Scroll up to the next post for my review of Lisa See’s Shanghai Girls.
This is a solid piece of historical fiction – it’s told in the first person, in the present tense, so it’s a very up-close-and-personal account of Pearl Louie’s experience as an immigrant, as well as detailing the hierarchy of various family relationships.
Thanks to the generous offer of the publisher, Random House, via TLC Book Tours, I’m able to offer copies of Shanghai Girls to TWO lucky readers of She is Too Fond of Books!
To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment below, indicating a funny or poignant fortune you’ve received in a fortune cookie. Make something up if you have to! 
Giveaway is open to US/Canada mailing addresses only. This post will be open for entries until midnight EST on Friday, January 15. I’ll post the two winning names on Saturday, January 16, and the winners will need to contact me with mailing addresses by midnight EST on Tuesday, January 19, at which time I’ll draw replacements if needed.
Have fun with this!
Update 1/16/10 – (this post is now closed to comments)
Thanks to the publisher (Random House) and TLC Book Tours, and with a little luck from random.org, the following people will receive the book:
- #24 Mel Joy – You will be hungry again in one hour.
- #41 A Real Librarian - There are no shortcuts to anyplace worth going.
- Congratulations to you both! Please email your mailing address to me by midnight EST on January 19.
Old friends, old wines and old gold are best.
A few times I have actually gotten a fortune that says You like Chinese food. Which actually isn’t even true!!
I couldn’t think of any as I don’t eat Chinese food so I Googled it. This one’s pretty funny:
A woman who seeks to be equal with men lacks ambition. Ouch!!!
I was just reading your review and thinking, I’ve never read any of See’s books. I’ll have to pick one up and then – bingo – you have a giveaway. Maybe it is my fortune and I’ll win. ha ha ha
The best fortune I ever received:
Some day you will walk on moon.
!
“Friends see you as delightful and entertaining”
I love that one!! I have it taped to my computer screen. It isn’t always true, of course, but it makes me smile.
No need to enter me in the giveaway! I read Shanghai Girls last spring and absolutely loved it.
I swear this story is true. My parents were trying to adopt a kid. On March 8, 1983, they ordered Chinese food and my dad’s fortune was “There will be an addition to your family.” One week later, they got a call saying that they were getting a daughter. My birthday? March 8, 1983. Spooky, right? The fortune is currently in my baby book.
Thanks for the giveaway. I’ve loved See’s other books.
During my first year of law school, I opened a fortune cookie that said “You’d make a great lawyer.”
I’d love to win this book… I adored Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.
“A liar is not believed, even if he tells the truth.”
I love getting a fortune cookie, but I admit I can’t remember any fortunes. I found this thru the internet. I have a nephew and niece living in Shanghai. I’d love to read this book. I enjoyed Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and this sounds even better. Thanks for the giveaway.
The funniest fortune I ever received?
“You are a very happy man.”
Why is it funny? I’m female. :-/
I recentla got a fortunre that said “you will soon meet the love of your life” Of couse I’ve been married 42 years, so I think that fortune won’t come true
I got a fortune that said, “You will move into a new house this year.”
We’d just signed the contract on this place.
So there’s the fortune. Enter me, doll! (shocking, I know)
And … thanks for the e-mail. I’ve got this posted at Win a Book for you.
If you continually give, you will continually have.
My favorite one is “if you’re still hungry eat another fortune cookie.”
amandarwest at gmaildotcom
help i’m being held captive in a fortune cookie factory, still cracks me up
I got one that said, “He likes to flirt, but towards you, his intentions are honorable.”
I actually think everyone in the restaurant got the same
message “Please pay on your way out”.
Oh well, anyways, I would be super thrilled to win this
great book, I have read many reviews and I have it on my
wish list.
My husband got one that said to mark your calendar because something was going to happen three months from today and three months from that week he found out that his company had met their goal and they’d all get big bonuses. I myself have never gotten any that interesting. However, they become far more interesting if you add “in bed” after them. Like “You will make a powerful connection…in bed” or “Your prosperity will increase…in bed” or “Your road will be rough but worth it…in bed.” I totally made those fortunes up–it’s far funnier with real ones.
