Just stumbled upon this gem...the interwebs rarely fails to bring the LOLs...here have some morning giggles!
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Book Sales Battle Childhood Cancer
Book Sales Battle Childhood Cancer
Bestselling Author teams up with Team Julian Foundation
Bestselling Author teams up with Team Julian Foundation
The Team
Julian Foundation, a
not-for-profit that raises research funds for childhood cancer, is teaming up
with an acclaimed thriller novelist to raise money through e-book sales. The
foundation was started by The Boivin family in memory of their son Julian who
was diagnosed with an incurable brain tumor at the age of 4. Marcus Sakey, television host and author living in
Chicago, is a personal friend of Brad and Nettie Boivin, and together, they are
using the growing popularity of e-books to raise money for a worthy cause.
Marcus Sakey published his
first book in 2007, but his friendship with the Boivin’s and their son Julian
started long before his writing success. Seeing first-hand how the popularity
of e-books and independent publishing is changing the publishing industry, decided
to use his readership to raise money for the cause. He collected seven short
stories and published the e-anthology, Scar
Tissue. During the month of September, Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month,
100% of the proceeds will go directly to the Team Julian Foundation. After
that, he will contribute 50% of the proceeds.
Sakey knew Julian since he
was born and he was a sweet, happy-go-lucky kid. But Julian’s life changed
dramatically one terrible morning in 2010 when he woke up feeling disoriented. His
parents rushed him to the hospital, where Julian was diagnosed with an atypical
brain stem glioma.
“One of the
most terrifying nightmares a parent could ever face is learning that their
child has cancer,” Nettie Boivin recalls. “What’s worse is when they’re told
that a cure does not exist.”
The Boivins lost their son
just 7 months later and created Team Julian shortly thereafter. Since its
inception, the foundation has raised over $100K for pediatric cancer research. It
is completely volunteer- based which means funds go directly to supporting
research that ultimately leads to breakthroughs in cures for brain tumors and
childhood cancer.
The e-book revolution has
already changed the way we read, but now, it’s changing our ability to raise
funds. Unlike gala dinners or organized walks, Scar Tissue will provide funds to the Team Julian foundation for
years to come.
Boivin states, “Knowing Julian’s friendship with Marcus and their
affinity for playing out stories of good and evil, Jules would be so proud to
know his pal has joined forces to beat the ultimate bad guy - pediatric
cancer.”
Links:
Friday, September 21, 2012
The Next Couple of Weeks
So you see that? 11 books behind! Not a happy face I have right now! :( I really want to make my goal. SOOOO with that being said..I have decided that the next two weeks will be spent plowing my way through my review copies and library books! Yes, it doesn't sound like much of a challenge, but considering I have been reading on average 1 measely book a week I think it's challenging enough FOR ME !
My List:
- Wuthering Heights
- Dash and Lily's Book of Dares (Ebook)
- Splintered (ebook)
- The Dead of Winter (ebook)
- There Goes the Galaxy
- Vlad all Over
- One Came Home
- Easily Amused
- Through to You
- Sophia's War
- Innocent Darkness
- The Hiding Place
- Incarceron
- Under the Dome
- Xenocide
Wish me luck!
Monday, September 17, 2012
What Are you Reading?
To Read:
- Wuthering Heights (selections) *Catch up*
- Easily Amused-Karen McQuestion
- There Goes the Galaxy -Jenn Thorson
- Through to You-Emily Hainsworth
- Girl of Nightmares-Kendare Blake
Friday, September 14, 2012
Quick Review: Anna Dressed in Blood
Blurb:
Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.
So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. They follow legends and local lore, destroy the murderous dead, and keep pesky things like the future and friends at bay.
Searching for a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas expects the usual: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.
Yet she spares Cas's life.
My Thoughts
Oh my god, this book! I have to say that I was reluctant as crap to read this one. I'm usually let down by books that get such glowing recommendations! I can only blame stubbornness for my resistance to the awesomeness that is this book! Anna is an awesome story. The characters, especially Cas and Anna, are amazingly well written. This book is tons of fun and I can honestly say that I had so many feels for this! Kendare Blake knows how to write a tense, delicious story!
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Spotlight and Giveaway: Deception
Blurb:
A dashing con man
Breaking and entering to reclaim her corrupt late father’s ledger comes surprisingly easily to Sophia Darnly. But is it mere coincidence that her misdeed unexpectedly reunites her with Kier, the outlaw lover who abandoned her years ago?
