Entry #1033Kt A.
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Friday 18 January 2013
Friday's Mailbox.
Today in the mail I received two review books, they are:
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A big thanks to Penguin Australia & Bloomsbury Australia.
Thursday 17 January 2013
Cover Reveal: The Shattered Mountain - Rae Carson
The Shattered Mountain
by Rae Carson
ebook, 50 pages
Expected publication: March 26th 2013 by Greenwillow Books
On the outskirts of Joya d'Arena, small villages fight for survival against the onslaught of sorcerers and raiders. Mara's village has been safe--so far--but Mara decides to escape anyway. Escape from her harsh, abusive father. Escape with her first love. But when their plans fall on the same day that the animagi burn the village to the ground, Mara faces losses that could destroy her. She's a survivor, though. She is going to make it through the mountains, and she is going to protect the refugees following her. Because there's a rumored safe haven . . . and some say they have found the Chosen One. Told from Mara's point-of-view, The Shattered Mountain is an alternate perspective of the beginning of the acclaimed The Girl of Fire and Thorns.
Monday 14 January 2013
Cover Reveal: Secrets Of The Fall (Donovan Brothers #2: A Loving Summer Novel) - Kailin Gow
The Donovan Brothers… two gorgeous brothers in love with the same girl. How far would they fall to have her? One of them will claim her, but the other will find her. Only one can win her forever, unless their familysecrets destroy everything.
Coming JUNE 2013
Cover Reveal: Breathless (Elemental #2.5) - Brigid Kemmerer
Breathless (Elemental #2.5)
Too many secrets. Not enough time.
Nick Merrick is supposed to be the level-headed one. The peacemaker. Since it’s just him and his three hotheaded brothers against the world, that’s a survival tactic.
But now he’s got problems even his brothers can’t help him survive.
His so-called girlfriend, Quinn, is going quick as mercury from daring to crazy. Meanwhile, Quinn’s dancer friend Adam is throwing Nick off balance, forcing him to recognize a truth he’d rather shove back into the dark.
He can feel it—-the atmosphere is sizzling. Danger is on the way. But whatever happens next, Nick is starting to find out that sometimes nothing you do can keep the peace.
Nick Merrick is supposed to be the level-headed one. The peacemaker. Since it’s just him and his three hotheaded brothers against the world, that’s a survival tactic.
But now he’s got problems even his brothers can’t help him survive.
His so-called girlfriend, Quinn, is going quick as mercury from daring to crazy. Meanwhile, Quinn’s dancer friend Adam is throwing Nick off balance, forcing him to recognize a truth he’d rather shove back into the dark.
He can feel it—-the atmosphere is sizzling. Danger is on the way. But whatever happens next, Nick is starting to find out that sometimes nothing you do can keep the peace.
Expected publication: May 2013 by Kensington Teen
Monday's Mailbox.
So today I didn't receive anything in my mailbox, but I did however get approved for two titles from NetGalley that I'm extremely excited about.
And they are:
And they are:
The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines #3)
Dare You To (Pushing the Limits #2)
Now if they'd just hurry up and approve me already on Edelweiss for 'Walking Disaster - Jamie McGuire' which I requested way before Christmas last year I would be one very, very happy camper.
Saturday 12 January 2013
Book Review (202): Two And Twenty Dark Tales: Dark Retellings Of Mother Goose Ryhmes - Various Authors
Two and Twenty Dark Tales: Dark Retellings of Mother Goose Rhymes
by Nina Berry, Sarwat Chadda, Georgia McBride, Suzanne Lazear, Karen Mahoney, Lisa Mantchev, C. Lee McKenzie, K.M. Walton, Suzanne Young, Michelle Zink, Sayantani DasGupta, Shannon Delany, Max Scialdone, Leigh Fallon, Heidi R. Kling, Angie Frazier, Jessie Harrell, Nancy Holder, Pam van Hylckama Vlieg, Gretchen McNeil, Leah Cypess
Publication: 16th October 2012
Publisher: Month9Boooks
Pages: 342
Genre: Fantasy
Age Appropriate: Young Adult
In this anthology, 20 authors explore the dark and hidden meanings behind some of the most beloved Mother Goose nursery rhymes through short story retellings. The dark twists on classic tales range from exploring whether Jack truly fell or if Jill pushed him instead to why Humpty Dumpty, fragile and alone, sat atop so high of a wall.
