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 Great Authors Read It's true — scientists have confirmed that great authors DO read books! And so does Debi of St. Petersburg, Florida, who is presently reading $250 worth of free books awarded by Powells.com. We're quite sure Debi is doing the great authors proud with her selections.
Before it became the star of a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, Spam was a staple in our Powells.com diet. We sincerely hope that Vic of San Luis Obispo, California, is enjoying a scrumptious Trojan Horse with his $250 worth of free books — and that he doesn't get that runny Velveeta all over the pages. Best Night of Your Life While we can't attest to whether James of Portland, Oregon, even attended his high school Prom, we have a strong suspicion he's having more fun buying $250 in free books from Powells.com. We only wish we could have pinned a boutonniere to his lapel when we gave him his award.
Each year Powells.com asks its readers to pick the year's best titles. In 2004 our readers chose America: The Book for nonfiction (Powells.com employees concurred) and The Da Vinci Code for fiction (Powells.com employees chose our readers' runner-up, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell). However, the year's biggest winner was most certainly Embry of Seattle, Washington, who received $250 in free books and an additional $100 worth of free books for friends Cristy and Dean. Happy reading!
Guadalupe Burl may have resolved to quit eating caramels while she reads, but we suspect Leslie of Dallas, Texas is enjoying the $250 worth of free books she won with several handfuls of yummy caramel treats. The great part about caramel-coated fingerprints is, you can always snack on them later! Happy Holidays from the Powell's Gang No one understands the madness of the holiday season like the gang from Powells.com. We're pleased as Grandma's spiked punch to give Michael of Marietta, Georgia, the perfect respite from the holidays: $250 worth of free books! We hope for his sake that Michael saves at least a few of those books for next December. 2004 Signed First Collection Ruthof Grand Blanc, Michigan won 17 signed first editions from Powells.com, including Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris, Diary by Chuck Palahniuk, Eragon by Christopher Paolini, The Full Cupboard of Life by Alexander McCall Smith, and many more! Buried Pleasure
Sometimes elusive, not unlike a kitten, Pleasure can hide from sight and leap out at you without warning. Here are three people who were pleasantly attacked by Pleasure: Michael of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, received our $200 grand prize; Penni of Mississauga, Ontario, won $100; and Lori of Fort Wayne, Indiana, won $50. Keep your eyes peeled — you never know when Pleasure might pounce on you!  Our 10th Anniversary Essay Contest
The grand prize winner is Paige Sechler of Kutztown, Pennsylvania, whose essay, "Never Shall I Forget," earned $1,000 in free books! Paige was shocked and amazed to win, and says, "I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to share great works of literature, such as [Elie] Weisel's Night, with students who might otherwise not have the opportunity to read books of this kind, and the $1,000 from Powells.com will go a long way toward helping me continue to do just that." The following runners-up each received $100 in books: Susie Miller of Bodega, California Read all of the winning essays here. Congratulations to one and all! Wiener Dogs in Fuzzy Slippers No fuzzy slippers for Erin of Vancouver, British Columbia — nor a wiener dog, for that matter — but she did win $250 worth of free books. So that should keep her warm at nights, at least for a little while.  Croc Tears
Congratulations are in order for Shelley of Fairfield, Illinois, the winner of our Crocodile Tears contest. Crocodiles can't lick, but Shelley licked the competition when her email address was chosen in our random drawing! Have fun spending your $250 prize!  Cheese Hurts
In 2002, forty people in the UK were injured by cheese. Luckily, Kathleen of Dearborn, Michigan, was free of cheese accidents. And to top off her good fortune — she won $250 in books in our Cheese Hurts contest! Cheese hurts some, but books hurt none. Jellyfish: Nature's Octopus
Jellyfish may or may not be nature's octopus — we're still researching that — but we are sure that Tixi from East Elmhurst, NY is nature's winner! "I am SO SO happy to learn that I am the winner of your contest!! I cannot wait to order those wonderful bestsellers from your site!"  Provoking Scissors
