Beach Reads in August Giveaway Hop

Summer is coming to a close, school is about to start once more.  For many, this means 1 last chance to hit the beach for some summer reading!

So the question always comes up: What are some great beach reads.  Well here are some I would recommend:

The Pen Pieyu Adventures book blast and giveaway

 

About the Books

Book 1:

Title: Sir Princess Petra (The Pen Pieyu Adventures Book #1)

 Author: Diane Mae Robinson 

Year published: 2012  Publisher: Tate Publishing Number of pages: 68 Recommended age: 5+

 

 Summary: Princess Petra's unusual birthday request sends the royal court into a frenzy, but when she agrees to undertake a knight's quest they can't stop her. Armed with a cake knife and outfitted in the best royal pots and pans, Petra sets off to face a dragon and win her real armor before encountering a bog witch, and an army of the kingdom's worst enemies. Will Petra's kindness and acceptance prove to be more valuable than weapons and armor?

 

Awards for book one, Sir Princess Petra:

2012 Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artist Award (Literary Arts). 2012 First Runner Up in the Purple Dragonfly Book Award in the Children's Chapter Book category 2013 Honorable Mention in the Reader's Favorite International Book Awards 2013 Finalist in the “50 Great Writers You Should be Reading” Award

Purchase:

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Tate Publishing * Goodreads

  Video Preview (Book 1):  

Wishlist Wednesday and Waiting on Wednesday combined 1

So we shall start with:

So this is my first time joining the Wishlist Wednesday Blog Hop.

For me, I am using this to share with you books I want to get my hands on that are on my Wishlist.   

Normally I keep all my wishlist books on Goodreads.   However a few family members have mentioned an Amazon wishlist so they can easily buy me what I want.  So I figure I would have both. What can I say, I have a weird compulsion for lists.  Anyone who knows me well can attest to that fact.

For the most part, these will be books already published (or will be published VERY soon).  So my list here is practical.  However, like all things in life, what I want and what I can get are two different things.  Usually it is finances that say NO.  Yet I will share these with you.  Who knows, maybe you might find a new treasure to add to your own list.

So for this week I will be sharing:

"This is the story of the small town sheriff who captured one of the world's most ruthless and cunning murderers.

It all started with Dead Girl #1 and Dead Girl #2, the first killings in the sleepy town of Lobo's Nod in decades. Two murders: just a coincidence, or something more sinister? One thing's for sure -- it was definitely inconvenient in a year when Sheriff G. William Tanner, a mourning widower, had to run for reelection.

With a trail gone cold, it's only luck that links the murders to the most notorious serial killer in memory. And in a town like Lobo's Nod, the killer must be someone Tanner already knows...."

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga (review) and Giveaway!

 

Jasper Dent: I Hunt Killers (1)

by Barry Lyga

Genre: Young Adult, Horror, Thriller, Mystery

Published: April 2012

Publisher: Little, Brown Books

 Pages: 359

Summary:  "What if the world's worst serial killer...was your dad?

  Jasper "Jazz" Dent is a likable teenager. A charmer, one might say.

  But he's also the son of the world's most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, Take Your Son to Work Day was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could—from the criminal's point of view.

  And now bodies are piling up in Lobo's Nod.

  In an effort to clear his name, Jazz joins the police in a hunt for a new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret—could he be more like his father than anyone knows?"

Review:  Guilty confession: When I first started this, I was not expecting much. The summary left me skeptical to a good plot but I was determined to try because I had already heard lots of great things about the sequel to this one. What I can say now is that I am so glad I did. This book is so much more than what it seems on the surface!

   As I began, I was torn or the style in which the story was presented. At first it seemed short and abrupt. Normally this would annoy me but after the first couple chapters I was quickly captivated by the thought process of young Jasper (more commonly known as Jazz) Dent. Once you get to understand him, the style it is written in makes so much more sense and fits to his personality and lifestyle.