A lady skilled in trickery
Time has not erased Sophia from Kier’s heart, nor tamed her fiery spirit. She boldly insinuates herself into his plans. But Kier is on a mission of revenge, and can’t allow even the woman he once loved to stop him.
A game that could get them both killed
The danger mounts as they lure the leader of a powerful consortium who needs the fabled Darnly ledger—and all its damning details about the wealthiest merchants of England— to execute his nefarious plan. Their rekindled passion burns hot, but when they discover they too are the targets of a deadly deception, the fate of their love, and of England itself, lies in the balance.
GIVEAWAY
This book didn't hook me. I did not finish it so I am passing it along to someone that might enjoy it more than me! :) Please use the rafflecopter below to enter!
Details:
- US only (sorry I'm sending this on my own dime and I'm poor lol)
- 1 copy available
- Giveaway starts 6am CST on the 12th and ends at 6am CST on the 16th
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Pretty When She Dies Series Giveaway
Madam Frater has kindly given me permission to offer my wonderful interweb friends a chance to get their grubby little paws on ebook copies of the first two books in the Pretty When She Dies series! Hopefully you've seen my review and the blog stop post and it's grabbed your attention! If you're dying to read this awesome series, now is your chance! Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below and cross your fingers!
Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Guest Post: Necromancy in the Pretty When She Dies Trilogy
Necromancy in the Pretty When She Dies Trilogy
By
Rhiannon Frater
Rhiannon Frater
At some point while writing about established monsters, magical beings, and the whatnot, every writer faces a moment where they have to decide what legendary traits do, or do not work for their particular story. While writing PRETTY WHEN SHE DIES and the recently released sequel, PRETTY WHEN SHE KILLS, I had to decide not only the abilities and limitations of my vampires, but also what it meant to be a necromancer in that universe. I had already decided to adhere to a very traditional, old school vampire, so I decided my take on necromancers would take a decidedly modern turn.
Historically, necromancers resembled what we now consider to be a medium, but recent incarnations of necromancers have taken on a more threatening and ominous appearance. Instead of just being able to summon spirits to predict the future, in television shows, movies, and books, they’ve been imbued with the ability to raise the dead. Since this has become the established new canon for necromancers, I decided to embrace this new norm, but add a few twists.
In the first book, both The Summoner and Amaliya are vampires with necromantic powers, but they raise the dead through different means. The Summoner’s necromancy works differently from Amaliya, even though he created her, and it takes nearly the entire book for Amaliya to finally understand how to raise and control the dead.
They also have a decidedly different relationship with the dead.
The Summoner in the first book is cruel and likes to play games with the fledgling vampires he creates. He torments them, stalks them, and makes their lives into living hells. His cruelty extends to his victims and the dead. He can force a victim to hover on the edge of death and be his slave. He can also chop up dead bodies and make terrible constructs out of them. He regards the dead as his playthings.
Amaliya, meanwhile, slowly embraces her affinity with the dead and creates a much more compassionate relationship with the zombies she raises. Flickers of memories give her glimpses of the people the zombies once were and the lives they lived. Though she does raise the dead to help defend herself and those she loves, she actually does revere them and their service to her.
In PRETTY WHEN SHE KILLS another vampire necromancer comes into play. Again, her necromancy takes on a different form. Bianca Leduc’s much more in tune with the spirit world than Amaliya and The Summoner were in the previous book. She’s able to use the spirit realm to her advantage when reaching out to Amaliya’s grandmother, who is a medium, for help.
Innocente, Amaliya’s grandmother, and Samantha, Cian’s former fiancée, both take on a more traditional necromancer role in PRETTY WHEN SHE KILLS. Though it was formerly established that Innocente was a medium, Samantha ends up with some pretty intense side effects from drinking Amaliya’s blood in the first book. Of the two, Innocente is closer to the traditional necromancer in her capabilities. For Samantha, I had fun creating some new abilities that she has to explore and learn to use. I also created a new title for the type of magic she can wield.
Since vampires are undead and bringers of death, necromancy fits easily into their world. The necromancers definitely shake things up. I also enjoy writing about a different sort of zombie that is much more sympathetic than the flesh eaters in the AS THE WORLD DIES trilogy.
Blog Tour: Pretty When She Kills
Amaliya Vezorak never believed in happy endings…
When Amaliya harnessed her necromancer powers to defeat her greatest enemy, she believed she had finally found a happy ending with Cian, her lover and the master of Austin. That happiness is short-lived when the vampire ruling over San Antonio attempts a takeover of Austin in order to capture Amaliya and use her power for his own devices.
