Peter wins the new James Bond novel

I can't resist a guy who likes vodka martinis. Peter, you've won a copy of Jeffery Deaver's "Carte Blanche," the newest James Bond adventure.

Send me an email with your mailing address, and I'll get the book out to you.

Here's what Peter said in his winning entry:
Sounds like the perfect thing to go with my Vodka Martini (shaken, not stirred) by the pool!!

Check back soon for my next summer book giveaway, then leave a comment to enter. I'll give away another book each week through August.

Want a divinely inspired life? Charlotte author tells you how.

Make a pilgrimage. Catch dreams. Create a sacred space. Practice mindful eating. Lose some baggage.

Those are among the chapter headings in Debra Moffitt's new book, "Awake in the World: 108 Practices to Live a Divinely Inspired Life" (Llewllyn Worldwide; $16.95).

The book, designed to help readers integrate spiritual practices into their daily lives, grew out Moffitt's own experience. She was married, living on the French Riviera and working in international business in the mid-'90s when her life fell apart. Her husband walked out. She lost her job. She fell ill.

"It was the best thing that ever happened to me," she writes in the book's introduction.

She spent the next 15 years traveling the world, seeking life's answers by exploring a range of religious practices. With her book, she shares what she has learned through simple, clear instruction about 108 practices.

Moffitt is now remarried and lives in Charlotte. She'll do a free mini-workshop and book signing 2-4 p.m. Saturday, June 25, at Borders at Stonecrest, 7836 Rea Road. She'll also do a workshop 12:30-2:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 23, at Yoga for Life, 1410 W. Morehead St., Suite 200.

This week's Summer Book Giveaway: A new James Bond

Last week, I gave away Dorothea Benton Frank's "Folly Beach," a beach read in every sense of the word.

This week, let's head in a slightly different direction. Leave a comment on my blog for a chance to win "Carte Blanche" (Simon & Schuster; $26.99), the new James Bond novel by Jeffery Deaver. In this novel, Deaver brings the world's most famous fictional spy into the modern age. This 21st-century Bond is a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, drives a Jetta and uses a smart phone with multiple cool apps.

Deaver, who lives in Chapel Hill, is author of numerous bestselling thrillers, including "The Bone Collector" and "The Burning Wire."

Each week, through August, I'll give my blog readers a chance to win a great summer read. It's easy to enter to win. Leave a comment with your name or some way to identify you -- not just "anonymous."

In past contests, I've chosen winners at random. For these contests, I'll pick my favorite answer. I'll post the winner of "Carte Blanche" on Wednesday, June 22.

Beach book winners: Tom R. and Leslie

Tom R. and Leslie, you've both won copies of "Folly Beach."
Email me your addresses and I'll mail you the books.

Thanks to all readers who entered the first week of my Big Summer Book Giveaway. Wish I could send you all copies. But I can't.

What I can do, though, is give away another book. I'll continue this weekly contest through August. Check back here later today, when I'll reveal the next book.

Here's what this week's winners told me:

From Tom R.: I'll be Frank. My life's no Beach, so even if it's Folly, I'm Benton getting this book. And there's no pun for Dorothea.

From Leslie: As an English teacher, I have to read lots of academic "stuff" throughout the school year, but summer is time for brain candy. My best friend just recommended this author to me, so I would love to begin my summer with a North Carolina beach read.

Big Summer Book Giveaway starts now

Today, I'm launching my first Big Summer Book Giveaway.

Each week, from now through August, I'll give my blog readers a chance to win a great summer read. I'm starting this week with Dorothea Benton Frank's new "Folly Beach."

This is the consummate beach read. Also, Frank will be doing a book signing at 6 p.m. Monday, June 20 at Books-A-Million, 14151 Steele Creek Road.

It's easy to enter to win a copy. When I post a new book giveaway contest, leave a comment with your name or some way to identify you -- not just "anonymous."

In past contests, I've chosen winners at random. For these contests, I'll pick my favorite answer. Length doesn't count. Cleverness does.

And if you hate beach books, don't worry. I'll choose different genres for each giveaway.

So leave a comment -- one per person, please. I've got two copies. I'll post the names of two winners on Monday, June 20.

Four new books from N.C. authors

Some new books from area authors:

"Magnus Kir" (Ambassador; $11.99), by Dean Hardy. On a distant planet, 12-year-old Zack has lived a contented life in a walled society called Magnus Kir. This middle-grade fantasy novel tells of his hesitant escape. Hardy, who lives in Matthews, is chair of the Bible Department at Charlotte Christian School.

"Thunder in the Morning Calm" (Zondervan; $14.99), by Don Brown, out in July. Could North Korea be holding elderly Americans in secret prison camps, nearly 60 years after the end of the Korean War? Brown, an ex-naval officer and attorney who lives in Charlotte, explores that question in his sixth military thriller.

"The Creative Photographer" (Pixiq/Sterling Publishers; $19.95), by Catherine Anderson. Anderson, who teaches creativity and photography in Charlotte, includes lots of ideas for parents and children to explore. Here's a good one: Look for letters of the alphabet in the world around you. A curved stick could be an "S." A tree branch is a "Y."

"Autumn Bends the Rebel Tree" (Canterbury House Publishing; $16.95), by Carolyn Guy. This historical novel, set in the N.C. mountains in the '30s and '40s, follows Clarinda McCloud as she struggles to raise her family. Guy lives in Watauga County.

"Collective Visioning" author in Charlotte

N.C. native Linda Stout has spent her life working for social justice and a better world. Now, in her new book, "Collective Visioning," the former director of Kannapolis' Piedmont Peace Project gives readers practical, concrete ways to bring people together to work for common goals.

Stout, who divides her time between Asheville and Massachusetts, will sign books 6:30 p.m. Friday, June 24, at Park Road Books, 4139 Park Road.

A Quaker, Stout grew up in poverty in North Carolina. She won national acclaim for her work with the Piedmont Peace Project, which focused on issues including literacy, voter registration and job opportunities. She's now founder and director of Spirit in Action.

She's on a 27-city tour to promote her new book, which includes strategies and exercises designed to help diverse groups work together for a collective vision. "I wanted to show people how you can break through differences and create a space that's welcome to all voices," she told me.

While in Charlotte, she'll also conduct workshops at the Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly, meeting in Charlotte for its 50th anniversary.