Oct 31, 2010

Top 5 Sundays

Top 5 Sundays is a weekly blog meme created by Larissa at Larissa's Bookish Life.

Here's a little info about the meme taken from Larissa's blog:

Every Sunday I will post a TOP 5 list on the blog. It can be about anything and every week I'll have a new theme {You can vote on next week’s theme on my left sidebar!} and I will ad the Mr.Linky bellow the post so you can do a list with the theme and add you link to it.

Rules:
1 - Write a post listing your TOP 5 choices within the theme I chose (or was chosen on a poll) for the week.
2 - Mention this Blog on the post and link back to it.
3 - Fell free to use the Feature's image (there is a smaller size version of it bellow)
4 - After you've finished your post, add you link (of the post, not your blog's main page) to the Mr.Linky at the end of that week's post.
5 – If you don’t have a blog to post, just leave your list in the comments =)

This week's theme is FAVORITE HALLOWEEN MOVIES

Oh this is a toughie, I'm not really a horror movie kind of gal. But let's see what I can think of!

5.
The Nightmare Before Christmas: sort of a mix between being a Halloween movie and a Christmas movie. Tim Burton apparently got the idea when he saw all the Christmas decorations going out in the stores around Halloween time. Or something like that!

4.
The Wolfman: the original version. I didn't care for the remake with Bencio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins. I like a lot of the old classic horror movies. They're very entertaining!

3.

Dracula: the original version yet again. Can't handle a lot of the remakes, so I went with the classic!

2.
The Creature from the Black Lagoon: This is perhaps my FAVORITE monster movie ever! Yes, it's old and cheesy, but it is just so funny! I know it was supposed to be scary at the time, but wow! This one just cracks me up and I still can't believe this was a horror movie in 1954!

1.
Beetlejuice: Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice! (Ha! Couldn't resist!) LOVE this movie! One of my faves to watch growing up! My fave part is when the adults are possessed and signing at the dinner table, I can't think of the name of the song, but I love it! Very funny movie and I still can't believe that Michael Keaton was both Beetlejuice and Batman! Can't see it or hear it, but wow!

Also I loved watching the cartoon show as a kid! One of the best cartoons of my childhood. Anyone else ever wonder why the spelling on the movie is BEETLEJUICE and in the movie it's BETELGEUSE? Might have misspelled it there, but it looks sort of right!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!




HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Have a GREAT night with however you choose to celebrate!!

Virtual treats!

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly blog post by Kirsti over at The Story Siren.

Found a few books this weekend which is always a good thing! This week I bought books, none in the actual mailbox, but oh well!

I got: Lilith Saintcrow's Heaven's Spite


Jennifer Rardin's Bitten in Two (still so sad that she's not with us anymore!)



Karen Marie Moning's Darkfever

 


So that was my mailbox for the week! Can't wait to dig in! What did you get?


Oct 29, 2010

Contest Reminder

This is just a reminder that my 100 Followers contest ends Sunday, October 31, 2010 at 11:59 PM Central.

Click here for details to see what kind of prizes I will be giving away!

Book Blogger Hop

This blogger hop was created by Jennifer at Crazy for Books.

Here are the rules:
1. Enter your book blog link in the Linky List below (be sure to include how long you've been blogging and what genres you review!). If you post about the Hop on your blog, please link directly to your Hop post (don't forget to answer this week's question - see below!).
2. Visit other blogs in the Linky List! Make new friends! Follow new book bloggers! Talk about books! Rave about authors! (Please do not leave your link and not visit other blogs - it's just not cool and not in the spirit of the Hop!)
3. Post about the Hop on your blog! Spread the word about the book party! The more the merrier!
4. In your blog post, answer the following question (new question each week!):
"What is the one bookish thing you would love to have, no matter the cost?"

