TGIF Weekly 28

T . G. I. F.  Weekly   

Here,  YOU, the reader get to help me pick out my upcoming reads and reviews.  Vote  for  what book you want to see a review for by leaving a comment stating your desire out of the 3 choices.  Most voted on by Tuesday will be posted between Wednesday and Friday (before the next TGIF post).  I might even post more than 1 review for these depending on how many vote and on what other posts I have set up (especially other reviews).  Also past books (if not reviewed) may come up in future TGIFs. 

 Also I have a poll up on the right column to vote for my upcoming reads.   The more votes the higher the chances of that book being read sooner and the higher the chances of a review soon. I will change the books listed for the polls every couple weeks so be on the lookout for changes to the list.  Old books may remain until read but this way I can hopefully better cater to reader's interest. :)

 

The last pick:
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Click here to see my review.

 

This Weeks Choices:

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 "A young boy, Aladdin, travels a mysterious continent that is home to a mysterious ruin known as the “Dungeon”, in which great treasure is said to lay hidden. During his travels, the young boy meets Ali Baba, and together they attempt to clear the “Dungeon” in order to claim the treasures within. As their quest brings about new encounters and farewells, Aladdin will come to learn of his true destiny."

 

 

 

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Top Ten Tuesdays 12

 
Hosted by Broke and Bookish.

 

So this week was book worlds I would never want to be in or characters I would never want to be.  So I will be sharing a mix!

 

So these are some book worlds I would never want to be a part of.  Sadly, they can all fall under the same basic dystopian genres but those are meant to be unpleasant worlds, right?  Most books I read I would love to visit the world of.  So this was tricky.

 

 
 

Zombies!  And easy to become one.  And the set traps! Yikes!!

 

Mostly poor communities under military control, a crazed main city, death matches, and worse...no thanks.

  

 

Have you played the games?  If you have you can guess why I wouldn't want to be here.  Drug obsessive loonies, violent psychos, power hungry tyrants.

The Awakening by Marley Gibson (review)

 

Ghost Huntress: 

The Awakening (1)

By Marley Gibson

 

Genre: Paranormal/Supernatural, Young Adult
Published May 2009
Pages: 338

Publisher: Graphia

Summary:  "The first in a trilogy. Get out your tape recorders, crystals, and extra batteries-- you're about to go where our world meets the spirit world.
Psychic Kids, Paranormal State, Haunting Evidence--these and countless other television shows are making believers out of millions of people: Ghosts exist, and they're living right beside us. For centuries, individuals have been trying to prove the existence of ghosts. But without hard evidence, it's been difficult to make the case. But now as science and technology have progressed, ghost hunters have been able to use scientific means, along with more traditional psychic tools, to make their case. Photographs, video recordings, and sound recordings are all producing some amazing results.
In this new series, Ghost Huntress, meet Kendall Moorehead, a seemingly typical teen. When her family moves from Chicago to the small historical town of Radisson, Georgia, her psychic abilities awaken. She's hearing, feeling, and seeing things that seem unbelievable at first, but with the help of the town psychic, Kendall is able to come to terms with her newly emerging gift. So, together with her new BFF, Celia, Kendall forms a ghost hunting team. They've got all the latest technology. They've got Kendall for their psychic. Now they're going to clean up Radisson of its less savory spirits.
The story is fiction. The science is real. Welcome to a new reality."

 

 

 

Review:  Not a bad story with some good potential. Sadly, it ended up frustrating me more than interested me. I can think of several that would love this book but it was not for me.

Stacking the Shelves 31

 

 Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews, every Weekend. This is to share books I have acquired from various sources.
Physical books & ebooks both are welcome. If its something being sent to me by mail, I will not mention it until I actually receive it.

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Swap/Trade

It's April, 1988, a month before Kinsey Millhone's thirty-eighth birthday, and she's alone in her office doing paperwork when a young man arrives unannounced. He has a preppy air about him and looks as if he'd be carded if he tried to buy booze, but Michael Sutton is twenty-seven, an unemployed college dropout. Twenty-one years earlier, a four-year-old girl disappeared. A recent reference to her kidnapping has triggered a flood of memories. Sutton now believes he stumbled on her lonely burial when he was six years old. He wants Kinsey's help in locating the child's remains and finding the men who killed her. It's a long shot but he's willing to pay cash up front, and Kinsey agrees to give him one day. As her investigation unfolds, she discovers Michael Sutton has an uneasy relationship with the truth. In essence, he's the boy who cried wolf. Is his current story true or simply one more in a long line of fabrications?