My Thoughts...
I have to start by saying that I'm a huge fan of fairytale retellings, so when I discovered this book I was pretty excited for it, not just one retelling but twenty-two of them in the one book, I was desperate to get my hands on a copy, unfortunately I didn't even like a half of them.
I was pretty sure that I knew most of the Mother Goose nursery rhymes especially as I used to own a copy of them when I was younger, but through reading this I discovered that there is a lot of them that I didn't know, maybe that was why I didn't really like most of the stories in this anthology, it could also be because the stories were so short that it was hard to connect with the characters before we were onto a new story.
But the stories I liked were:
Boys And Girls Come Out To Play - Angie Frazier
This was an interesting short story about a girl who's twin sister is in a sort of vegetative state after an accident that killed their Father, after being summoned by witches she has to take her sick sister's place, and it doesn't end well for everyone.
I Come Baring Souls - Jessie Harrell
About the Egyptian Gods Anubis, Bast and Hathor, they run a funeral home and we get to read about them taking souls into the Underworld for judgement.
Life In A Shoe - Heidi R. Kling
The tale of the woman who lived in a shoe now converted into an apartment in a dystopian society or this retelling, who's prime objective is to have all the woman have as many children as possible so the society has more people to train as soldiers to fight in their wars.
Candlelight - Suzanne Lazear
Two sisters who run away from home after they believe that their Mother is being too strict with them, do a spell that lands them in Babylon where they can do whatever they want whenever they want, but what happens when they want to return home?
Tick Tock - Gretchen McNeil
A Story of a girl who gets a babysitting job with a new family after her best-friend never showed up, but when she arrives she finds nothing but four creepy children, no parents and a really old and out of place clock.
The Well - K.M Walton
The story of Jack And Jill who live in a town where everyone has died of a virus and they were both immune, but spending all the time they have together has turned them against one another.
The Wish - Suzanne Young
A girl who has just broken up with her boyfriend makes a wish on a star, and meets a boy and falls head over heels in love with him, but not everything is what it seems.
A Ribbon Of Blue - Michelle Zink
A girl with Cerebal Palsy is told by a fortune-teller to look out for a boy with a whistle, a ticket and a ribbon of blue, and this year at the carnival she finally see's him.
I give this 2.5/5.
Friday 11 January 2013
A Look At My Bookshelves.
So I thought I'd give everybody a look at my 2 bookshelves that hold my books that I've read, while I have 6 bookshelves in total, mostly the other 4 contain books I need to read.
So I'll put up pictures of a shelf a day of my owned and read books.
I love looking at other people's bookshelves, so this gave me the idea to show mine.
I hope you enjoy!
So I'll put up pictures of a shelf a day of my owned and read books.
I love looking at other people's bookshelves, so this gave me the idea to show mine.
I hope you enjoy!
Shelf 8.
I'm slowly replacing my paperbacks with hardcovers,or if they were never released in hardcover then trade paperback.Blog Tour & Giveaway: Veiled Mist - Eleanor T. Beaty, Book Review (201).
Veiled Mist
Publication: 28th September 2012
Publisher: B Q Publishing Company
Pages: 260
Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal
Age Appropriate: Young Adult
Buy It: Amazon Barnes And Noble
On the Caribbean island of Maurray, spoiled-rotten, fifteen-year-old Hanna wakes up to a nightmare. She is not the daughter of an aristocrat but the orphan of a Gypsy. She is the descendant to a mystical Gypsy tribe. Their magic is strong and has lasted six hundred years. Ornella, the tribe's guardian, arrives at the island with her mutt, Count Dracula, to guide Hanna. Hanna is told she must embrace her heritage or die at the ripe age of seventeen. But Hanna does the unthinkable, she chooses death. She hates Gypsies and would rather die. What she doesn't know is that her death will destroy the entire tribe. What she also doesn't know is how persuasive Ornella can be. The nightmare begins.
My Thoughts...
Fifteen -year old Hanna is spoiled, known as the bitchy girl at school with her friends, the one boy she likes Alistair doesn't like her and won't give her the time of day.