  This poor guy has lived a life of hell! A serial killer for a father who's victims were in the triple digits. After his father is caught is stuck with his deranged grandmother. What a crazy coot she is! He is so worried his mentality is like his fathers. He has seen WAY too much horror for his age. How can it not twist a person?

Arc August 2014 Commitment

 

I SO need to participate.  I am way, way, way behind on my review books.  

Allow me to explain.  1-I have a lot of  series' I had already started way before I ever started blogging.  Looking back, I should have finished a few of those first.  When I get too many series' going at once, it is easy to forget the details of another series if it has been a long time since you have read it. Now I must admit blogging has also helped with that so long as I write a review right away.  Regardless though, between novels and mangas I easily had over 50 series I was already in progress with.  Then I start blogging and getting ARCS....That meant more #1 in a series often times.  Especially being a fantasy fan and fantasies almost always have more than one book to them.  So I have become overwhelmed with series' on my platter so I keep trying to catch up on a series but by doing so I fall behind on my review stack.

Top Ten Tuesday 23

 

Top Ten Authors we own the most books of...

This one is probably not accurate.  I have so many books it woulr have taken hours to figure this out for sure so I am giving you 10 authors that are in the running.  For these authors I have at least 20 books by each them.

Dean Koontz

Stephen King

Anne Rice

John Saul

RA Salvatore

Anne McCaffrey

Mary Higgins Clark

Patricia Cornwell

Christopher Pike

Nora Roberts

These authors just keep coming out with more books and I just keep adding them up! 

Shawndirea by Leonard D Hilley II -Review, Sneak Peak and Giveaway

Shawndirea
Chronicles of Aetheaon
Book I

Leonard D. Hilley II

Genre: Fantasy (Epic, Adventure, Sword/Sorcerer)
Publisher: DeimosWeb Publishing

Date of Publication: June 27, 2014

ISBN: 9781310304965
Number of pages: 536 printed pages

Word Count: 148,000
Book Description:

Often the smallest unexpected surprises garner the most demanding dilemmas, which proves to be the ordeal that entomologist Ben Whytten faces. While netting butterflies to add to his vast collection, he mistakenly sweeps what he thinks is the most spectacular butterfly he has ever seen into his net. Upon examining his catch, Ben is horrified to discover he has captured a faery and shredded her delicate wings into useless ribbons.

Devastated, Ben vows to take Shawndirea back to her realm, Aetheaon; but he discovers that doing so places their lives into immediate danger. To get to Aetheaon, they must pass through a portal rift deep inside the haunted cavern, Devils Den.

Once they cross the rift, Ben enters a world where mysteries, magic, betrayal, and power struggles await. He must adapt quickly or die because Aetheaon is filledwith enchanted creatures and numerous races where chaos often dominates order. And since Shawndirea’s destined for the throne of Elvendale, opposing dark forces plot to prevent her from ever reaching her kingdom again. The faery's magic isn't enough to fully protect them, so he must trust other adventurers to aid them during their journey.

Review:  This was fantastic! It has been a long time since I have picked up a heavy, epic style fantasy. It was not what I had expected entering this story but it is what I got.

We start of win a man named Ben who is off catching butterflies yet finds a rare surprise in his net one day. A faery name Shawndirea. A sweet, beautiful, slightly rebellious fairy who was visited the other side of the veil. Yet caught in his nets her wings are destroyed. So Ben vows to taker her home safely to get her wings back. A simple enough concept, right? Oh NO! There is so much more, from the greed ridden colleague chase, to demons, Immortals searching for power, zombies, witches, wizards and more!

On the other side, Ben learns of magic and meets some friends (and enemies). Amongst those he meets are Lehrling (a paladin type of character), The blacksmith Reise, a thief, dwarf, elf and others. You get where I am going with this for any classic fantasy fans? So yes, we have our adventure party! And their travels so far in this first book are amazing!

Bout of Books Commitments

 

So this is far from my first read-a-thon
(I just finished 2!)  But this is my FIRST BoB readathon.  I have heard nothing but great things about this readathon.  I hear it is very fun and interactive.  Which I love the idea of!

