tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59795333872684607932024-02-19T10:41:10.875-05:00Bo's Book NookBohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116544104167420505noreply@blogger.comBlogger376125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979533387268460793.post-26634816261953199312018-01-30T00:59:00.003-05:002018-01-30T01:03:10.587-05:00Book Review: The Forgotten Book by Mechthild Gläser<div class="MsoNormal">
I had a diary. Most young girls do, I think. It was red with a satin finish and a lock on the front. I still have it…somewhere. I should pull it back out and reintroduce myself to my younger self. Although, it is entirely possible I wouldn’t like me very much. Most of the teenagers that live around me are annoying and I doubt I was any different. Although, it is ironic that I love reading YA books. Huh.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When I got a little older, I still kept a log, but it was no longer called a diary. I kept journals. I was older, more mature and had put away the childish names of things. Can’t imagine why. The journals were no better than the diary entries, full of drama and angst and boys and he said, she said. The world was always coming to an end in my high school years, well, my world anyway.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In college, I set aside the daily journals in favor of song writing and poetry. Oh, I dabbled in high school. Wanted to move to the Colorado Rockies and make music like John Denver. His words and music were true. It was only years later I found out what a jerk and up himself he really was. That was a shocker. But I digress.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Yes, the college years, found me writing short stories and poems filled with love and angst, most often depressing, but it was my creative outlet. I was also keeping a dream journal for a semester for a creative writing class. (That was some weird imagery. I wonder if I still have it somewhere???) I still had my trusty guitar and I still wrote songs, but I started dating a paid musician and I let his music speak for me. And I found photography.<o:p></o:p></div>
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After college, I still continued to write. I wanted to be an author, but I was never brave enough and eventually my words became silent. I found other creative outlets from time to time, custom framing, travel photography, painting gaming miniatures, and I used to tell stories at work. I finally settled on an insurance job and one of my responsibilities was reporting the numbers. Well, I found that to be extremely dull. So what I started doing was writing stories, stories about where we were with our numbers. Sometimes they were horror stories, sometimes fairy tales and sometimes song parodies or an original poem. But no one understood what I was doing, or why or even what I was saying at all. Most people thought it was nonsense, but it gave me a sense of accomplishment, let me know I could still create, but that too eventually fell to the wayside as I just didn’t have enough time to keep it going on a daily or even weekly basis. Work just got in the way of work.<o:p></o:p></div>
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That left me in a creative drought until I started this blog. I feel as if I have come full circle. I know it has been quite a while now since I lost wrote and while writing book reviews gives me a way to still the voices in my head, it is also a chronicle of where I’ve been as it pertains to the books I read. And perhaps, just perhaps, that is what draws me to a book. I have to be able to relate to it, to find the parts of me I’ve left behind.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And that is where we start. With a word. One word becomes hundreds recorded in a book, but not just any book, a wonderfully magical book that can make wishes come true. But be careful what you wish for.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<h1 class="a-size-large a-spacing-none" id="title" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 21px !important; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3 !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility;">
<span class="a-size-extra-large" id="ebooksProductTitle" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 28px !important; line-height: 1.2 !important; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; word-wrap: break-word;">The Forgotten Book</span></h1>
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<span class="a-size-extra-large" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 28px !important; line-height: 1.2 !important; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "amazon ember" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">by </span><span class="author notFaded" data-width="" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: "amazon ember" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a class="a-link-normal" href="https://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_ebooks_1?ie=UTF8&text=Mechthild+Gl%C3%A4ser&search-alias=digital-text&field-author=Mechthild+Gl%C3%A4ser&sort=relevancerank" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0066c0; text-decoration-line: none;">Mechthild Gläser</a></span></span></div>
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<span class="a-size-extra-large" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 28px !important; line-height: 1.2 !important; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; word-wrap: break-word;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="a-size-extra-large" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.2 !important; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-size: large;">My thoughts:</span></span></div>
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<span class="a-size-extra-large" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.2 !important; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; word-wrap: break-word;"></span><br />
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<span class="a-size-extra-large" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.2 !important; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Emma is our heroine in the classic sense. She is in part like Catherine Morland, hoping
to find intrigue and romance, but she is also in part Elizabeth Bennett, proud,
opinionated; judgmental and stubborn. In
fact, the book to me was an homage to Jane Austen and while one could find the
parallels a bit too spot on, I feel as if I found an old friend in a place I
least expected. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Emma is deserving of her heroine status. Her life is fairly tragic and full of
angst. Her parents are divorced. Her mother lives in England with her new man
who is an English professor. While all
her schoolmates are going away to exotic locales for summer break, Emma gets to
go on the seminar circuit with her mother and her beau. On the first day back to school, her father
forgets to pick her up and she has to walk a couple miles in the rain to get to
the school which is in a castle in the wilds of Germany. She makes it to the school and tries to have
a Mary Ty;er Moore moment on the steps upon arriving home as she calls it only
to meet the current head girl and Emma’s arch-nemesis, Helena; a typical,
conceited mean girl who likes to put Emma down every chance she gets. Emma has plans though to arrest the title of
head girl away from Her. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Her father is headmaster of the school and he probably has
the worst case of hypochondria I have ever heard of. Sometimes his aliments are real, but he has
more medicine in his cabinet than he has ailments to cure. One of his favorite activities is to go
through his medicine cabinet and throw away all the expired medications. That gives his day quite a lift. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our story would not be a </span>Gothic<span style="font-family: inherit;"> tale without a love interest
and Emma has it bad for a former student of the school, Frederick, who now
works part time as a gardener to pay for his university courses in
Cologne. Frederick is appropriately
flirty, lifting our heroine’s hopes of requited love until they take wing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But all good stories need an antagonist and one comes by the
name of Darcy de Winter whose family actually owns the castle which is only
entrusted to the school. He shows up
with his faithful sidekick, I mean best bud, Toby and they demand of the headmaster
lodging for a few weeks which they are provided in the deserted West Wing of
the castle. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Darcy has his own agenda, as his twin sister and he were
once attending the school, but his sister disappeared four years earlier under
mysterious circumstances and he was taken out of school. Did I mention the West Wing of the castle,
the deserted West Wing? Darcy is very
much like his Jane Austen counterpart.
He is proud, rude, arrogant, and like Mr. Darcy, his sister falls in
love with the wrong man. His arrogance,
however, is just a mask to show the world, so he can hide just how much his
sister’s disappearance has torn his world apart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Emma decides she wants to start a literary club and she
wants to make the library in the West Wing their headquarters. The library is a mess, so she and her two
cohorts have to remove the debris of broken furniture and rubbish, sweep, dust,
etc. to make the library a meeting place worthy of being the headquarters of
Westbooks, a very properly elite club with only three members. Being all of 16, her taste in literature is
rather lacking so rather than sit and read and talk about the books they are
reading, they start off taking a short cut which is to watch movies of great
works of literature. I can only imagine
there is a Leonardo de Caprio movie on her play list. The volume of the television they dragged
into the library is too much for our guest, Darcy and he comes growling into
the library eventually throwing them all out.
Emma vows to reclaim their library, if it is the last thing she does.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So these are our players, but in order to set the stage for
a truly </span>Gothic<span style="font-family: inherit;"> tale, a mystery needs to unfold and that mystery begins with a
book. Emma finds a very old book with a
rendering of a faun on the cover in a secret compartment in a drawer of a
dresser they try to move. At first, the
book just seems to have a lot of useless information like how many eggs were
collected from the chickens on a given day, but Emma comes to understand the
book is actually a chronicle of the residents who have lived in the
castle. The entries are dated, but
anonymous and as Emma continues to read through the entries made over the past
several hundred years, she starts to piece together a mystery over a century
old and how it entwines with the very real disappearance of Darcy’s twin sister
Gina from only a few years ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This book had it all.