You have an unusual equipment
for success, use it properly!
This might just be my memory playing tricks on me, but I could have sworn that when I was little and me and my sister were fighting during dinner at a chinese food restaurant, when the fortunes came around either me or my sister got one that said something to the effect of “You are behaving badly
“
I got one that said “you are reserved and analytical.” I passed it to my husband–I must have gotten his cookie by mistake.
My favorite fortune–”fortune smiles upon you” Happy New Year -hope it’s filled with good fortune!
kakihararocks@gmail.com
“Your future will be blessed with fortune and love”
True story my now husband proposed the next morning.
The two best fortunes I have ever received are the following:
1. “Someone will bake a cake for you soon.”
2. “If it feels like the fates are against you lately, then they probably are.”
The second one is on my fridge. Hilarious!
fitz12383(at)hotmail(dot)com
You will be hungry again in one hour.
My daughter and I ate at a Chinese restaurant almost once weekly when she was young. Her favorite part of the meal were the fortune cookies especially my fortune. One week, my fortune was blank. Then next week, same thing, blank fortune. Third week, no paper in the cookie!!! She was absolutely amazed and decided this meant I could make up my own fortune!
Thank you for the giveaway!
‘Something good will come your way.’
Wasn’t sure if that meant dessert or something bigger.
“What you’re looking for is right in front of you” I still don’t know what this means!
The best fortune I ever got was
“That wasn’t Chicken”
jason(at)allworldautomotive(dot)com
The best fortune from a fortune cookie I got was Love is around the Corner. It always has me looking.
polo-puppy-fluffy AT hotmail (dot) com
I like the fortune-A good time to keep your mouth shut is when you’re in deep water
I’d love to read this!
“Listen to the advice your friends give you.”
janemaritz at yahoo dot com
Enjoy a cup of tea today.
BTW – this author will be around my town on March 4th. =)
“You see beauty in the ordinary.” I have always loved this fortune, and I’ve kept it taped above my workspace for the last ten years.
I love this author, and this new title sounds quite intriguing!
The last fortune cookie I had didn’t have a fortune in it.
Someone was sure slacking!
Please enter me in your giveaway. Thank you.
Blessings,
Sandee61
Muzzley56[at]aol[dot]com
I like fortune cookies but rarely ever remember what my fortune was.
Here’s one:
Life will be rainbows and waterfalls.
I would love a chance to win this book! Please enter me in your giveaway! I have not eaten Chinese food for a really long time, and can’t remember the last fortune I got, but I do remember once getting one that said: You find beauty in ordinary things, do not lose this ability. I thought that was pretty cool.
zibilee(at)figearo(dot)net
I’d love to enter this contest! Just the other day, I got one a fortune that said, You Are One Of Those Who Will “Go Places In Life.” No idea what the quotation marks mean……will I or will I not go places in life?
I got this one in college and saved it–ended up writing a poem based on it for a Intro to Lit class…
“You will have many bright days soon.”
A nice positive message to get from a fortune cookie, I think.
I never get anything good. Mine always say something like, “He who throws dirt is losing ground.” or “Do not mistake temptation for opportunity.”
Best fortune yet:
“You have an ambitious nature and you will make a name for yourself.”
“There are no shortcuts to anyplace worth going.”
Thanks for the chance to win!!
“All the answers you need are right in front of you.” I really like this fortune!
Please enter me in this giveaway.
Please enter me. I’m interested in this book.
I like this one:
He who laughs at himself never runs out of things to laugh at.
Believe it or not, I’ve never had a fortune cookie but I’d still like to participate in the drawing!
Fortune: You will be lucky!
harvee44 at yahoo.com
Do the right thing because it is right. Have the courage to face it.
Update 1/16/10 – (this post is now closed to comments)
Thanks to the publisher (Random House) and TLC Book Tours, and with a little luck from random.org, the following people will receive the book:
#24 Mel Joy – You will be hungry again in one hour.
#41 A Real Librarian – There are no shortcuts to anyplace worth going.
Congratulations to you both! Please email your mailing address to me by midnight EST on January 19.