To Read, or Not To Read

Title: Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy (Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy Book 1) Author: Cassandra Clare Narrator: Devon Bostick Publisher: Simon and Schuster Audio Published: February 17, 2015 Length: 1 hour, 40 minutes ISBN: 9781442383937 Genre: Fantasy Source: Bought Summary: After living as a Mundane and a Vampire, Simon never thought he would become a Shadowhunter, but today he begins his training at Shadowhunter Academy. My Thoughts: I'm a huge fan of The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare. Last year, with the help of Sara Rees Brennan, she came out with a novella series called The Bane Chronicles which featured none other than Magnus Bane. If you get a chance, you should check them out! I enjoyed them so much, that I was thrilled to hear that Clare was also coming out with a new novella series called Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy.  If you've not read The Mortal Instruments yet, you should probab

The Lion and the Rose (Book One: William Rising) Publication Date: June 18, 2014 eBook; 338 Pages | ASIN: B00L4K5GKE Genre: Historical Fiction The Lion and the Rose, Part One: William Rising is the first book in an epic historical saga from debut author Hilary Rhodes. Extensively researched and compellingly told, it introduces us to the passionate drama and violent upheaval of eleventh-century Europe. The world as we know it, and the English language, would have been vastly different were it not for the driving ambition of one man: William the Conqueror. But conquerors are made, not born, and William was made in fire and blood. How does a boy become a man, surviving a tumultuous and terrifying childhood? And how does that man become a legend? William Rising plunges us into this world of danger and betrayal, of choosing sides and dying for absolutes. It follows the creation of a conqueror, as he grows up abandoned, learns to fight at an early age for anything he h

Title: Workman's Complication (McCall & Company Book 1) Author: Rich Leder Publisher: Laugh Riot Press Published: September 7, 2014 ASIN: B00N1ZAVPK Ebook Genre: Mystery Source: Author Summary: WAY-OFF BROADWAY ACTRESS.  MURDERED PI FATHER.  NEW DAY JOB.  Off-off-off-off Broadway actress Kate McCall inherits her father’s New York private investigation business after he’s a whole lot of murdered in a life insurance company elevator.  A concrete-carrying, ballroom-dancing construction mule says he fell off the scaffolding and can never work—or dance—again, and then sues the contractor for a whole lot of money.  Kate assembles the eccentric tenants of her brownstone and her histrionic acting troupe to help her crack the cases, and they stir up a whole lot of trouble.  But not as much trouble as Kate, who sticks her nose in the middle of the multi-million-dollar life-insurance scam her father was investigating and gets a whole lot of arrested for murdering a me

Title: The Great Estate Author: Sherri Browning Series: Thornbrook Park, #3 Pubdate: August 4 th , 2015 ISBN: 9781402286858 Pulled apart by past mistakes. Driven by a passion neither could deny. Sophia Thorne was young and inexperienced when she married the dashing Earl of Averford…and through dark and troubled times, their relationship nearly came to an end. Now she’s determined to transform herself into the fiery, ardent lover she always wanted to be, giving them a second chance at love… before they’re lost to each other forever. It took nearly losing Sophia for Gabriel to realize he had allowed his love for his great estate to distract him from his beautiful wife. But that time is over. Despite all the obstacles standing in their way, Gabriel vows to teach Sophia what it is to truly love…and to be loved by a husband devoted heart and soul to her every desire. Sherri Browning writes historical and contemporary romance fiction, sometimes with a paranor

Today, I'm giving away two books from my shelf: The Clockwork Dagger and The Clockwork Crown by Beth Cato. They're gently read and are in search of a new home.  Full of magic, mystery, and romance, an enchanting steampunk fantasy debut in the bestselling vein of Trudi Canavan and Gail Carriger. Orphaned as a child, Octavia Leander was doomed to grow up on the streets until Miss Percival saved her and taught her to become a medician. Gifted with incredible powers, the young healer is about to embark on her first mission, visiting suffering cities in the far reaches of the war-scarred realm. But the airship on which she is traveling is plagued by a series of strange and disturbing occurrences, including murder, and Octavia herself is threatened. Suddenly, she is caught up in a flurry of intrigue: the dashingly attractive steward may be one of the infamous Clockwork Daggers—the Queen’s spies and assassins—and her cabin-mate harbors disturbing secrets. But the danger

Title: Nick and Tesla’s High-voltage Danger Lab Author: “Science Bob” Pflugfelder and Steve Hockensmith Publisher: Quirk Books Published: November 5, 2013 Hardcover, 240 Pages ISBN:  9781594746482 Genre: Middle Grade, Science Fiction, Source: Publisher Summary: Nick and Tesla are bright 11-year-old siblings with a knack for science, electronics, and getting into trouble. When their parents mysteriously vanish, they’re sent to live with their Uncle Newt, a brilliant inventor who engineers top-secret gadgets for a classified government agency. It’s not long before Nick and Tesla are embarking on adventures of their own—engineering all kinds of outrageous MacGyverish contraptions to save their skin: 9-volt burglar alarms, electromagnets, mobile tracking devices, and more. Readers are invited to join in the fun as each story contains instructions and blueprints for five different projects. In Nick and Tesla’s High-Voltage Danger Lab, we meet the characters and learn how to mak

NAKED: A NOVEL OF LADY GODIVA by ELIZA REDGOLD Publication Date: July 14, 2015 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Formats: Ebook, Paperback Pages: 320 Genre: Historical Fiction We know her name. We know of her naked ride. We don't know her true story. We all know the legend of Lady Godiva, who famously rode naked through the streets of Coventry, covered only by her long, flowing hair. So the story goes, she begged her husband Lord Leofric of Mercia to lift a high tax on her people, who would starve if forced to pay. Lord Leofric demanded a forfeit: that Godiva ride naked on horseback through the town. There are various endings to Godiva's ride, that all the people of Coventry closed their doors and refused to look upon their liege lady (except for 'peeping Tom') and that her husband, in remorse, lifted the tax. Naked is an original version of Godiva's tale with a twist that may be closer to the truth: by the end of his life Leof

I recently read A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine and that got me thinking about all the great books I've read that had dragons featured in them. So I complied a list of noteworthy books. I've probably forgotten about some too. If you have any dragon-related books that you think are a great read, be sure to tell me about them in the comments below.  This book came out about ten years ago. I absolutely loved it! I think it's one of the best dragon books out there.  One boy . . . One dragon . . . A world of adventure. When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself.  Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic, and power. With only an ancient sword a

Every job has good points and bad points. Risks, dangers, concerns, frustrations…they’re all a part of every job, whether we realize it or not. Writing and editing both come with risks, dangers, concerns and frustrations, too. Who knew? I sure didn’t. I thought writing and editing would be an easy, stress-free gig, but I was wrong. Of course there’s the obvious risks one takes when they decide to write a book. Will I make money? Will my family stave? Will the book sell? Will the books I edit sell? Let me tell you, that stuff is nothing compared to the real risks, dangers, et all of being a writer and an editor. I fell into this rabbit hole in 2011, full time, and I’m still trying to crawl my way out. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do and I don’t think I’ll ever stop. It’s not about the writing, or the editing. Those two things are great. It’s about what happens because I’m a writer and an editor. Here’s my list of the top five things I’ve had to deal wi