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The Second Bookswarm Treasure Hunt – The Prizes

It’s time for the second Bookswam Treasure Hunt – an online extravaganza of a competition, encompassing Bookhugger and all of our sister sites, that requires you to answer lots of questions – but it will be worth it, because look at all the amazing prizes we have for you! 60 prizes are available, to suit all reading tastes.

What are you waiting for? Enter now!

For the winner

For the winner, we have an Amazon Kindle Wireless Reading Device (Wi-Fi version) worth £111, AND £30 of Amazon vouchers that you can use to stock it up with the e-books of your choice (or to buy anything else you fancy). With the ability to hold over 3,500 books, weighing in at only 241 grammes, and with a high contrast screen, the new Kindle is a wonderful device, and a must-have gadget.

Runners-up

Bookswarm has assembled a range of prizes from a stellar line-up of the UK’s finest publishers. We have a number of book bundles, detailed below, so whether you’re after new books for yourself or presents for loved ones, there’s bound to be something here for you.

  • Second prize is a choice of any three bundles from all those listed here
  • Third prize is a choice of any two bundles
  • Remaining runners-up receive a bundle of their choice each

To sweeten the deal even further, the first three winners out of the hat receive highly desirable Bookhugger mugs!

Winners get to select their bundles in the order that they are picked from the hat by the Bookswarm Random Numberizer.

The prizes

From Alma Books – A Cosmopolitan Bundle [TAKEN]

Fiction from around the world in this bundle:

  • Smoke Portrait by Trilby Kent – Canadian author
  • All Men Are Liars by Alberto Manguel – Argentinian author
  • Bestseller by Alessandro Gallenzi – Italian author

Number of bundles available: 2

Find out more about Alma Books

From Atlantic Books – An “And the winner is…” Bundle [TAKEN]

Consisting of:

  • In a Strange Room, by Damon Galgut (shortlisted for Man Booker Prize)
  • The White Tiger, by Aravind Adiga (winner of the Man Booker Prize)
  • Hitch 22: A Memoir, by Christopher Hitchens (shortlisted for the Orwell Prize)
  • Red April, by Santiago Roncagliolo (shortlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize)
  • Kamchatka, by Marcelo Figueras (also shortlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize)

Number of bundles available: 2

Find out more about Atlantic Books

From Atlantic Books – A Summer Fiction Bundle [TAKEN]

Consisting of:

  • The Slap, by Christos Tsiolkas
  • Purge, by Sofi Oksanen
  • Tony & Susan, by Austin Wright
  • Union Atlantic, by Adam Haslett
  • The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore, by Benjamin Hale

Number of bundles available: 2

From Bloomsbury – A Blumenthal Special [TAKEN]

The prize is a special edition of Heston’s Fantastical Feasts, by Heston Blumenthal, RRP £50. With gold edged pages, gold ribbon and gold illustrated cloth slipcase, each signed and numbered special edition is sumptuous and ultra-desirable.

Once upon a time there was a Chef called Heston who opened a small restaurant called the Fat Duck. At first, he served only simple French classics but gradually, as is the way of things, the Chef’s curiosity got the better of him and he began thinking up more unusual dishes, such as Snail Porridge and Chocolate Wine. Word spread and reached the ears of the Executives who ran a television channel, and they summoned the Chef to their glass fortress. “We command you to create six Fantastical Feasts,” they said. “These must be based on history, but you may draw on fairytales and legends. We should warn you that the Quest will involve journeys to Transylvania in search of the legendary Leech Recipe of Sibiu, and to the Black Forest to eat the eyes of the Wild Boar of Munstertal. You must resist the temptations of the Burlesque Girls, and you must turn chocolate cake into a raging fireball and chicken’s testicles into jelly beans. There will be hunting for hallucinogenic mushrooms and cooking with Play-Doh. Out of this, you must create the most magical dishes imaginable.” “Well, how about lickable wallpaper, a savoury Zoom lolly, a chocolate-covered iceberg, a golden egg and an edible graveyard?” offered the Chef. “It’s a start,” said the Executives. “Oh, and once you have achieved the Quest, you must bring us proof, in the form of a Book. But not just any Book. We want tales of extravagant ingredients, of revolutionary techniques, of familiar kitchen appliances put to unfamiliar uses. We want to see what you see. Taste what you taste. In short, we want complete and unparalleled access to your fantastical world.”

