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Friday, October 31, 2014

Book Review: Mystic City by Theo Lawrence



Book Description (From Amazon):
Publication Date: October 9, 2012 | Age Level: 12 and up | Grade Level: 7 and up

For fans of Matched, The Hunger Games, X-Men, and Blade Runner comes a tale of a magical city divided, a political rebellion ignited, and a love that was meant to last forever. Book One of the Mystic City Novels.

Aria Rose, youngest scion of one of Mystic City's two ruling rival families, finds herself betrothed to Thomas Foster, the son of her parents' sworn enemies. The union of the two will end the generations-long political feud—and unite all those living in the Aeries, the privileged upper reaches of the city, against the banished mystics who dwell below in the Depths. But Aria doesn't remember falling in love with Thomas; in fact, she wakes one day with huge gaps in her memory. And she can't conceive why her parents would have agreed to unite with the Fosters in the first place. Only when Aria meets Hunter, a gorgeous rebel mystic from the Depths, does she start to have glimmers of recollection—and to understand that he holds the key to unlocking her past. The choices she makes can save or doom the city—including herself.

My Thoughts:
The story opens with a couple being torn apart, separated from each other. It’s a story of loss, love and hopefully, redemption.

Aria Rose can’t remember anything. Well, she can remember some things, like her parents, her friends, her home and close acquaintances, but she can’t remember her fiancé or anything about their secret love affair. She only knows what she’s been told, that she overdosed on a drug called Stic, which is made from Mystic energy. The overdose has left her with selective amnesia.

Her fiancé, Thomas, is from the other side of the river, literally. Aria’s father is a powerful man. He controls half the city. Thomas is from a rival family, The Fosters, and they control the other side of the city. Manhattan is partially submerged. The poor and the second class citizens live in the Depths, down below, while the reach and powerful live above in tall buildings called the Aeries.

The Roses and Fosters have been at war with each other for so long, but Aria is going to bridge the two families together. She’s been told that she was sneaking off to the Depths to have secret rendezvous with Thomas since neither family would approve. Now that they have been discovered, their relationship has been brought out into the open and made public. For the first time, the two families will unite in a common cause. To win the upcoming election and prevent a Mystic from getting a foothold in the governing of the city. To bring peace to the city and wipe out the threat of a Mystic uprising.

Aria has it all; beauty, money, privilege, a handsome fiancé. They will be the toast of the town, they will pave the way towards a new future of peace and prosperity. There’s only one problem. How can Aria marry someone she doesn’t remember and doesn’t remember loving?

On the surface, she may look like she has it all, but in her heart, she feels different. She questions why she can’t remember. She has dreams, nightmares really, of a faceless boy she assumes is Thomas. She tries to peace her memory together so she can remember him, their love, but the more she tries to remember, the more questions she unearths.

Does she love Thomas? Does she even know Thomas? Is her family telling her the truth about her overdose and memory loss? Who is the Mystic boy who keeps saving her life? Are the Mystics really the threat the people of the Aeries believe them to be?

The deeper she digs, the more lies she uncovers and she will stop at nothing to regain her memories and learn the truth. What she finds, though, will alter her perception of the truth forever. No one is what they seem. Loyalties are tested and Aria will have to decide which side she is on and how much is she willing to sacrifice in the name of love.

The story swept me up for the very first page and would not let me go until I had finished the story. I found the story at times to be chilling not knowing who to trust or believe. Who do you believe when you can’t believe your own memories? And how do you keep hope alive when it seems all hope is gone?

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Cover Reveal: The Summer After You and Me by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski




I am really excited to be able to share with you all the cover for Jennifer Salvato Doktorski's forthcoming book, The Summer After You and Me. I loved her first two books and this is certainly one book I can not wait to get my hands on!!!