The winner of our June contest — Kelly of Woodward, Oklahoma — couldn't manage to open the Provoking Scissors. But neither could we. And, we don't have $250 in books. Kelly does. We never liked those damned scissors anyway. Plaid Balloons
North Carolina is home state to the winner of our May contest — congratulations James! Though NC is not known for its haute couture, James proved his savvy by entering our contest in praise of the hottest fashion accessory in years, Plaid Balloons! James can spend his $250 prize on any books of his choosing, but, sadly, not on belts, hats, or handbags.  Golfing Is Grand
"I am so excited that I won this contest! Powells is the best bookstore ever." That's what Meredith of Las Vegas, Nevada had to say upon hearing that she'd won $250 in books in our Golfing Is Grand contest. A hole in one! Paste Magazine Contest
We picked Ron of Surrey, British Columbia as the winner of our Paste Contest. Upon hearing his fate, Ron gushed, "This is so wonderful! I am really thrilled to have been chosen." We understand Ron's excitement — he had just won a full year's subscription to the music magazine Paste, and each issue includes a bonus CD. Thrilling, indeed! Frivolities of Frosting
Stacey of Methuen, Massachusetts won the Frivolities of Frosting Contest, garnering $250 in books for herself or whomever she deems fit. After all, Stacey admitted, "I love to shop online!" She also prefers "to patronize independent booksellers." Finally, Stacey, you can have your cake and eat it too! Ty Pennington Contest
Remembrance of Contests Past
Frank who hails from our hometown, Portland, OR, won $250 credit in Rembrance of Contests Past. Presently, Frank can use the credit toward any books or merchandise his heart desires. Congratulations! Signed First Editions
"Is this for real?" exclaimed Chris of Pittsboro, North Carolina. Yes, it's true — Chris really did win sixteen autographed first editions that we had collected over the course of the year. Some of the titles in the collection included The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson, Finding My Balance by Mariel Hemingway, Mortals by Norman Rush, and The Teammates by David Halberstam. "I guess I need to build more shelves." Yes, also true. Lord of the Rings
Where Would You Go?
In conjuction with Fodor's travel guides, Powells.com presented Julie from Auburn, Washington with the trip of a lifetime, destination unknown. Julie won $500 toward air travel anywhere in the world! The sky's the limit. Congratulations, Julie, the choice is yours! OED
To celebrate the seventy-fifth anniversary of The Oxford English Dictionary, it behooved us to give away a copy of the final word in words. A complete set, twenty volumes in all, was awarded to Robert of Nutley, New Jersey. Mr. Robert "I Never Win Anything" said the set would make a nice addition to his already luminous collection of more than 10,000 books. Indeed! And, what impressive spoils, the OED, for a first time winning. Bees Keep the Books Away
Field of Pigs
Miss Better Judgement
And the winner is... Debbi of Clifton Park, New York! Hurrah! Debbi showed great skill and grace in using her better judgment by entering our August contest worth $250 in books. She further wowed the judges by choosing Bob as the recipient of the $50 Powell's Card for a friend. If for any reason Debbi cannot perform her duties as Miss Better Judgement, a runner-up will be chosen to find Debbie and give her a good talking-to. Book-Reading Lobster
Win-Win
What school couldn't use more money to stock their classrooms and libraries with more books? Not a one was our answer. So, we decided to give away $250 to a lucky Powells.com visitor and $250 to his/her school of choice. Douglas from Woodland, California won the contest and chose Dingle Elementary as the school recipient. Altruistic Douglas admitted, "I have no affiliation of any kind with the school, just live in the area. I simply feel that the kids could benefit from Powell's generous gift." Don't books bring out the best in people? We hope both winners enjoy their prizes for years to come. Feast of Indian Gifts
Feast of Roses author, Indu Sundaresan, helped us out with this contest. Compliments of Indu was a hand-picked gift package from her native country. We added to it a $150 Powell's Card for our lucky winner, Meriah of Doswell, Virginia. "That's great news!" Meriah exclaimed upon hearing she'd won. "I'm a major book addict, so I'm always happy to get more." Trophies
We offered ribbons, rosettes, and bright, shiny trophies for our latest contest prize. But, in the long run, we decided books were better. (We're so predictable.) And, Shawn from Portland, Oregon took first place. Congratulations, Shawn! Daffodils, Counselors
