To Read, or Not To Read

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of  Should Be Reading . Anyone can play along! Just do the following: Open to a random page Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! I have two books to tease you with this week. The first is In the Lion's Den by Michael Flynn. It's a space opera which is a newer genre for me. "He had great fun, the scarred man did. Opening my locks, Poisoning my food. Throwing metal slugs at my head. Planning my ambush and death. What more fun may a man have and live afterward?" ~pg. 57~ It's more than a few sentences but I thought I needed to include the whole thing. The second  book is Hollowland by Amanda Hocking. Thi

Title: Descended by Blood (Vampire Born #1) Author: Angeline Kace Publisher: Accendo Press LLC Publication Date: August 22, 2011 ebook ASIN: B005lQL6EA Genre: Paranormal Summary: Brooke Keller is a high school junior who has never spent much time living in one place. She is finally in a town long enough to almost snag the boy of her dreams, until her life is threatened after killing a fanged man in his attempt to kidnap her. Brooke begins a dangerous journey in an effort to find out who is after her and how to stop them. In a world with powerful and prejudiced vampires, Brooke must tap into the side of her that she never knew existed at the risk of losing her life in order to save it. My thoughts: Descended by Blood  by Angeline Kace is the first book in the Vampire Born  series. The main character Brooke Keller has moved around most of her life. She lives with her mom who is very protective over her. She finally has a best friend, Kaitlynn and a hot boyfriend, Jaren. Thi

Last year I discovered that my uncle John had been an international arms dealer. He was found dead on a flight from Amsterdam in ’84, his throat cut. The police had been waiting for him at Heathrow, in connection with the theft of munitions from the British army. No one in the family had ever told me this. Never.   Many rumours surrounded his death. His wife claimed that he’d been involved in some sort of under-cover work, and elsewhere a security report suggested that he had been supplying Irish terrorist groups. But he was dead, and these links were never proved, although the stolen munitions were indeed found at his premises. It’s not such a great thing to find out that there was a criminal in your family. However, as a novelist what interested me about this case was that his activities were never mentioned in the family. He was an official, registered arms dealer by trade, but even that was never mentioned. He had two young children and lived in a nice suburb of Leeds,

First up is a FREE Excerpt from Emily March's Angel’s Rest (released - 2/15/11)- http://www.randomhouse.com/book/196347/angels-rest-by-emily-march , the first in her Eternity Springs series: Gabriel Callahan has lost everything that mattered. All he wants is solitude on an isolated mountain estate. Instead, he gets a neighbor. Vibrant, no-nonsense Nic Sullivan is Eternity Springs’ veterinarian, and she has an uncanny plan to lure this talented architect back to the world of the living. First with a dog, next with a renovation project, and, finally, with a night of passion that ends with a surprise. Now a man still raw from tragedy must face the biggest struggle of his heart. Can he forgive himself and believe in the power of second chances? Dare he trust in the promise of a future and a brand-new family here in Eternity Springs? Angel's Rest by Emily March (Excerpt) Next – is something brand new – RIDE WITH ME by Ruthie Knox, (2/13/12) just $2.99 - http://www.randomhous

What's Your Status? 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.  It's been more than a few weeks since I participated in WYS. I've not done a lot of reading since Christmas though. The last two weeks I didn't feel like doing a lot of anything but I'm slowly getting my groove back so I actually have a status to share. Last week I finished: Fracture by Megan Miranda Lothaire by Kresley Cole This book helped get me out of my reading slump. Currently I'm reading: A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness Hollowland by Amanda Hocking s  In the Lion's Mouth by Michael Flynn Next in my TBR pile: (In no particular order)   Flawless (The

Lewis Carroll is the pen name for Charles Lutwidge Dodgson who was born on January 27, 1832. He is most famous for his novel, Alice in Wonderland published in 1865. Here are some fun facts about Lewis Carroll: Lewis Carroll was not only an author but also a mathematician, photographer, logician, and  angelican deacon. He was an inventor.  Carroll suffered from migraines and seizures  Published the drama, Euclid and His Modern Rivals, in 1879, but it was never performed as a play in his lifetime.  The manuscript of Alice's Adventures given to Alice Liddell (who inspired the book) as a Christmas gift in 1864. Alice in Wonderland  was published in 1865 and has never gone out of print.  Famous quotes by Lewis Carroll "If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there" “But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.  Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat: "we're all mad here. I'm mad. You

Have you seen the trailer for The Woman in Black? Every time I watch it I get chills. The dolls in it give me the creeps. The Woman is black is based on the book with the same title by Susan Hill . I've not read the book yet but I do have it on my shelf. I think I'll have to read it with all the lights on. I do want to see the movie though. Are you going to see the movie? Have you read the book?