Book Description(From GoodReads):
Sunbathing, surfing, eating funnel cake on the boardwalk—Lucy loves living on the Jersey Shore. For her, it's not just the perfect summer escape, it is home. And as a local girl, she knows not to get attached to the tourists. They breeze in over Memorial Day weekend, crowding the shore and stealing moonlit kisses, only to pack up their beach umbrellas and empty promises on Labor Day. Lucy wants more from love than a fleeting romance, even if that means keeping her distance from her summertime neighbor and crush, Connor.

Then Superstorm Sandy tears apart her barrier island, briefly bringing together a local girl like herself and a vacationer like Connor. Except nothing is the same in the wake of the storm. And day after day, week after week, Lucy is left to pick up the pieces of her broken heart and broken home. Now with Memorial Day approaching and Connor returning, will it be a summer of fresh starts or second chances?

Expected publication: March 2015 by Sourcebooks

THE SUMMER AFTER YOU AND ME on Goodreads:
Where to find Jen Doktorski:
Twitter: @jdoktorski

About the Author (From Amazon):
Jennifer Salvato Doktorski is the author of the young adult novels HOW MY SUMMER WENT UP IN FLAMES (Simon Pulse, May 7, 2013), FAMOUS LAST WORDS (Christy Ottaviano Books, Henry Holt Books and Company, July 2, 2013) and the forthcoming THE SUMMER AFTER YOU AND ME (Sourcebooks Fire, Spring 2015). She is also a freelance nonfiction writer and has published articles and essays in national magazines, such as Cosmopolitan. Her first paid writing gig was at The North Jersey Herald & News, where she wrote obituaries and began her lifelong love of news and coffee. She lives in New Jersey with her family and their dog, Buffy (The Squeaky Toy Slayer) and an African dwarf frog named Munchkin.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Clone Wars – Battle of the Book Covers Round 2

I swear to you all as I'm sitting here in front of my computer, I DO NOT spend all my time online looking for this stuff. I just sort of find it when I am looking for new books.

I know I had posted a Smack Down with this cover, but I actually found more books with the same cover.

So prepare yourself for the Battle of the Book Covers Round 2.

Last time I had brought you an andrenaline-pinching no-holds barred battle between these titles:
Paris Cravings by Kimberly Montpetit
Starkissed by Brynna Gabrielson
‘Til Summer Comes Around by Susannah Balch
A Million Little Snowflakes by Logan Byrne
Bella Notte by Amber Roettger

Now prepare to meet the challengers to the title:
Picture Perfect (First Kiss Romances Book 5) by Lily Carwyn
Heart Strings by Betty Jo Schuler
Lovesessed by Pamela Diane King


Who will win in this epic clash? You decide.









Who is that guy???

To Buy or Not to Buy: The Kiss Off by Sarah Billington


The Kiss Off by Sarah Billington

Book Description (From Amazon):
Publication Date: May 11, 2012
WARNING: Sexual references, occasional course language.

The Kiss Off is the first book in a trilogy, but is designed to be enjoyed as a stand alone novel.

When sixteen year old Poppy Douglas writes a song about her ex-boyfriend Cam and ex-friend Nikki, she has no idea that her heartbreak is about to go global.

A local band picks up her song from Youtube and soon she’s along for the ride with her own fan-base as they blow up on the local club scene and hit the international charts. Though it turns out leaving Cam behind isn’t as easy as she had hoped.

Tangled in a web of unfinished homework, ill-considered sexting and a new lead-singer boyfriend, Poppy has a choice to make between the ex that inspired it all and the rock God whose poster lines the inside of half the lockers at school. But as she struggles to keep her emotional dirty laundry private, she learns that the truth can be hard to find when your life is in the headlines.

My First Impression:
Poppy is the spurned, guitar-toting ex-girlfriend and Cam, her ex, has the nerve to show up at the same party with his new girlfriend. What does she do? Write a song about it.

I saw something like this once. It was Lilly Taylor in Say Anything except all her songs were about Bill and how he cheats and he lies. Only in this instance, Poppy records the song on video and posts it to YouTube. And it goes viral.