It was a properly eerie Gothic tale full of mystery, magic, romance,
tragedy, danger and intrigue. It kept me
guessing through to the end as I tried to figure out who done it, so to
speak. The book speaks volumes of the
power of words and how they can help, but can also hurt. And of course, once the words are out there,
there is no taking them back.</span><span style="font-size: 28px !important;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Book Description (from Amazon):</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Emma is used to things going her way. Her father is headmaster of her prestigious boarding school, her friends take her advice as gospel, and she's convinced that a relationship with her long-time crush is on the horizon.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As it turns out, Emma hasn't seen anything yet. When she finds an old book in an abandoned library, things <i>really</i> start going Emma's way: anything she writes in the book comes true.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">But the power of the book is not without consequences, and Emma soon realizes that she isn't the only one who knows about it. Someone is determined to take it from her—and they'll stop at nothing to succeed.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A new boy in school—the arrogant, aloof, and irritatingly handsome Darcy de Winter—becomes Emma's unlikely ally as secrets are revealed and danger creeps ever closer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Note:</i></b> This review was made possible by the generosity of the GoodReads First Reads program.</span></div>
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Bohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116544104167420505noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979533387268460793.post-76525659992442010492016-08-21T22:32:00.003-04:002016-08-21T22:32:35.655-04:00Stacking the Shelves - August 21,2016I have started so many STS lists over the past many months. Like so many other things, I let my blog lie dormant and that part of me slip away. While I've been reading of late, there was a long stretch where I wasn't reading anything at all and that's not like me. It didn't stop me from shopping for new books, though. I looked for the bargains, the deep discounts or the Kindle deals.<br />
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I am not going to step back though and try to recreate any of those lists. What's in the past is in the past and I need to move forward, start fresh and take baby steps until I can gain my footing again. And my momentum. <br />
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Until I can really get back in the swing of things again, though, I hope this will suffice.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9XgnmW7C7WMkNhvCZ48a_eFf0GoqkhMpADY584wZPQqyDt9E0gJ0UnwUKt31APrD24uGVo06fzs1tlPt12cAk_4t5n8sqPs4irNYl7pfwpQeVL978iZyO7E1btzBN9z0hF23HbxvNdU/s1600/stacking+the+shelves.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9XgnmW7C7WMkNhvCZ48a_eFf0GoqkhMpADY584wZPQqyDt9E0gJ0UnwUKt31APrD24uGVo06fzs1tlPt12cAk_4t5n8sqPs4irNYl7pfwpQeVL978iZyO7E1btzBN9z0hF23HbxvNdU/s320/stacking+the+shelves.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1J7eeXaPPrQmkVXnyGA8Wj09dpAml9kICKQbtaHUD9rp9gOwGBm3rUzJPxcfKeXApHObQRV8vBmZ4ZK5espyR1qkQ5ZtxSAja0GARSzTGQoTDP7kIKL8a2rC0t0ffAtQq-AHJOC1sJZ4/s1600/HP+Cursed+CHild.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1J7eeXaPPrQmkVXnyGA8Wj09dpAml9kICKQbtaHUD9rp9gOwGBm3rUzJPxcfKeXApHObQRV8vBmZ4ZK5espyR1qkQ5ZtxSAja0GARSzTGQoTDP7kIKL8a2rC0t0ffAtQq-AHJOC1sJZ4/s320/HP+Cursed+CHild.jpg" width="208" /></a>This week, I wasn't looking for books. I didn't order any. I didn't shop for any. But I did get a book in the mail. A pre-order. And what a book it is!<br />
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I finally got my very own shinny new copy of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child! (Cue angelic choir).<br />
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It's only been a few days and I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but it sleeps right next to my bed and I look at it and pet it every day.<br />
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It's so bright and shinny I don't need a night light when I sleep.<br />
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Can't wait to dive in!<br />
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<br />Bohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116544104167420505noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979533387268460793.post-9301299695362350482016-08-20T13:21:00.000-04:002016-08-20T13:21:17.657-04:00Book Review: How to Make Out By Brianna R. ShrumI was alone.<br />
In the dark.<br />
In a box.<br />
At the edge of the world.<br />
And then the most extraordinary thing happened.<br />
I got a book.<br />
It wasn’t a gift.<br />
It wasn’t a swap.<br />
It wasn’t a purchase.<br />
It was won.<br />
Having been nothing for so long, I felt compelled to pick up that book.<br />
And read.<br />
Once the book was begun, I could not put it down.<br />
And I just knew.<br />
Knew that this book was going to change everything.<br />
Not because it was the most fantastic book ever read.<br />
Nor the worst.<br />
Not wholly remarkable really.<br />
But it made me care.<br />
Care to read.<br />
Care to stop staring at the TV.<br />
Or play Minions Paradise.<br />
Or Minion Rush.<br />
I felt compelled.<br />
Compelled to finish a book.<br />
To think about what that means.<br />
To think at all outside the work box.<br />
To share those thoughts.<br />
Though no one might care.<br />
And I felt obligated.<br />
To give a voice to those thoughts.<br />
Though no one might listen.<br />
To let the author know she is valued.<br />
Because I have an opinion.<br />
And all opinions matter.<br />
And finally, because it is a book that I won.<br />
And I was so profoundly happy to receive it.<br />
And to say thank you.<br />
For helping me find myself.<br />
And to find my voice.<br />
Be gentle. <br />
It is still a little hoarse.<br />
And unused to vocalizing.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">How to Make Out By Brianna R. Shrum</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Book Description (From Amazon):</span></b><br />
Sixteen-year-old Renley needs three thousand dollars for the math club’s trip to New York City, and she knows exactly how to get it: she’s going to start a how-to blog where people pay for answers to all of life’s questions from a “certified expert.” The only problems: 1) She doesn’t know how to do anything but long division and calculus. 2) She’s totally invisible to people at school. And not in a cool Gossip Girl kind of way.<br />
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So, she decides to learn to do . . . well . . . everything. When her anonymous blog shifts in a more scandalous direction and the questions (and money) start rolling in, she has to learn not just how to do waterfall braids and cat-eye makeup, but a few other things, like how to cure a hangover, how to flirt, and how to make out (something her very experienced, and very in-love-with-her neighbor, Drew, is more than willing to help with).<br />
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As her blog’s reputation skyrockets, so does “new and improved” Renley’s popularity. She’s not only nabbed the attention of the entire school, but also the eye of Seth Levine, the hot culinary wizard she’s admired from across the home-ec classroom all year.<br />
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Soon, caught up in the thrill of popularity both in and out of cyberspace, her secrets start to spiral, and she finds that she’s forgotten the most important how-to: how to be herself. When her online and real lives converge, Renley will have to make a choice: lose everything she loves in her new life, or everyone she loves in the life she left behind.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">My Thoughts:</span></b><br />
Cyberspace can be dangerous waters. Once you put it out there, it’s out there. You can fry your internal hard drive. Recall the post. Drop your laptop, phone or tablet in a lake, or toilet, but your cyberself lives on. What you have shared on the web, stays on the web. Somewhere. In some form. It can always be found. If there is anything binge-watching Bones and Castle has taught me, it’s that.<br />
Maybe I’m too old school, or maybe too old, and not adventurous enough, but I personally don’t put a lot out there. I’m not linked in or any of those other apps that allow you to check in every step you make every second of the day, every day of the week and so on. If I had, the world would see that I have not moved off my couch for many a month. Having been newly indoctrinated into the worlds of Bones and Castle, I had a lot to catch up on. But I digress.<br />
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Yes, I do realize I have this vehicle for communicating and sharing my thoughts and opinions on the internet. And while I have shared some things about my life past and present, there are just things I would never share. Bit I digress again. Or I still digress. <br />
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Whichever, the digressing is still occurring.<br />
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Anyhoo.<br />
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My niece, who is soon to be 13, was 11 when she asked me if I knew how she could make money on You Tube. Not when she graduated high school or college. Now. She posts videos of animal stuff. She volunteers at an exotic pet store/bat and animal rescue. So she knows her stuff. Really. Struggling with math and reading, but she knows about animals.<br />
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The point is, I was horrified to learn she had a You Tube channel. She’s had it since she was at least 10, if not younger. Slightly less horrifying to find out it is a protected channel by invite only, but still. That is something I never would have allowed. And it makes me realize how much separates me from the current generation. This is a fact of life today. Social media, internet awareness, cyber lives are all part of today’s generation and were never part of mine.<br /><br />
This all does have a point and on this point I found it hard connect with Renley, but on the whole, I found her to be relatable. We’re all a little bit messed up inside.<br />