Toni for President
Though her stance on most platforms has yet to be identified, Toni Collette does have a bit of a following around here. Some of our staffers have taken it so far as to develop plans to have her in the White House by 2008. Whatever the political bent, we decided to use the campaigning as a springboard for giving away free stuff. Andrea Ford of Montfort, Wisconsin was inaugurated into our long line of proud winners with $200 in books and a $50 Powell's Card for a friend. Andrea had this to say, "I am so excited. What a dream to be able to go into a bookstore and pick out anything you want!" Here you go, Andrea, free rein. 2003 Puddly Awards
Annually we ask you to vote for the best book you read the previous year. This year's Puddly Awards were met with resounding enthusiasm. The suspense was palpable. After much tallying, we presented the 2003 Golden Galoshes to... For fiction: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. For nonfiction: Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. But, Jennifer of Bend, Oregon was the big winner with a contest prize of one Powell's Card worth $250 and five Cards worth $50 apiece for five lucky friends! Congratulations to all. The Joy of Slacks, Indeed
Fifteen Books, Fifteen Autographs
Donna from New South Wales, Australia was "over the moon" when she heard news that she had won our Signed First Editions contest. Donna was about to receive fifteen autographed books from some of the most prominent authors of the year, and simply couldn't contain herself: "Thank you very much — I look forward to reading and reading the books. My mother and I love reading very much and often buy between us and share the books we buy. When we finish with the books we pass them on to others for their enjoyment, also. I eagerly await my prize and I am surprised I won." Enjoy! Report from the Crystal Ball: Free Books
What's in your destiny? Well, Dave from Chandler, Arizona saw $250 in books in his when he won our Destiny contest. As is sometimes the case with fate, Dave's reaction was skeptical, "Did I really win?" Yes, Dave. Congratulations. Cruddy Weather Means Free Books
Cheryl and her husband, Charles, won our Cruddy Weather Coming contest. Being from North Vancouver, British Columbia, they know all about cruddy weather. But, that didn't faze Cheryl who responded with a wholehearted, "Yippee!" And, went on to tell us, "We are homeschoolers, and this will be put to good use!" Fantastic. Nine Months, Many Books
One Plus Two
Squish Squish
Don't you hate it when your books get wet? We do, too, so we decided to ease those soggy sorrows with our Wet Books contest. Congratulations go out to Raymond of Tacoma, Washington who reigned victorious with $250 credit at Powells.com to use at his leisure. Sorry, towels not included. Excitement sans Jive
We're always happy when we can impart a little excitement into someone's day. But who knew that we had the power to carry the excitement through 52 weeks!? Cecile from Kennebunkport, Maine, the winner of our No Jive contest, thinks it's a possibility. With $250 in books as a prize, Cecile proclaims, "I'm so excited I can't stand it! You've made my day, my month, and maybe my year!" We'll check back next June. Laundry List of Desirable Reads
Fred from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania is the winner of our Laundry List contest. "What wonderful news! I now become one of those who can no longer say that he has never won anything. Not only that, but winning $200 dollars worth of books from Powell's makes it even better. My friends will say that I have received my just rewards." As well as his own $200 Powell's card, Fred won the ability to choose a recipient for the $100 friend prize. His choice Bob from Finleyville, PA, who just happens to be his dad. "I hope a dad can count as a friend." Absolutely — what better friend than one's dad? Congratulations to father and son. T.B.O.E.W.
What a Deal
The winner of our Just Deals contest was, well, just excited. "This is great!" Linda from Philadelphia, PA exclaimed, and when we asked her for permission to use her name on our winners page she wrote, "Feel free... I check the page every month to see who's won." Here you go, Linda, bragging rights. Free Books – Or a Handful of Eggs?
It came as no surprise to us that Edmund of beautiful Oquossoc, Maine chose the free books option of our latest giveaway — $250 in Books or a Handful of Eggs Contest. After all, Ed says, "Next to my wife and two daughters, books are my love." And, they're lower in cholesterol. Read in good health, Ed. 2002 Puddly Awards
Happy New Year!
