Showcase Sunday

Hello and welcome to Showcase Sunday. Inspired by Pop Culture Junkie and the Story Siren, the aim of Showcase Sunday is to highlight our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders each week. You can find Showcase Sunday here.!

Hello everyone!!  So tomorrow is October 1st already!! WOW! So I have begun the discussions for both my books clubs for October.  Over at Stephen King Fans we are reading Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury.   And in the Young Adult Book Club we are reading Fateful by Claudia Gray.  Also... big news here.. Claudia Gray will be answering YOUR questions!  So please stop by and ask her anything you want!

I actually won a book this week!!  I received Speechless by Hannah Harrington from Sash & Em A Tale of Two Bookies .  I never win anything so I am quite excited about it and ready to get started reading!!  There was even a gelskin included!!!  WOW!!!

  

I am still doing my bloggeista list... but so far I have added the author Q&A on my home bar... and a new rating system.  So be sure to check those out!!  I suppose that is all for this Sunday!!

Go Broncos!!

Locke and Key Volume 3 by Joe Hill-Review

Locke and Key Crown of Shadows by Joe Hill

 I can't get enough of this graphic novel series.  This volume was much more spooky then the first two.  I just love it! ! Here is the goodreads description of the 3rd volume:

Sam Lesser may be dead and gone, but Dodge still has uses for him, and in the first chill days of October, will make contact with him again. The dead know things the living may not, and Sam's restless spirit has had time to discover the thing Dodge wants to know most of all... where to find the key to the black door.

Oh wow... this volume did not let me down. I am really loving the edition of new keys. And uncovering more and more mysteries. For those that don't know this graphic novel series is by Stephen King's son! It is about a family living in a mansion that has all these keys that do magic things. Ok that is not the best explanation but I have never been one who is good at recapping what a book is about only how I feel about it. Unfortunately I can't find anywhere on the internet how many books are going to be in this series. Does anyone know??

I also found out that there is a company doing replicas of the keys from the book. O M G !!!  (yea that was me in my teenager voice).  Here is a link to where you can buy them Skeleton Crew Studio .  I mean HELLO!!  I need to start collecting them right now.  Here is an article with the guys who make them Keys Come to Life.

Here are pictures of all the keys!!!

 There are actually a few more keys... you can go to their website to see them!!!
Want to see my reviews on the other volumes in the series?

 Welcome to Lovecraft Volume 1

 Head Games Volume 2
 Keys to the Kingdom Volume 4
Clockworks Volume 5

Bloggiesta Day One Starting Line!!

 

This is my first Bloggiesta but I have seen others do it before and knew I had to jump in this time around. Hoping to get some things done this weekend.  I will update just this one post here so people don't keep seeing the same post over and over again.  So head here if you want to see my updates!  Here are my goals:

1.  Set up a tab for the Q&As with authors 

2. Participate in mini challenges & visit participants

3. Clean up blogs I follow

4. Figure out which blogs are on wordpress now... it is a hassle but I need to add them to my bookmarks BEFORE blogger stops showing them in my news feed

5. Change the B for blogger in my address bar to a picture that matches my blog

6.  I also run two BIG goodreads groups... and even though they are not apart of my blog necessarily I  need to go through those and read through ALL the posts... keep the groups organized. 

7.  Use new rating scale of crystal balls
8.  Delete my contact list on my google account.  I have like 600 friends or contacts on there because they are all my Nook friends.  This was never a problem but I just switched to an Andriod phone and now they are all in there!  Speaking of... are you looking for Nook friends? Here is a GREAT group on facebook where you can get many many friends Nook Friends

I posted this a little late today but hoping to get a big kick start tomorrow!!

 

Follow Me Friday (#48)

This is the day of the week where we get to know each other better by answering a question devised by our lovely hostesses Parajunkee & Alisoncanread. We also gain new followers by joining each other's sites via GFC, so please let me know if you're a new follower. And now for this week's question....

Q.   What is the BIGGEST word you've seen used in a book lately-that made you stop and look it up? Might as well leave the definition and book too?

A.  Oh wow... I have to be honest.  If I am reading an actual book I never look up a word... yes I know LAZY!  That is one reason why I love ereaders...if I am on my Nook then HEY I just touch the word and WALLA!