It has potential, but it just didn't grab me enough. I didn't think the characters were entirely believable to me. I mean, Cam is trying to maintain a friendship with Poppy after he broke her heart. How could he not realize she wouldn't want to be friends? Most ex-couples don’t remain friends, not that it never happens. Although she is writing songs spitting vitriol at her ex, she does seems to get over it fairly quickly, or at least accept it fairly quickly. The lyrics to her song? Not so much. About as good as the songs I used to write.

Decision?
Not to buy, although the price is right, $2.99 in eBook, but I think I’ll pass on this one.

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Stacking the Shelves - October 26, 2014

I was doing so well this month. In my defense, I've been a little under the weather for the past couple of weeks. It's hard to think, let alone write, when I'm dosed up on Benadryll. It is the changing of the seasons, which means my sinuses are going haywire.

Since I was feeling poorly last week, my STS post will be encompassing the last two weeks.



Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews.


Books Purchased:
Not in the Script by Amy Finnegan

Daring by Elliot James

The Hollow by Jessica Verday – Yes, I know I got this one a couple weeks ago. I’ll have to explain. I was in the local book store and had a used copy in my hand. I was checking prices on Amazon for used copies for the entire trilogy. I remember seeing an email advising of the shipping of book one. When I got it, I found the book to be warped. It wouldn't lay flat on the table nor would pressing it with a stack of books flatten it out. Oddly, a week or so later, I got another copy of the book. So what I figured happened is that while in the book store I accidentally hit the "Purchase with 1-Click" and not realizing I had accidentally already purchased it, placed an order for a second copy. The second copy is in very good condition. The warped copy was I think $4.00 total with shipping. I probably should have just bought the copy in the bookstore, though.

The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson

Forget Me by K.A. Harrington

Strange and Ever After by Susan Dennard

 Gift Received:
Doctor Who: The Vault: Treasures from the First 50 Years by Marcus Hearn - My friend Lee in Scotland sent this one along to me.



Kindle Books Purchased:
Moonless (Maiden of Time Book 1) by Crystal Collier – Free eBook

Demon's Fury: Part 1 of the Final Asylum Tales (The Asylum Tales series) by Jocelynn Drake – Free eBook

The Stolen: An American Faerie Tale by Bishop O'Connell – Kindle Deal of the Day

Dead Over Heels (Entangled Teen) by Alison Kemper

Jane and Austen by Stephanie Fowers, Shannon Cooley, Jacqueline Fowers, Kristi Linton

Flat-Out Celeste (Flat-Out Love Book 3) by Jessica Park

Coraline 10th Anniversary Edition by Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean

My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris – I have the other two books in eBook format, but never purchased the first book. Well, I can’t read the others before reading the first one.




Manga Purchased:
The Bride of the Water God 16

Say “I Love You” 3

Say “I Love You” 4

The Wallflower 33

My Little Monster 4

Vampire Knight 19 Limited Edition

Oresama Teacher 17

Arata: The Legend 19

Kamisama Kiss 16

Alice in the Country of Diamonds: Bet on My Heart


Blue Ray Purchased:
Ranma ½ Season 3 Blu Ray



Giveaway Won:
Batman: Death of the Family Book and Joker Mask Set – GoodReads Giveaway


That's it for now.  TTFN!!

Friday, October 17, 2014

Book Review: How My Summer Went Up in Flames by Jennifer Salvato

So, as I said before, pile of books I read last summer, never got around to posting the reviews, pages yellowing due to sunlight streaming through the window and now I basically have to re-read them if I want to actually write a review. Such hardship. I don't mind the re-read, though, especially if I liked the book in the first place. How My Summer Went Up in Flames is one I enjoyed just as much the second time around.

How my Summer Went Up in Flames by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski
Book Description (From Amazon):
First she lost her heart. Then she lost her mind. And now she’s on a road trip to win back her ex. This debut novel’s packed with drama and romance!