Maybe it was the holiday spirit, or too much celebratory champagne, but in January we gave away two Powell's Cards worth $200 each! The recipients of our generosity/befuddlement were Katherine of Tigard, Oregon and her friend Linda of Wilsonville, Oregon. Congratulations, ladies! ...now, bring on the coffee. The 2001 Powells.com Collection
Book Learnin'
It wasn't mandatory that one be a student to win our Free Books for the School Year Contest, however, it seems learning can pay off. Fate has chosen student Jenny of Portland, Oregon to enjoy $30 in books every month until June 2002. As we encourage the establishment of a well-rounded education, be it at university or the local coffee shop, we impose no specifications on what books can be purchased with the prize money. Indeed, Jenny, if you want to spend it all on Star Wars graphic novels, or stock up on steamy romance picks for the summer, or complete your Nancy Drew collection, then so be it! (And, no, we won't tell your mother.) The Friendliest Contest in Town
We're brimming with warm fuzzies! In the Free-Books-for-You-and-a-Friend Contest Denise of Vancouver, Washington won $250 in books and the deepest adulation of her mate Beth upon whom Denise bestowed the friend-prize of $100. Truly a win-win situation.  Sun is MoneyDid you break a sweat? We sure did! And it all paid off for John of Annapolis, Maryland. For every day that the mercury exceeded 80 degrees Fahrenheit, we promised to add $25 to the Sweat! Win! Go! Contest kitty. According to The National Weather Service, Portland enjoyed eight days of gorgeous 80+ degree weather. That translates to $200 in books! Congratulations, John. Now, go hit the showers, champ. A Winner Twelve-Fold!
Congratulations go out to Judy of Vancouver, British Columbia! Judy accepted her crown as the book-a-month winner with overt enthusiasm, "I'm absolutely thrilled!! This is the first time that I've ever won anything and for an avid reader who has to keep adding bookshelves no prize could possibly delight me more. How wonderful! I retired from teaching two years ago and am just beginning to get into stride with all my planned reading." Though Judy's choice of titles is all her own, we offer one book recommendation as a start. Cool Beans!
(Metaphysically Speaking) The elusive bean came in a vision. It appeared in all its tutti-frutti splendor before Espen of Bergen, Norway. He was understandably confused at first, "I don't know what to say... This baffles me." But, once it was clear that this was the $250 winning candy in our (Metaphysical) Jellybean Contest, Espen was clearly grateful, "Thank you. Thank you. A million times thanks..." No, Espen, we thank you for using your power for the benefit of a priori confections everywhere! Moral of the story: candy is good for you.  Coconutty?
The winner of our Coconut Shell Contest was Katie from Lawrenceville, Georgia. Congratulations, Katie! Spend your $250 wisely – though there was a ping-pong ball under every one of our coconuts, not every city is so contestant-friendly.  Camellias Threaten City
Here we are. We're still alive and no worse for the wear. No, the camellias weren't on hormones, or even a little tougher than usual. Turns out it was all a publicity hoax by The Committee to Countermine Camellia Corollas. They were trying to convince the public that camellias are no more than a bunch of petals. Having a weak campaign, they soon found out that's the reason most people like them. Good thing we called on the assistance of Jeff from Concord, California. He saw the hype for what it was, so we rewarded him with $250 in books! Congratulations, Jeff, and thanks for the help. No Sweat!
In light of all the voting and raindrop counting of recent Powell's contests, the powers that be figured our No Sweat entrants need not put forth so much effort to win. And our 2001 No Sweat winner, Jennifer from New York, did (or didn't do?) just that! Although exertion was optional, Jennifer admitted that upon winning "...yes I did hop up and down in my office," adding, "I've never won anything before... hopefully this is a lucky streak." Keep exercising your right to do nothing, Jennifer. That's our advice!  The 2001 Puddly Awards
Another year, another puddle... or rather Puddly. Forget the Academy, we're talking about your opinion of the best book you've read in the past year. The votes are in, tallied and compiled. View the full list yourself and see the titles that made the grade. To top it off, the 2001 Puddly Award Contest Prize goes to (insert drum roll here) Aida from Panchiao, Taiwan! Not as soggy as it sounds, Aida will receive ten hand-picked titles from the top fifty award winners. Congratulations to Aida and thanks to all for voting! Rain, Rain, Rain
We asked you how much rain was in the bucket. And you came up with a lot of answers: 2 inches, as much as Fup can drink, 5 puppy tails. Someone even said "none", claiming there was a hole that we neglected to mention. Albeit dandy, these answers were wrong. The right answer: 43 millimeters. It's the right answer because Margaret of Louisville, Kentucky said it was. When Margaret found out she had just won $600 in books (that's $50 a month for the entire year!), she subjected her family to an old standing ritual. "My husband and children had to watch me do my happy dance all evening!" Well, Margaret, it's too bad Powell's doesn't sell dancing shoes — you've got 12 months of celebrating ahead of you. Gobble. Gobble.