One morning she wakes to find that her doll's (that used to belong to her deceased Mother) arms have fallen off, she takes it to a new store that has just opened up to get it repaired, it's there that she meets the owner Ornella, the leader of a Gypsy tribe, unknown to Hanna she is to be the next inductee, that's if Hanna can change her attitude and allude the evil that's determined to kill her before her sixteenth birthday which is when she will be inducted into the tribe, as well as delivering three different dolls to three different people before that time as well.
Meanwhile Hanna's appearance keeps changing to that of gypsy stereotypes, albeit much to the disgust of Hanna who was taught by her Grandmother that Gypsies are dirty, horrible people.
Will Hanna overcome her prejudices to join the tribe like she was destined to at birth? And will she make it to her sixteenth birthday? You'll have to read it to find out.
I wasn't really a big fan of any of the characters in this book, with the exception of Hanna's Grandfather and her brother John, I just didn't like anyone enough to care what happened to them, and then the insta-love, normally I can live with it but in this book Alistair hated Hanna so much and then it was like in the next paragraph he's telling her how much he loves her, I just didn't get it.
So unfortunately the characters wrecked the book for me, the storyline was fresh and original but when the characters are unlikeable it doesn't make reading it enjoyable.
But in saying that this book has gotten good ratings on Goodreads so it may just be me, please give it a read yourselves and form your own opinions.
I give this 3/5.a Rafflecopter giveaway
BIO:
I am Brazilian born and
raised, of American parents. I live in Sao Paulo with my third husband and
children. I studied at the American school in Brazil, in boarding schools in
Switzerland and the US. I have a BA in English Literature from FIU. I
published a YA trilogy in Brazil and another YA novel in Turkey in 2001, now
in its fifth edition. My passion is history and spiritualism. Besides
Veiled Mist, I have another YA novel, Fallen Ruler, being released soon.
ONLINE LINKS:
·
Twitter @ eleanortbeaty
Thursday 10 January 2013
A Look At My Bookshelves.
So I thought I'd give everybody a look at my 2 bookshelves that hold my books that I've read, while I have 6 bookshelves in total, mostly the other 4 contain books I need to read.
So I'll put up pictures of a shelf a day of my owned and read books.
I love looking at other people's bookshelves, so this gave me the idea to show mine.
I hope you enjoy!
So I'll put up pictures of a shelf a day of my owned and read books.
I love looking at other people's bookshelves, so this gave me the idea to show mine.
I hope you enjoy!
Shelf 7.
I'm slowly replacing my paperbacks with hardcovers,or if they were never released in hardcover then trade paperback.Friday's Mailbox.
Today I received a couple of review books, and for a change I didn't receive any books that I've brought online (that doesn't happen very often), so here they are.
The Prey (The Hunt #2)
A Memory Of Light (Wheel of Time #14)
(A Big Thanks To Simon And Schuster Australia & Hachette Australia).
A Look At My Bookshelves.
So I thought I'd give everybody a look at my 2 bookshelves that hold my books that I've read, while I have 6 bookshelves in total, mostly the other 4 contain books I need to read.
So I'll put up pictures of a shelf a day of my owned and read books.
I love looking at other people's bookshelves, so this gave me the idea to show mine.
I hope you enjoy!
So I'll put up pictures of a shelf a day of my owned and read books.
I love looking at other people's bookshelves, so this gave me the idea to show mine.
I hope you enjoy!
Shelf 6.
I'm slowly replacing my paperbacks with hardcovers,or if they were never released in hardcover then trade paperback.Thursday's Mailbox.
No review books today, but I did have a few more arrive that I brought.
So here they are.
So here they are.
Demon's Curse (Imnada Brotherhood #1)
by Alexa Egan
The Mayfair Moon (The Darkwoods Trilogy #1)
Kindred (The Darkwoods Trilogy #2)
The Ballad of Aramei (The Darkwoods Trilogy #3)
Jekel Loves Hyde
Monsters of Men (Chaos Walking #3)
by Patrick Ness
Cover Reveal: The Seven Year King (The Faerie Ring #3) - Kiki Hamilton
Wednesday 9 January 2013
Blog Tour & Guest Post: Reaper - L.S Murphy, Book Review (200).