Rosie’s always been impulsive. She didn't intend to set her cheating ex-boyfriend’s car on fire. And she never thought her attempts to make amends could be considered stalking. So when she’s served with a temporary restraining order on the first day of summer vacation, she’s heartbroken—and furious.

To put distance between Rosie and her ex, Rosie’s parents send her on a cross-country road trip with responsible, reliable neighbor Matty and his two friends. Forget freedom of the road, Rosie wants to hitchhike home and win back her ex. But her determination starts to dwindle with each passing mile. Because Rosie’s spark of anger? It may have just ignited a romance with someone new…

My Thoughts:
I loved this book! Who wouldn't like a story that begins with a car fire and a restraining order?
Rosie’s ex, Joey, cheats on her while her family is away on vacation. The story starts with her at a party where Joey shows up with his new girlfriend. What does Rosie do? Of course she goes to his house and sets his car on fire. Okay she didn't actually mean to set his car on fire. She took everything he had ever given her and set the box on fire, but it was a little too close to Joey’s car and whoosh, instant inferno.

Unfortunately, her actions were witnessed and she has been slapped with a temporary restraining order, here by referred to as the TRO, and will need to appear in court to plead her case. The purpose of the court date is to determine if the restraining order should be permanent.

Now, you would think after being dumped and then having her ex showing off his new girlfriend, setting his car on fire and being issues a TRO that Rosie might want to lay low for a while and not do anything to jeopardize her case. But Rosie doesn't seem to have a lot of sense. She’s too obsessed with wanting to get Joey back, even though her brother and her best friend Matty told her he really is just a big jerk.

Instead, she does drive bys. She’ll drive by his house, drive by his job, she’s tried texting him. She is convinced that if she could just talk to him that they will be able to sort it all out and things will go back to the way they were. She is caught by her mother lying when she said she was at a friend’s house but her mother followed her and found out Rosie was driving by Joey’s house.

Her friend Matty offers the perfect solution. Matty is heading to Arizon with his friend Spencer and Spencer’s brother Logan. Logan is going to university in Phoenix and wants to take his car. He’s decided to take his brother on a road trip and Spencer would fly home. Spencer hates to fly, though, so Matty is going to fly back with Spencer. Matty suggests Rosie go with them to get her out of the state and far away from Joey so she won’t get into any more trouble.

The night before they are set to leave, Rosie takes some benadryll to sleep and has a dream that she sent Joey a message saying she would be in Phoenix on such and such a date and for him to meet her there.
Her mother not trusting Rosie to leave Joey alone, she give’s Rosie’s phone to Matty to manage. Spencer is kind of nerdy, like Matty and Logan while being the very vision of a well behaved young man turns into the devil once they are out of sight of her house. They have an itinerary to follow and if Rosie can’t keep to the schedule, they’ll leave her behind. She’s miserable and just wants to go home so she can go to the beach and to try to fix things with Joey.

Somewhere along the road, though, she sort of finds herself and starts enjoying the ride of her life.

Ms. Salvato has a unique writing style. There is really no world building and very little description of the places they all travel to. It’s not about where they are. It’s about what goes on inside Rosie’s head. Ordinarily, I wouldn't really enjoy a book where the back drop is not completely fleshed out, but she makes it work. It’s about the emotional journey and not the physical journey. JSD also write about things I am familiar with. She hails from New Jersey, northern New Jersey in fact. She is a Springsteen fan. As a matter of fact, Rosie was named after Rosalita, one of Springsteen’s biggest hits, and she makes a mix tape of Bruce for the ride, not that the guys let her listen to it. Rosie’s love of the beach is also very real to me. While I never vacationed at the shore, I didn't have to as I grew up there. And I was probably every bit as obsessed as Rosie. Me and my friends would also do drive bys and check out the houses of the guys we liked. Not overly proud of that now, but there it is. Although she takes it to the extreme, Rosie is very relate-able to me.