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For Review

 

"When her father is killed in a coup, 15-year-old Laila flees from the war-torn middle east to a life of exile and anonymity in the U.S. Gradually she adjusts to a new school, new friends, and a new culture, but while Laila sees opportunity in her new life, her mother is focused on the past. She's conspiring with CIA operatives and rebel factions to regain the throne their family lost. Laila can't bear to stand still as an international crisis takes shape around her, but how can one girl stop a conflict that spans generations?"

 

 

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  "In Cornerstone, Valencia Roth died to protect her daughter. In Jaded Stone, she'll live for her.

Twenty years before the events of Cornerstone, Valencia Roth is the Crown Princess of Sheas, as lonely as she is privileged. She wants for nothing, except a clear path toward peace for her land. She’s always known personal happiness might not be in The Three’s plan for her. As the future ruler of Sheas, and a Cornerstone, her life belongs to her people.
But when Valencia meets the charming Reid Hendel, she dares to believe love could be within her reach. That is, if they can both survive long enough for it to blossom. A new threat prowls the land, and she’s their primary target. Armed with stubborn pride and all the resources of Sheas, she fears nothing—until her brother leads her intended directly into the fray and at least one of them doesn’t return.
Burdened with grief, Valencia must carve her own path forward. From the forge of chaos, a new era will be born."

Upcoming Giveaways

Upcoming Giveaways I will be participating in:

 

 and

 

Just a heads up to keep an eye out in a few weeks!

Jury Duty throw off

    Hi everyone!  Sorry for being non-existant this week.  I actually had a couple reviews planned out and a discussion post idea but my schedule for the next few weeks has just been thrown up in the air.  I have been called to serve jury duty for a moderate case that will consume all my weekdays for this week and at least the next 2 weeks.  

  Between working nights and having to be up early in the morning for J. Duty I have been run ragged already.  I have been lucky to get 1-3 hours sleep within a 24 hr period.  So free time is out during the week.  I will try and work out a couple things this weekend to tide everyone over (I hope) until I resume normalcy.  Or what passes for it...     So my TGIF review will be up either Sat or Sun.  Sorry for the delays.  On the bright side, getting a 1 1/2 hr lunch break is giving me some good reading time!   

TGIF Weekly 27

T . G. I. F.  Weekly   

How this works:  YOU, the reader get to help me pick out my upcoming reads and reviews.  Before it was to help me choose which book to read next but I quickly found myself behind on books that were due back to the library and review commitments.  So, instead of choosing of having to read a specific book every week, I will instead let you help pick what book I will post a review for next week.  Vote by leaving a comment for what you want to see my review for out of the 3 choices.  Most voted on by end of day Tuesday will be posted between Wednesday and Friday (before the next TGIF post).  I might even post more than 1 review for these depending on how many vote and on what other posts I have set up (especially other reviews).  Also past books (if not reviewed) may come up in future TGIFs.

 Also I have a poll up on the right column to vote for my upcoming reads.   The more votes the higher the chances of that book being read sooner and the higher the chances of a review soon. I will change the books listed for the polls every couple weeks so be on the lookout for changes to the list.  Old books may remain until read but this way I can hopefully better cater to reader's interest. :)

The last pick:
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Click here to see my review.   

It was posted a bit last minute as when I was getting ready to post I realized I never posted my review for the first book of the series!  So sorry for the delay and enjoy the reviews.

 

 

This Weeks Choices:
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"A working-girl romance

In order to help her father, Chiwa Takanashi agrees to an arranged marriage with the company president, Hokuto Mamiya—a man she doesn’t know—at the request of Hokuto’s grandfather. Chiwa believes the arrangement isn’t binding, but her new partner seems to think otherwise. Can two strangers living together find their way to a happy marriage?!

Chiwa Takanashi has married a total stranger—company president Hokuto Mamiya—to get her father out of debt. Hokuto has pledged fidelity to her, but then the tabloids break the news of him dating a famous actress. Though Hokuto has denied having an affair, Chiwa starts confiding her worries to Yu Yagami, a handsome new company recruit. Is the contract they signed the only thing holding their marriage together?"

 

Witch's Canyon by Jeff Mariotte--The 2nd Supernatural Review

 

Supernatural:  

Witch's Canyon (2)

By Jeff Mariotte

Genre: Paranormal/Supernatural, Mystery
Published Oct 2007
Pages: 357

Publisher: HarperEntertainment 
Buy Supernatural: Witch's Canyon

Summary:  "Twenty-two years ago, Sam and Dean Winchester lost their mother to a mysterious and demonic supernatural force. In the years after, their father, John, taught them about the paranormal evil that lives in the dark corners and on the back roads of America...and he taught them how to kill it.