Number of bundles available: 1

From Bloomsbury – A Greek Detective Bundle [TAKEN]

A paperback bundle consisting of the crime novels of Anne Zouroudi. The Mysteries of the Greek Detective series is:

  • The Messenger of Athens
  • The Taint of Midas
  • The Doctor of Thessaly
  • The Lady of Sorrows
  • The Whispers of Nemesis

Number of bundles available: 1

From Bloomsbury – A Bundle of Deliciousness [TAKEN]

A cookbook bundle to tantalise your tastebuds and delight your senses, consisting of:

  • River Cottage Everyday, by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
  • Kitchen Secrets, by Raymond Blanc
  • River Cottage Handbooks: Cakes, by Pam Corbin
  • Sarah Raven’s Food for Family & Friend

Number of bundles available: 1

From Bloomsbury – Copies of State of Wonder by Ann Patchett [TAKEN]

There were people on the banks of the river. Among the tangled waterways and giant anacondas of the Brazilian Rio Negro, an enigmatic scientist is developing a drug that could alter the lives of women for ever. Dr Annick Swenson’s work is shrouded in mystery; she refuses to report on her progress, especially to her investors, whose patience is fast running out. Anders Eckman, a mild-mannered lab researcher, is sent to investigate. A curt letter reporting his untimely death is all that returns. Now Marina Singh, Anders’s colleague and once a student of the mighty Dr Swenson, is their last hope. Compelled by the pleas of Anders’s wife, who refuses to accept that her husband is not coming home, Marina leaves the snowy plains of Minnesota and retraces her friend’s steps into the heart of the South American darkness, determined to track down Dr. Swenson and uncover the secrets being jealously guarded among the remotest tribes of the rainforest. What Marina does not yet know is that, in this ancient corner of the jungle, where the muddy waters and susurrating grasses hide countless unknown perils and temptations, she will face challenges beyond her wildest imagination. Marina is no longer the student, but only time will tell if she has learnt enough.

Watch Ann Patchett read from State of Wonder

Number of copies available: 5

From Canongate – A June Joy Bundle [TAKEN]

Win all of Canongate’s June books in this groovy bundle:

  • Bed, David Whitehouse
  • An Idiot Abroad, Karl Pilkington
  • The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ, Philip pullman
  • The Pacific, Hugh Ambrose
  • Go the fuck to sleep, Adam Mansbach
  • My Friend the Mercenary, James Brabazon

Number of bundles available: 1

From Faber – An Alan Bennett Bundle [TAKEN]

Consisting of a limited edition hardback copy of Alan Bennett’s The Uncommon Reader, and a copy of his new book Smut.

The Uncommon Reader is none other than HM the Queen who drifts accidentally into reading when her corgis stray into a mobile library parked at Buckingham Palace. She reads widely (JR Ackerley, Jean Genet, Ivy Compton Burnett and the classics) and intelligently. Her reading naturally changes her world view and her relationship with people like the oleaginous prime minister and his repellent advisers. She comes to question the prescribed order of the world and loses patience with much that she has to do. In short, her reading is subversive. The consequence is, of course, surprising, mildly shocking and very funny.

Number of bundles available: 1

View all Faber content on Bookhugger

From Faber – An Irish Bundle [TAKEN]

A selection of books with Irish authors or an Irish theme, including Sebastian Barry’s new novel On Canaan’s Side, which is published in August 2011.

‘As they used to say in Ireland, the devil only comes into good things.’ Narrated by Lilly Bere, On Canaan’s Side opens as she mourns the loss of her grandson, Bill. The story then goes back to the moment she was forced to flee Dublin, at the end of the First World War, and follows her life through into the new world of America, a world filled with both hope and danger. At once epic and intimate, Lilly’s narrative unfurls as she tries to make sense of the sorrows and troubles of her life and of the people whose lives she has touched. Spanning nearly seven decades, it is a novel of memory, war, family-ties and love, which once again displays Sebastian Barry’s exquisite prose and gift for storytelling.

Number of bundles available: 1

From Faber – A Bundle of Secrets and Lies [TAKEN]

Eight novels based around a central secret or lie have been repackaged in a beautiful series style. This stunning collection features unreliable narrators and outright scoundrels, the secrets we keep from others and the lies we tell ourselves.

  • Andrew Sean Greer – The Story of a Marriage
  • Paul Auster - The Book of Illusions
  • Jane Harris – The Observations
  • Owen Sheers – Resistance
  • Hanif Kureishi – Intimacy
  • Ka zuo Ishiguro - The Remains of the Day
  • Sebast ian Barry – The Secret Scripture
  • Peter Carey – Illywhacker

Number of bundles available: 1

From Gallic Books – A Parisian Bundle [TAKEN]

A complete set of Claude Izner’s Victor Legris Mysteries, consisting of:

Number of bundles available: 3

From Gallic Books – A Napoleonic Bundle [TAKEN]

A complete set of Armand Cabasson‘s Quentin Margont books, consisting of:

Number of bundles available: 3

See all Gallic Books content on Bookhugger

From Gallic Books – A Nicolas Le Floch Bundle [TAKEN]

A complete set of Jean Francois Parot‘s Nicolas Le Floch novels

  • The Chatelet Apprentice
  • The Man with the Lead Stomach
  • The Phantom of Rue Royale
  • The Nicholas Le Floch Affair – read an extract
  • The Saint-Florentin Murders – read an extract

Number of bundles available: 3

From Gallic Books – A Signed Special Bundle [TAKEN]

A signed copy of international bestseller Where Would I Be Without You? by Guillaume Musso.