So if you’re looking for a fun adventure, join Rosie, Matty, Spencer and Logan in their cross country road trip.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Three for Thursday

I guess since I've been doing some searches on books I keep seeing the same cover images over and over.  Today, I have a triple crown...or triple threat, however you choose to interpret.

It's Dangerous Deception (THe Bad Boy Billionaires Book 4) by Judy Angelo vs. Last Stand by Niki Burnham vs. Existence by Abbi Glines.  Which one would win in a fight?   I must say I do love the glowing eyes!





Wednesday, October 15, 2014

To Buy or Not to Buy: Season of Storms by Susanna Kearsley

Season of Storms was on display at the Sourcebooks booth at BEA and I so wanted to get my hands on it, but alas, it was not one of their giveaways. I went by mid-afternoon on Saturday and there were no copies left. No biggie really. I love getting free books, but if I can't snag one, I'm just as happy to buy them. I just can't buy as many these days as I have in the past. So, I have to be more selective. Thus the sample reads and basing my purchasing decisions on the samples. So without further ado, I bring you my next installment of To Buy or Not to Buy...

Season of Storms by Susanna Kearsley
Book Description (From Amazon):
Publication Date: September 2, 2014

A mystery trapped in time

In 1921, infamous Italian poet Galeazzo D'Ascanio wrote his last and greatest play, inspired by his muse and mistress, actress Celia Sands. On the eve of opening night, Celia vanished, and the play was never performed.

Now, two generations later, Alessandro D'Ascanio plans to stage his grandfather's masterpiece and has offered the lead to a promising young English actress, also named Celia Sands-at the whim of her actress mother, or so she has always thought. When Celia arrives at D'Ascanio's magnificent, isolated Italian villa, she is drawn to the mystery of her namesake's disappearance-and to the compelling, enigmatic Alessandro.

But the closer Celia gets to learning the first Celia's fate, the more she is drawn into a web of murder, passion, and the obsession of genius. Though she knows she should let go of the past, in the dark, in her dreams, it comes back...

My First Impression:
The story opens with a letter. A letter for Celia. She comes home from work to find the letter from her agent, being an aspiring actress, and her roommate Sally packing. Sally is moving out and going to live with her boyfriend, which leaves Celia woefully short on money to pay for bills.

Inside the envelope is another envelope forwarded from Italy, a place called Il Piacere. The home belonged to a well-known writer and the letter is a job offer. The estate belonged to Galeazzo D’Ascanio and he had written a play for his muse, an actress also names Celia Sands.

Not knowing whether she should take the job or not, Sally does a tarot card reading and the results look bleak indeed. Sally tells Celia not to take the job.

Already we have a creepy vibe to the story. Add to that the mystery of the first Celia Sand’s disappearance and my interest is peaked.

Decision?
To buy

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Two for Tuesday

I was browsing last weekend and I cam across a frightening amount of duplicate covers. Here are some for your perusal.

Double Takes:
Haunting the Shadows by Elizabeth Ryan vs Black Hill Farm by Tim O’Rourke

The Witches of Santa Anna (Books 1-7) by Lauren Barnholdt and Aaron Gorvine vs Sweet Savage Blood by Carolina Courtland

Northanger Alibi (The Jane Austen Diaries Book 2) by Jenni James vs Someone Talks About Love (Book of Love for Young Women) by Edgar Escobart - It's not an exact duplicate, but it is from the same photo shoot.




Mirror Image:
Seeress: A Runes Novel (Runes Series Book 4) by Ednah Walters and Kelly Hashaway vs Dangerous (Element Preservers Book 1) by Alycia Linwood



Enjoy!

Monday, October 13, 2014

New York Comic Con 2014 - Day Three

I awoke to the sound of rain hitting the windows. Such a lovely sound. I didn't have anything in particular to do first thing, so I let Cam sleep for a little longer. We finally got up and got ready, just in time to meet his friend, who I can only tell you goes by the moniker of Fruity Bear. Don't ask. I cannot tell. Literally. I have no idea.