To make matters worse, Samantha, Cian’s ex-fiancée, is seeing ghosts, the untested vampire hunters of Austin are running scared as a supernatural war looms, a mysterious man is hunting Amaliya with the help of her one time lover, Pete, and Rachoń, the Summoner’s favorite progeny, appears to be out for revenge.
When Amaliya’s grandmother, a powerful medium, experiences terrible visions that reveal there is another necromancer vampire and she is crying out for help, Amaliya realizes happy endings do not come easily…
Rhiannon Frater
Rhiannon Frater is the award-winning author of the AS THE WORLD DIES zombie trilogy and the author of several other horror novels. She was born and raised a Texan and presently lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and furry children (a.k.a pets). She loves scary movies, sci-fi shows, playing video games, cooking, dying her hair weird colors, and shopping for Betsey Johnson purses and shoes.
You can find her online at:
Website: rhiannonfrater.com & astheworlddies.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/astheworlddies
Twitter: twitter.com/rhiannonfrater
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/rhiannonfrater/
Email: rhiannonfrater at gmail.com
Pretty When She Dies is available on Audible!
Awesome Giveaway for Pretty When She Kills hosted by The Bookish Brunette!
The grand prize is:
- An autographed paperback of PRETTY WHEN SHE KILLS and the first book, PRETTY WHEN SHE DIES
- 6 bookmarks (2 autographed)
- Vampire fangs necklace and matching earrings
AWESOME RIGHT?
My Review:
Okay, I believe I have gone on record many a time as saying that Rhiannon Frater is my spirit animal, right? Well this addition to the Pretty When She Dies series continues to back it up! Each page sealed the deal with me and made me want to devour this book in one setting! (Damn you real life!)
Amaliya is still very badass and ridiculously funny. I don't know if it's intentional or if it's just me and my random sense of humor, but she has that sarcastic charm that I love in a heroine. She's relatable but still a glorious work of fiction..I hope that makes sense? She continues to push her way, rather forcefully, to the top of my list of favorite characters!
As before the side characters are written very well. I didn't get any "Here for scenery and fluff" vibes from any of them. They each are individuals and are almost as interesting as the main cast. Speaking of which, some of the main cast from the first book have developed awesome new abilities, which makes them so much more interesting! Samantha has somehow gained some awesome powers and has become and even MORE enticing character. Jeff is still an adorable little vampire hunter coming into his own! They definitely are an sweet couple.
The romance is romancey but also of the steamy variety. I totes love that kind! You know, the kind where clothes are shredded and things get broken..THAT kind of steamy! This isn't the typical vampire novel and these are your typical characters. These guys belong to Rhiannon Frater, and she's treating them VERY well!
So many feels I have for this book y'all! I will just leave you with this:
THIS BOOK IS AWESOME BALLS! Read it! Read it! You know you want to!
Blog Tour Schedule
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Review: Speaker for the Dead
Blurb:
In the aftermath of his terrible war, Ender Wiggin disappeared, and a powerful voice arose: The Speaker for the Dead, who told the true story of the Bugger War.
Now, long years later, a second alien race has been discovered, but again the aliens' ways are strange and frightening...again, humans die. And it is only the Speaker for the Dead, who is also Ender Wiggin the Xenocide, who has the courage to confront the mystery...and the truth.
My Thoughts: Now, long years later, a second alien race has been discovered, but again the aliens' ways are strange and frightening...again, humans die. And it is only the Speaker for the Dead, who is also Ender Wiggin the Xenocide, who has the courage to confront the mystery...and the truth.
I really liked Ender's Game, so I snatched the sequel up when it showed up on my library's shelf. I really was curious where Ender would go after the events of the first novel. Speaker for the Dead takes place roughly 3,000 years after the first book (time travel..wtf?) 3k years but Ender hasn't aged past middle age. He is now what is known as a Speaker for the Dead, a person that learns and uncovers the secrets of the deceased and gives a sort of sermon about their lives. (Not the best definition but will do for now)
SFTD, is a hard book to describe. It's good but will not be for everyone. There's a lot of unique words made for these books. It took me a little bit to understand a few of them. I was kind of left to create a mental image in my own mind of the Piggies. They were never really described well enough for me. I didn't understand the politics behind the colony and why they were there but not allowed to do some of the most obvious things. *shrug*
HOWEVER, I enjoyed reading a grown up Ender. One that is both lonely and happy to spend eternity by himself. A man that is vastly intelligent but still knows he has more to learn. I think that Ender is definitely one of the most interesting characters I've ever read!
SFTD, was slower paced than Ender's Game. It had a lot more to do with politics and science than EG did, but I still found myself engrossed in it. I found it a good solid read, and a great second part of the series!