So what is Bout of Books read-a-thon?
"The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 18th and runs through Sunday, August 24th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 11 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team"

As for my goals- I have no idea yet.  It is still a ways off (3 more weeks).  What I do know is that since I have lots of notice for this I can schedule some good read times in.


August 15 UPDATE:
Okay so here are some goals I have.
My goals: at least 4 books/1000 pages. 
Hopefully more but there has been a lot going on so I want to be practical right now.
I have 2 ARC reading challenges I am working on plus some library books coming up due so those will be my focus.  Sorry I don't have any titles but it is still 3 days away and so much can change.

#HSreathon (High Summer Read-A-Thon) Wrap-up

  

 So I did okay but not what I had hoped to achieve

I finished:

And made progress in:

Stacking the Shelves 54

 

  

Alright....so I was SORT of better this week.  Well...at least on not taking too many review books.  I have a bunch of points of swap sites so I got requested a bunch of goodies this month and a lot came in this week.  But I will get to those later.

To start won some awesome books!

WINNER!!!

A signed copy of The Winners Curse!!!

I won this from Sarah @ Words with Sarah 

I had to share this first.  I am so excited about it!

 

Winning what you want may cost you everything you love.

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction.

Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

 

For Review

  Androids have claimed power over what remains of the human race. They rule without remorse. They are the Mind and humans exist only to serve them.

But it wasn't always so.

Before the android uprising, select droids, called Servants, were pivotal in engineering a new human race with nanotechnology enhanced DNA. The Blood Crown theorum was to be humanity's crowning glory and the key to their survival in deep space.

But Serantha, Daughter of the West, was the last female to receive Gifts from her Servant and when the Mind mutinied, she was hidden away, and presumed dead.

Without Serantha there is no hope of the Blood Crown being realized so Nicolai, Son of the East, abandons his crown to join the rebel forces. He might not provide the future for his people he had once dreamed of, but he will not go down without a fight.

When Nicolai discovers Sera among a small compliment of kitchen staff, everything changes--but Sera's Gifts were never completed and she is ill-equipped to face a legion of androids determined to wipe her, and every other human, out of existence.

Their only hope is the Blood Crown--but even if Serantha and Nicolai can realize their potential it may be too late to save mankind.

-------------------------------------------------

 

Jonathan wakes up in a desert, his past wiped from his head. He’s alone having no clue who and what he is, where he has come from and where he should go. There is only one way – forward when he spots a little town in the distance.

Empty streets, old houses, the town seems abandoned. There’s no one to ask for help, there’s nowhere to go. Jonathan wanders the town in search of any sign of life trying to bring his lost memories back, but odd visions haunt him from time to time. Soon Jonathan comes to the realization that he’s moments from death as absolutely evil dwells in the town seeking fresh souls to suck up. The seemingly dead town is only outwardly empty.

Grey skies, no sun, no days and no nights. The town is stuck in time. With only one entrance and one exit, but the way leading to the exit is filled with creations that Jonathan has never envisioned, even in his worst nightmares.

Who is he? Who brought him here? With a female resident – Elizabeth, Jonathan has to work his way through the horrendous town, figure out his past and find the exit.  

#HSreadathon Solo update

  

 So I did not do so good the past couple days.  I just made progress in a bunch of books.  5 books at that!  I was all over the place and just grabbing whatever I had available to keep going a bit.  

#WWReadathon Wicked Wildfire Read-a-thon Wrap Up

 

So this read-a-thon is now over!

I did fairly well.  I was hoping for better but I made minimum goals and then some!