Reaper
by L.S. Murphy
Publication: 7th January 2013
Publisher: J. Taylor Publishing
Pages: 278
Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal
Age Appropriate: Young Adult
Buy It: Amazon Barnes And Noble
There's no way sixteen year old Quincy Amarante will become the fifth grim reaper. None. Not over her shiny blue Mustang. Her Jimmy Choos. Or her dead body.She’s supposed to enjoy her sophomore year, not learn about some freaky future Destiny says she has no choice but to fulfill.
It doesn’t take long for Quincy to realize the only way out of the game is to play along especially since Death can find her anyway, anywhere, anytime. And does.
Like when she’s reassuring her friends she wants nothing to do with former best friend Ben Moorland, who’s returned from god-knows-where, and fails. Miserably.
Instead of maintaining her coveted popularity status, Quincy’s goes down like the Titanic.
Maybe ... just maybe ... that’s okay.
It seems, perhaps, becoming a grim reaper isn’t just about the dead but more about a much needed shift in Quincy’s priorities—from who she thinks she wants to be to who she really is.
My Thoughts...
This book has been on my wishlist for quite a while now, so when I was asked to take part in this blog tour I jumped at the chance, and I'm so glad that I did, the book was fantastic and definitely deserving of the five stars that I gave it.
This was such a fresh and original storyline, the fact that the heroine of the book Quincy is to become a Reaper and no matter how much she fights it, it's her destiny whether she likes it or not, I liked her journey into finally accepting the fact that this was something she had to do, and the end, OMG! did I cry it was such an emotional ending, and while I sort of knew it was coming, it didn't change the fact that I wish it didn't end the way it did although it was the perfect ending to finish off the book.
The changes that Quincy went through from being one of the most popular girls in school to finally allowing people to see who she really is beyond her popularity and to finally being able to reconnect with the person she used to be helped guide her into finally accepting her fate.
There were quite a few people in this book that I really didn't like: Jordan (her supposed best-friend), who was completely undeserving of what Quincy did for her, and it should have stayed the way it was meant, but as I said I can understand why it was written the way it was, she was such a selfish and unlikable character, throw in Logan and Robert and I think that they all deserve each other, now I don't know whether the characters were purposely written the way they were to be disliked but I found I just couldn't stand them.
Now Ben, I loved him and I wish that he'd had more page time, and the ending killed me but I really liked the way that Ben and Quincy's final part of the story was written for them, it was perfect for how the story arc turned out.
A great book I'll be sure to read again.
I give this 5/5.
Guest Post...
Balance –
The Myth
As a mother, wife, office manager, and an author, I spent years
dreaming about finding the right balance between each of my worlds. Guess what?
It’s a myth. If you keep looking for balance, you will never find it.
You have to MAKE it happen.
Yep, totally two different things.
We’re lured into a sense of balance when we’re kids. We get up, go
to school, do whatever we do afterwards. Rinse repeat. Once we got our driver’s
license, it was still the same routine, except adding later nights into the
mix. We had balance.
Somewhere after high school, or even college, balance disappears. We
become shufflers. Moving things around, reprioritizing as life changes,
organizing things one way only to have them change the next week. That’s
reality of adulthood. Sometimes it just sucks.
So, as writers, what can we do to make balance?
1.
Schedule time. Even if you can
only slip in half an hour to write, do it. I figure that’s about 500 words. By
the end of the week, you have 3500 words. You’re ahead. See, easy, right?
2.
If you miss a day, don’t worry
about it. It’s not that big of a deal. Relax and get back on the horse the next
day.
3.
Take time off. This is hard for
me. I took a week off this summer. My family took a vacation this summer and I
promised my husband that I wouldn’t touch my laptop unless it was necessary. I
ignored my email for the most part and relaxed. It was oddly nice.
4.
Utilize every minute. How is
this possible? Well, it’s not easy. I use a voice recorder when I get inspired
in the car while I’m driving. If I’m the passenger, I use the note function on
my phone. I always have a notebook and pen with me as well. If you have five
minutes of downtime, use it. Unless you’re in the middle of #3.
5.
Don’t forget what’s important.
When you start feeling overwhelmed, take a step back and ask yourself what
really matters? That will help you create balance in your life.
Regardless of your lifestyle, balance is necessary to be successful
and to stay sane. Create it and, remember, it will always change. ALWAYS.
