Happy Haulidays from Chronicle Books

As most of my fellow readers, followers, peeps, and friends know -- I am a book hoarder. I have stacks and stacks of books in my "To Be Read" pile. I have books I want to give to my friends. I attend book signings of favorite authors and celebrities. My house is virtually becoming a library; much to my family disgust.

Well...when I received this email from Chronicle Books, how could I say no: It's been a tough year for non-profits, libraries, reading rooms, and literacy programs. But you can make your favorite charity's holiday season bright by entering the 2nd Annual Happy Haul-idays Giveaway!

This year, we're not only giving away up to $500 worth of Chronicle books to one lucky blogger and one commenter on the winning blog post—we're also asking the winning blogger to choose one charity to receive up to $500 of books from us. It's just our way of spreading holiday cheer and sharing the gift of reading.

So if I had $500 to spend on books, what books would I get? Such a tough question...let me tackle this.

Here is my list:
1: The Lifeboard: Follow Your Vision. Realize Your Dreams. ($14.95)
2: Brain Boot Camp: Work Out Your Mind and Boost Brainpower with Your Very Own Electronic Coach ($29.95)
3: Curious Lists: A Creative Journal for List-Lovers ($12.95)
4: 1,001 Ways to Live in the Moment ($9.95)
5: Smut: Volume 2 ($14.95)
6: Batman: Murder at Wayne Manor: An Interactive Mystery ($24.95)
7: Dante's Divine Comedy: Boxed Set ($100.00)
8: Christopher Walken A to Z: The Man • The Movies • The Legend ($16.95)
9: Obsessed With Football: Test Your Knowledge on and off the Gridiron($29.95)
10: Women Know Everything!: 3,241 Quips, Quotes, and Brilliant Remarks ($16.95)
11: Simple Steps Toward a Healthier Earth ($12.99)
12: DC Superheroes: A How-to-Draw Kit ($16.95)
13: Other Goose: Re-Nurseried and Re-Rhymed Children's Classics ($19.99)
14: In the Garden with Van Gogh ($6.99)
15: Sylvia Long's Mother Goose ($22.99)
16: Atlanta ($29.95)
17: One Line a Day ($16.95)
18: The Ultimate Metallica ($35.00)
19: All My Friends Are Dead ($9.95)
20: Sexy Truth or Dare: Pick-A-Stick ($14.95)

The charity I would like to choose to receive $500 dollars worth of books (if I win) is Read Alliance which works to improve the educational trajectory of at-risk kindergarten and first grade students through one-to-one tutoring in basic reading skills. For typical students who come from a low-income home in New York City’s most disadvantaged communities—the learning unfornuately stops when the school day ends. The tragic result? 60% of children in inner city school districts nationwide, including a large proportion of New York City’s public school population and 100% of Read Alliance students, read below grade level. Without intervention, the achievement gap between these at-risk students and their peers will continue to grow, with detrimental effects on achievements later in life. In fact, studies show that struggling readers from low-income communities are 13 times less likely to complete high school than their peers who read proficiently. I simply do not like this data and studies and as a teacher, this charity is close to my heart.

Now remember, if I win, I will choose one lucky commenter on this entry to win the same haul of books that I chose. So comment comment comment!

UPDATE: I did not win this year. But it was fun entering! I crossed off the books I either ordered/put on my Amazon wish list. Thanks to everyone who posted a comment!