Parisian cop Martin Beaumont has never really got over his first love, Gabrielle. Their brief, intense affair in San Francisco and the pain of her rejection still haunt him years later. Now, however, he’s a successful detective – and tonight he’s going to arrest the legendary art thief, Archibald Maclean, when he raids the Musee d’Orsay for a priceless Van Gogh. But the enigmatic Archibald has other plans. Martin’s pursuit of the master criminal across Paris is the first step in an adventure that will take him back to San Francisco, and to the edge of love and life itself.

Number of bundles available: 3

From Gallic Books – An Agnes De Souarcy Bundle [1 TAKEN, 2 AVAILABLE]

A complete set of Andrea Japp’s medieval crime novels, the Agnes de Souarcy Chronicles.

1304. The King of France and the Church are locked in a battle for power that will also decide the fate of the Knights Templar and Hospitaller.

Meanwhile in the Normandy countryside, young widow Agnes de Souarcy, the beautiful lady of the manor, is fighting to retain her independent way of life, aware that her spiteful half-brother will do anything to destroy her.

These two different worlds collide in the forest near Souarcy, where a terrifying creature begins to kill and mutilate a succession of monks on their way to deliver a secret message of momentous importance.

In the first Agnes de Souarcy Chronicle, Andrea Japp offers the reader a fast-paced, multi-layered mystery within a richly imagined portrait of medieval France.

The bundle consists of:

Number of bundles available: 3

From Gollancz – A Bundle of Paranormal Romance [TAKEN]

The first titles in six different Urban Fantasy series:

  • Guild Hunter
  • Argeneau Vampires
  • Psy-Changeling
  • Chicagoland Vampires
  • Sookie Stackhouse
  • Kitty Norville

Number of bundles available: 3

From Gollancz – A Bundle of Fantasy Hardbacks [TAKEN]

Some of the biggest books of 2011 (in all senses of the word!) from premier SF&F publishers Gollancz. Consisting of:

Number of bundles available: 3

Find out more about Gollancz on their blog

From Gollancz – A Bundle of Fun [TAKEN]

A great selection of true escapism here, consisting of:

Number of bundles available: 3

From Headline – A Bundle of Cracking Crime [TAKEN]

They say crime doesn’t pay, but it sure does entertain! In this bundle you can enjoy:

  • Mystery, by Jonathan Kellerman
  • Dr Yes, by Bateman
  • Plugged, Eoin Colfer
  • Spiral, Paul McEuen
  • The 88 Killer, Oliver Stark

Number of bundles available: 1

From Headline – A Women’s Fiction Bundle [TAKEN]

If you need some beach reads for that summer holiday you’ve booked, you could do worse than pick this bundle!

  • The Perfect Lie, by Emily Barr
  • Heaven Scent, by Sasha Wagstaff
  • To The Moon and Back, by Jill Mansell
  • Stand By Me, by Sheila O’Flanagan
  • The Hand That First Held Mine, by Maggie O’Farrell

Number of bundles available: 1

From Headline – A Fabulous Fiction Bundle [TAKEN]

Some of the best fiction in this bundle:

Number of bundles available: 1

From Icon Books – A Plethora of Paperbacks Bundle [TAKEN]

Broaden your mind with this amazing selection of non-fiction paperbacks from Icon Books, consisting of:

  • Slaughter on a Snowy Morn, by Colin Evans
  • Tales of Wa, by W.B. Marsh and Bruce Carrick
  • The Genius in All of Us: Why Everything You’ve Been Told About Genes, Talent and Intelligence is Wrong, by David Shenk
  • Delusions of Gender, by Cordelia Fine
  • The Girl on the Wall. by Jean Baggott
  • Pythagoras: His Lives and the Legacy of a Rational Universe, by Kitty Ferguson
  • The Battle of Waterloo: A New History, by Jeremy Black
  • The World’s Greatest Idea, by John Farndon
  • The Best Views from the Boundary, by Peter Baxter
  • The Happiness Equation, by Nick Powdthavee

Number of bundles available: 2

Find out more about Icon Books

From Little, Brown – A Taster Menu Bundle [TAKEN]

A diverse selection of titles from the lovely folks at Little, Brown Book Group:

  • Made in Britain, by Evan Davis
  • Where the Bodies are Buried, by Christopher Brookmyre
  • Voodoo Eyes, by Nick Stone
  • Citrus County, by John Brandon
  • Lady of the English, by Elizabeth Chadwick

Number of bundles available: 1

From No Exit Press – A Clem Chambers Bundle [TAKEN]

Consisting of a Clem Chambers 3-pack of thrillers and the chance to meet the author for coffee and cake (or maybe for something more thrilling?).