Anyway, it was lovely walking from the ferry terminal to Javits Center in the rain. We were all drenched by the time we got in. I headed over to the books section where I got nothing. HarperCollins had a scratch and win at 11:00. I got in line only to find out the guy in front of me was in front of me yesterday as well. We each won a Terry Pratchett book, but since I have not read any, we switched cards because he already had the one on his card. HC was also giving out Dorothy Must Die buttons. Four are needed to enter a drawing for a gift basket and they were giving away two at a time, so I picked them up and I had two more to go before I could enter the raffle. Once I was done with the Scratch and Win, Cam met me with a couple of friends and we walked the floor together.

They were planning on going to a panel at 12:45 that I didn't want to go to, so I went back by the book booths and sat down for a while. Even though the day had just started, my feet felt really fatigued, bordering on painful. The panel didn't work out for hubby and crew and they eventually came and got me. I didn't have anything going on until 2.

It took me three days to realize that when Penguin was getting ready for a booth signing there were no galleys out. The put them out about 15 minutes after the signings ended. Once I figured that out, I knew when to swing by the booth. Amber Benson was signing at 3:00, but I would have had to get there first thing as the doors opened to get a ticket. I got her ARC the day before, though, so I didn't sweat it.

Anyway, they had a signing from 1 - 2, so I swung by about 2:30 for whatever they put out. I then headed fro a penal to start at 3:00 called "Not Your Mother's Fairy Tales", but by the time I found the room at 2:45, the panel was capped. So I went back upstairs to my little corner of concrete floor and sat down again.

I let Cam know I wasn't in the panel and he told me he was on the floor with some of his LARPing friends, but I declined to join them. That meant I would have had to walk. My next thing was at 4:00. HC was having another scratch and win and giving away the other two Dorothy pins. I had no where to be and I was pretty much shopped out from Friday, so I rested my feet. Can found me sitting in a corner which apparently a wall where there was a sign for CBR Tiki Room. He asked what it was, but I had no idea, so he decided to check it out. What it was was a room of tables with table clothes and chairs with about 2 - 3 inches cushy padding. It looked like there had been a buffet and there were signs on either end saying "Staff Only", but not in the room we were in. Nobody bothered us, so we just sat there.

I got up at about 3:45 to head to HarperCollins for the buttons and scratch and win. For the scratch and win, oddly enough, I got the same book I got that morning, but traded to the guy in front of me, so now I had both Terry Pratchett books for a series of books I don't read. Fabulous. I wanted Child Thief by Brom, Covenant by Sabrina Benulis (hubby got book one in the series last year) or Dark Duets edited by Christopher Golden. Oh well. Had to try. I did get my last two buttons though and entered the the raffle for the Dorothy gift basket. With nothing left to do, I headed back up to the Tiki Room where Cam was napping.

We sat there for another half hour. We had been deliberating meeting his friends for dinner after the show. They were at The Heartland Brewery and were going to Times Square to a place called Dallas BBQ at 5:15. We were trying to determine how quickly we could head out. I wasn't leaving until I spun that darn wheel because I was still trying to win The Red Queen. We decided that we would meet them, which was going to be a 5 short block walk and an additional 3 long block walk. That being decided, I left the nice cushy seats at 4:30 to get on line for the spin.

I figured the closer I was the faster we could get out. Walking by the Penguin booth, they had galleys out so I grabbed the last galleys I could. I asked Cam to also pick up a couple since we could only select two and they had about 5 or 6 titles out. We got on line for the spin and I was about 5th in line. Cam stood with me for a few and then started to say he was going to go somewhere for a few, but then he realized since it wasn't much time to wait, that he would stay with me and spin the wheel in case I didn't get the book In wanted. If you recall Friday he said he wouldn't do it again and I was all kinds of grateful that he would spin the wheel for me. Though I don't know why as he is rubbish at it, but then, so am I.