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Renley is a nobody. An invisible person. It’s not that she doesn’t have friends and people don’t know who she is, but she just doesn’t matter. To anyone of any import in the school. Parents are divorced. Dad cheated and she is now living with her dad and his new wife, the former mistress, who is a heck of a lot younger and super happy about life and everything. Renley’s dad is trying to force the concept that the new stepmonster is a replacement for the mother that didn’t fight or want custody. Stacey, the new wife, keeps referring to herself as Renley’s mother.<br />
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Renley’s best friend and next door neighbor, Drew, is a man-whore. She spends most of her time at his house and stays over late, often sleeping over in the same bed. Renley’s dad being guilty about tearing his family apart never disciplines her. While he may speak to her of her behavior, he ends up backing down, avoiding confrontation and eye contact. Drew’s mom is single and she is living life on the wild side. She parties and brings home men she meets. She doesn’t judge anything Drew does, just tells him to put a necktie on his door so she doesn’t barge in. She doesn’t care that Drew brings home a new girl practically every night.<br />
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Both Renley’s dad and Drew’s mom think Renley and Drew are sleeping together.<br />
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They’re not. (Well, not sleeping sleeping together. They sleep together, but you know, with their clothes on.)<br />
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Drew has however, confessed his undying love and devotion to Renley, but she will not have him.<br />
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And if you can’t have the one you love, well, you all know the rest.<br />
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They are all pretty messed up.<br />
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What triggers the chain of events that unfold in the story is a trip. To NYC. The math club, of which Renley is a member as well as her other best friend, April, is going to the Big Apple. April is going, but Renley has mixed emotions. One, her dad is not made of money and he can’t foot the bill for the trip, so Renley would need to make money on her own. Two, her mom moved to New York and has a new family now, with a new baby. She never contacts Renley and never answers any of Renley’s calls, texts or emails. On the one hand, she would like to see her mother but on the other, she’s afraid her mother will not care or want to see her. But April really wants her to go and she doesn’t want to let April down, so she agrees to go. Or to try.<br />
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What can she do to make money? She’s smart and good at tutoring. So she decides to start a blog, an anonymous blog, where she can give “How to” instructions. The first one? How to do Long Division.<br />
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<b>Editorial comment: </b>Seriously, if you need to look that up on a blog, pack it in. You ain’t graduating high school, if you even make it there. : <b>Editorial end.</b><br />
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But let’s roll with it. The plan is to start blogging free instructional posts and once she has gained a fan base, to start charging for answers. She will charge the requester and anyone else who wants to read the answer. She figures she’ll make enough money off the blog in 7 months to be able to finance the trip. The catch - She is going to learn how to do everything she answers on her blog. The requests start out innocent enough, but become increasingly more scandalous. <br />
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Just how far is she willing to go? And where does she draw the line. With her blog gaining in readers, her popularity takes an upward turn. People start to notice her. Not because they know she writes the blog, but because she is forced to put herself out there to learn how to do the things she’s responding to. When the hottest guy in the school notices her, what is she going to do?<br />
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And what happens when Renly 2.0 threatens to obscure everything Renley 1.0 is deep inside? Will she lose everything she has to become who she might be? And is that someone she wants to be? What happens when cyber world and real world collide?<br />
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For these answers and more, you will just need to read the book. Shhhh. Spoilers!<br />
<br />
Thank you to Sky Pony for the Advanced Reading Copy provided through the GoodReads First Reads program.Bohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116544104167420505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979533387268460793.post-34151591363310850522016-02-02T08:00:00.000-05:002016-02-02T08:00:15.438-05:00Launch Day - Starflight by Melissa Landers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">STARFLIGHT Launch Blitz & Giveaway</span></b></div>
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<b>Hey there, booklovers! </b><br />
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I’m author Melissa Landers, and I’m thrilled to announce the release of STARFLIGHT, the first in a brand new sci-fi series from Disney-Hyperion. I originally pitched this story to my editor as “Overboard” (one of my favorite romantic comedies) meets “Firefly” (an amazing show that was tragically cancelled after one season). STARFLIGHT follows the misadventures of Solara Brooks, a penniless felon who indentures herself to her high school nemesis, Doran Spaulding, in exchange for passage to a new world. But when Doran’s memory is temporarily erased, Solara convinces him their roles are reversed—that she’s the master and he’s the servant—and leads him onto a renegade spaceship, where intergalactic shenanigans ensue. STARFLIGHT is very different in tone from the Alienated trilogy, but the story is still filled with all the things I love: humor, heart, and adventure.<br />
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What do reviewers have to say?<br />
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“Get ready for blast-off! Action-packed and utterly addictive, nobody writes like Melissa Landers. A smart, satisfying romance set in a vividly detailed world, Starflight was just plain fun!” –New York Times bestselling author Amie Kaufman<br />
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“Teens will be bracing themselves during the swashbuckling action scenes. A great choice for fans of raw sci-fi action, reminiscent of the lawlessness presented in the television series Firefly.” –School Library Journal<br />
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“A lively tale of romance, space pirates, conspiracy, and made (as opposed to genetic) families.” –Booklist <br />
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If you like your sci-fi adventure served with a side of romance, I hope you’ll pick up a copy of STARFLIGHT today. It’s now available in stores and online.<br />
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Amazon: <a href="http://amzn.to/1RUTRl2">http://amzn.to/1RUTRl2</a><br />
Barnes & Noble: <a href="http://bit.ly/1MKVTwt">http://bit.ly/1MKVTwt</a><br />
Book Depository (free international shipping): <a href="http://bit.ly/1OoN2WD">http://bit.ly/1OoN2WD</a><br />
Indie Bound: <a href="http://bit.ly/1IIMPx7">http://bit.ly/1IIMPx7</a><br />
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To celebrate my book birthday, I’m offering one lucky winner a STARFLIGHT swag pack, complete with custom nail wraps, bookmarks, and a mini poster! The giveaway is open internationally. Due to sweepstakes laws, entrants must be 18 years or older to participate.<br />
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Best of luck, and happy reading!<br />
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="08007cc346" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/08007cc346/" id="rcwidget_44z0yhf3" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br />
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Melissa Landers is a former teacher who left the classroom to pursue other worlds. A proud sci-fi geek, she isn’t afraid to wear her Princess Leia costume in public—just ask her husband and three kids. She lives outside Cincinnati in the small town of Loveland, “Sweetheart of Ohio.” For more information or just to say hello, visit www.melissa-landers.com.<br />
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Bohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116544104167420505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979533387268460793.post-46702249795251714252016-02-01T23:48:00.002-05:002016-02-01T23:48:59.102-05:00Hello World! It's me, Tammy!It’s the same old story time and again. I sit down and my mind goes blank. I feel like I have literally had nothing to say for the past several months, but at the same time, I feel like I have everything to say. That is just me being delusional. I really haven’t been able to find my voice as much as I’ve tried.<br />
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So, I’m back. I would love to be able to say I was in witness protection or on a space mission circling the earth or that I was climbing Mt Everest or fell through a fairie ring. Sadly none of those things are true. Or any other manner of story you or anyone else can concoct.<br />
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The truth of the matter is that I injured my back. It was Comic Con. That’s right. Comic Con done me in. The hours and hours of walking on the hard cement floor, carrying pounds of books on my shoulder at any given time, the shuffle, that tedious, torturing zombie shuffle. It broke me.<br />
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I won’t go into the sad, pathetic details, but it broke my brain as well as my back. I have thought long and hard about this and I realize that I can’t accept the fact that I’m not as strong as I was.<br />
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Strong like bull. Pull plow all day. That’s always been my motto. My psyche was taking this little set back a little hard. I am trying to get into the habit of things again, but I find I lack any kind of motivation. It has made things very hard on me, impossible to get things done. Anything.<br />
