BOOKS AND BLOGGING PHILOSOPHY

Philosophy is defined as a theory underlying or regarding a sphere of activity or thought. Well, my theory is if I can add at least 10 new books to my Wishlist and move at least 5 older Wishlist selections to my TBR list every month, then life is a ice cream sundae. And if I can find those 10 books from at least 5 new blogs each month then that's the cherry on top.

NEW VISITORS AND OLD- WELCOME!

NEW VISITORS AND OLD- WELCOME!
Well, I've made it almost 5 years now, so for better or worse, I continue on. I tend to blog in spurts as the urge to be creative erupts. As I don't have an artistic bone in my body, you will see very few changes in the layouts. Hey, I'm a reader not an artist like so many of the awesome bloggers I follow. I know you don't always have the time but if you stopped and looked, take a half a minute and say your piece. Recommend a book that you have enjoyed or hated for that matter. Thank you to all who visit.
Oh, and I moved my Google Friend Connect info and share this buttons to the top, as without our friends, who are we?


Thursday, September 29, 2011

BANNED BOOK WEEK HOP 9/24- 10/1

bannedbook
This is hosted by Inspired Kathy from I Am A Reader Not a Writer 
and Jan from I Read Banned Books.
I am #53 and Proud Book Nerd (INT) is in front of me and
 Reading in the Corner (US) is behind me.


You can find the rest of us supporting BANNED BOOK WEEK here 

Contest will be open internationally.  
I will be giving away a $10 Amazon/Barnes and Noble Gift card or
 I'll let you chose a book from Book Depository 
up to $10 and as long as they ship free to you, 
you can enter. 
Just make sure they ship to you. If not sure,  check here.
I love to win Gift Cards and these are the simplest and the best as far as I'm concerned.
For every 50 brand new followers, I'll give away another $10 Gift card or 
book from Book Depository.


SEPTEMBER CONTESTS ON OTHER BLOGS

ENDS 9/30


Rabid Reads: 1 Year Blogoversary Giveaway! (4): Don't forget to enter my other Giveaway's from earlier this week! Drink Deep by Chloe Neill Darkness Unbound by Keri Arthur A Werewo...
ENDS 10/4


The Qwillery: Interview with Blake Charlton and Giveaway - Septe...: Please welcome Blake Charlton to The Qwillery. TQ :  What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk? Blake :  If a passage i...
ENDS SEPT 29
The Qwillery: Interview with Nancy Holzner and Giveaway - Septem...: Please welcome Nancy Holzner to The Qwillery. TQ :  What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk? Nancy :  I'm not terribl...
ENDS SEPT 28
The Qwillery: Interview with Rosalie Lario and Giveaway - Septe...: Please welcome Rosalie Lario to The Qwillery. TQ :  What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk? Rosalie :  I can only ...
ENDS SEPT 27


Rabid Reads: 1 Year Blogoversary Giveaway!: Time flies when you're having fun! Wow! I can't believe that I've been blogging about books for a full year! I launched my new template ...Over the next 5 days I'll be counting down to the big day by offering up a daily Giveaway!
ENDS 10/4




ENDS 10/18
BrendaWallace: Kindle Giveaway Contest for Brilliant Prey E-book ...: http://www.brendawallace.com/   No Purchase Necessary On October 8, 2011, I will randomly draw the winner of the Kindle, Wi-Fi, Graphite,...
ENDS 10/8


ChicnSavvy Reviews: WIN a Copy of the Movie The Shunning: Before she succumbs to cancer, the dying wish of Laura Mayfield-Bennett is to be reunited with the daughter she never knew. Unfortuna...
ENDS 9/30

Review and Giveaway for Lord and Lady Spy by Shana Galen

An Author Incognito: Slayers Countdown/ Fame, Glory, and Other Things O...: Hey, blog friends. It's time to count down the days until Slayers is released. Don't you just love singing all the Slayers carols? Here's ...




Sept 27, 2011
http://pjhoover.blogspot.com/2011/09/faerie-ring-by-kiki-hamilton-review.html
THE FAERIE RING Giveaway!

JL Bryan's Book-Related Blog: Win the first copy of Alexander Death!: After talking with my editor, I'll have to set the release date for Alexander Death , the final book in The Paranormals trilogy, at Friday...
Giveaway Ends 9/25/11

Stories of my life: 100 Followers Giveaway:   So Stories of my life is close to reaching that magic number and I'm ecstatic. You are an amazing bunch and I would love to celebrate th...




Gilbert & Gomez: Of a 100 Follower Giveaway: So faithful followers, we (Gilbert & Gomez) have decided that it's about darn time that we had a giveaway. YAY, WOO, YEAH! We figure that ...
Ends 9/30/11 


Starcrossed: Seers Blog Tour - Review and Giveaway!: We were very excited to be a part of this tour!  As you may already know, the Seers Blog Tour was the very first one we've ever participated...
Ends 9/22/11

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Can't Wait Till Oct 25th For "DESTINED" The New HOUSE OF NIGHT ?