Clem Chambers is the CEO of ADVFN (www.advfn.com), Europe’s number one stocks and shares Web site. He has written investment columns for Wired Magazine, which described him as a ‘Market Maven’; The Business, The Daily Telegraph and The Scotsman and broadcasts on investment matters for channels including SKY News, CNBC and the BBC. Clem’s first novel The Armageddon Trade was published in 2009, followed by The Twain Maxim in 2010. His new novel, Kusanagi, is published in 2011.

Number of bundles available: 1

Find out more about Clem Chambers on the No Exit website

From No Exit Press – A DI Geraldine Steel Bundle [TAKEN]

Consisting of three novels by Leigh Russell featuring the redoubtable detective DI Geraldine Steel:

Number of bundles available: 1

Read an interview with Leigh Russell on Bookgeeks

From No Exit Press – A Fresh Fiction Bundle [TAKEN]

No Exit Press is one of the country’s leading independent publishers of crime fiction, and this bundle contains three of their recent releases:

  • Big Machine, by Victor Lavalle
  • The Drop, by Howard Linskey
  • Brother’s Lot, by Kevin Holohan

Number of bundles available: 1

Find out more about No Exit Press

From Penguin – A bundle of battles [TAKEN]

Unleash your inner general with these great military history titles:

  • Why Britain is at War – Harold Nicolson
  • War Games – Linda Polman
  • Bomber Country – Daniel Swift
  • D-Day – Antony Beevor

Number of bundles available: 1

From Penguin – A bundle of travel [TAKEN]

Satisfy your wanderlust from the comfort of your armchair with this great Penguin bundle, including the latest book from the doyen of travel writers, Paul Theroux:

  • The Tao of Travel – Paul Theroux
  • Who are we? – Gary Younge
  • Parting Shots – Matthew Parris

Number of bundles available: 1

From Penguin – A bundle of betrayal [TAKEN]

Backstabbing and intrigue with this bundle…

  • Anatomy of a Disappearance – Hisham Matar
  • Moth Smoke – Mohsin Hamid
  • The Temple Goers – Aatish Taseer
  • The Betrayal – Helen Dunmore

Number of bundles available: 1

From Penguin – A bundle of love [TAKEN]

Love books? Get this bundle of books about love…

  • K: The Art of Love – Hong Ying
  • The History of Love – Nicole Krauss
  • Love and Summer – William Trevor
  • Where the Love Gets In – Tara Heavey

Number of bundles available: 1

From Penguin: A bundle of thought-provoking books [TAKEN]

If you like your reading stimulating, get your brain in gear with this bundle:

  • Eating Animals – Jonathan Safran Foer
  • The Most Human Human – Brian Christian
  • The Filter Bubble – Eli Parisar
  • The Thing About Life Is That One Day You’ll Be Dead – David Shields

Number of bundles available: 1

From Random House Children’s Books – A Bundle for Kids [TAKEN]

Consisting of:

  • Lob , by Linda Newbery
  • Vampire Watchers, by Pete Johnson
  • Mistress of the Storm, by M L Welsh
  • Violet Wings, by Victoria Hanley
  • For the Record, by Ellie Irving

Number of bundles available: 1

From Random House Children’s Books – A Bundle for Young Adults [TAKEN]

Consisting of:

  • Boys Don’t Cry, by Malorie Blackman
  • Passion, by Lauren Kate
  • Spook’s Destiny, by Joe Delaney
  • Killing Honour, by Bali Rai
  • Dark Touch Betrayal, by Amy Meredith

Number of bundles available: 1

From Transworld – A John Boyne Bundle [TAKEN]

John Boyne was born in Ireland in 1971 and is the author of seven novels. The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas won two Irish Book Awards and the Penguin Orange Readers’ Group Prize. It was shortlisted for the British Book Award and was made into a Miramax feature film.

This bundle gives one winner a chance to win all seven of John’s books:

  • A signed hardback of new novel The Absolutist
  • Previous novels The Thief of Time, Congress of Rough Riders, Mutiny on the Bounty and The House of Special Purpose
  • His two children’s novels The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and Noah Barleywater Runs Away

Number of bundles available: 1