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So, I haven’t been writing. So what I haven’t been reading or exercising or doing chores. I certainly haven’t wanted to go out in a long time. It’s been rough, but I am working on it.<br />
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Here’s what I did:<br />
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• I got caught up on a lot of TV viewing.<br />
• I spent a lot of quality time being a soft pillow for my cat.<br />
• At first I was getting some reading done, but I haven’t really been able to read much in 2016.<br />
• I bought a lot of books in the last few months of the year. A lot of them were free or discounted to $3.00 or less on Kindle. They were bargains!<br />
• I have bought only one paperback and 18 eBooks of which 7 were free.<br />
• I have been cleaning out my samples to read on my iPad and deleting books off my wish list that I don’t want. I went from close to 600 samples on my ipad to less than 200 and the majority of titles I deleted deciding I didn’t want or need them.<br />
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Here’s what I’ve been watching:<br />
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<b>Castle </b>– Love Nathan Fillion! The show happened to be on one night when I was working late and I was hooked. It’s a buddy show for geeks like me! I love the fact that James Patterson and Michael Connelly have been on the show.<br />
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<b>Bones </b>– First time I saw an episode, I hated it, but it comes on before the block of Castle on TNT and it slowly reeled me in. I am now watching from the beginning on NetFlix. I just started the 5th Season, but I only recently realized the show is based on a series of books by Kathy Reichs. Thrillers and procedurals are not my thing, at least two read, but the interpersonal relationships have me hooked.<br />
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<b>iZombie </b>– I had DVR’d the first season, but didn’t watch it as it aired. I had almost the entire season to watch. The show is based on a DC comic book from the Vertigo line where a doctor gets the Zombie virus, but in order to retain her humanity, she must eat brains. Naturally, she gets a job at the city morgue. The problem is when she eats a brain, she has visions of the last moments of the victim’s life (naturally all the deaths in the morgue are murder victims) and she takes on personality traits of the deceased until she eats a new brain. With her visions, she helps solve the murders of the victims brought to the morgue. We upgraded our DVR, though, so all of the first half of season 2 got erased. I only saw the first episode of this season.<br />
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<b>The Librarians</b> – It’s a little campy I know, but a lot of fun. John Larroquette really makes the show.<br />
Once Upon a Time – Look at that! Another curse comes to Storybrook where everyone loses their recent memories. Can’t get enough of Captain Hook, though, and the show keeps me riveted to find out exactly what is going on with every curse cast.<br />
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<b>Agents of Shield </b>– By far one of the best TV shows out there. Ties in nicely with Marvel’s Avengers properties. The show just keeps getting better and better and adds a bit more depth the the world of the Avenger’s and the agency of Shield.<br />
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<b>Sleepy Hollow</b> – I have loved the first two seasons of the show. They have found a way to make a colonial man in modern times still humorous with what he doesn’t know and to see him learning about the modern world. Oh yeah, and there’s some demons to destroy, but the accent! The third season is not as good as the first two, but I still need to find out where it is going.<br />
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<b>The Muppet Show</b> – Love Miss Piggy as a talk show host. She is very clearly unhinged, turning around every situation so that it is about her. The regular cast of characters are back, all as part of the crew with Kermit as the Producer and as Piggy’s ex-boyfriend. There’s always something going on and always something going wrong.<br />
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<b>Doctor Who</b> – Peter Capaldi is back and better than ever. The last season was such a disappointment to me, but this season has been awesome for the most part. It’s a good thing, too, as I got word that Doctor Who will not be airing in 2016 at all. Steven Moffat is leaving the show in 2017 and they want to make the next season coincide with his last season. Good thing I got the DVDs.<br />
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<b>Parks and Recreation</b> – An Office-type show where the characters are interviewed and the setting is a Podunk Indiana town. This is usually what we watch when we eat dinner.<br />
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<b>Shadowhunters</b> – I know the show has gotten rave reviews and I am really digging on it, but there are still things that just aren’t quite right to me. The movie was terrible, but I still love it. I think the casting was spot on for all but Valentine. Most of the casting for the TV show is perfect, but there are a couple choices I’m not keen on. They’ve made some changes to some details of the story which I assume is in an effort to streamline the show and make it more accessible to the TV medium, but some things I am not happy about. For instance, Clary finds out who her father is in episode 3 or 4, but in the book, she doesn’t find out until almost the end of the book or at least closer to the middle. The Institute is all but deserted in the book, but it is thriving in the TV show and I really just don’t know how I feel about that. Don’t get me wrong, I really like it, but it’s still not 100% there for me.<br />
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<b>The Shannara Chronicles </b>– I’ve been waiting patiently for the past couple of years for this to come out. The show is based on the second book of the Shannara trilogy, the Elfstones of Shannara. I have been reading Terry Brooks since college and Terry Brooks is one of my all-time favorite authors. I got to meet him at Comic Con and I even won a ticket to a ticket only cast meet and greet. Fan Girl Squee moment!!! It was Amazing!!!<br />
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<b>The Magicians</b> – I’m a little late jumping on The Magicians bandwagon, but from the moment I saw the first trailer I knew I had to watch. I started reading the book, but it is my elevator/bath book, so I don’t get that much time to read it. I’ve only seen the first two episodes, but I am really liking it so far. <br />
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<b>Star Wars Rebels </b>– Post Clone Wars/Pre New Hope. The tales of Ezra and his merry band of rebels fighting the good fight and making trouble for the Empire.<br />
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<b>Ghost Adventures</b> – The ghost busting team are tools, but I like the history they provide on the haunts. They’ve been hunting for years, though, and they still scream and OMG every time they see something or hear something, probably just to make it more exciting for the viewers.<br />
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<b>Expedition Unknown</b> – I want Josh Gates’ job. On second thought, I would not be willing to crawl down a rock tunnel to get to the mummy’s tomb. I’m claustrophobic.<br />
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I am not normally a TV watcher. I would watch movies or stream something I’ve seen before as background noise when I work at home, but this is the first time probably since Happy Days was on the air that I have been interested in so many TV shows. We were also watching Penny Dreadful and Into the Badlands which got deleted when we upgraded the DVR. Other shows I would like to catch up on are Arrow, The Flash and DCs Legends of Tomorrow which just started. I’ve got some other things cued up in the NetFlix cue, but I’ve got enough to keep me busy. At least some of the shows are book related. It helps me sleep at night.<br />
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It is time to try to motivate myself, though. I can’t be a couch potato for the rest of my life. I have things to do.<br />
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• I have to take down the Christmas decorations. Yes, you read correctly. Christmas is still up in my house, but only because the table I need to put the decorations on was covered with the baking stuff I needed to make my mother-in-law’s cookies that were part of her Christmas present. I just made the cookies last night.<br />
• I have to take care of taxes.<br />
• Fold laundry and hang up my work clothes. This is about four months overdue.<br />
• Clean my niece’s room.<br />
• Clean my bedroom, especially my dresser<br />
• Finish cleaning up my iPad Kindle samples. I’d like to get to no more than 10 samples on my device.<br />
• I have packages to mail.<br />
• I have blog posts to write and load.<br />
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You know, I’m sure there is so much more I wanted to say, realizing of course that I have said nothing at all. Take it as you will. I will try to get out of my fog and get back to reading and writing, my two favorite pastimes, well, after cuddling with Egg.<br />
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So, TTFN and I’m sure we’ll be talking soon. Bohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116544104167420505noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979533387268460793.post-77290183180132731362015-09-27T18:04:00.000-04:002015-09-27T18:08:40.998-04:00Stacking the Shelves - September 27, 2015There was one thing for certain. I could not think with the clutter on my desk. What started out as an early writing session turned into an early and all day organizing session. I cleaned up all miscreant papers on my desk, (well, to be fair, I just put them in a box to get them out of the way for the time being), organized my drawer with all the Post-It pads and paper pads, organized my drawer with my bookmarks and stationary, threw out a bag of garbage and I even emptied out a box of office supplies and stuff I had on my desk at work that I had to take home when we moved to our new work space. Okay, I did put the toys from my desk at work in a bag and set them to the side. That's not the point. The point is the box is empty and now out of the way, so there is a little more room.<br />