Title: Archon: The Books of Raziel Author: Sabrina Benulis Publisher: Harper Voyager Publication Date: December 27, 2011 Hardcover, 385 pages ISBN: 978-0-06-206940-5 Genre: Paranormal/Fantasy Summary: Angela Mathers is plagued by visions of angels, supernatural creatures who haunt her thoughts by day and seduce her dreams by night. Newly released from a mental institution where she was locked away for two years, she hopes that her time at the Vatican’s university, the West Wood Academy, will give her a chance at a normal life. Unlike ordinary humans, Angela is a blood head — a freak, a monster, the possible fulfillment of a terrifying prophecy of overwhelming death and destruction. Only in Luz, the Vatican’s wondrous enclave, are blood heads accepted and encouraged to discover what kind of powers or special abilities they might possess.  My thoughts: Archon by Sabrina Benulis  is one of those books that I have mixed feelings about. There are definitely a few pros and co

Thanks to Zeitghost Media and St. Martin's Press I have a copy of Tempest by Julie Cross to giveaway to a lucky reader! The year is 2009.  Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps– it’s just harmless fun. That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future. Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities. But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this

Title: Unleashed (Wolf Springs Chronicles #1) Author: Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers Publication Date: Nov. 22, 2011 ebook ASIN: B004T3CJ6C Genre: Paranormal  Source: Library Summary: Katelyn McBride’s life changed in an instant when her mother died. Uprooted from her California home, Katelyn was shipped to the middle of nowhere, Arkansas, to her only living relative, her grandfather. And now she has to start over in Wolf Springs, a tiny village in the Ozark Mountains. Like any small town, Wolf Springs has secrets. But the secrets hidden here are more sinister than Katelyn could ever imagine. It’s a town with a history that reaches back centuries, spans continents, and conceals terrifying truths. And Katelyn McBride is about to change everything.  Broken families, ageless grudges, forced alliances, and love that blooms in the darkest night—welcome to Wolf Springs. My thoughts: Unleashed  by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie is th

I am very happy about sharing some information about me in a guest post. My real name is Elke Becker and I am a German author living in Spain , so my English is far away from being perfect. So please bear with me ;-) After travelling around the world at last I settled down in Spain , to be exact on Mallorca , a beautiful island in the Mediterranean Sea . I never felt like home in Germany and for that reason I looked for my place in the world. I lived alone in Venezuela where I started studying Spanish. Nobody over there spoke English nor German. So I felt very lonely there the first time. For that reason I started writing and never could stop again. The stories of too many funny adventures, curious situations, different customs and very nice people from all over the world has to been told. As it was in a time where not every home had an internet connection nether skype or other systems offered their service, I had to connect with family and friends going in an internet caf

In this stunning debut set in the summer of 1944 in  Tuscany, Giovanna Bellini, the daughter of a wealthy  aristocrat and vineyard owner, has just turned  seventeen and is on the cusp of adulthood. War bears  down on her peaceful little village after the Italians  sign a separate peace with the Allies—transforming  the Germans into an occupying army.  But when her brother joins the Resistance, he asks  Giovanna to hide a badly wounded fighter who is  Jewish. As she nurses him back to health, she falls  helplessly in love with the brave and humble Marco,  who comes from as ancient and noble an Italian  family as she does. They pledge their love, and then  must fight a real battle against the Nazis who become  more desperate and cruel as the Allies close in on  them. Thanks to Penguin, I have one paperback copy to giveaway. This giveaway is for US addresses only. You must be at least 13 years old to enter. Please read my giveaway policy before entering. Giveaway ends January 31, 20

Title: 33 Days Author: Bill See Publisher: Lulu Publication Date: April 7, 2011 paperback, 276 pages ISBN: 9780557758814 Genre: Memoir  For 33 days in the summer of 1987, Divine Weeks toured in a beat up old Ford Econoline van, sleeping on strangers’ floors, never sure they’d make enough gas money to get them to the next town. This deeply personal, coming of age, on the road memoir follows critically acclaimed 80s indie alt rock band Divine Weeks’ first tour. Liberated from alcoholic upbringings and rigid cultural constraints, all they have is their music and each other’s friendship. The road is filled with yuppies, brothels, riots, sleeping on floors, spiked drinks, DJs with no pants, and battles with racism. They set out on the road to discovery to drink in all they could and maybe sell a few records. They grew up instead. Steve's thoughts: “Touring in a van. Sleeping on floors. Chasing a dream.” This is the tagline of this book and it sums it up very well. Divine We

I have a few winners to announce today. I know it's taken longer than usual but I want to thank everyone for their patience. I picked the winners using random.org.  The winner of the  Young Adult Faeries & Fantasy Giveaway Hop is Amanda The winners of Queen Hereafter  are Kelsey O. and Ingrid Stukey Congrats to all the winners. I'll be contacting the winners by email. Please make sure to check you spam. You have 48 hours to claim your prize or I'll pick another winner.