This year's Annual Leftover Turkey Contest goes to Frank of Orlando, Florida. What better way to use up that post-Thanksgiving bird than to give it away! Okay, we didn't actually give Frank dried up turkey. We discussed it amongst ourselves and came up with something a little less messy – $250 in books to use at his discretion. A long time customer, Frank was ecstatic at the news. He even had some nice words to say about Powell's. "Don't know how you get all the books you have, but nobody has them like you do." (Thanks, Frank...and, we're not telling.) Soul Mountain
"I think this is great fun, coming a day after Gao's Nobel lecture. I was about to order the book from Readings in Australia when your contest came through, and I had a hunch I was going to be lucky." You were lucky indeed, Jonathan, as were Joslin and Patti, our winners of the pre-US editions. Congratulations! Visit the City!
We picked one winner out of the masses for our Win a Trip to Portland Contest. The lucky name out of the hat was Ron from Santa Rosa, California!
Ron will be joined by his wife, Susan, who also lives in Santa Rosa. Thanks to American Airlines, the couple will fly round trip to Portland to stay at the exquisite Heathman Hotel in downtown Portland. Ron and Susan will further enjoy a copy of Jazz by Ken Burns and Geoffrey C. Ward and admission to a lecture given by Burns, dinner for two and a night of jazz at the ever impressive Atwaters Restaurant and Bar (with one of the greatest views in the city!), and, of course, much shopping. There'll be a guided tour of the City of Books as well as $200 to spend. Django's Music is also putting up $100 for our winners to use on music and movies at the downtown location. Wow. Congratulations, Ron. We'll leave the light on for you.
 They're Hardcover. They're First Editions. They're Signed.
Two lucky bibliophiles won our annual Autographed First Editions Collection. We reserved a lucky 13 titles (apiece) for Dmae of Portland, Oregon and Scott of Dover, New Jersey. No doubt they will enjoy the benefits for years to come. After all, there's no better way to make friends than to show off your collection.
Maybe?
Maybe, Maybe, Maybe, Maybe You Will Win Contest 2000. Well, guess what? You didn't. Sanela from Portland did! How will she spend her $200 in credit? Maybe she'll tell us, maybe. 22 Books from The Powells.com Interviews Collection
In October we gave away 22 books from the authors featured in our debut edition of The Powells.com Interviews. As all the proceeds of our collection go toward nationwide literacy, we are very excited about this project. Now, Geraldine G. from Dallas, Texas joins in our excitement as the winner of the 22 books! Geraldine composes her own online newsletter about books – so she's sure to enjoy her prize! Congratulations!
Congratulations to one and all! $250 worth of books! A resounding congrats goes out to Tim of Dallas, Texas who won our Late Summer Open-Air contest. Tim was practically speechless when he claimed his prize. He could barely utter a Wow! and a Great!. That's okay, Tim, you don't need to talk – just read. With $250 in books as a prize, you've got your work cut out for you. Your Very Own Rocket eBook Christine from Wiarton, Ontario Leslie from San Francisco, CA Michael from Shreveport, LA Marci from Keller, TX Michael from Nelson, British Columbia Jennifer from Powell, OH Once Around the Sun What could be better than a free book of your choice from powells.com? How about one a month for a year! That's what Yong from Roxbury, Massachusetts will be enjoying for the next 11 months. His first selection: Eternal Shanghai by Jean Francois Danis.
