Surprises - The Good Kind

Let it be known that, control freak that she is, The Baroness is not so big on surprises.

Knowing that someone has been working in the background, with me blithely and fully unaware, is extremely vexing.

Because I would like to think, as a know-it-all, that I, well, know it. All.

And I don't.

This becomes more crystal-clear on an hourly basis.

(*Note to vonB children: There - Mommy's gone public. She does NOT know it all. I repeat - she does NOT know it all. So stop asking so many questions, already. Have you not heard of Wikipedia?)

However.

Sometimes, there are good surprises.

What makes these different from all other surprises? I guess it's the random, out-of-the-blue-ness of it all. For instance, like espying this in a window:

(Remember me? Aidez-moi? I'm still here - waiting for your assistance...)

Or this e-mail to me, from a Valerie Russo, Web Publicist for Hachette Book Group USA:

Hi, Baroness:

I saw your Alice Sebold post and was wondering if you'd lke to do an online giveaway of The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold now that it is in paperback. I have gratis copies of The Almost Moon to offer you for giveaway on your site.

Would you like to host a giveaway of the book?

Well, hellz ya, Miss V! Thank you so much for the pleasant surprise.

Here it is, thrown out to y'all. I have 5 - count 'em - 5 paperback copies of "The Almost Moon" to give away. This is a good thing because:

a) I just finished reading my own copy (which I had to pay for, btw) and found it absolutely fascinating. How Alice Sebold can take the unthinkable and make us want to think about it, I do not know.

Normally at this point, I would then begin the lending out chain (Can my friend have it when I'm done? Can she give it to her friend? Her cousin in Latvia? Her cousin's boyfriend? Girlfriend?
Third-cousin's parole officer?)

b) I love giving stuff, especially stuff like this:

randomly.

Because no one ever wants random stuff like this:

So, let me know if you want a copy for your burgeoning collections, and how Ms. Russo can get it to you in the mail (if the books free to me, I'm not about to pay postage either.)

(To the U.S?)

(What? Am I taking crazy pills?)

(The answer is yes, but that has nothing to do with this).

You can send me your addy's off-line at Baroness von B's Bookworm Hotline:

BaronessvonB@gmail.com

Operator(me) is standing by to take your call.

(Photo credit here)