Monday, September 10, 2012
Review: The King's Damsel
Blurb:
Handmaid. Spy. Mistress. Anxious to secure his own success at the glittering court of Henry VIII, heiress Tamsin Lodge’s ambitious guardian obtains her a position as maid of honor to young Princess Mary Tudor. Tamsin soon comes to love the neglected child, but in the Tudor court, not even a princess is secure. Mary’s father is besotted with the lovely Anne Boleyn, and the girl’s future has grown perilous. Plotting to be Mary’s eyes and ears, Tamsin joins Anne’s service, but the handsome silk worker who is her co-conspirator may be her undoing. While marriage with a merchant is unthinkable, she cannot resist Rafe Pinckney’s embraces. When Tamsin also attracts the lusty Henry, she must choose between loyalty and desire. . . . With Anne’s jealousy growing dangerous, can Tamsin survive the schemes and seductions that surround her?
My Thoughts:
I have to say that this book was a fun quick read. Very predictable, but not in a super annoying way. Yes, it's a tale of "King Henry the VIII was an asshole, all the ladies loved him and he used them horrifically!" It's not groundbreaking work, but Tamsin is a great character. She saved the show by not being the typical love interest of these kind of novels. I enjoyed her wit and her intelligence. She wasn't a boring stereotype.
Like I said this was a quick read, the story flows quite nicely. Even with the rather quick pace, there is quite a good chunk of characterization and plot development that occurs. It's hoenstly very hard, in my opinion to come out with any groundbreaking ideas or facts about King Henry VIII or any of his Queens, so don't go into this expecting anything of the sort. This isn't going to win awards, BUT it is very fun to read. I have to give Kate Emerson credit for that!
Great writing, strong characters, and a nice quick pace makes this a juicy read!
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Review: Breed
Blurb:
Alex and Leslie Twisden lead charmed lives-fabulous jobs, a luxurious town house on Manhattan's Upper East Side, a passionate marriage. What they don't have is a child, and as they try one infertility treatment after the next, yearning turns into obsession. As a last-ditch attempt to make their dream of parenthood come true, Alex and Leslie travel deep into Slovenia, where they submit to a painful and terrifying procedure that finally gives them what they so fervently desire . . . but with awful consequences.
Ten years later, cosseted and adored but living in a house of secrets, the twins Adam and Alice find themselves locked into their rooms every night, with sounds coming from their parents' bedroom getting progressively louder, more violent, and more disturbing.
Driven to a desperate search for answers, Adam and Alice set out on a quest to learn the true nature of the man and woman who raised them. Their discovery will upend everything they thought they knew about their parents and will reveal a threat so horrible that it must be escaped, at any cost.
My Thoughts:
Holy crap! This book was creepy! It takes a HECK of a lot to get me a bit wigged out, but this book did it for me! The premise itself is enough to give me the willies. I've known a LOT of couples that have had fertility issues and after they reach a certain point they either give up or get uber-obssessed with the process and go to somewhat drastic measures to get pregnant.
Alex and Alice start off as your normal couple, rich and beautiful and well liked. I think I would have liked more about their relationship before all the creepy stuff happens, but it isn't that irksome. They try and try for a kid, but nothing happens. Alice wants to give up, but Adam wants to try ONE last thing! He hears about a doctor with a radical new treatment that is highly effective but very out of the ordinary. He's in Slovenia (Wasn't that the place where the movie Hostel takes place?) *Cue creepy music!*
After the treatments, Alex and Alice start to notice some...erm..changes in their lives and behavior. They get pregnant, and they have twins..well sorta, but no super spoilers from me! Life in the Twisden family is less than ideal. The children are strange, solitary creatures that cling to each other and the parents..well let's just say that PTA meetings aren't on the top of their TO-DO lists.
This book had me ripping through it. I finished it in almost a day and a half! Loved the creepy but not TOO creepy vibe. The writing is awesome and although some characters could have been developed a little more strongly, I believe this is a solid book that will satisfy!
Monday, September 3, 2012
BTS Read-a-thon: END!
Totals:
Books Read/Finished:2
Pages Read: 471
I finished:
- Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
- The King's Damsel by Kate Emerson
- I sadly had a DNF book-Deception by Kris Kennedy
Happy Reading!
Sunday, September 2, 2012
What Are you Reading?
Reviews Coming up:
- Breed
- Speaker for the Dead
- The King's Damsel
- Deception-DNF so this will be a spotlight AND giveaway!
So what are you reading this week?
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