Sam and Dean have set out on a road trip to the Grand Canyon, but this is no vacation for the brothers. On a stretch of deserted ranchland just beyond the canyon's stunning vistas, mysterious murder sprees have occurred every forty years. The area's inhabitants have been few and far between in years past, but a nearby mega-mall is about to celebrate its grand opening--and attract thousands of fresh victims.

The Winchester boys are determined to protect locals and shoppers alike, but they never anticipated they'd be fighting a group of killers this vicious, this vindictive, this . . . dead. A deadly horde of animal spirits and human ghosts has arisen to terrorize this tiny corner of the Arizona desert. If Sam and Dean can't figure out why, the wide-open spaces of the West will once again become a desolate frontier . . . and the witch's canyon will be the brothers' final resting place."

Review:  This is the second book in the Supernatural Book Series. Click here to see my review about the first book.  

First off I would like to point out that Jeff Mariotte's writing style is a huge improvement from the first book. The story is creepier too.

Nevermore by Keith R.A.DeCandido-- A SUPERNATURAL Review!

 

Supernatural:  Nevermore (1)

By Keith R.A. DeCandido

Genre: Paranormal/Supernatural, Mystery
Published July 2007
Pages: 317

Publisher: HarperCollins  

Buy Supernatural: Nevermore


Summary:  "Twenty years ago they lost their mother to a mysterious and demonic supernatural force. In the years after, their father, John, taught them about the paranormal evil that lives in the dark corners and on the back roads of America...and he taught them how to kill it.

Sam and Dean have hit New York City to check out a local rocker's haunted house. But before they can figure out why a lovesick banshee in an '80s heavy-metal T-shirt is wailing in the bedroom, a far more macabre crime catches their attention. Not far from the house, two university students were beaten to death by a strange assailant. A murder that's bizarre even by New York City standards, it's the latest in a line of killings that the brothers soon suspect are based on the creepy stories of legendary writer Edgar Allan Poe.

Their investigation leads them to the center of one of Poe's horror classics, face-to-face with their most terrifying foe yet. And if Sam and Dean don't rewrite the ending of this chilling tale, a grisly serial killer will end their lives forevermore."



Review:  Not a bad job on this novel, since it is based off a tv series. Being a fan of the series, I can be a bit critical about staying in character. I am used to movies based on books but this was the opposite. The tv series came first, then this.

New Year's Challenge-Day 13 and 14

 

Okay I oopsed yesterday.  I had day 13 scheduled to post but it didn't.  I hit 'save' instead or 'publish.'  So my error now means that once again I am combining days.

Day 13

Share a Blogger Horror Story

I think one horrific experience I had was learning of Picasa and seeing all my blog pics on there so I started deleting them from the site, not realizing I was deleting them from my blog. Suddenly my blog was empty!   Talk about panic.  I was just a few months old and first impressions were critical!  I never was able to replace all images even as I didn't have anything backed up yet.  Foolish Newbie Blogger...Needless to say, lesson learned.

Day 14 

Blogging Wish List of 2014

• To inspired readers to look into different books.  
• To get a new blog layout.  I am working on learning HTML but I still see so many amazing blogs that I am envious of their pages, sidebars, etc.  
• To go to BEA or other large Con.   I cannot afford it this year but being this is a wishlist here you go! :)
• More active followers, commentors on this blog
• Print Arcs being offered/sent from publishers. I want them to want me to be involved. :)
• To REALLY connect with a couple other bloggers.  To make some real friends.  Even it is is just online (emails, chat, skype, etc) through this business.
• To read several AMAZING books this year that I utterly love.
• To co-host a blog event/hop
• To exceed my reading Goal on Goodreads!

So there they are.  Some big, some small.  

This was the end of the New Years Eve Challenge. In case you missed any here are the other days:

DAY 1:  My Blogger Resolutions 

Day 2: My Pros and Cons of blogging.

Day 3: 2013 books that I am sad I missed.

Day 4: THE BOOKS OF 2014 I WON’T MISS.

Day 5: The worst book of 2013 

Day 6:  Best book I read of 2013

Day 7 and 8:  TOP TEN BOOK BLOGGER PET PEEVES and My FAVORITE BOOK BLOGGER MOMENT

Day 9 and 10: Cons or Events I Hope To Attend and New Things I Will Be Doing This Year

Day 11: TBR Shelf: How Many?

Day 12:  How do I plan on getting more followers this year?

 

New Year's Challenge-Day 12

 

Day 12 

How do I plan on getting more followers this year?

