To Read, or Not To Read

Tyger, Tyger: A Goblin Wars Book by Kersten Hamilton is now available in paperback. This is a book that I really enjoyed reading. If you've not had the opportunity to read it yet, I highly recommend it. Also there is a really great contest going on right now. You can win $1000 dollars for your library by creating a trailer to the second book in this series, In the Forest of the Night. Check out the details here. The release of In the Forest of the Night is just around the corner. Mark your calendars for November 22, 2011 I'm really excited for this book to come out. 

Title: Theodora: Actress, Empress, Whore
Author: Stella Duffy
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: Sept. 27, 2011
paperback, 338 pages
ISBN: 978-0-14-311987-6
Genre: Historical Fiction


Summary:
Roman historian Procopius publicly praised Theodora of Constantinople for her piety-while secretly detailing her salacious stage act and maligning her as ruthless and power hungry. So who was this woman who rose from humble beginnings as a dancer to become the empress of Rome and a saint in the Orthodox Church? Award-winning novelist Stella Duffy vividly recreates the life and times of a woman who left her mark on one of the ancient world's most powerful empires. Theodora: Actress, Empress, Whore is a sexy, captivating novel that resurrects an extraordinary, little-known figure from the dusty pages of history.


My thoughts:
A few weeks prior to reading this novel, I came across a short chapter in a history book about Theodora. She was a larger than life character that knew how to command an audience. …

I have a few winners to announce for giveaways that have recently ended. I want to thank everyone who entered and for the wonderful birthday wishes. And now to the part that you really care about.




Winner of  Maid of Honor by Jillian Conley is: Mona Garg
Winner of  So Near by Liza Gyllenhall is: Linda "Ziff"
The winner of any book up to $10 from the book depository is:  donnas
*winners, I will be contacting you be email. Please, please, please check your spam. You have 48 hours to respond or your prize is forfeit and I'll pick another winner. 
Happy Reading!

Today on the blog I have the author of The World, The Flesh and the Bishop, Elizabeth Aston here. If you missed my review of this fantastic novel yesterday, click here to view it. 

1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m English, but I was born in Chile and educated in a England and India. I’ve written twenty-five novels which have published in the UK, the US and in several foreign languages. I spend as much time as I can in Italy
2. What books have most influenced your life?
That’s a hard one to answer. Possibly Enid Blyton – I learned to read with her books. Chaucer for the riotous fun and terrific language, Jane Austen’s novels – need I say more? – and Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey/Maturin series, which showed me just how good historical fiction can be.
3. What book(s) are you reading right now?
Apollo’s Angels – a fascinating book about the history of the ballet.
4. What do you do when you're not writing?
Procrastinate! I love walking, swimming in the sea and cooking for family …

Title: The World, The Flesh and the Bishop (The Mountjoys)
Author: Elizabeth Aston
Publisher: Attica Books
Publication Date: April 12, 2011
ebook
ASIN: B004WPPEXM
Genre: Contemporary 
available @ Amazon  | B&N


Summary:
Bestseller Elizabeth Aston’s six Mountjoy books (originally written under the name Elizabeth Pewsey and published by Hodder & Stoughton) were inspired by years of living in York, where her son was a chorister at the Minster. Her books depict the unholy, unquiet, and frequently unseemly goings-on of the Mountjoy family and their circle in the imaginary and peculiar city of Eyot.


My thoughts:
Elizabeth Aston writes about one of my favorite subjects: Darcy and Elizabeth. I've read a few of her novels before, being that I love that particular genre. So when the opportunity came up to read her contemporary novel The World, The Flesh and the Bishop, I was thrilled.


The World, The Flesh and the Bishop takes place in Eyot. It's a charming little town with a lot of history.…

Every Wednesday I'm going to be giving away a gently used copy of one the books listed below. I'll be adding to the lists periodically so be sure to check back every week. This giveaway is for US and Canadian addresses only. Please fill out the form below. Giveaway will end on every Tuesday @ 9 pm central. If you have trouble viewing the form, click here.