My word... is innumerable! What is that you ask?  Here it is in context:


“Hindsight, I think, is a useless tool. We, each of us, are at a place in our lives because of innumerable circumstances, and we, each of us, have a responsibility (if we do not like where we are) to move along life's road, to find a better path if this one does not suit, or to walk happily along this one if it is indeed our life's way. Changing even the bad things that have gone before would fundamentally change who we are, and whether or not that would be a good thing, I believe, it is impossible to predict.
So I take my past experiences... and try to regret nothing.
-Drizzt Do'urden”
― R.A. Salvatore, Sea of Swords

Innumerable: too many to be numbered : countless; also : very many 
I thought that's what it meant because the words seems to stem from numbers, numerals,  so I guessed that was what it meant.  So I was right!!  What word did you have to look up?

What's Next?

Here's how it works (for those of you who want to participate): -Every Thursday,  select three-five books (not too many, not too little!) that you want to read but can't decide which one to read first. -Post the cover, and if you want, the synopsis or even a random line from the book, for each of your selections. -At the end of your post, ask readers to vote on which one you should read next! Even if you don't end up reading your readers' top choice, you'll know what the majority is excited for. So who's up for it? Be sure to grab a button and link up your posts. And leave me a comment telling me what you think! This is hosted by Icey Books!


OK so I am participating in this because this week I have quite a few books to chose from!!!

"What do you imagine when you hear the name" . . . Bradbury? You might see rockets to Mars. Or bizarre circuses where otherworldly acts whirl in the center ring. Perhaps you travel to a dystopian future, where books are set ablaze . . . or to an out-of-the-way sideshow, where animated illustrations crawl across human skin. Or maybe, suddenly, you're returned to a simpler time in small-town America, where summer perfumes the air and life is almost perfect . . . "almost." Ray Bradbury--peerless storyteller, poet of the impossible, and one of America's most beloved authors--is a literary giant whose remarkable career has spanned seven decades. Now twenty-six of today's most diverse and celebrated authors offer new short works in honor of the master; stories of heart, intelligence, and dark wonder from a remarkable range of creative artists.

For fans of Tina Fey and David Sedaris—Internet star Jenny Lawson, aka The Bloggess, makes her literary debut. Jenny Lawson realized that the most mortifying moments of our lives—the ones we’d like to pretend never happened—are in fact the ones that define us. In the #1 New York Times bestseller, Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, Lawson takes readers on a hilarious journey recalling her bizarre upbringing in rural Texas, her devastatingly awkward high school years, and her relationship with her long-suffering husband, Victor. Chapters include: “Stanley the Magical, Talking Squirrel”; “A Series of Angry Post-It Notes to My Husband”; “My Vagina Is Fine. Thanks for Asking”; “And Then I Snuck a Dead Cuban Alligator on an Airplane.” Pictures with captions (no one would believe these things without proof) accompany the text.

Coming down from the mountain to a new life in the city seems a thrill beyond imagining. When Miri and her friends from Mount Eskel set off to help the future princess Britta prepare for her royal wedding, she is happy about her chance to attend school in the capital city. There, Miri befriends students who seem so sophisticated and exciting... until she learns that they have some frightening plans. They think that Miri will help them, that she "should "help them. Soon Miri finds herself torn between loyalty to the princess and her new friends' ideas, between an old love and a new crush, and between her small mountain home and the bustling city. Picking up where "Princess Academy "left off, this incredible stand-alone story celebrates the joys of friendship, the delight of romance, and the fate of a beloved fairy tale kingdom.

After pulling some spectacular heists, Amy and Dan have become two of Interpol's most wanted criminals. So when Vesper One orders them to steal the world's largest diamond, they know they're facing life in prison...or worse. But with the Cahill hostages still in peril, Amy and Dan have no choice but to launch a mission that leads them to an ancient city full of dangerous secrets. With a Vesper mole sabotaging the Madrigals from inside, Amy and Dan have to fulfill their enemy's request before it's too late. Vesper One has developed a taste for killing Cahills, and Amy and Dan aren't going to wait to see who's next.

So what do you think?  I have them all sitting right here from the library but I just have to pick the order to read them in!!!!

