Nov 9, 2017

Random Thursday

This time the facts I share are truly random! Last week it seemed that the first few were related at least! Lol! Back to That's a Fact Jack: A Collection of Utterly Useless Information [Updated] by Harry Bright and Jakob Anser!


(image borrowed from Disney Clip Art Galore)
"Men who kiss their wives goodbye in the morning earn higher salaries than men who don't."


This one I cannot fathom. I mean...where are they getting these stats? And yes, I know, Mickey and Minnie weren't technically married! ;)


(image borrowed from BBC.com)
"The word 'salary' comes from the Latin salarium, meaning 'payment in salt.' Roman soldiers were paid partially in salt, a highly valuable commodity at the time."


That's definitely weird! But oddly familiar, I think I might have learned about this somewhat during Roman history courses. 


(image borrowed from Simple Wikipedia)
"In the century since its establishment by Congress in 1913, the Federal Reserve has overseen a 96 percent drop in the value of the U.S. dollar. In other words, a 2013 dollar would have been worth four cents in 1913. The dollar's purchasing power has remained constant during the entire century prior to the Fed's establishment."


Somehow this doesn't surprise me. Though I am a bit confused how the dollar can go to being worth 4 cents!



(image borrowed from Biography.com)
"Warren Buffett, legendary investor and self-made multibillionarie, filed his first income tax return at age 13, reporting revenue from a newspaper delivery job. He claimed a $35 deduction for his bicycle."


Dude, that's just insane!! And he was doing it the old fashion way too without H&R Block software! LOL!






Nov 8, 2017

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.


Ivy Morgan hasn't been feeling like herself lately. Not like anyone can blame her. After all, being held captive by a psychotic fae prince hell-bent on permanently opening the gates to the Otherworld is bound to leave some mental scars.

It’s more than that, though. Something dark and insidious is spreading throughout Ivy, more powerful than she could ever imagine... and it’s coming between her and the man she’s fallen deeply in love with, elite Order member Ren Owens.

Ren would do anything to keep Ivy safe. Anything. But when he makes a life altering choice for her, the fallout of his act has far reaching consequences that threaten to tear their lives apart. If Ivy is going to have any hope of surviving this, she must put aside the hurt and betrayal she feels, and work with not only those she loves, but with an enemy she would rather kill than ever trust. War is coming, and it soon becomes clear that what Ivy and Ren thought they knew about the Order, themselves, and even their enemies, has been nothing but a cluster of dangerous, deadly lies. Ivy knows she must be more than just brave to save those she loves--and, ultimately, to save herself.

Because behind ever evil fae Prince, there’s a Queen…


I STILL need to read the second book but definitely cannot wait to do so!!


TITLE: Brave
PUBLISHER: ? Goodreads doesn't show one and I honestly can't remember who it is...
GENRE: Paranormal New Adult
RELEASE DATE: December 11, 2017 




  

Nov 7, 2017

Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Purple Princess of The Purple Booker.


Here are 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.



"Boot does a figure-eight pattern, snuffling, and then comes back to a spot and sits down. Looks at us with a little pity. Stupid humans." Kindle loc. 49%*


*Quote comes from the eARC, therefore it and its location are not final.












TITLE: Killman Creek
AUTHOR: Rachel Caine

PUBLISHER: Thomas & Mercer
GENRE: Thriller Mystery
RELEASE DATE: December 12, 2017





Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list  that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.



This week's topic is: Top Ten Characters Who Would Make Great Leaders...in a Book Club!!


*in no particular order


10. GEORGINA KINCAID from Richelle Mead's Georgina Kincaid Series--Georgina works in a bookstore and dates a writer! So yeah, she'd be an awesome book club leader!
9. ECHO from Melissa Grey's Girl at Midnight Trilogy--Echo lives in a library! So naturally she reads a lot when she's not saving the world!
8. PUCK from Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey Series--true, he may not be a reader in a sense, but he's entertaining enough to make up for it!


7. AUGUST from Victoria Schwab's Monsters of Verity Duology--August is another of those characters who I think would make a great book club leader. I can't recall 100% if he was the reader type, but for some reason I thought he was...
6. SOOKIE STACKHOUSE from Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire Mystery Series--will always refer to the series as this despite the name change! Lol! Sookie too was a reader when she had time! I think she too would make a great book club reader!
5. JESSICA from Amelia Awater-Rhodes' Den of Shadows Series--Jessica was a writer before she became a vampire, and likely would continue to write even after her change. So as long as she promised not to bite her club members, she too would make a great book club leader!


4. HERMIONE GRANGER from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Series--because duh.
3. KATY from Jennifer L. Armentrout's Lux Series--Katy is a book blogger, so naturally she should run her own book club!
2. DAEMON from Jennifer L. Armentrout's Lux Series--naturally, he would have to be a co-leader with Katy. He'd probably wouldn't stay on topic, but I still remember how he "helped" Katy with her one vlog and I think he would definitely make book club enjoyable on many levels! I'll even bring the cookies! LOL!