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I then went downstairs to the library as I had a moment of inspiration. I took all the bookmarks I had that I could find and laid them all out on the floor so I could take a picture. The majority are promotional bookmarks I've received over the years from various cons, but there are purchased ones as well and that doesn't include my magnetic book marks.<br />
<br />
Perhaps one day I will take a picture of all my pins and all my keychains. But I digress.<br />
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So it took some time to lay all the book marks out. Then I had to scoop them all back up. When I got back up to my desk, I had to organize them in the drawer in an effort to maximize space.<br />
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I also went through all the pages I've ripped out of catalogs so that I could add the items to my wish lists.<br />
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Once I finished all that, finally, I could sit down to write.<br />
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Procrastination, it's making me late. It's keeping me la-a-a-a-te. Hahahahahahha!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgXScIAHjm89LfthFuy-OsaMEhU0yrJh56puGw5B2qTJd3hTdZP8vwLW4CQVuCJSHEyUAX6Vxs7SBdlWeyYTEuHtWphbRTBDx6SEs6GhttcxslbdkHDIlnK3F1GnkxxwaOzqzGMQKpY2c/s1600/Ghost+Candle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgXScIAHjm89LfthFuy-OsaMEhU0yrJh56puGw5B2qTJd3hTdZP8vwLW4CQVuCJSHEyUAX6Vxs7SBdlWeyYTEuHtWphbRTBDx6SEs6GhttcxslbdkHDIlnK3F1GnkxxwaOzqzGMQKpY2c/s320/Ghost+Candle.jpg" /></a>An odd thing happened to me. I had a coupon for Barnes and Noble and couldn't find anything I wanted to buy. That is so irksome because I want to use so it doesn't go to waste, but I refrained and came away with nothing. Well, except for this awesome LED Ghost Candle. 'Tis the season!<br />
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But enough about that. I was on good behavior this week. Maybe that was because I slept a lot. Maybe.<br />
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Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Books Purchased:</span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkU0-lvnc1qU27Yfu_wmPi3NOqw20C62G_UwgsFlKlI_Ew3dbzXrIwJnAJdr51rRU7PyHgkQzBF9FlzOeGyAHanYVQgn3VQnp3WbdqgHQv7xRpQ-TDjSqrsOu5wdlZq1VS3l5OFEhWO2M/s1600/ASH+BRAMBLE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkU0-lvnc1qU27Yfu_wmPi3NOqw20C62G_UwgsFlKlI_Ew3dbzXrIwJnAJdr51rRU7PyHgkQzBF9FlzOeGyAHanYVQgn3VQnp3WbdqgHQv7xRpQ-TDjSqrsOu5wdlZq1VS3l5OFEhWO2M/s200/ASH+BRAMBLE.jpg" width="131" /></a><b>Ash & Bramble </b>by Sarah Prineas - Over 40% off - This was a preorder that came in, although I have not heard many favorable things about it, so hopefully I didn't waste my money.<br />
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<b>Mirrored</b> by Alex Flinn - Over 40% off - This was also a preorder.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj8uWOZPNFrlDWXWQ1fZw40bmuNTUikuIV4tmpUX_Nru_wBB43KeHAbRZ5J2O2fMQS58de9pPg-J0IOwjMcHtGhvl9rQk-aY5J4ObPpP6ZV2-Om0jZ6ZSCrcg4e6f_MI3BlTZq5LxH-dc/s1600/mirrored.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj8uWOZPNFrlDWXWQ1fZw40bmuNTUikuIV4tmpUX_Nru_wBB43KeHAbRZ5J2O2fMQS58de9pPg-J0IOwjMcHtGhvl9rQk-aY5J4ObPpP6ZV2-Om0jZ6ZSCrcg4e6f_MI3BlTZq5LxH-dc/s200/mirrored.jpg" width="133" /></a><b>Peanuts: Where Beagles Dare</b> by Jason Cooper based on the Comic Strip, Peanuts by Charles Schultz - Graphic Novel starring Snoopy as the World War One Flying Ace<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Kindle Books Purchased: </span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT9ZkK2z0LN7h8sojxAYuFcP-YXUnyv_n00niW1xwTfh2JZKEU3zGOewxRyIv4A7_EYIkEaP4uPQ4Lk0h4r4quV0WRnd51RCTZ5b1L2JZznAkFD7RInCd0ABBYjfpYvgl6K40Y6_-5Dcw/s1600/darlings+urban+fantasy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT9ZkK2z0LN7h8sojxAYuFcP-YXUnyv_n00niW1xwTfh2JZKEU3zGOewxRyIv4A7_EYIkEaP4uPQ4Lk0h4r4quV0WRnd51RCTZ5b1L2JZznAkFD7RInCd0ABBYjfpYvgl6K40Y6_-5Dcw/s1600/darlings+urban+fantasy.jpg" /></a><b>Darlings of Urban Fantasy</b> with contributions by Chrissy Peebles, Kaitlyn Davis, W.J. May, Claire Farrell, Dale Mayer, Holly Hook, Suzy Turner, CM Doporto, Tiffany Evans - Free eBook<br />
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That's it for this week's haul!Bohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116544104167420505noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979533387268460793.post-27832915535829257842015-09-20T17:14:00.000-04:002015-09-20T17:14:03.063-04:00Stacking the Shelves - September 20, 2015Welcome to last Stacking the Shelves of the Summer. It has been a good summer, but a very busy one and I haven't been able to say that in a while. But now, it is time to put summer behind me, break out the fall garland and get my pumpkin spice on. I am ready for cooler weather and Halloween season!<br />
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One of the problems I've been having lately is that when I am busy all weekend, I don't have time to take care of some of the necessary stuff, like pay bills, call about my EZ Pass acting up and stuff. Just to give you an idea. I check my email daily on my phone for all the book emails I get daily. Other than that, I have been ignoring my email. I have not been deleting email because when I sit down to take care of that, it takes hours. I looked at my In Box and had 17,211 emails in my In Box. Some are saved as new, but the majority are unread, so I sat here for a few hours deleting email which has got to be one of my least favorite things to do. I ended up deleting or moving to folders 6,216 emails. Sure, I still have over 10,000 emails to sort through and delete, but I did make progress. This is going to be my project for the week. I need to get the volume down to a more manageable level.<br />
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Anyhoo, it's possible that was just a stall tactic, so I didn't have to think about writing. I allow myself to get distracted so easily. Or I let Egg distract me. Not the point, though.<br />
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So this is my first STS post of the month. The weekends have been very busy. I spent last weekend in Cape May with my niece and sister-in-law and the weekend before doing things with family. My youngest brother is finally home after living in Germany for almost 5 years. I haven't see in him in two years, so it was a wonderful reunion. But this weekend, I gave up the chance to go to the Renaissance Festival so I could write. I said I need my time. So naturally, I took a nap for a few yesterday and I was in full-on Doctor Who mode with the season premier last night. I am the Queen of Procrastination.<br />
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Enough about my lameness, though. And before you judge too harshly, I am going to say that the majority of the physical copies I bought were all marked down 40% or more. Sadly, Amazon does not seem to be offering deep discounts like they were this summer. I'm just glad I took advantage.<br />
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So without more excuses, here is my haul for the month so far...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDGbuG1l0xGvcpBPU9IZOqBAyWts00VpwOzyoD-VOP34t9CzV4aLkNwFtm1Pdwd5sL39o5FGUMGi5VIT4GIElSUvjk7Sa5bA4mUfDmk4dRgy9S2bsPN9j5oSBaBzBlWB1vAfWYl3fwhJ0/s1600/stacking+the+shelves.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDGbuG1l0xGvcpBPU9IZOqBAyWts00VpwOzyoD-VOP34t9CzV4aLkNwFtm1Pdwd5sL39o5FGUMGi5VIT4GIElSUvjk7Sa5bA4mUfDmk4dRgy9S2bsPN9j5oSBaBzBlWB1vAfWYl3fwhJ0/s320/stacking+the+shelves.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Books Purchased:</span></b><br />
Deliverance by C.J. Redwine – Used Book<br />
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Defiance by C.J. Redwine – Used Book<br />
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Fables: The Deluxe Edition Book Eight by Bill Willingham<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7E76ISXfT5RcZHiS9T1gp3h0rTonLltMPlmWZA8MeFOK7XG4n2i178xEg-0mfzOX3dP863UnxzhdOvbsrMbYSPS0SLzpLribpQ_AaX3TSHylaDKvLmCmX6_X3i5c2VEoisMA2PWv_gik/s1600/Journey+to+Star+Wars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7E76ISXfT5RcZHiS9T1gp3h0rTonLltMPlmWZA8MeFOK7XG4n2i178xEg-0mfzOX3dP863UnxzhdOvbsrMbYSPS0SLzpLribpQ_AaX3TSHylaDKvLmCmX6_X3i5c2VEoisMA2PWv_gik/s200/Journey+to+Star+Wars.jpg" width="132" /></a><br /><br />
Fables: Deluxe Edition Book Ten by Bill Willingham<br />
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Six Impossible Things by Fiona Wood - Over 40% off<br />
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The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (Mortal Instruments (Promotional Items)) from Running Press<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXW5N4qfHEWvGD77RvDFjVYqbpVCJSN6_sLF_DbXtPQJsYeJP3c33jEyoQ356wIpRV06MZm7kncq6A40vDeZ5zIK9Tj1LAAgBpVxfLHa2Vb3A3sQOA-qN7OYedm3ILPMKuGWbVtPqyUbU/s1600/alice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXW5N4qfHEWvGD77RvDFjVYqbpVCJSN6_sLF_DbXtPQJsYeJP3c33jEyoQ356wIpRV06MZm7kncq6A40vDeZ5zIK9Tj1LAAgBpVxfLHa2Vb3A3sQOA-qN7OYedm3ILPMKuGWbVtPqyUbU/s200/alice.jpg" width="132" /></a>Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens Lost Stars by Claudia Gray - Over 40% off<br />
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Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between by Jennifer E. Smith - Over 40% off <br />
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Loki's Wolves (Blackwell Pages) by K.L. Armstrong - Over 40% off<br />
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The Boyfriend Project by Rachel Hawthorne - Over 40% off<br />
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Alice by Christina Henry - Over 40% off<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXCtSseV0ae9PvnFId75MnyHu7TwdGWyVypvLx1wsYSRvqJm_-b45bgkEFDfEma9Xo621PE3ryOuPclB3jZ2-xachHtj7hwDHGjYpKzeHn4nkZVJMkNtndENQO_kzKUDVGLgLaQwpdeCU/s1600/trollhunters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXCtSseV0ae9PvnFId75MnyHu7TwdGWyVypvLx1wsYSRvqJm_-b45bgkEFDfEma9Xo621PE3ryOuPclB3jZ2-xachHtj7hwDHGjYpKzeHn4nkZVJMkNtndENQO_kzKUDVGLgLaQwpdeCU/s200/trollhunters.jpg" width="125" /></a><br />
Rogue: The Paladin Prophecy Book 3 by Mark Frost - Over 40% off<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRXlgkYTmKJ3oCQNGG9Xwci7guHd8xlxwU0vxsQG2L8OC6VeTLxgZ6RrvjO3nge6jpznDSyVea0pk1A0frILK8H703pdEDnIQS0PWESkaPDnvdQ2kQ67uDtW7wXNwx4TzYDjQHGDzDWE0/s1600/firewalker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRXlgkYTmKJ3oCQNGG9Xwci7guHd8xlxwU0vxsQG2L8OC6VeTLxgZ6RrvjO3nge6jpznDSyVea0pk1A0frILK8H703pdEDnIQS0PWESkaPDnvdQ2kQ67uDtW7wXNwx4TzYDjQHGDzDWE0/s200/firewalker.jpg" width="132" /></a><br />