 

Well, actually great as follower numbers are I instead will strive more for loyal followers.  I would rather have a handful of people would come to this blog and like what they see, maybe get some book ideas or just learn more about books they like that to have a large number of followers who MIGHT stop by 1-2 times a years, usually just for a giveaway hop.  While I will still do hops I want to focus more on quality content and activity involvements.

I do plan on more interaction on other blogs, facebook pages and Goodreads.  While I have a twitter account I must be honest, that I do not use to very well for contacts so not nearly as active there.  Commenting on other blogs, challenges etc will be a big focus.  

Regardless loyal, repeat followers I my main focus.  And if there is something I can do to get you interested, as always, please let me know.

New Years Challenge Day 11

 

Day 11

TBR Shelf: How Many?

 

*Clears throat*........*Clears throat again*....

 An embarrassingly high count has yet to be completed. 

 I currently have over 4000 listed and a many more I am still adding as I list my books I own.  There are SO many books I want to read.  Many are series' so those can add up fast but it varies greatly what I have listed.  I am hoping that by the end of this year, my list of books I own is complete so so that adding books to my TBR starts to stabilize and that in 2015 I can actually start to make progress toward lowering that number over time.  Yet it will be high for many years.  After all, there are still wonderful books I have yet to hear of, and even more that have yet to be written.

Stacking the Shelves 30

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews, every Weekend. This is to share books I have acquired from various sources.

 

 

 

 

 

So I received some books back in December, but due to time and post length I will not be adding them to this.  Here is what I have added to my collection so far this month.

 

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For Review

 

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Winner/Gift

  

TGIF Weekly 26

T . G. I. F.  Weekly   

 It's back!   With a couple changes (at least for the time being)...

How this works:  YOU, the reader get to help me pick out my upcoming reads and reviews.  Before it was to help me choose which book to read next but I quickly found myself behind on books that were due back to the library and review commitments.  So, instead of choosing of having to read a specific book every week, I will instead let you help pick what book I will post a review for next week.  Vote by leaving a comment for what you want to see my review for out of the 3 choices.  Most voted on by end of day Tuesday will be posted between Wednesday and Friday (before the next TGIF post).  I might even post more than 1 review for these depending on how many vote and on what other posts I have set up (especially other reviews).  Also past books (if not reviewed) may come up in future TGIFs.

 Also I have a poll up on the right column to vote for my upcoming reads.   The more votes the higher the chances of that book being read sooner and the higher the chances of a review soon. I will change the books listed for the polls every couple weeks so be on the lookout for changes to the list.  Old books may remain until read but this way I can hopefully better cater to reader's interest. :)

So, here are the choices for upcoming reviews:

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 "Twenty-two years ago, Sam and Dean Winchester lost their mother to a mysterious and demonic supernatural force. In the years after, their father, John, taught them about the paranormal evil that lives in the dark corners and on the back roads of America...and he taught them how to kill it.

Sam and Dean have set out on a road trip to the Grand Canyon, but this is no vacation for the brothers. On a stretch of deserted ranchland just beyond the canyon's stunning vistas, mysterious murder sprees have occurred every forty years. The area's inhabitants have been few and far between in years past, but a nearby mega-mall is about to celebrate its grand opening--and attract thousands of fresh victims.

The Winchester boys are determined to protect locals and shoppers alike, but they never anticipated they'd be fighting a group of killers this vicious, this vindictive, this . . . dead. A deadly horde of animal spirits and human ghosts has arisen to terrorize this tiny corner of the Arizona desert. If Sam and Dean can't figure out why, the wide-open spaces of the West will once again become a desolate frontier . . . and the witch's canyon will be the brothers' final resting place."

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New Year's Challenge-Days 9 and 10 combined

 

Well I didn't have much to say for day 9 so I am combining it with Day 10

So Day 9 was  

Cons or Events I Hope To Attend

Well, there never seems to be much near where I love that is affordable.  There are a few Comic and Anime cons I might check out but not much else within a few hours drive.  Being money is extremely  tight this year, travel or high cost events are out.  I live in Northern/Central California so if anyone knows of anything in the Sacremento/San Fransisco type areas let me know! :)

Now for Day 10! 

New Things I Will Be Doing This Year

Now this is quite a bit!  

• I want to get more interactive things going so I will be going mini games on my blog and/or Facebook page.  Some will be for prizes, others just for fun!
• I am going to try and finish on my book list of books I own, that way I can go through my TBR and separate books I do not own into a wishlist.  My TBR is so long I need to slit things up a bit better.

Atlas by Becca C. Smith -review and giveaway!