Well first I need a new place to live so I can have what I want. I want to have my own library, a room with beautifully built-in bookshelves and a nice little knook so I can have a place to read complete with comfy cushions. But I need the room to be nice and BIG so that the walls which will be the built-in bookshelves can be filled with all my books, even ones that I loved from my teenager days that I had to box up to make room for my current books.

Oct 27, 2010

Cover Art--Chloe Neill

I posted the cover for Chloe Neill's Hard Bitten awhile back, and now I'm here posting it again with synopsis!

Chloe Neill released the BOC for Hard Bitten on her blog the other day and I had to share it here! 

This should release May 1, 2011!

So can't wait to read this! Especially after Twice Bitten which was amazing!!


Times are hard for newly minted vampire Merit. Ever since shapeshifters announced their presence to the world, humans have been rallying against supernaturals--and they're camping outside of Cadogan House with protest signs that could turn to pitchforks at any moment. Inside its doors, things between Merit and her Master, green-eyed heartbreaker Ethan Sullivan are ... tense. But then the mayor of Chicago calls Merit and Ethan to a clandestine meeting and tells them about a violent vamp attack that has left three women missing. His message is simple: get your House in order. Or else.

Merit needs to get to the bottom of this crime, but it doesn't help that she can't tell who's on her side. So she secretly calls in a favor from someone who's tall, dark, and part of underground vamp group that may have some deep intel on the attack. Merit soon finds herself in the heady, dark heart of Chicago's supernatural society--a world full of vampires who seem to ready to fulfill the protesting human's worst fears, and a place where she'll learn that you can't be a vampire without getting a little blood on your hands...

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly blog post by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights releases we're eagerly awaiting.

Totally forgot to do this yesterday, only remembered now at the last minute, usually I have the post made up!

This week my choice is Cheyenne McCray's Vampires Not Invited! I just started this series not too long ago and am already addicted!!


Vampire attacks are on the rise in the city that never sleeps. So why is half-human, half-Drow private eye Nyx tracking down Sprites? Sure, these “young bloods” are causing mischief all over town—like painting the Statue of Liberty’s toenails neon pink. But it’s not until Nyx finds herself at the Pit, Manhattan's hottest nightclub for paranorms, that she understands what she’s really up against…

Seems Master Vampire Volod has a plan—and the Sprites are in on it. By targeting the weaknesses of every paranorm in the city, from Elves to Shifters to Zombies, Volod and his fang gang aim to rule the night once and for all. Over Nyx’s dead body. She loves a good challenge—and she will seduce danger at every turn to throw Volod off course. It’s time for Nyx to enter the beating heart of this dark conspiracy…before driving a stake through it.

TITLE: Vampires Not Invited
AUTHOR:
Cheyenne McCray
GENRE:
Urban Fantasy
RELEASE DATE:
November 30, 2010

Oct 26, 2010

Contest Alert--at Bitten By Books

Today is the release date for the latest in the Morganville Vampire series, Ghost Town and there is an awesome contest over at Bitten By Books! There's a chance to win an iPad!

I haven't read this series yet, but I plan to someday!

Click here to go to the event!

Review--E-ARC Tyger Tyger by Kersten Hamilton

Teagan Wylltson's best friend, Abby, dreams that horrifying creatures--goblins, shape-shifters, and beings of unearthly beauty but terrible cruelty--are hunting Teagan. Abby is always coming up with crazy stuff, though, so Teagan isn't worried. Her life isn't in danger. In fact, it's perfect. She's on track for a college scholarship. She has a great job. She's focused on school, work, and her future. No boys, no heartaches, no problems.

Until Finn Mac Cumhaill arrives. Finn's a bit on the unearthly beautiful side himself. He has a killer accent and a knee-weakening smile. And either he's crazy or he's been haunting Abby's dreams, because he's talking about goblins, too . . . and about being The Mac Cumhaill, born to fight all goblin-kind. Finn knows a thing or two about fighting. Which is a very good thing, because this time, Abby's right. The goblins are coming.