Congrats to last week's winner:
Holly

YA Lament by Maggie Stiefvater Werelove: Dark Conspiracy by Lakisha Spletzer (autographed) Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater The Ancillary's Mark by Daniel A. Cohen Logic of Demons: The Quest For Nadine's Soul by H.A. Goodman (Hardcover) Vampire Crush by A.M. Robinson (arc) Karma by Cathy Ostlere (arc) The Vampire Stalker by Allison Van Diepen (arc) A Girl Named Willow Krimble by Giuseppe Bianco (autographed) Lure by Deborah Kerbel Shadowland (Hardcover) by Alyson Noel The Van Alen Legacy by Melissa De La Cruz (hardcover) Hunted by P.C. Cast & Kristen Cast (hardcover) Tempted by P.C. Cast & …

Title: Bandits
Author: L.M. Preston
Publisher: Phenomenal One Press
Publication Date: June 1, 2011
paperback, 337 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0-9841989-3-1
Genre: YA, Sci-Fi
Available @ Amazon | B&N | Book Depository


Summary: Daniel's father has gotten himself killed and left another mess for Daniel to clean up. To save his world from destruction, he must fight off his father's killers while discovering a way to save his world. Time is running out, and Daniel must choose to either walk in his father's footsteps or to reinvent himself into the one to save his world.


My thoughts:
This book is a swashbuckling, page turning adventure that is sure to keep you riveted. Bandits centers on Daniel whose entire life revolves around being a thief. He is trained from a young age by his father and has become pretty good, so good that he is taking on jobs that his father should be taking. His father is not as committed to the Zukar’s anymore and Daniel is afraid that something bad will come of it. He …

Sunday Confessions is back after a summer long hiatus. This is a weekly meme started by yours truly as a way to get to share a bit about myself and also learn more about you. Sometimes its about books and book related topics and sometimes it's not. This is all in good fun and I would love it if you would participate.


Today's topic is about ALA Banned Books Week. Every year during the week of Sept. 24-Oct. 1 the American Library Association celebrates the freedom to read and brings attention to the detriment of censorship. Over the years many books have been challenged by individuals and groups of people for their unconventional points of view. This struggle to overcome censorship is a daily battle. It seems like everyday a book is being challenged. It doesn't surprise me  much anymore to hear about this but sometimes I hear about a particular book being challenged and it baffles me. Some of these books include: Harry Potter, James and the Giant Peach, Anne Frank: The Diary …

Zakiya from Butterfly Feet Walking on Life has a fantastic meme. In this meme you post your status of the books your reading this week, books you finished this week, books you're going to read next, and books you plan on buying this week. You can also post what reviews and memes you participated in for the week. 


Last week I finished:
The World, the Flesh and the Bishop by Elizabeth Aston
Soulless (audio) by Gail Carriger
Currently I'm reading:
Theodora: Actress, Empress, Whore by Stella Duffy
Next on my TBR:
Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Current Giveaways:
Humpday Giveaway ends Sept. 27, 2011
September Giveaways Around the Blogging World
Birthday Giveaway ends Sept. 25
So Near by Liza Gyllenhaal ends Sept. 28
Returning tomorrow: Sunday Confession, my weekly feature will be returning tomorrow. After taking the summer off I'm excited to get back to confessing. 
That's my status for this week, what's yours?

The winner of Dreamland by Alyson Noel is: Crystal Fulcher I've sent you an email please be sure to check your spam folder. 

The winner of Golden Healer, Dark Enchantress is: Patricia @ Patricia's Particularity  You're info will be forwarded to the author.
Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaways! If you didn't win be sure to check out the other giveaways listed on the sidebar. Also a special thanks to the twitter peeps who helped me pick the winners since random.org was not working. 

Originally today I was going to post a review but in light of the circumstance that occurred earlier this week I thought it would be best to post about my review policy instead.  A few months ago an author asked me if I would be interested in reviewing her book.  After reading the summary I decided that I would accept this book for review. However after posting my review the author posted some negative feedback. One of her complaints was that I was not qualified to review her novel because I didn't read the genre exclusively.  
I found this point of her complaint laughable because she had asked me to review her novel. I don't feel like I need to read a genre exclusively to be qualified to have an opinion. If she had read my review policy she would have known that To Read or Not To Read reviews a variety of genres.  She would have also know what to expect from my reviews. 


Why should you read review policies? 


Most book review blogs have a review policy somewhere on their site. Re…