We’ve obtained an advance copy of The Conscious Cook: Delicious Meatless Recipes to Change the Way You Eat by Tal Ronnen and we want to give it away to YOU!

All you have to do is leave a comment on this article with the name of your favorite meatless dish, and a winner will be chosen at random. Make sure you include your first name in the comment, so that if you win we can contact you. The contest is only open to people living within the United States, we will pay for shipping, and all comments must be received by 11:59pm on Sunday, December 20th 2009. Please bear in mind that, unlike our previous contests, this is a fully finished copy of the book, courtesy of HarperCollins. So please leave your comment below, and good luck!

Ugh….I’m so behind with Jamie Oliver’s cookbooks.

Jamie at Home	Jamie’s Food Revolution
Jamie’s America	Thomas Keller Ad Hoc at Home

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We’ve obtained an advance copy of Cleaving by Julie Powell, author of Julie & Julia, and we want to give it away to YOU!

All you have to do is leave a comment on this article with the name of your favorite food-related book, and a winner will be chosen at random. Make sure you include your first name in the comment, so that if you win we can contact you. The contest is only open to people living within the United States, we will pay for shipping, and all comments must be received by 11:59pm on Monday, September 14th 2009. Please bear in mind that this is an advance, uncorrected proof, courtesy of Hachette Book Group. So please leave your comment below, and good luck!

Note: This review is based on an advanced, uncorrected copy of the book, so if there are any major changes between now and the official publication I can’t account for them. Slight spoilers will follow, so if you want to read the book unsullied but still care what I think of it, you can skip down to the italicized text at the bottom of this article.

When I read any biography or memoir, I’m hoping to read a story so unique or interesting that the story had to be told. Failing that, a slice-of-life bio can be compelling as long as it’s well written, especially insightful, or just plain funny. Unfortunately Frank Bruni’s Born Round fails on all fronts, despite the fact that he has what many people would consider a dream job for the past few years. In fact, he doesn’t even accept the job as restaurant critic for the NY Times until page 272 of my copy (the book is just over 350 pages), not counting the introduction.

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Congratulations to Kim, winner of the free copy of Spiced! You can also check out her blog, Thoughtful Palate. Thank you to everyone who entered! Hopefully we’ll have some more free stuff to give away soon.

Enter by the end of today! Click here to find out how to win!