UnWholly by Neal Shusterman - Review

UnWholly by Neal Shusterman

I read Unwind for my Young Adult Book Club and loved it.  So when I found out about UnWholly I was super excited.  And it did not let me down!!  Here is the goodreads description:

It’s finally here. The long-awaited sequel to the bestselling Unwind, which Publishers Weekly called a “gripping, brilliantly imagined futuristic thriller.” Thanks to Connor, Lev, and Risa—and their high-profile revolt at Happy Jack Harvest Camp—people can no longer turn a blind eye to unwinding. Ridding society of troublesome teens while simltaneously providing much-needed tissues for transplant might be convenient, but its morality has finally been brought into question. However, unwinding has become big business, and there are powerful political and corporate interests that want to see it not only continue, but also expand to the unwinding of prisoners and the impoverished. Cam is a product of unwinding; made entirely out of the parts of other unwinds, he is a teen who does not technically exist. A futuristic Frankenstein, Cam struggles with a search for identity and meaning and wonders if a rewound being can have a soul. And when the actions of a sadistic bounty hunter cause Cam’s fate to become inextricably bound with the fates of Connor, Risa, and Lev, he’ll have to question humanity itself. Rife with action and suspense, this riveting companion to the perennially popular Unwind challenges assumptions about where life begins and ends—and what it means to live.

Oh wow... this book is everything I have been waiting for. I thought the first book was really good as a stand alone book. So at first I wasn't looking forward to a sequel. But I loved Unwind so much there was no was I was not going to read UnWholly. What an amazing imagination Shusterman has! All the new characters I absolutely fell in love with. I really want to get to know them so much more... and can't talk too much about them without giving away spoilers. I also loved the little mini newspaper articles and advertisements throughout the book!!  FABULOUS! 

 The climax at the end of this book is so exciting! There was no way I could stop reading. This is a good second book in a trilogy. Too many times the middle books is just straight filler. And now I have no idea how the third book will top this book!!!! AYE! If you have not read this series well now is the time to start. It is really fantastic and much better then a lot of the young adult series out there.

Claudia Gray answers YOUR questions!

Hello all!! Another great author is coming by the YA Book Club to answer YOUR questions! Claudia Gray is the author of The Young Adult Book Club's October book club pick Fateful.  She will be stopping by the group on October 15th to answer any of your questions for her, they can be about her books, writing, or anything on your mind!  Please stop by and give her a big welcome!  Stop by here to leave questions and comments!

Tuesday Top Ten-Series Yet to Finish

Future TTT topics can be found here

This week's topic discusses series that you have not finished for one reason or another.

1.  Map Of Time or Trilogia Victoriana Trilogy by Felix J Palma
I tried to love this series.. but it is sooo wordy.  I got through the first book just find but I don't know if I am ever going to tackle the second and third book!




2.  The Undead Series by Mary J Davidson
These books started out with soooo much potential.  I think I got through 10 or 11 books.  And then they just fell down hill.  I mean even the author put an apology in the front of one of the last ones I read!!

3. Dream Catcher series by Lisa McMann .  I don't know guys... I thought this was going to be a great series and it just was not good to me.  Never got past the first book in this series!

4. House of Night by PC Cast.  I really enjoyed these.. up until about book 6.  Then I couldn't take the teenage whining.  I ever read the new House of Night graphic novel which followed the same formula the books were sinking into.  :(

5.  Study Series by Maria V Snyder .  I actually loved loved Poison Study.  And, I even have the next two books...I just have so many books to read right now that I haven't gotten around to these yet.


6.  The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa.  I like this series but I have been getting further and further behind on it since more and more books are coming out.  I have read the first three so far..


7.  A Song of Ice and Fire series by George RR Martin.  I really love this series.  I have actually been reading it since 2001.  When book 4 and 5 came out (which is actually book 4 but the publisher made Martin split it in two) I decided to not read those.  If you are a fan of Martin you know how long it takes him to write books... and you know he doesn't even care that it takes so long.  The book have so much information and so many characters that I have to re-read 1000 pages books every time a new one comes out.  So I am going to wait for the series to finish before I continue.

8. Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley.  This series is sooo cute and fun. A great Young Adult series! I recommend it to everyone.  Alas I have only read book 1 and I don't even know why I haven't continued yet!!


9.  Her Royal Highness Mysteries by Rhys Bowen.   Love the art work on the cover of these books... but here again I have only read the first book and loved it... too many popular books get in the way I guess.




10.  The Mortal Instruments/The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare.  ACK!  Another series I am falling behind in.  I have read the first three Mortal Instruments books but that's it and I love these.... damn my TBR pile is long!

umm... yea it just took an hour to write up these answers!!  What is on your list?