Trouble from the Start by Rachel Hawthorne - Over 40% off<br />
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Trollhunters by Guillermo del Toro - Over 40% off<br />
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Firewalker (The Worldwalker Trilogy) by Josephine Angelini - Over 40% off<br />
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The Almost Girl by Amalie Howard – Used Book<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikF_j-m7MembissjECb7_6j9e033bcUvaTpU6YaYUl64vCP4cco0FDmfqZbfWoAx92VDqnvmwbK8L0c6WDReGCkoRC_fJE-jefPuUmlzUd5ggZq3ManXXHjOPowBKTW6INqKUAm95vpXQ/s1600/dumplin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikF_j-m7MembissjECb7_6j9e033bcUvaTpU6YaYUl64vCP4cco0FDmfqZbfWoAx92VDqnvmwbK8L0c6WDReGCkoRC_fJE-jefPuUmlzUd5ggZq3ManXXHjOPowBKTW6INqKUAm95vpXQ/s200/dumplin.jpg" width="131" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3m3y0igtZy6xVTMGIWWr2dNshdodeVjMgtJvE84K2EejvsyDvuOAqJUZaCVHkJqRAy_8f2LxTByCE7UB52Kg_uHUQZrpfmUE5WethQPd7pm2E2Ny8O1nGuvHoykz-keBDEzamJ2X1wmg/s1600/nightmares+sleepwalker+tonic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3m3y0igtZy6xVTMGIWWr2dNshdodeVjMgtJvE84K2EejvsyDvuOAqJUZaCVHkJqRAy_8f2LxTByCE7UB52Kg_uHUQZrpfmUE5WethQPd7pm2E2Ny8O1nGuvHoykz-keBDEzamJ2X1wmg/s200/nightmares+sleepwalker+tonic.jpg" width="130" /></a>Nightmares! The Sleepwalker Tonic by Jason Segel - Over 40% off<br />
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Dumplin' by Julie Murphy - Over 40% off<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Kindle Books Purchased: </span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrZe4twESXxkLHm_Sqc2j4avIFGcR9a8Sym4MkLlzcjvWkksUn2CRXwU5N62x1L73NEIqxm3je78EokAmDrCY27fpdvcL1s9hDX_PC5ZcemXN-Tlvy32vYsATBcm6DJuXWzvc3AF7Aa5c/s1600/apiritglass+charade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrZe4twESXxkLHm_Sqc2j4avIFGcR9a8Sym4MkLlzcjvWkksUn2CRXwU5N62x1L73NEIqxm3je78EokAmDrCY27fpdvcL1s9hDX_PC5ZcemXN-Tlvy32vYsATBcm6DJuXWzvc3AF7Aa5c/s200/apiritglass+charade.jpg" width="140" /></a>Be with Me: A Novel (Wait for You Book 2) by J. Lynn – Reduced to $.99<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBkASw_WmLTyvh5Adv5b4nlfbco9gAtlAWKS6mBKMkY5LRg6GdlAA6YdqZzeRa60dflRrVxQ5QiIh4c-QOIF_HEeFOPs9sS4G_c9hYkUIcpKe91wgtqX-yLfb8rKpP6HQDYt6aZLxxwX4/s1600/cloaked.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBkASw_WmLTyvh5Adv5b4nlfbco9gAtlAWKS6mBKMkY5LRg6GdlAA6YdqZzeRa60dflRrVxQ5QiIh4c-QOIF_HEeFOPs9sS4G_c9hYkUIcpKe91wgtqX-yLfb8rKpP6HQDYt6aZLxxwX4/s200/cloaked.jpg" width="131" /></a><br />
Cloaked by Alex Flinn – September Monthly Kindle Deal<br />
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The Spiritglass Charade: A Stoker & Holmes Novel by Colleen Gleason - Reduced to $.99<br />
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Fame, Glory, and Other Things on My To Do List by Janette Rallison - Reduced to $1.99<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGKheMLXFa4NF82zAp4u5CkrXZ8gOqM_aIAQ9acrukW9kUVXsj6ffkSLHEIfCPv_rhawl5sQ5pEe5Fw283qJP74aoNj_RjwmwnghZo9KxwDXiNZoaS073OY18lNXJasTi5rh6fLZjSDvA/s1600/Fame+glory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGKheMLXFa4NF82zAp4u5CkrXZ8gOqM_aIAQ9acrukW9kUVXsj6ffkSLHEIfCPv_rhawl5sQ5pEe5Fw283qJP74aoNj_RjwmwnghZo9KxwDXiNZoaS073OY18lNXJasTi5rh6fLZjSDvA/s200/Fame+glory.jpg" width="132" /></a>Wish You Were Italian: An If Only novel (If Only . . . Book 2) by Kristin Rae - Kindle Daily Deal<br />
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Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone - Discounted to $.99<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Giveaway Won:</span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH8MH4k8PBh78ut0qg29Iri9R2cKGbD_JLnikCS62hTF4lGP-89xUl5e1Ik0frDmnxbFXgZpCkKuw-Uy4chpdTuB-wkJvCg7Dyjc-LgnUABV251ojhDW8NzytZz-lAGGC_qK5M38S5M1w/s1600/Moore+Giveaway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH8MH4k8PBh78ut0qg29Iri9R2cKGbD_JLnikCS62hTF4lGP-89xUl5e1Ik0frDmnxbFXgZpCkKuw-Uy4chpdTuB-wkJvCg7Dyjc-LgnUABV251ojhDW8NzytZz-lAGGC_qK5M38S5M1w/s320/Moore+Giveaway.jpg" width="240" /></a>Christopher Moore - Okay. Technically, it was hubby who won, but it was only because I got the email and entered and then forwarded him the email to enter...from Romania. And he won!!! So from a certain perspective (okay, my perspective), I really won since he wouldn't have if I didn't tell him about it.<br />
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I'm totally keeping the throx, though.<br />
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<br />Bohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116544104167420505noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979533387268460793.post-83436707264315281882015-09-10T23:19:00.001-04:002015-09-10T23:19:04.430-04:00To Buy or Not to Buy: Searching for Captain Wentworth by Jane Odiwe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihWbDmCpvlaKMXPpZDqv05fMYO_SxeIZZ8QbQJzlxMt3ul5qqvHH3e-DdpPKGtbsjoPvZkIAYYGfSBaFpyuLu_E6-r0j7DFztVQTXpn-CPNiUWGpUmlpXEZ8yyrQPs8g7CTLpalOY3N3w/s1600/to+buy+or+not+to+buy+cropped+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihWbDmCpvlaKMXPpZDqv05fMYO_SxeIZZ8QbQJzlxMt3ul5qqvHH3e-DdpPKGtbsjoPvZkIAYYGfSBaFpyuLu_E6-r0j7DFztVQTXpn-CPNiUWGpUmlpXEZ8yyrQPs8g7CTLpalOY3N3w/s320/to+buy+or+not+to+buy+cropped+logo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUlQhT22xr6fB_lywwrMv__ZTs5mB2tCGspuWnxiU2jqPM8vLzHjecS5KDSqlyRmjaiMVVq01Obxx4pbjC-u2lwKL18p9xCfHAa7gSmfk_Ac3iF7okEV18ZlzUx56oSz-ggEeqfschBBA/s1600/searching+for+captain+wentworth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUlQhT22xr6fB_lywwrMv__ZTs5mB2tCGspuWnxiU2jqPM8vLzHjecS5KDSqlyRmjaiMVVq01Obxx4pbjC-u2lwKL18p9xCfHAa7gSmfk_Ac3iF7okEV18ZlzUx56oSz-ggEeqfschBBA/s320/searching+for+captain+wentworth.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Searching for Captain Wentworth by Jane Odiwe</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Book Description (From Amazon):</span></b><br />
When aspiring writer Sophie Elliot receives the keys to the family townhouse in Bath, it's an invitation she can't turn down, especially when she learns that she will be living next door to the house where Jane Austen lived. On discovering that an ancient glove belonging to her mysterious neighbour, Josh Strafford, will transport her back in time to Regency Bath, she questions her sanity, but Sophie is soon caught up in two dimensions, each reality as certain as the other. Torn between her life in the modern world and that of her ancestor who befriends Jane Austen and her fascinating brother Charles, Sophie's story travels two hundred years across time and back again, to unite this modern heroine with her own Captain Wentworth. Blending fact and fiction together, the tale of Jane Austen's own quest for happiness weaves alongside, creating a believable world of new possibilities for the inspiration behind the beloved novel, Persuasion. <br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">My First Impression:</span></b><br />
Modern girl with old-fashioned sensibilities travels to Bath for a change of scenery after breaking up with her cheating ex. She is staying at the house in Bath that her family has owned at least since the 1700s and it is next to the house Jane Austen actually lived in. There is a lodger in the first floor flat she has not met, but she sees him from the street when he drops something. Once he crosses the street, she goes to see what it is and finds he has dropped a glove, so naturally she goes chasing after him to return it. She chases him through a park that takes an ominous turn and bam!, she is standing in the park in the 1700s, but she is not dressed as she was in the present. She is dressed as any privileged young woman of the time would be and she seems to be in the life of her ancestor also named Sophie.<br />
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What more could I ask for? Jane Austen, time travel and a dashing young man to swoon over.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Decision?</span></b><br />
To BuyBohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116544104167420505noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979533387268460793.post-14795282604243406822015-09-09T22:00:00.000-04:002015-09-09T22:00:01.376-04:00In Search of Literary Dracula - My Transylvanian AdventureI realize I’ve been back for a couple weeks and really have not mentioned much of my vacation, but as all my vacations generally take some sort of literary turn, I thought I’d share some of my experiences.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLpVVbzTPr64794tCgO_oP-8D7T9jvClQtf4P5uMNB_675gK4PEcDpiTlRnG31dBKVsX6T8cWoXEOu4FAoPVCe-G8X5pks_vuZ3snnUwkCN6fBEGq8QLOkFumSBF065TsGNGmEamG43SU/s1600/IMG_1696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLpVVbzTPr64794tCgO_oP-8D7T9jvClQtf4P5uMNB_675gK4PEcDpiTlRnG31dBKVsX6T8cWoXEOu4FAoPVCe-G8X5pks_vuZ3snnUwkCN6fBEGq8QLOkFumSBF065TsGNGmEamG43SU/s320/IMG_1696.JPG" width="320" /></a>Romania is a wild and mysterious place. Having gone 10 years ago, it was like stepping into the Middle Ages. This trip, however, was somewhat a different experience. Romania is an impoverished country for the most part, but during the 10 years that have separated our visits, the country has made great strides in modernizing.<br />
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You might wonder what would drive us to visit a country that is not exactly a hot vacation spot. Well, hubby is a Vlad Tepes fan; not a fan of the myth, a fan of the man. Our first trip was in search of Vlad. So we went to his birth place, his castle (and I’m not talking Bran Castle), his Princely Court, the castle where he was imprisoned and finally his final resting place (which does not actually house his remains).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoBMxjo03E9my6Ard_LF1FmHwy8IdYCRMV46K_UcIIiRIy-O0UY9a3qATf5aQnXnbKGN65i8TNukx6dFJKiTnPr4S0G5SdwSmjhWMup3FAOT9rSnhkqGBCUPPSXMFHrUzvl6cy0_A6kg8/s1600/DSC_0422+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoBMxjo03E9my6Ard_LF1FmHwy8IdYCRMV46K_UcIIiRIy-O0UY9a3qATf5aQnXnbKGN65i8TNukx6dFJKiTnPr4S0G5SdwSmjhWMup3FAOT9rSnhkqGBCUPPSXMFHrUzvl6cy0_A6kg8/s320/DSC_0422+%25283%2529.JPG" width="213" /></a>This trip, hubby went ahead of me for a language course and research for his thesis on, who else, Vlad. His Masters is in history and he wants to specialize in medieval history. I joined him for the last two weeks. This go round, we found another one of his Princely Courts in Bucharest and we found a city called Medeas where he was imprisoned within the fortress walls of the city. But I wanted more, so I thought, we have explored the man, Vlad Tepes, called Son of the Dragon or Dracula, so let’s search out the myth. To do that, we would have to head north far into the mountains of the Carpathians. Our first stop was a city called Bistritz.<br />