Oct 25,2011

In Destined, the forces of Light and Dark collide as their epic struggle focuses on Tulsa’s House of Night. Zoey is home where she belongs, safe with her Guardian Warrior, Stark, by her side – and preparing to face off against Neferet. Kalona has released his hold on Rephaim, and, through Nyx’s gift of a human form, he and Stevie Rae are finally able to be together – if Rephaim can truly walk the path of the Goddess and stay free of his father’s shadow.
But is Zoey really safe? Does she truly know those who are closest to her? And will love win when it is tested by the very soul of Darkness? Find out what’s destined in the next thrilling chapter of the House of Night series.

Read an Excerpt Warning: It's addictive.

WELLLLL - WE'RE WAITING WEDNESDAY # 7--:CONTEST Destined and The Iron Knight



Don't forget the contest to win your WELLL We're Waiting Wednesday book here

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

From the Shelf


From the Shelf

Maester Martin's Milestones

The past week was another big week for a publishing phenomenon that has taken a few Shelf Awarenesseditors--and millions of others--on an epic reading journey.

First, at the Emmys, Peter Dinklage won best supporting actor in a drama series for his portrayal of Tyrion Lannister in HBO's series based on A Game of Thrones, the first volume of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire saga. Dinklage's Tyrion, aka the Imp and the Dwarf, is one of the best-read characters in the books, saying at one point, "A mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge." (Tyrion is also delightfully droll, sharp-eyed, humorous, fatalistic and hedonistic.)

Then last week publisher Bantam announced that A Game of Thrones has sold one million copies in the past six months, roughly since the HBO series began and drew in many new fans. Next, Amazon said that Martin is the 11th author to sell a million e-books in the Kindle Store. And A Dance of Dragons, the fifth volume in the series, released in July after a long wait, continues to burn up the bestseller lists. Altogether the series has 11.8 million copies in book, e-book and audio versions in print.

Based loosely on the War of the Roses, A Song of Ice and Fire is a sprawling tale set in a world like medieval Europe and Asia and features complex flesh-and-blood characters, few of whom are pure good or evil. The material is simultaneously earthy and mystical. And Martin is an expert in moving the story along--with twists that shock the reader.

One college-age friend called A Song of Ice and Fire "medieval porn." Another described Martin as "America's Tolkien." Again and again, we've encountered fans who say with a bit of surprise that they never read fantasy but somehow have gotten hooked on Martin's universe.

This phenomenon will only get bigger--the second season of the HBO series is filming and there are at least two more volumes to look forward to. We dare you to join the legions and drink some of Martin's literary dreamwine.

Happy reading! --John Mutter..
Just finished watching season one on Netflix can't wait for the new season. In the mean time going to check out the books, cause you know they are always better.

TEASER TUESDAY #5


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • 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!
Reverence wasn't crucified in the wires, but in the graffiti itself. Painted vines has erupted from the wall, fully dimensional, moving as if alive, curling around him, sprouting metal barbs, hooking into his flesh, drawing blood and pulling outward-pulling as we watched.


page 12
ARC "Blood Rock"
by Anthony Francis


This is such an awesome series. Just as I finished book one-"Frost Moon" an ARC of book two showed up. How's that for timing. 

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ‘teasers’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!

Monday, September 26, 2011

Lucky Charm by Marie Astor


Lucky Charm by Marie Astor
Lucky Charm is a contemporary romance about love, luck and friendship.
Twenty-eight-year old Annabel Green is about to tie the knot with her college love, an aspiring author Jeremy Blake, but her plans for an ideal wedding are rudely interrupted when she catches Jeremy kissing his gorgeous book agent.
Shell-shocked by Jeremy’s betrayal, Annabel retreats into the quiet routine of TV dinners and solitary evenings. It is then that Annabel’s best friend, fashion designer Lilly Clayton, sets herself on a mission to draw Annabel out of her shell. In an attempt to persuade Annabel to keep an open mind on dating, Lilly takes Annabel for a stunning makeover, but after Annabel passes on a date with a dashing entrepreneur, Lilly decides that more drastic measures are needed. Lilly invites Annabel to see a palm reader who gives Annabel a lucky charm that is supposed to help her find true love.
A few weeks later, during her trip to Paris, Annabel meets a handsome Parisian, and as the two embark on a whirlwind romance, she starts to believe in the power of the talisman the palm reader has given her. But what Annabel doesn’t know is that Lilly is hiding a secret that could unravel her faith in her newly found luck in love.

 http://readingbetweenthewinesbookclub.blogspot.com/2011/09/lucky-charm-blog-tour-book-trailer.html

WOOHOO! More to Come from Stormy Gale!