1. BELLE--because duh. Lol!



 

Nov 6, 2017

It's Monday! What are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. It's a fun meme where we gather to share what we've read last week and our reading plans for this week.


Last Week I Read:

The Darkest Magic by Morgan Rhodes (5 stars)
One Foot in the Grave by C.C. Hunter (ARC) (5 stars)


Review That was Posted:

The Becoming of Noah Shaw (ARC) (3.5 stars)


Currently Reading:

Killman Creek by Rachel Caine (ARC)


What I Plan to Read this Week:



Other Posts of Interest:

MIA





Nov 3, 2017

MIA



I'll be MIA this weekend! I'll be at Anderson's 14th Annual Young Adult Literature Conference!! See you all Monday!







Book Blogger Hop

This meme is hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addict
 
 
 
This week's question is: When reading a book, do you use a bookmark to mark your place in the book, or do you just fold over the top corner of the page? (submitted by Maria @ A Night's Dream of Books)
 
 
MY ANSWER: Bookmarks all the way!!!! Have you seen my collection on Instagram? 
 
To bend a page makes me physically cringe! I can't tell you of the meltdowns I had when traveling with multiple books and the airlines basically smashed some covers after I meticulously packed my books to prevent slide-age and yet TSA thought it was a "good" idea to make sure that the several layers of books was truly just books. (I mean I do GET it, but at the same time, OMG can't you pack it back the way you found it, if you have the time to take it apart, put it back right!)
 
We bookworms need some sort of approved TSA bookworm pass to put on luggage so it's like, no really, there are just about 100 books in this suitcase. I'm book crazy, not other crazy! LOL!
 





Nov 2, 2017

Random Thursday

Now we shall return to the strange and obscure facts from That's a Fact Jack: A Collection of Utterly Useless Information [Updated] by Harry Bright and Jakob Anser!



(image borrowed from Walmart.com)
"Levi Hutchins made the first modern alarm clock, in 1787. Fastidious by nature, Hutchins fashioned a mechanical ringing-bell clock so that he could arrive punctually at work each morning. He never bothered to patent or mass-produce his invention, which only went off at 4:00 a.m."

Weird! I mean the only going off at 4am!



(image borrowed from Youtube.com)
"Leonardo da Vinci invented and used an alarm clock in which water flowed in a thin stream from one receptacle to another. When the second receptacle was full, a system of gears and levers raised Leonardo's feet into the air." 


I don't know if that would actually wake me up. Unless it's possible because the mysteries of the body and gravity and whatnot! Lol!



(image borrowed from Wikipedia)
"Greek mathematician and scientist Heron of Alexandria invented a water clock during Alexander the Great's reign. Its purpose was to limit the time a lawyer could speak in court."


Omg. For some reason, I am finding this hilarious!


(image borrowed from Nature)
"The Tyrolean Iceman--the 5,300-year-old mummy of a Late Neolithic man found in 1991--was carrying a bark container with a charcoal ember in it. Scientists believe he used the charcoal ember to start a fire. DNA analysis shows that the Tyrolean Iceman had brown eyes, had type O blood, and was lactose intolerant."


DNA analysis is sooo weird, I mean it's amazing but weird that it can know SO much! Lol! I was never a science kid, so the little things amaze me! ;)


(image borrowed from All About Vision)
 "All blue-eyed people have a single common ancestor who lived near the Black Sea six to ten thousand years ago."


That's interesting! My eyes are more gray-blue, so I guess I was a second cousin to this guy? Lol!


(image borrowed from IFLScience)
"Eyes appear to be blue not because of blue pigment in the iris, but because of a lack of melanin. People with no melanin at all are albinos."


Wait, what?



 

Nov 1, 2017

Spooktacular Giveaway Winner!!!

I almost forgot today is the day to announce the winner of my Spooktacular Giveaway! A spooky bag of spooky awesomeness!!!

And the winner is...


KRISTIN @ Booksniffers Anonymous!!



Congrats Kristin!!

Thank you all for entering! I'm already excited to start planning next year's giveaway too! LOL! Hope everyone had a GREAT Halloween!








ARC Review--One Foot in the Grave by C.C. Hunter

Her dad’s an alcoholic. Her mom passed away when she was young. She sees dead people. Can seventeen-year-old Riley Smith’s life get any crazier? Yes it can.

When Riley’s attempt to help a spirit leads her to the discovery that the young woman’s death wasn’t an accident, she finds herself face-to-face with the killer. And just when things seem like they couldn’t get any more complicated, she’s visited by another ghost, a boy her age, whose smile makes her melt. Her job is to convince him to pass over, but her heart doesn’t want to let him go.









I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review.