 I received this e-ARC courteous of NetGalley.

Kersten Hamilton's Tyger Tyger was quite an interesting read. It was definitely a modern faery tale type book, but it doesn't have the friendly faeries Disney has programmed us to, of course us readers know that faeries are not always friendly and in fact know that a friendly faery is harder to find than anything else. And Tyger Tyger lets the unkind faery image live on.

There wasn't an overabundance of faeries in the novel either, there was just the idea that faeries are evil and there are other creatures of fae that are meant to be feared. Such as goblins and other darker creatures.

Teagan grew up with parents who were still fond of their Irish heritage, her mother even wrote children books featuring goblins and other creatures and they were a big hit. I can't get too much into the details for spoiler purposes, but there was quite a bit of mystery centered around Teagan and her family. Some of which I could surmise as I read further along, the details pertaining to these things were where the surprises laid.

When Finn enters Tea's life and family she can't help being intrigued by this boy. There is definitely something about him and her best friend Abby dislikes him upon meeting him--something which Tea believes is connected to Abby's vision/dream.

The characters were all great. Teagan really does seem more like your average teen. She's trying to do good at school and her job so she can get into a good college and further her future. She is strongly attached to her family and her best friend and despite being immediately drawn to Finn, she doesn't jump to trying to become his girlfriend right away. She almost tries to fight the attraction to him.

Abby was a great friend and I totally loved her. She is almost the polar opposite to Teagan, being outgoing and loud and saying whatever she's thinking, while Teagan was a little more timid, yet still a strong character. From my teaser, you learn that Abby has connections with her Family and isn't afraid to threaten the strange mysterious Finn with them if he were to ever hurt her best friend in any way. Like I said, Abby was a good friend!

Another tidbit that I just have to throw in here because I do have my BA in English is the reference to Of Mice and Men. Not a strong one or anything, just there is a secondary character named Lennie who is an eighteen year old boy who is as the author put it, a young boy trapped in an eighteen year old's body--he is Teagan's younger brother's Adian's best friend. He sort of reminded me of Steinback's Lennie, that's all. Had to mention it!

The pacing was a mix of being a touch slow and other times rather well. It seems like the beginning chapters were all the setup to what happens roughly midway to the end. And that's when things get really interesting.

To avoid making this review longer, I will end it here. My overall thoughts are still rather mixed. I loved the information regarding the fae, goblins and few other creatures mentioned. I'm a sucker for those things. The characters were good, the mystery element was done superbly, yet there were times I felt my mind drifting from the story, then again I had a very difficult weekend when I started the book which could've effected my feelings for the story.

Overall I give it 3/5 stars still. It was a nice read and there is definitely room for more with the way it ended and I am curious to see where this series will go.

This title will release November 15, 2010

Cover Art

So I was at SciFiGuy this morning and saw some amazing cover art for upcoming books!

First is the next anthology by Charlaine Harris and Toni P. Kelner. I love their anthologies, the stories are always funny and pretty entertaining. Next year's topic is Home Improvement!

This won't be released until August 2011, but so far unless the cover changes I think it's pretty neat.

The other cover I saw was for Alayna Williams' Rogue Oracle that releases February 22, 2011 according to Amazon.


I like the tarot cards floating around. While it's pretty dramatically different than Dark Oracle, I like the new look just as well as the old one. Will have to see if this cover sticks as well.

And SciFiGuy also had the BOC posted, so here it is:

The more you know about the future, the more there may be to fear.

Tara Sheridan is the best criminal profiler around - and the most unconventional. Trained as a forensic psychologist, Tara also specializes in Tarot card reading. But she doesn't need her divination skills to realize that the new assignment from her friend and sometime lover, Agent Harry Li, is a dangerous proposition in every way.