The lucky winners are: Stephen King Sneak Preview July 31: Simon says, "The winner is?" Glenn from Los Angeles, California. As the winner of our Simon-sponsored "not quite as exciting as last month's $1000 giveaway, but still worth entering and winning contest," Glenn receives a not-entirely-measly credit of $200 to spend however he likes at Powells.com. Congratulations! $1000 in Books – anything in the store! Why do the winners of Powell's big contest prizes all seem to live in the Northeast? First, Kathleen from New York City won a free trip to visit us in Oregon, and now, Caroline from Torrington, Connecticut wins the $1000 credit to Powells.com. Who speaks for the west coast? Are Midwesterners not deserving of some good old fashioned literary rewards? And what of our international customers? (Rumors about the possible formation of an independent counsel to investigate the east coast's hearty representation in our winner's circle are, as yet, only rumors. However, stay tuned to Powells.com for more paranoid conspiracy theories as they arise.) Absolutely Swimming! Priscilla from Sixes, Oregon is the lucky winner of our recent "Swim with the Dolphins" contest. She receives a $150 credit to spend as she likes at Powells.com. As the contest runner-up, Floy in Chattanooga receives an autographed first edition of Dolphins, Tim Cahill's remarkable new book, produced in conjunction with the National Geographic Society and IMAX films. "Powell's has been a great find for me and I keep sharing your address with my friends," the winner tells us. An orchestra teacher at her school, Floy says, "I'll probably let the science department get a little look at the book . . . while I gloat!" Who Wants to Visit Portland? "I can't believe I really won!" she told us. We didn't have to guess where she'd be coming from; the accent gave her away immediately. "I never even thought I would win," she said. "When I saw your email, I thought it was junk mail, but when I started reading, I thought, 'Wait a minute – this is real!' " Congratulations again, Kathleen, and thanks to everyone who entered! Mads and Anna The winner of our No Particular Kind of Love Required Valentine's Contest would have responded to our congratulatory notice sooner, but he was off skiing in Norway! Mads, who hails from Aarhus, Denmark, receives $100 credit at Powells.com. He generously awarded the second half of his prize, another $100 credit, to Anna, who lives in Klampenborg (also in Denmark). Though Mads admits the phenomenon of Valentine's Day has only recently begun to gain some currency in his native land, he says, "For me, at least, it has suddenly become a big – and happy – thing!" Puddly Prize
Rodney from Clearfield, Utah is the winner of our Once-Every-1000-Years Contest. He writes:
Nick Bantock, author and creator of the famed Griffin & Sabine trilogy, has released a brand new book, The Museum at Purgatory, and ten lucky fans won autographed first editions at Powells.com. They are: P Maria from Washington, DC ...and a winner from Jackson, Mississippi we'll call "Non" who'd rather not reveal his (or her?) true identity. Carl Hiaasen Advanced Readers Who won the 1999 Powell's Collection, autographed first editions of ten of the most noteworthy new releases of the year? It was Jennifer from Seattle, of course!
Cluck and win! November's "One-Cluck" winner is Elana Sheep from Richmond, Virginia. "You have made my day/week/etc!" Elana says. "Muchas, muchas gracias!"
Didn't know about some of these contests? Then you must not subscribe to PowellsBooks.news. If you're subscribed, you'd have found links to our contest pages in past editions. Many of our best prizes we reserve for subscribers, so start your free subscription today!
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SPAM! 
2005 Puddly Awards 
New Year Caramels 
Through our 
To celebrate the release of the final chapter of The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, we gave away a spectacular collection: seventeen volumes of various Lord of the Rings books, and the limited-edition bookend set. Susan from Kokomo, Indiana was the lucky recipient, and a deserving one at that. Says Susan, "I'm thrilled to have won — I'm a big Lord of the Rings fan!"
Wait. Scratch that. Reverse it. It's books that keep the bees away, (at least as far as our crack team of contest composers is concerned). "Wonderful news!" cheered Matt from Snohomish, Washington, the winner of $250 worth of said books. It sure is, Matt. It sure is.
Would you rather have a field of pigs or a handful of eggs? How about choice C: $250 credit at Powells.com, plus a $50 gift card for a friend of your choice? Yeah, we figured that would be an easy one. Cheryl of Chicago made off with the loot and shared a little with friend Claudia. Congratulations on a fine choice. 
Bernard the Book-Reading Lobster inspired many of you to sign up for our July contest. Or, perhaps, it was the $250 in books that we were giving away. Whatever the motivation, Vanessa from Portland, Oregon entered and won!... no seafood, just books.
