UNCC professor pens "Macbeth: A Novel"

You loved the play, with all its Scottish tragedy. Now check out "MacBeth: A Novel," a new audio book co-written by Andrew Hartley, UNC Charlotte's Russell Robinson professor of Shakespeare studies.

Along with being a Shakespeare expert, Hartley writes fiction. As A.J. Hartley, he's author of several historical thrillers and fantasy adventures.

Hartley and co-author David Hewson have fleshed out "Macbeth," making it a rich work of historical fiction. Audible.com is publishing the novel as an audio book only. It's narrated by Alan Cumming, a prolific actor who appears regularly in CBS's "The Good Wife."

Hartley and Hewson, also a thriller writer, hatched the idea for the novel, which allowed them to tell the Scottish play's story in a new way. (With battle scenes and internal dialogue, for instance.)

"We've also made some fairly bold choices that go beyond fleshing out narrative," Hartley told me. Listen here as Hartley, Hewson and Cumming discuss the novel.

Veronica, you've won Annie Proulx's "Bird Cloud"

Veronica, you're this week's winner in my Summer Book Giveaway. Send me your mailing address, and I'll send Annie Proulx's newest book, "Bird Cloud," on its way to you.

Thanks, folks, for entering, and check back next week for my next giveaway. Since Monday's July 4, I'll post the new giveaway on Tuesday, July 5.

The Book Giveaway: This week, let's be literary.

I launched my Summer Book Giveaway with a beach read and a James Bond novel. This week, how about a more literary selection -- "Bird Cloud," the latest by Annie Proulx?

Proulx is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "The Shipping News" and "Brokeback Mountain." In "Bird Cloud" (Scribner; $26), she writes about her life in rural Wyoming, on a remote 640-acre property she purchased in 2003.

This nonfiction work, described as part memoir, part naturalist's journal, part history and archaeology of place, has won glowing reviews. "With a scientist's exactitude, an artist's attunement to beauty, and a storyteller's enchantment," Booklist writes, "Proulx takes us through the building of a home, intimacy with place, and reclamation of the past."

To enter, leave a comment on this blog with your name or some way to identify you -- not just "anonymous."
I'm giving away a summer read each week through August. I'll post the winner of "Bird Cloud" on Wednesday, June 29.

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.