Former Cold War operatives, all linked to a top-secret operation tracking the disposal of nuclear weapons in Russia, are disappearing. There are no bodies, and no clues to their whereabouts. Harry suspects a conspiracy to sell arms to the highest bidder. The cards - and Tara's increasingly ominous dreams - suggest something darker. Even as Tara sorts through her feelings for Harry and her fractured relationships with the mysterious order known as Delphi's Daughters, a killer is growing more ruthless by the day. And a nightmare that began decades ago in Chernobyl will reach a terrifying endgame that not even Tara could have foreseen...

Teaser Tuesday


Teaser Tuesday is a weekly blog post by MizB over at Should Be Reading.

The Rules:
1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a page
3. Pick out 2 lines that are SPOILER free
4. Name the title, author, etc.
 "Abby grimaced, then squeezed Tea's hands. 'So the cops are looking for you. The...goblins...are after you, and this Kyle kidnapped your father. Let me call my family, Tea. They'll give you a ride wherever you need to go. I don't care who these bastards are, I got uncles who can deal with them.'" p124

(Quote taken from uncorrected proof. Quote not final)








TITLE: Tyger Tyger
GENRE: Young Adult Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: November 15, 2010

Oct 25, 2010

And the Winner is...


And the winner of the SIGNED copy of Magic at the Gate is KTMAC!

I have emailed the winner and they have 48 hours to respond to claim the prize or else I will have to choose a new winner.

Thanks to all who entered!

Oct 24, 2010

Top 5 Sundays


Top 5 Sundays is a weekly blog meme created by Larissa at Larissa's Bookish Life.

Here's a little info about the meme taken from Larissa's blog:

Every Sunday I will post a TOP 5 list on the blog. It can be about anything and every week I'll have a new theme {You can vote on next week’s theme on my left sidebar!} and I will ad the Mr.Linky bellow the post so you can do a list with the theme and add you link to it.

Rules:
1 - Write a post listing your TOP 5 choices within the theme I chose (or was chosen on a poll) for the week.
2 - Mention this Blog on the post and link back to it.
3 - Fell free to use the Feature's image (there is a smaller size version of it bellow)
4 - After you've finished your post, add you link (of the post, not your blog's main page) to the Mr.Linky at the end of that week's post.
5 – If you don’t have a blog to post, just leave your list in the comments =)

This week's theme is BOOKS YOU'RE NOT READING BUT SHOULD BE!

So when looking at Larissa's post, she's read most of her top 5 books, which leads me to be a little confused with how to do this post. Instead I am going to list 5 books/series that I have not read at all that I really want to read and should be reading, but haven't come up with the money yet!

5.
Stripped by Marcia Colette

4.
Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson

3.
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

2.
Succubus on Top by Richelle Mead (as of the rest of the Georgina Kincaid series. Read book 1 though!)

1.

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (Have heard some good things about this series and I'll admit, I'm more than a little curious about it. To my recollection, I don't believe I've read any books about angels, Fallen or otherwise!)

In My Mailbox


In My Mailbox is a weekly blog post by Kirsti over at The Story Siren.

This week I received a SIGNED copy of Eternal Kiss of Darkness by Jeaniene Frost that I won in a contest! Already read and LOVED the book, but now I have a signed copy! Yay!


Then I have some more NetGalley love to spread for I received 2 e-ARCs that I can read and review. Working on one now and it's pretty good so far!


I got Tyger Tyger by Kersten Hamilton and Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton.



So that's what I got this week. What did you get?

Oct 23, 2010

Randomness...but Chuckle-Worthy

So I was bored and just started googling random images and came across some that were pretty funny! Like this one with Disney Princesses making faces instead of being all royal and perfect! Of course Alice isn't a princess, but Aurora is still giving her a noogie!







Saw this one too and had a laugh! Some of the features are pretty funny too, How to Get Married in 3 Days, How to tell if that Horrifying Beast is actually a Prince, New Sex Tips. That ought be interesting!