I wanted The Red Queen but there was a book on the wheel called A Wicked Thing by Rhiannon Thomas that sounded like a good story when I looked it up. So we have 5 good spots to land. In addition to the book strips there was Winner's Choice, Jackpot and I believe Double Take. Finally it was time to spin the wheel. I spun it moderately hard, but it landed on The Prey by Tom Isbell. I will point out it was one slot away from Jackpot. Still, Cam had his chance. He spun it really light and it landed on...The Prey by Tom Isbell. I was crestfallen. I didn't blame him, but I kept thinking "Why did you spin it so lightly?" Still, I appreciated the effort and it was a chance, but one that didn't pan out. It was especially hard because the person right behind us landed on Jackpot.

On the way out, we walked by the Penguin booth, but they were getting ready for a signing. I was prepared to leave, but decided to run by Random House one last time and check out their giveaways. They had nothing, but there was a girl on line who called out and stopped us. She was the jackpot winner behind us on line. She said she could tell how disappointed I was with both Cam and I getting the same book and she offered a book to me. As she said this, she pulled The Red Queen out of her bag and handed it to me because she already had it. She also handed me a copy of The Keepers: The Box and Dragonfly by Ted Sanders because she had that as well. I thanked her profusely and once again realized have book bloggers are some of the best people. She said she turned around after winning, but we had already gone and she was hoping to run into me again. I didn't get her name as she was in line for a signing at Random House and we were headed out the door, but I want to thank my mysterious benefactress from the bottom of my heart. So thank you where ever you are!!!!

Having rested our feet sufficiently, we headed out to meet our friends. I guess I complained a little as three avenue blocks lugging con swag up three avenue blocks was exhausting. We got there by about 5:30 only to find our friends not there and a line of about 50 people waiting to be seated. When we called, they hadn't left The Heartland Brewery yet and they was just chilling until it was time for dinner. Plan altered, we turned around and headed back to meet them where they were. So, an additional avenue block back. But pumpkin ale took the edge off my irritation. We had an awesome waiter, excellent food and really good company, so the day ended up being a good one.

Now, as far as Comic Con goes, I had some thoughts. You have to buy the tickets in June not knowing who will be attending.Last year we only got tickets for Thursday and Friday. I wanted tickets for all four days because last year there were people I really wanted to see, but they were on Saturday and Sunday. This year, four day tickets sold out in the snap of a finger. Three day tickets almost as fast, so we bought one ticket for me for Thursday and one for each of us for Friday and Saturday. This year, moist of the stuff I wanted was on Thursday and Friday. Saturday I was just waiting around for giveaways. And my feet hurt so bad from the two prior days that I ended up pulling up concrete and just resting off and on. I get cranky when my feet hurt.

The reason I bring up the history is that it was really crowded Saturday, so much so that I had wondered if I had mistakenly donned my cranky pants before leaving the house for the show. Two things I lack patience for; hurting feet and crowds I can't navigate through. The zombie shuffle was getting old and everywhere I went people just stopped for no reason or perhaps any number of reasons, but they were blocking up the aisles. So I had no choice but to stand on my aching feet until I could squeeze through. It is for these two reasons that I told Cam I only want to do Thursday and Friday next year. Two of our friends we met for dinner left no later than 4:00 because they couldn't take the crowds.

The other issue I have is that, as I've said before, it is impossible to get into a panel unless you want to wait for more than an hour to get in. To illustrate, there was a Walking Dead panel Saturday at 3:45. When the doors opened, people immediately queued up for the panel. That means they were going to be waiting on line for 5 hours to see the panel. Granted, there were cast members in attendance, but unless I had a 4 day pass, I'm not waiting all day to see something like that. It's different with the books, though. With the books, there are things happening all day at the booths and I don't want to miss any. Still, I tried two panels this year and got shut out of both.

All in all, I really did have a good time despite the little irritations and disappointments, but my feet today are really feeling the past three days.