Everywhere, daffodils. Bright yellow and white and orange daffodils. Not only are they pretty, they give good advice. They begged, "Hear us!! Enter to win free books from Powells.com!" Many of you listened and obeyed their call. But only Noreen of Clackamas, Oregon and her friend Jessica reaped the benefits. Noreen won $200 in Powell's credit for herself and $50 for her friend. Listen to the flowers.
Our love of slacks has never been a secret. So, this time around we decided to name a contest after our apparel of choice. Congratulations go out to Randy of Rochester, Minnesota the winner of ten free books in our Joy of Slacks contest. Randy chose Connie as the recipient of the five free books for a friend. Maybe we should have called the contest What a Friend We Have in Slacks.
Now residing in Haan, Germany, David won our Books for the School Year contest. "I used to live in Oregon and work near Pioneer Square, so Powell's is very dear to me." David can harken back to those rainy days until May 2003, as every month brings $30 towards more books from Powell's.
Whether Michael of Portland, Oregon used his $200 prize to buy The Best One Ever Written (T.B.O.E.W.) is still unknown. However, we do know that winning restored Michael's faith in humanity — "Ah, so good things do happen to nice people." And, nice people do help out their friends. Indeed, Michael bestowed the $100 "friend" credit upon David of Portland, Oregon. That karma train just never stops chugging.
Congratulations are in order for Kim of Salisbury, North Carolina. Though Kim claims her "bookshelves are full," she'll have to make room for her prize: thirteen hardcover first editions complete with author autographs. And, who better deserves such an impressive collection? Kim claims, "I've never owned a first edition, let alone autographed. I can't wait to receive them.... Who says 13 is unlucky?"
Ron's been to the City of Books before. "[I] have shopped in person on three or four occasions, buying more books than any sane person would, cruising the technical store for hours. I really appreciate the late hours but can't comprehend how you can stand to close the place at night....I stay sometimes for more than 12 hours shopping and hate it when you close down." Of course we immediately offered Ron a job. We could really use stamina like that around here, especially this time of year! But he's busy in Santa Rosa making beautiful, electric bass guitars for Alembic, Inc.. Okay, we'll settle for a visit.
The final volume in the His Dark Materials trilogy, 
Stephen King's book, On Writing, was available in October 2000. However, super industry-insider Powells.com gave away uncorrected proofs of the book each and every day in July! Here's the list of all the winners:
Caroline was skeptical when she first received our congratulatory letter – could it really be as easy as logging into her account and finding a $1000 credit? Surely, there must have been a catch. No! No catch! Caroline says she's in the market for some audio books, and to that end, we've already shipped a couple back east to Torrington – free of charge, of course. Congratulations, Caroline. Enjoy!
A lot of people, apparently – but the lucky winner of our annual "Win a Trip to Portland" contest is . . . Kathleen from New York City!
Kathleen plans to escape New York's humidity this summer when skies here in Oregon are blue. She'll be flying in with her husband (if she can convince him to get on a plane; we hear he's not such a big fan of flying) round-trip to Portland on American Airlines and spending three nights downtown at the luxurious Heathman Hotel. While she's here, she'll enjoy a complementary dinner at Jake's Famous Crawfish, $250 spending money at Djangos Music and Movies, and $250 spending money at Powell's City of Books. And of course, we'll roll out the red carpet for the lucky visitors for the length of their stay.
As the lucky winner of our 2000 Puddly Awards contest drawing, Diane from Rockville, Maryland will receive new copies of the top ten vote-getters in this year's competition, the titles Powells.com visitors voted the best they'd read last year. For a full list of Diane's bounty, visit 
Thanks to everyone who entered, and congratulations to our 12 lucky winners. One winner resides here in Portland, and another in nearby Boring, Oregon. As for the others, well, one winner calls San Diego, California home. One lucky Hiaasen fan hails from Port Orchard, Washington, not too far away from our winner in Tukwila (which will forever remind many of us here of the great old SNL skit in which John Malkovich played "Len Tukwila, driftwood sculptor"). But enough of the west coast! We've shipped free advanced readers of Sick Puppy to Laurel, Mississippi; Magnolia, Arkansas; Princeton, West Virginia (home of lovely Hunnicutt Field); Friendship, Wisconsin; and Phoenix, Arizona. Two copies, oddly enough have been sent to Boise, Idaho. Apparently, both Carl Hiaasen and Powell's are popular in Boise.