Got a note from this awesome author.
"Yay! So glad you enjoyed it! Carina Press just 
contracted the second book, The Bewitching 
Tale of Stormy Gale, a full length novel where 
Bacon, Stormy and Dev travel back to the time 
of the Salem witch trials. I'm hoping it will be 
out by late spring next year. Thanks so much 
for the lovely review, I truly appreciate it."

                                                          Christine


If you have not checked  out this awesome Steampunk/Time Travel novella, now's the time. The fabulous people at Carina Press have contracted for a full length second book! Woohoo! If you love steampunk and/or time travel you are in for a treat. I've decided to repost my review. As a newish Kindle reader, I still don't find myself getting lost in a story quite the way I do when it's print but this one had me flipping pages and reading from start to finish. This is my first wishlist book for the Spring of 2012.  


1


Title: The Twisted Tale of Stormy Gale
Author: Christine Bell
Genre: Steampunk/Time Travel
Rating: * * * * *
Publishers Date: 4/25/11
Kindle: 25,900 words
ISBN: B004RQD40G
FTC Disclosure: Net Galley


I'm a time pirate—born in 1810, now a 21st-century woman. I travel through time trying to right wrongs without disrupting the fragile balance between what is and what can never be.
That's why it's vital that I go to 1836 and find the man who conned my brother out of his Time Travel Mechanism as quickly as possible. If the technology falls into the wrong hands, it could change the world as we know it. The notorious Duke of Leister definitely qualifies as the wrong hands. An amateur scientist of the slightly mad variety, he's bound to figure out how to use the TTM sooner rather than later.
I knew this wouldn't be easy. But I wasn't counting on him being as sexy as hell. Or winding up chained to his bed…

Let me say right off the bat, the only disappointment I had in this book was the length. As I was reading it on my Kindle and it had been there for awhile, I didn’t realize it was a novella. This is one of the things I don’t like about a Kindle. When you have a book in your hand you know immediately, wow! it’s 500+ pages so it’s going to last awhile or gee it’s 100 so a very quick read. Not so obvious on a Kindle.
But anyway, CB had me with her first “Wizard of Oz” reference. I totally fell in love with the kick-ass Dorothy and the steampunk/time travel genre.  It actually reminded me a bit of the novella for the “Girl in the Steel Corset”.  Action packed, full of mystery and romance. And that says a lot for a mere 25,900 word story. Oh, I’d love to see this done full length. There was just so much more story untold. I wanted to know more about Gilly and his history. I wanted to know more about Devlin’s time in BedIam. I could have read this for hours but alas it ended just as I got invested in it. If some publisher doesn’t snap up this writer and get the rest of the story, I’m really gonna be pissed. I’m putting this author on my watch list as I expect to see more of her!

Sunday, September 25, 2011

CELEBRATION! My Favorite Banned Book!





Seriously, can you imagine life without this awesome series of books and movies? That would be an alternate universe I wouldn't want to live in. 
What banned book could you not imagine never having read?
Not sure what's on the list? Check here and leave your answer. 


If you have entered my Banned Book Contest here, leave your answer in a comment here and I'll give you another entry in the contest.

WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!" for "DREAMLAND" by Alyson Noel


Katie had won at another site (lucky girl)  
so she asked that I pick another winner so
Jolene, today is your lucky day.
My winner was number 99, katie_tp@  
138, Jolene A. @ june111@
who answered this question--


If you were already a member of the afterlife, 
what dream would you send to a loved one 
or nightmare to a not so loved one?
She said-

"I would send dreams of being happy and 
ok to my loved ones. I lost someone close to me when
 I was 16, and my mom had a dream about her 
being ok and I felt deflated that I never had one.
 I'd make sure all my loved ones had a dream like that."

Jolene blogs at 
Take a minute and 
check her blog out and 
congratulate her on her fabulous win!
Jolene, I've sent you an email. 
The book is coming direct from the 
publishers. Enjoy!
Thanks to all who entered. Don't forget to check 
out the other contests going on.
WELLLL WE'RE WAITING CONTEST  which ends 10/16/11
BANNED BOOK WEEK  which ends 10/1
See you all at the hop!

BOOKS I’VE BOUGHT, SWAPPED OR WON FOR THE WEEK 9/25 # 53

MAIL CALL!
The Darkest Lie-PBS The Beginning-PBS Swoon-PBS
Black Magic -PBS Red-PBS Stranger-PBS
Betsy Bride of the Vampire-BOOKMOOCH Dead Until Dark-BOOKMOOCH Luna-BOOKMOOCH
13 Little Blue Envelopes-BOUGHT Blood Prophecy-BOUGHT Falling Under-BOUGHT
Curse of the Shamra-WON  Shamra Divided-WON Chaos Unleashed -WON
If you hover your arrow on the books,
you can see where my books came from.