Adjust, move forward. You’ll be fine.
Bio:
L.S. Murphy lives in the Greater St. Louis area where she watches Cardinals
baseball, reads every book she can find, and weaves tales for teens and adults.
When not doing all of the above, she tends to The Bean (aka her daughter), her
husband and a menagerie of pets. “A Reason to Stay”, a contemporary romance
novella, is available as of November 2, 2012. Reaper is her debut
young adult novel and will be released on January 7th, 2013.
She
is a co-rep for the Southern Illinois region of Society of Children’s Book
Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)
and a member of the St. Louis Writer’s Guild.
Links:
Blog:
http://lsmurphy.com
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/LSMurphy
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/LSMurphyAuthor
Publisher:
http://www.jtaylorpublishing.com/
Tuesday 8 January 2013
Waiting On Wednesday.
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine where you can spotlight an upcoming release that you're eagerly anticipating.
Control
by Lydia Kang
After the violent death of her father, 17 year-old Zelia loses her younger sister, Dylia, during an abduction at a foster care agency. It turns out her sister Dylia isn’t just pretty and sweet – she’s illegal. In the year 2150, DNA must be pure by law, and anyone with enhanced genes face death. Zelia’s only allies are the freak-show inhabitants of her new, underground foster home. Along with the unexpected love of a very strange boy, she will need her flaws and their illicit traits to save the only family she has left.
Expected publication: December 19th 2013 by Dial Books for Young Readers
Arclight
No one crosses the wall of light . . . except for one girl who doesn’t remember who she is, where she came from, or how she survived. A harrowing, powerful debut thriller about finding yourself and protecting your future—no matter how short and uncertain it may be.
The Arclight is the last defense. The Fade can’t get in. Outside the Arclight’s border of high-powered beams is the Dark. And between the Light and the Dark is the Grey, a narrow, barren no-man’s-land. That’s where the rescue team finds Marina, a lone teenage girl with no memory of the horrors she faced or the family she lost. Marina is the only person who has ever survived an encounter with the Fade. She’s the first hope humanity has had in generations, but she could also be the catalyst for their final destruction. Because the Fade will stop at nothing to get her back. Marina knows it. Tobin, who’s determined to take his revenge on the Fade, knows it. Anne-Marie, who just wishes it were all over, knows it.
When one of the Fade infiltrates the Arclight and Marina recognizes it, she will begin to unlock secrets she didn’t even know she had. Who will Marina become? Who can she never be again?
Expected publication: April 23rd 2013 by Greenwillow Books
No one crosses the wall of light . . . except for one girl who doesn’t remember who she is, where she came from, or how she survived. A harrowing, powerful debut thriller about finding yourself and protecting your future—no matter how short and uncertain it may be. The Arclight is the last defense. The Fade can’t get in. Outside the Arclight’s border of high-powered beams is the Dark. And between the Light and the Dark is the Grey, a narrow, barren no-man’s-land. That’s where the rescue team finds Marina, a lone teenage girl with no memory of the horrors she faced or the family she lost. Marina is the only person who has ever survived an encounter with the Fade. She’s the first hope humanity has had in generations, but she could also be the catalyst for their final destruction. Because the Fade will stop at nothing to get her back. Marina knows it. Tobin, who’s determined to take his revenge on the Fade, knows it. Anne-Marie, who just wishes it were all over, knows it.
When one of the Fade infiltrates the Arclight and Marina recognizes it, she will begin to unlock secrets she didn’t even know she had. Who will Marina become? Who can she never be again?
A Look At My Bookshelves.
So I thought I'd give everybody a look at my 2 bookshelves that hold my books that I've read, while I have 6 bookshelves in total, mostly the other 4 contain books I need to read.
So I'll put up pictures of a shelf a day of my owned and read books.
I love looking at other people's bookshelves, so this gave me the idea to show mine.
I hope you enjoy!
So I'll put up pictures of a shelf a day of my owned and read books.
I love looking at other people's bookshelves, so this gave me the idea to show mine.
I hope you enjoy!
Shelf 5.
I'm slowly replacing my paperbacks with hardcovers,or if they were never released in hardcover then trade paperback.
I'm slowly replacing my paperbacks with hardcovers,or if they were never released in hardcover then trade paperback.
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