I was beyond ecstatic to learn that C.C. Hunter had a new Paranormal YA series coming out! One Foot in the Grave is the start of The Mortician’s Daughter trilogy. This time, our heroine already knows of her connection to the paranormal, she can see and talk to ghosts! I love me a good ghost read! Possibly because The Mediator series was one of the very first Paranormal YA series I read eons ago and I loved the possibility of a romance between a living human and ghost! It has it problems, but you still can’t help but rooting for there to be a way!

Not only does this story have the possibility of a cross-dimensional romance, but there’s also a murder mystery of sorts afoot! But I’m getting ahead of myself! The story begins with Riley trying to settle into her new surroundings at the second move she and her dad made in the past two years. She’s beginning to suspect her father is a closet alcoholic but hasn’t been able to prove it yet, but since he lost his last two jobs and she’s seen other signs that could be the result of drinking too much. Then it happens, a ghost comes to Riley begging for help! She wants Riley to find her ring to give to her family. But then a funny thing happens, yet another ghost appears, only this time, he looks different than the usual sort of ghosts she sees, but he’s still clearly not of the living. Hayden is just different.

I was actually rather surprised by how quickly things started to develop between Hayden and Riley. Sure I expected romance between them, the cover description gives us that much of an idea. But man, I felt like it just happened so quickly. Add in that there also happens to be another guy, Jacob, at Riley’s school who has a crush on her and you have the makings of one awkward love triangle! Lol! What will eventually come to be final though has yet to be seen at this point, though I am pretty sure I will be heartbroken either way!

It’s not long though before the first ghost reveals that she didn’t die by accident, she was murdered and she wants Riley’s help to get her killer put behind bars. Though it doesn’t exactly come out that way. It was while Riley was trying to find the ring that she ended up running into the murderer. And now he has set his sights on Riley.

There was definitely an air of danger to this story once it’s revealed who the killer is. It was positively frightening because he was one seriously bad dude. And when a serial rapist sets his sights on you, well, it naturally makes for intense and scary reading!

Then there’s also the fact that Riley is trying to prove her dad is drinking and confront him about it. There’s a good deal of drama in this story as well in that scope of things. Add in the conflicting feelings over two boys, one dead, one alive and you pretty much have one rockin story in your hands!

The ending to One Foot in the Grave gives you a sense of conclusion to the murder mystery and yet still packs a punch with one whopper of a cliffhanger! Granted, I did sort of see this one coming once some things were laid out for us to know. I made a guess and it turns out I was right!! And man, I don’t envy Riley for the troubles she will be having in the books to come!

One Foot in the Grave is the perfect paranormal read! There’s ghosts, there’s mystery, there’s romance, there’s surprises around every turn and there is still more to come! This is going to be one delightful series! I can already tell!


 

Overall Rating 5/5 stars





Challenges Recap: October

CHALLENGE 1: New Release Challenge

The Becoming of Noah Shaw by Michelle Hodkin  (11/7/17)
We All Fall Down by Natalie D. Richards  (10/3/17)
Fireblood by Elly Blake  (9/12/17)
The Hanging Girl by Eileen Cook  (10/3/17)
Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco  (9/19/17)
The Devils You Know by M.C. Atwood  (10/3/17)
Little Monsters by Kara Thomas  (7/25/17)
Zero Repeat Forever by G.S. Prendergast  (8/29/17)
The Best Kind of Magic by Crystal Cestari  (5/16/17)
The Keep of Ages by Caragh M. O'Brien  (8/29/17)



CHALLENGE 2: Series Enders Challenge


The Keep of Ages by Caragh M. O'Brien  (The Vault of Dreamers)



CHALLENGE 3: Discussion Challenge


 
 
 
CHALLENGE 4: Rock My TBR 2017 Reading Challenge


The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas  (4/19/16)
The Rule of Mirrors by Caragh M. O'Brien  (2/16/16)
The Darkest Magic by Morgan Rhodes  (6/28/16)






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.


You can run from your destiny, but you can't hide

Ivy thought that she and Adrian had conquered their fates. Yet with thousands of innocents still trapped in the demon realms, she's determined to locate the final hallowed weapon and harness its unparalleled power to free them. But the last relic nearly put Ivy in the grave—there's probably no coming back from this one.

Adrian's dark lineage has made him the most powerful of his kind, yet even his incredible abilities might not be enough now. Instead, the treacherous fate he has fought so hard to escape might be the only way he can save Ivy. Their scintillating bond has been tested before, but never with so much on the line. Now fate will come head-to-head against true love, and nothing they've endured can prepare Ivy and Adrian for the unthinkable choices they'll face...




I still need to read the second one and I know I'm in trouble since I read the first one as an ARC eons ago!! Lol! Anyone know if there's a recap of this one floating around?


PUBLISHER: Harlequin Books
GENRE: Urban Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: November 28, 2017