just sounds cool!











Get High Now by James Nestor ($14.95) - "Get High Now is an illustrated, mind-blowing magic carpet ride of more than 175 ways to alter human perception and consciousness—without drugs or alcohol. Culled from science, physiology, spiritual practices, and the audio visual arts, these "all natural" highs playfully and safely explore the mind-body connection to entertaining and illuminating effect." The human body is pretty amazing, and I love learning quirky stuff about how it works. So, this caught my eye.










Hey! It's That Guy by Tara Ariano and Adam Sternbergh ($14.95) - I'm a major TV junkie, and this book sounds like just the thing to brush up my trivia and useless knowledge!















So, that's my wish list. You can find details of the contest and a list of all the blogs that are participating here. Make your own list or visit other bloggers to comment and get a chance at winning the books on their wish list! Friday is the last day to enter, so get on it! Or just leave a comment here, and if I win - so do you!