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Jonathan Harker found his way to Bistritz in Northern Transylvania where he stayed at a hotel called the Golden Crown. He had meals of Chicken Paprikash and Robber Steak. While no hotel of such a name existed when the novel was written, a hotel was later built and named Coroana de Aur or The Golden Crown. Reputedly, you can request the same meal Jonathan Harker had, but it is not on the menu. There is a Jonathan Harker salon which I read on one website is suitably decorated in gothic type accents, but sadly, when we stayed at the hotel, the room was reserved for a large travel group and we were not allowed access.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqOgig-lCfkHhVTrCQVD7kRXEFwjcWykfh5bPf9_Vp0wH0HIeWCoT_ZjGxZL6CaqaIDInJNfQUl_-h91YXrDhkrf0PYXEwVEyWFRzBDP-bOSRBHX2UHGVPLsTwd2CmLCaAQWQyFrq-J3g/s1600/IMG_1682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqOgig-lCfkHhVTrCQVD7kRXEFwjcWykfh5bPf9_Vp0wH0HIeWCoT_ZjGxZL6CaqaIDInJNfQUl_-h91YXrDhkrf0PYXEwVEyWFRzBDP-bOSRBHX2UHGVPLsTwd2CmLCaAQWQyFrq-J3g/s320/IMG_1682.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
So, Bistritz was basically a bit of a disappointment. We had thought that the city would really play up the ties to Bram Stoker’s Dracula, but we really couldn’t find anything. Instead, after breakfast, we headed for the Borgo Pass and onto Dracula’s castle.<br />
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We had looked online so we could book a room, but every website we checked said there were no rooms available. This is the first vacation where our vacationing strategy worked against us. We hit the ground, rent a car and drive where the wind takes us. Never knowing where we are going to end up, we never make reservations. We have never had a problem. Then again, we usually travel in October, not over the summer. Still, we decided to make the drive if nothing more than to say we reached the Borgo Pass and saw the hotel. We figured we could at least have lunch there.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXzbY7ryotr_sx8jWAxnOxYz5m7wZe7XOA1XnJ9D-8BQ2AR_i5hwTro5ZZv0I43baZGLvmt6utkkN1jejKJq8Dxz9_D7XEC7OPa3Kdq24vZFiCP6W9H3kq7OkLK7jhRXqMfGWsMJVGmPs/s1600/DSC_0406+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXzbY7ryotr_sx8jWAxnOxYz5m7wZe7XOA1XnJ9D-8BQ2AR_i5hwTro5ZZv0I43baZGLvmt6utkkN1jejKJq8Dxz9_D7XEC7OPa3Kdq24vZFiCP6W9H3kq7OkLK7jhRXqMfGWsMJVGmPs/s320/DSC_0406+%25283%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
The drive was quite rustic full of farms and hay stacks. The scenery was also quite breathtaking the further north we drove, until we finally came upon the hotel. At first glance, it is properly Gothic looking from the front, but from the sides, it just looks like a big block. The hotel itself was built about 30 years ago or so which was during the communist regime. The intent was to create an actual castle, but the government would not allow that as I have been told. There is a cobbled inner courtyard that hosts an outdoor dining area and at night, the entire inner courtyard is bathed in red light. Red as blood.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF3TraTfgVv3Fl5-vpZXjVG17iWeOSiO8cMf5sirOW8hsDriny6ggCFxAtasuZIq5Lnms0-zXIP4pQd-qtZh-qBQBXRPZh52ifHNSceb09U2QX3J8ExbJmeWA6FQWjeeO-4bYv3wZaneo/s1600/DSC_0426+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF3TraTfgVv3Fl5-vpZXjVG17iWeOSiO8cMf5sirOW8hsDriny6ggCFxAtasuZIq5Lnms0-zXIP4pQd-qtZh-qBQBXRPZh52ifHNSceb09U2QX3J8ExbJmeWA6FQWjeeO-4bYv3wZaneo/s320/DSC_0426+%25283%2529.JPG" width="213" /></a><br />
Just below the hotel, there is a craft market where the traveler can buy kitschy souvenirs or real Romanian traditional wares, but the hotel would not be complete, however, without the little graveyard off to the side and the bust of Bram Stoker in front of the entrance. There is also a cable chair you can take to the top of one of the close peaks, but the notice indicates only parties of 8 I believe are allowed. It was not operating when we walked by, so we never asked if we could take the ride.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii79Fo5qFvhs2X7lLCxvlrhSB2Jahix_oQkSuUrElR2ptGGOpY-GIe-CUmSbtu-5uy4BRDdhbJmztGU2AGR2H2vMRHrTK-rAr6wInxxIVpeh0CNMvDWysGlXjn6ZC333_iK7d0iIG420o/s1600/IMG_1693.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii79Fo5qFvhs2X7lLCxvlrhSB2Jahix_oQkSuUrElR2ptGGOpY-GIe-CUmSbtu-5uy4BRDdhbJmztGU2AGR2H2vMRHrTK-rAr6wInxxIVpeh0CNMvDWysGlXjn6ZC333_iK7d0iIG420o/s320/IMG_1693.JPG" width="320" /></a>Inside, the reception area is properly atmospheric, looking like a movie set. The desk is all wood with taxidermy animals around as well as some Gothic looking artwork and suitable furniture. We were very pleased with the ambiance and even more pleased to find they had a room for us for the night. The rooms themselves were not overly Gothic, but the head board was a dragon crest.<br />
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The dining room was another experience. The room was complete with chandeliers, candles, mirrors, very rich and inviting looking and properly Gothic looking. The menu was like a tome of wizards’ spells or dark magic incantations.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVAxr0ekBuzmskDyE8uxOWwP0d-NU4zCGj9HBXgUNHQwjBh8Ge_7sb3kUQsFur1zuIEGUWhaShW9CRtlFXNnrDurcPo9_FvKveCWEoQEVsoiI1OXwJ9lJJWgF3jCa-xYsu6JnDFXY91uw/s1600/DSC_0532+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVAxr0ekBuzmskDyE8uxOWwP0d-NU4zCGj9HBXgUNHQwjBh8Ge_7sb3kUQsFur1zuIEGUWhaShW9CRtlFXNnrDurcPo9_FvKveCWEoQEVsoiI1OXwJ9lJJWgF3jCa-xYsu6JnDFXY91uw/s320/DSC_0532+%25283%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioQ2L653Fw26v32XiSfQaK6fX74x_NseNO0gP7NlgawptcMx6rP9U09d5Te4il0apJisDzOOFazIAWl7Inorj-OIuokm_E8haS09IZ4fyw39NtFc5B4wBkaad6z9JBdSUhhw8lMwzhKLM/s1600/IMG_1687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioQ2L653Fw26v32XiSfQaK6fX74x_NseNO0gP7NlgawptcMx6rP9U09d5Te4il0apJisDzOOFazIAWl7Inorj-OIuokm_E8haS09IZ4fyw39NtFc5B4wBkaad6z9JBdSUhhw8lMwzhKLM/s320/IMG_1687.JPG" width="320" /></a>Before dinner, though, but only after it was properly dark, we took a tour of the crypt below where Dracula’s coffin can be found. The story teller relates the story of Dracula, but in Romanian, so I couldn’t understand her, although hubby could. It’s a story with a twist, but it is not my story to tell.<br />
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Our rooms on the fourth floor looked out over the Carpathian Mountains and once the lights were out I felt like I was on the edge of the world. I haven’t seen such a crystal clear sky in a very, very long time. It was so clear I could actually see the Milky Way. It was awe inspiring and not a little bit humbling. Staring out into the black of the night with all of the cosmos defined so clearly above me, I felt small indeed.<br />
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The best thing about our room, though was the large pile of rocks under our window that were splattered in red paint which I can only assume was supposed to be blood.<br />
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All in all, we were both very pleased with our stay in Hotel Castle Dracula.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_xGeuAPOij8BxTEX7hMllHhPfRMEC5zBo6AxfYujAj0ciBhIoY0-lE1xK6XQ1Pk4054F1xUps0tVCpt71j0HYaH45HT3Supk83v1CpjpcjQG3Z_kE7J0nqvcuqk6ZMndnOgrz6C1lpE/s1600/IMG_1694.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_xGeuAPOij8BxTEX7hMllHhPfRMEC5zBo6AxfYujAj0ciBhIoY0-lE1xK6XQ1Pk4054F1xUps0tVCpt71j0HYaH45HT3Supk83v1CpjpcjQG3Z_kE7J0nqvcuqk6ZMndnOgrz6C1lpE/s320/IMG_1694.JPG" width="240" /></a>Before leaving, I made sure to acquire a copy of The Transylvanian Journal (a local newspaper), a map of Transylvania and a passport granting me permission to travel the lands of Dracula freely by royal decree.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUxpq0sDi6BcVtzDM9ke0WaY2agc3HHuHTU7B6DAWkr1IdeC6z6tkceyS8wXXL9FaxV9R2e29XBqU2XEYbvHrwG81UeZMB47rd_jkqhaGMCV-799BF2485caSXcqbM5FNWGbfwJnicazc/s1600/IMG_1680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUxpq0sDi6BcVtzDM9ke0WaY2agc3HHuHTU7B6DAWkr1IdeC6z6tkceyS8wXXL9FaxV9R2e29XBqU2XEYbvHrwG81UeZMB47rd_jkqhaGMCV-799BF2485caSXcqbM5FNWGbfwJnicazc/s320/IMG_1680.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWlwatuFH9ZizgH4DNyOnbgqPp3GfKV0_YWuCtY5sETbtqpd6SphqjiTdjlebdFW1pCJTrQHC_OvH6y2BU7jQ7WVCD6Ajh3IqnxaUqGM5GFhLyeevKU8lMM48R2RByvqLXxrDmqP3aM68/s1600/DSC_0464+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWlwatuFH9ZizgH4DNyOnbgqPp3GfKV0_YWuCtY5sETbtqpd6SphqjiTdjlebdFW1pCJTrQHC_OvH6y2BU7jQ7WVCD6Ajh3IqnxaUqGM5GFhLyeevKU8lMM48R2RByvqLXxrDmqP3aM68/s320/DSC_0464+%25283%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2-pGow_SAyrJCS-hBOEGZsU5SnmfH0JFYVUfroMOXPyLtE62x58Gw76s1hGIVxTSyaK8P8TjElcTGbiPTk3AIbGM54dBacgwlDoAWmoselDeD7WyQcCa20ETzMXKUus4gMPPh_a8M8w8/s1600/DSC_0915+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2-pGow_SAyrJCS-hBOEGZsU5SnmfH0JFYVUfroMOXPyLtE62x58Gw76s1hGIVxTSyaK8P8TjElcTGbiPTk3AIbGM54dBacgwlDoAWmoselDeD7WyQcCa20ETzMXKUus4gMPPh_a8M8w8/s320/DSC_0915+%25282%2529.JPG" width="213" /></a>I found it interesting to discover that Bram Stoker never visited Romania before writing his novel, but he captured the spirit of the country so accurately. The country as a whole is extremely religious and superstitious. There are roadside shrines littering all of Transylvania. Neither the purpose of the shrines nor the religious icon to whom the shrine was erected are unknown. We never took the opportunity to stop and take a look. We were in a monastery in Bucharest which I expected to have some tourists walking about taking pictures. Instead, we walked into a mob scene. There was a crowd of people that were presenting their petition of prayers to the priests of the monastery. They would then light candles and place them on the shrines outside. I saw representations of saints to which people were paying, sometimes touching the object as they prayed. I have never in all my life seen such religious fervor.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDy1iAwsQ0Ubh4fNmKg41yIrHtGRQDFb2wuHL2aG43YY8tveTCrEnkmJkVlVeBFs9l2S5WBMJwzw3gACThesR__QhAUPvZUq2Etc5mgODfHQPuu_yruaYVsn2RxMo44AJHyg1KjShhP2c/s1600/DSC_0980+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDy1iAwsQ0Ubh4fNmKg41yIrHtGRQDFb2wuHL2aG43YY8tveTCrEnkmJkVlVeBFs9l2S5WBMJwzw3gACThesR__QhAUPvZUq2Etc5mgODfHQPuu_yruaYVsn2RxMo44AJHyg1KjShhP2c/s320/DSC_0980+%25282%2529.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="213" /></a>Regarding superstitions, I did some Googling on common superstitions and oddly enough, many of them I found are superstitions I have heard since I was a child, like don’t walk under a ladder, don’t let a black cat cross your path, if you spill salt, throw a pinch over your left shoulder, don’t break a mirror, itchy palm means you’ll get money, knock on wood, don’t open an umbrella in the house, etc. Some I never heard before are that you must leave a house through the same door you entered, even numbers in a bouquet are bad luck and reserved for funerals, don’t take the garbage out after dark or you’ll throw your money away, a bride should not change her shoes during the wedding or reception or she will change husbands as well, women must not sit at the corner of a table or they will never get married and many, many more. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1XhOYRzrelPenDDRP4xPekafIDdgNr50T3Uq_L2BHeqP5fxCH9dULshmFIyCIWL-dcBwyfiDSRgsyc1VZAdKPMqdtHSNUUrAT-0tpQpPYXVZNlSggb22sWg-U5dHG5ZGwcSeD692HYmE/s1600/DSC_0418+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1XhOYRzrelPenDDRP4xPekafIDdgNr50T3Uq_L2BHeqP5fxCH9dULshmFIyCIWL-dcBwyfiDSRgsyc1VZAdKPMqdtHSNUUrAT-0tpQpPYXVZNlSggb22sWg-U5dHG5ZGwcSeD692HYmE/s320/DSC_0418+%25283%2529.JPG" width="213" /></a><br />