Saw this one and thought it was pretty interesting. According to the website: Jeff Brunner put together this analysis of the evolution of the Disney princess.

It was interesting, but a little bashing on Disney and feminism or whatever. I mean these are kids movies. Why do people have to go and do this kind of thing? Sure it's too. The princesses waited to be rescued or whatever, but that was pretty much how the original fairy tale went too, usually just a little more gruesome.

Except I believe in the original Little Mermaid, the mermaid, not Ariel, didn't end up with her Prince Eric. Or whatever his name was.



Anyone else remember Gummy Bears?












Saw this and thought it was awesome! The Disney Princess is dressed in her villain's clothing! Don't know why I thought it was so cool! I guess because we always see the Princess in usually 1 of 3 outfits!







These were a few other cartoons I used to love watching! Hate that they got canceled and replaced with more boring cartoons. Some of them on today are just no fun anymore!









Anyone else remember this show? I was so addicted to it!! Still wished there could've been a bit more closure with Fi and her trying to find out what really went on with her dad's death.

Unless I totally missed something with the show. Wish that this could be on DVD!






I guess that's enough randomness for one day. This is what I get when I am left to my own devices and being on my own for another day. I did some work on my WIP but had to take a break, because I had been going at it for several hours!

So what were some of your favorite shows growing up? Ones that got canceled or still running? I have tons more I could talk about, as well as finding other funny/cute pics but like I said, I think this enough for one day!

Til next time!

Oct 22, 2010

Cover Art--Keri Arthur


I saw on Amazon the cover for Keri Arthur's Mercy Burns! The second in her Myth and Magic series. Now I don't know if this cover is 100% final, as things tend to happen. Not too long ago Amazon posted a cover for a book that had already been revealed and it was entirely different! Took them a few weeks to change it too.

Anyway...here is a cover option, I guess for Mercy Burns that releases April 26, 2011.

Here's the BOC from Keri's website:

Mercy Wilson is a reporter in the San Francisco Bay Area, but she’s also more — and less–than human. Half woman, half air dragon, she’s a ‘draman’, unable to shift shape but still able to unleash fiery energy. Now something will put her powers to the test.

Mercy’s friend Rainey has enlisted her help to solve her sister’s murder. Then a horrible murder claims Rainey’s life, leaving Mercy only five days to find the killer. If Mercy fails, according to dragon law, Rainey’s soul will be doomed to roam the earth for eternity. But how can Mercy help when she herself is a target? With nowhere else to turn, she must join forces with a sexy stranger – the mysterious man they call ‘muerte’, or death itself, who’s as irresistable as he is treacherous. But can even Death keep Mercy alive long enough to find her answers?

Contest Reminder





Don't forget that my contest to win a SIGNED copy of Magic at the Gate by Devon Monk ends Sunday, October 24 at 11:59 PM Central. 

This is open to INTERNATIONAL readers, so be sure to check out the post/interview to find out how to win! Click here to go to post.

Book Blogger Hop


This blogger hop was created by Jennifer at Crazy for Books.

Here are the rules:
1. Enter your book blog link in the Linky List below (be sure to include how long you've been blogging and what genres you review!). If you post about the Hop on your blog, please link directly to your Hop post (don't forget to answer this week's question - see below!).
2. Visit other blogs in the Linky List! Make new friends! Follow new book bloggers! Talk about books! Rave about authors! (Please do not leave your link and not visit other blogs - it's just not cool and not in the spirit of the Hop!)
3. Post about the Hop on your blog! Spread the word about the book party! The more the merrier!
4. In your blog post, answer the following question (new question each week!):

"Where is your favorite place to read? Curled up on the sofa, in bed, in the garden?"

My answer: I do pretty much all my reading curled up in my bed. I prop up my pillows, pull up my covers (especially during the cold season). I have my nightstand next to my bed with my lamp to provide lighting until the sun lights up my room. I dress in comfy sweats and literally just read all day laying in bed.