 

Atlas
By: Becca C. Smith

Genre:  Fantasy (Urban), Mythology/Legends/Lore, Angels/Demons
Publisher: Red Frog Publishing
Date of Publication: 11/14/13
ISBN: 978-0985027667 (Ebook)  978-1493648375 (Print)
Number of pages: 293
Cover Artist: Stephan Fleet
Buy Atlas (The Atlas Series)



Book Description: 
Kala Hicks is part of a covert elite military team that answers directly to the President of the United States. But during an emergency mission aboard Air Force One, Kala is shocked to discover that the real threat is none other than the President himself. Defying her commanding officer, Jack Norbin, Kala takes the shot, and her life changes forever.

The moment the President is killed, a supernatural force speaks to Kala, telling her that she has to commit one act of atrocity every four days… or the world will end. Thrown into a reality she never could have imagined, Kala faces off with creatures of legend; from demons determined to make her fail and plunge the Earth into chaos, to angels who don’t trust her to do the job and are willing to kill her to claim it for themselves.

Pitted against the forces of good and evil, Kala must choose whether to save the world by doing the unthinkable, or sit back and let it burn. And four days later, she’ll have to do it again.


Review:  Very enjoyable adventure! A bit of Greek lore, lots of supernatural and good action! Kala is such a great, strong lead character. I liked her immediately and that enjoyment lasted the entire book.

New Year's Challenge-Day 7 and 8

 

So I was unable to post on the 7th for this challenge so I am doing both the 7th and the 8th today.  

Day 7 

TOP TEN BOOK BLOGGER PET PEEVES

In no particular order:

1)  Being asked to review books that go against my review policy.  When I state I am not accepting ebooks yet still asked.  OR nonfiction that I do not review.  It does not take long to skip my policy or peruse the types of books I read.  I organize by genre on my blog, and Goodreads so seeing what I like should be relatively easy.  So them I put in the uncomfortable position of either accepting a book I do not want or having to decline.  And sometimes, when I decline ebooks stating that I have too many (as I cannot take electronics to work sites so print books are always easier for me) they send it to me anyways!   This can lead to my next peeve.

2)  Pressure.  Be it reading, reviewing, deadlines, declines, reader demands, publisher demands, author demands, etc.  Everyone wants something and it is impossible to please everyone. It can quicly become overwhelming, especially to a new blogger still learning the ropes.  Pressure to go to cons, events or tours.  Pressure to buy books that I cannot afford to read or giveaways for followers, etc

3)  Book bashing or low blows.  I hate seeing people leaving negative reviews of books the never even read.  Or tried to read.  They hate something the author did or stands for so they give it a bad rating and review.  The author is a person and the book is a story that one should be able to keep separate.  The book might be quite good but due to a personal annoyance a person will bash a book they never picked up.  Or perhaps they simply heard about a book or read the synopsis and decided the book is not for them.  No need to review or rate what you never actually read!  Just my opinion.  Also, no matter how bad a book, using insults against the author, publisher, etc is never necessary and is quite rude.  There are other more product words one can use to describe their displeasure. 

4)  Captcha- Grrr...The bane of trying to leave comments on other blogs.  I understand protecting against spam but it also discourages readers from reaching out!  I wish those that use captcha would disable it and simply spend a few minutes filtering comments.  One could set them for being viewed before being published.

5)  Lots of GIFs.  These can be quite distracting and when one is tired or in a hurry can be frankly annoying.  Every once in a while they are fun to express certain things.  but if I see a lot of them in posts I often will stop following a blog.  

New Years Challenge day 6

  

Day 6

Best book I read of 2013

This was WAY to tough.  My opinion changes everything I read a new book or as time passes.  However, here are a few that I considered top books that were published in 2013

 

What 2013 title did you love?

New Year's Challenge-Day 5

 

Day 5

The worst book of 2013

Well, I didn't really read many books that were bad that came out 2013.   With the exception of 2 DNF's (one due to major plagerism) but all 2013 pulished titles I read were decent ti excellent.  So I will simply show the worst of what I read in 2013.  Those were:

   

Then Came the Evening just was not at all type of book with the writing style.  Hush, Hush graphic novel was utterly disappointing with character changes and the fact that that it doesn't even cover 1/3 of the first book!   

 

What was your disappointment for 2013?

New Years Challenge-Day 4

 

Day 4:

THE BOOKS OF 2014 I WON’T MISS

     

What about you?  What books are coming out that you plan to get and read right away?

New Year's Challenge-Day 3

 

Day 3-2013 books that I am sad I missed.

Well, that can be a long list.  Some I own but didn't have the time to read, others I could not obtain for financial reasons.  And finally some I didn't get far enough in the series to read the latest title yet.

These are some of the books I missed reading.   Please note that I intend to still read these titles and that there were (sadly) many others as well but these are some that are currently stuck strongly in my mind