Sunday, October 12, 2014

Stacking the Shelves - New York Comic Con Edition

Well, it certainly was a busy weekend.  I have a lot of titles to share, so I'm just going to get to it.



Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

New York Comic Con Giveaways and Purchased Books:
New York Comic Con Mad Libs
Dust and Light by Carol Berg
Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton
The Great Zoo of China by Matthew Reilly
Breaking Stephan by Stephan Pastis
Blythewood by Carol Goodman - Signed
Ravencliffe by Carol Goodman - Signed
Scripted by Maya Rock - Signed
Midnight Crossroads by Charlaine Harris
The Prom Goer's Interstellar Excursion by Chris McCoy
Into the Woods by Kim Harrison - Signed
Alistair Grim's Odditorium by Gregory Funaro
Hard Magic by Larry Correia - Signed
Joey and Johnny, the Ninjas: Get Mooned by Kevin Serwacki
On Her Majesty's Behalf by Joseph Nassise
Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews
The Witches of Echo Park by Amber Benson
Half-Resurrection Blues by Daniel Jose Older - Signed
Rabbids: Bwaaaaah! by Thitaume-Pujol - Bought
The Fearless by Emma Pass
The Young Elites by Marie Liu
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Above by Isla Morley
Monstrous by MarcyKate Connolly
Sherlock Holmes in A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; Illus by Gris Grimly
The Heaven's Rise by Christopher Rice
The Murk by Robert Lettrick
Half a King by Joe Abercrombie
Child of a Hidden Sea by A.M. Dellamonica - Signed
The Hollows Insider by Kim Harrison
The Graveyard Book Vol 1 by Neil Gaiman - Bought
Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey
Dead Things by Stehen Blackmore
Star Wars A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller - Signed
The Eye of God by James Rollins
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
The Darwin Elevator by Jason M. Hough
Nightbird by Alice Hoffman
Children of Fire by Drew Karpyshyn
Denton Little's Deathdate by Lance Lubin
The Tapper Twins Go to War by Geoff Rodkey
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
Gathering Darkness by Morgan Rhodes
Alive by Chandler Baker
The Keepers: The Box and the Dragonfly by Ted Sanders
The Prey by Tom Isbell
Blood Song by Anthony Ryan
A Study in Silk by Emma Jane Holloway
Going Postal by Terry Pratchett
Thud! by Terry Pratchett
Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson

Free eBooks:
Captured by S.J. Harper
The God Hunter: A Field Ops Novel by Tim Lees
Glory Main: The Sim War Book One by Henry V. O'Neil
Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison

Samplers:
Proxy by Alex London
Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman
Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeild
The Winter King by C.L. Wilson
Choose Your Own Autobiography by Neil Patrick Harris
Firefight by Brandon Sanderson
The Battle for WondLa Sketchbook: Vol Three by Tony DiTerlizzi
The Mark of the Dragonfly by Jaleigh Johnson
Nightmares! by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Attack on Titan by Hajime Isayama
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige
Stick Dog by Tom Watson
Endgame: The Calling by James Frey
Living Language Dothraki
Catification: Designing a Happy and Stylish Home for Your Cat (and You!) by Jackson Galaxy and Kate Benjamin

Other Books Received:
The Haunted by Jessica Verday - Used
Awkwardly Ever After by Marni Bates
The Queen of Zombie Hearts by Gena Showalter
Poison by Molly Cochran
The Fall by Bethany Griffin
#Scandal by Sarah Ockler - Used
The Crystal Heart by Sophie Masson
The Hidden by Jessica Verday - Used
The Hollow by Jessica Verday - Used

Non-Book Swag and Purchases from New York Comic Con:















The Sandman T-Shirt came in the mail, but the rest came from Comic Con.  I apologize for not adding pictures of the books, but there are just too many.

Anyway, that is it for now.  Stop back for my final NYCC post.  TTFN!!