So here is what I finished reading:

Have you Seen My Tail-Book Blast Giveaway

About the Book

Title: Have You Seen My Tail? (Katie-Jane, Book #2)
Author & Illustrator: Kathryn Harper Publication Date: July, 2014 
Publisher: Green Cup Publishing 
Pages: 36 | Recommended Ages: 3 to 8

  Summary: Anyone who has ever struggled to accept - or longed to experience - change of any kind will be able to relate to Katie-Jane's second story, "Have You Seen My Tail?" Using rhyming verse, and laugh-out-loud moments, Katie-Jane begins this story feeling bored. She is surprised and shocked as she meets a butterfly, a frog and a snake; who are all struggling to accept the recent big changes in their lives. Different perspectives help all four characters to accept their own situations, and embrace change in the way life offers it to them. "Have You Seen My Tail?" is the second book in the six-part Katie-Jane series, designed to encourage the reader to 'be the very best version of you.'  

Sneak Peek

 

Readathon(s) Update Combo 2 , #HSreadathon, #WWreadathon

 

I finished by reading the last 90 of the first and the full 165 (it was short) pages of the second.

So another 255 pages down!

Waiting on Wednesday 5

  

Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that are eagerly anticipated by the blogger.  In this case, me.

This week- I am most excited about next weeks release of:

"

Fantasy fans of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and John Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice series will embrace this first novel in an adventure-filled, Viking-inspired series by a debut author.

Meet Karn. He is destined to take over the family farm in Norrøngard. His only problem? He'd rather be playing the board game Thrones and Bones.

Enter Thianna. Half human, half frost giantess. She's too tall to blend in with other humans but too short to be taken seriously as a giant.

When family intrigues force Karn and Thianna to flee into the wilderness, they have to keep their sense of humor and their wits about them. But survival can be challenging when you're being chased by a 1,500-year-old dragon, Helltoppr the undead warrior and his undead minions, an evil uncle, wyverns, and an assortment of trolls and giants.

Brothers, Bullies and Bad Guys by ND Richman (review)

 

Boulton Quest: Brothers, Bullies and Bad Guys (1)

by N.D. Richman

Genre: Youth, Middle Grade

Published: April 2013

 Pages: 200

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summary:  "Their parents kidnapped in a brutal home invasion, Christopher and Michael must unite or die in their quest to find them. Adventure turns to mystery when the brothers follow a hunch leading them over the Pacific Coast Mountains, across the ocean, and to a fortified island where they fight for their lives with tragic results."

 

 

 

Review:  Not a bad adventure book. The title is actually the perfect summary for what this book is about. It is a simple, fast paced read to enjoy. while not a great book it is still something to kick back, have a cool drink and enjoy on a summer afternoon.

Time of Ruin Book Blitz & Giveaway

Time of Ruin (Ash and Ruin #2)

by Shauna Granger

Release Date: 07/22/ 14

Summary from Goodreads:

The world has ended, and hope is the most dangerous thing left.

Battered and bruised after barely escaping San Francisco with their lives, Kat, Dylan, and Blue press north – desperate to reach the possibility of a new home.</ i>

But strange, monstrous ravens are tracking the remaining survivors, food is becoming scarce, gasoline is running short, and people are becoming suicidal, making survival almost impossible.

And the Pestas are growing bolder. Somehow, their numbers are growing.

 The further north they go, the harder it becomes to ignore the signs that they’ve made a fatal mistake. Kat must face the impossible truth that there is no escape, there is no safe haven, and their worst nightmares don’t come close to their new reality. 

Excerpt: 
With a shaking hand, I pull my water bottle from the netted pocket and take a few sips,reluctantly controlling myself from gulping down half of it. Once my mouth is pleasantly wet, I hold the bottle out to Blue and let him take a few sips. I’m happy the mouth is wide so I don’t need to spill any out for him.

The last thing I want to do is to dig through my pack and get out Blue’s bowls and kibble, so I pull out a can of beef stew, my last can of the blessed protein-and-carb packed stuff, and pull the tab to open it. “We’ll share, okay?”

Blue sits on his haunches, back perfectly straight, as he watches me. I know it’s a leftover trick from his first family, but it makes me smile.

Readathon(s) Update Combo 1 , #HSreadathon, #WWreadathon

 

I continued by reading another 55 pages