But the hour grows late and the time for tales is done. Thank you for taking this journey with me.<br />
<br />Bohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116544104167420505noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979533387268460793.post-24926208112459971962015-09-08T08:00:00.000-04:002015-09-08T08:00:05.868-04:00Shared Post from Pen & Paper: AVAILABLE NOW: LITTLE KITTY THE CAT BURGLAR.I wanted to share this post and spread the awareness.<br />
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My friend Tracy over at Pen & Paper contributed to this book with proceeds going towards Alzheimer's Research. So if you want to contribute and get come away with a book in the process, check it out on Amazon and Amazon.UK. It's definitely for a worthy cause!<br />
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<b>AVAILABLE NOW: LITTLE KITTY THE CAT BURGLAR.</b><br />
Oh it's such a perfect day, I'm glad I spent it with you' so sang Lou Reed.<br />
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A purrfect day indeed and what better way to share it than with you, my friends and fellow bloggers.<br />
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As of yesterday, Saturday the fifth of September, Little Kitty the Cat Burglar (the first chapter of which was written by yours <br />
truly) who ....<br />
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'Wouldn't exactly call herself a cat burglar. She just likes to bring back the occasional gift for her humans' ....<br />
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became available in paperback on Amazon (links at the bottom of the page) with a kindle version available to pre-order soon.<br />
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With all money raised going to Alzheimers Research, a great charity that is close to my heart, I'd like to thank my fellow authors Ann Bowyer, Suzan Collins, JB Johnson, Tottie Limejuice, Ros Lyons, Lucy Rayner and Jo Wilde as well as Catie Atkinson and Rachel Lawston for the illustrations and design and Jaine Keskeys (editor) all of whom gave their time and expertise for free. And of course not forgetting Mr T (my apologies for being a total pain) and author and friend Patricia Smith for all their encouragement and support.<br />
<br />
To answer your questions that came about as a result of a previous post on Pen and Paper ....<br />
<br />
A 'chain story', there were eight of us who wrote a chapter each. Knowing my love of cats and that I had a close family member suffering from this awful condition I was approached by Suzan Collins (whose books I had reviewed previously) who coordinated the whole project to write a chapter.<br />
<br />
As for the cover (sweet, isn't it?), thanks must go to Catie Atkinson and Rachel Lawston for the illustrations and design.<br />
<br />
Sorry but I'm afraid that my chapter won't be published anywhere other than in the book .... unless because the copyright for that chapter remains mine I choose to include it in any works I publish independently.<br />
<br />
Available in paperback here on amazon.co.uk, my friends in the US can find it here on amazon.com. For friends elsewhere Little Kitty the Cat Burglar should be available, if it isn't already, on your local amazon site.<br />
<br />
Please feel free to share this post and/or the link to the book on your blogs, FaceBook pages, Twitter, etc and lets raise some money for this wonderful cause. <br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6U-1bs9EjAF0JtSjN0cERBqRnqBx238nQ0mFDi2nCDgUFZyFQXxyqQqeEJ2A2Rm1oKeuRILMSIxINM1T2trOp7yCj3UCzmrTr9iamMQ-vO6-iKtnv1C-wW37Tqy-XVu9hBWjfh5dBsfo/s1600/Tracy+blog+signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6U-1bs9EjAF0JtSjN0cERBqRnqBx238nQ0mFDi2nCDgUFZyFQXxyqQqeEJ2A2Rm1oKeuRILMSIxINM1T2trOp7yCj3UCzmrTr9iamMQ-vO6-iKtnv1C-wW37Tqy-XVu9hBWjfh5dBsfo/s1600/Tracy+blog+signature.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br />
Here is the link back to the original post:<br />
<a href="http://pettywitter.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/available-now-little-kitty-cat-burglar.html"></a><br />
<a href="http://pettywitter.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/available-now-little-kitty-cat-burglar.html" target="_blank">http://pettywitter.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/available-now-little-kitty-cat-burglar.html</a><br />
<br />Bohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116544104167420505noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979533387268460793.post-62955367158785624762015-09-07T08:00:00.000-04:002015-09-07T08:00:00.900-04:00Its Just Another Manga Monday: Skip Beat! 34 by Yoshiki NakamuraWhen last we left off……<br />
<br />
Oh, who am I kidding? Volume 33 came out in September of 2014. I can’t remember the details of the last volume except that Ren and Kyoko are still acting as the Heel siblings. I realized just a few days ago that this story arc is going to take years to complete as there are only two volumes published per year. Years, people!!!!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOh__fmxwo4_z9b0VND4WrS9Nql6n26W2dgwFpK5OYNuFh_dSEsiEMeBcFFLxVIsqyw883Ips-AU-e3cMsC1KjRPG0tcyQV82a08gtRiS3WeinTkO7oqmlAG4PnrNU6w4FiNm6LQGF2Ww/s1600/Skip+Beat+34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOh__fmxwo4_z9b0VND4WrS9Nql6n26W2dgwFpK5OYNuFh_dSEsiEMeBcFFLxVIsqyw883Ips-AU-e3cMsC1KjRPG0tcyQV82a08gtRiS3WeinTkO7oqmlAG4PnrNU6w4FiNm6LQGF2Ww/s320/Skip+Beat+34.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><b><span style="font-size: large;">Book Description (From Amazon):</span></b><br />
The President of LME has called Kyoko in for a special meeting, and she is all set for Judgment Day. Especially when Ren shows up too! But to her complete shock, Lory doesn’t reveal that she has feelings for Ren. In fact, he’s giving “Setsuka” some time off so Kyoko can study for finals. It seems like her secret is safe from Ren, but there’s no hiding from her own feelings. How will she cope with a heart that’s slipped its bonds?! <br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></b> <b><span style="font-size: large;">My thoughts:</span></b><br />
This series continues to be one of my absolute favorites. Yes, Ren is the tall, dark and handsome brooding tortured soul, but it is really Kyoko that gives life to this series and in this volume, she doesn’t disappoint.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4hGjWTKT3USc_6EnO8pHzm86qfzT-bzSvVPNuk6fw0QATEXnx4HxuGozQRk5YRk_vk0rcSKW54CTII-Jn8IZJfGNn1QVJe8ONrMDWndCJf4K9W9SyME88V4KcQ1lY6AzVlCb1T45Ow2w/s1600/skip+beat+34.2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4hGjWTKT3USc_6EnO8pHzm86qfzT-bzSvVPNuk6fw0QATEXnx4HxuGozQRk5YRk_vk0rcSKW54CTII-Jn8IZJfGNn1QVJe8ONrMDWndCJf4K9W9SyME88V4KcQ1lY6AzVlCb1T45Ow2w/s320/skip+beat+34.2.jpg" width="218" /></a>Kyoko is torturing herself because the president of her talent agency now knows how she feels about Ren. Theirs is a lot of sobbing, but she also berates and insults herself when she realizes her true nature. She tells him that she has no intention of letting Ren know how she feels, the president drops the M bomb. He asks her if Ren gets married to someone else if she will be able to be happy for him and congratulate him. She says yes even as she realizes she is lying to the president and herself. She calls herself ugly because she hopes she may never have to worry about congratulating Ren on a marriage. It would make her happy if he never got involved with anyone, but then Ren would be miserable.<br />
<br />
The president does tell her he will not tell Ren about her feelings, but he challenges her to make a decision as to whether she wants to keep repressing her feelings or to embrace them and let them grow.<br />
<br />
Kyoko has an on location shoot in Guam for Tragic Marker, but she arrives a day early unbeknownst to her talent agency. She is in the unwilling company of Ms. Muse who arrived early to get Ren ready to be Cain Heel. Kyoko wants to stop by and say hello, but Ms. Muse tells misleads her into believing Ren is not checked into the hotel. Kyoko promises to stay in her room until Ms. Muse comes to get her for dinner, but she decides to go walk on the beach since she realized no one would recognize her.<br />
<br />
What she finds may change her relationship with Ren forever.<br />
<br />
Volume 35 is due out on September 1 and I just can’t wait to find out what is going to happen next!!!<br />
<br />
Bohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116544104167420505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979533387268460793.post-9390989168887435062015-09-05T08:00:00.000-04:002015-09-05T08:00:05.729-04:00UCF Mega Smackdown: The Ultimate Cover ShowdownYou know? I have actually realized there is a slight variation on a theme. It took me a while to find it, but I feel as if I have come to know this couple intimately, so I notice things like that about them. As if they are old, old friends.<br />
<br />
Well, I feel like they are on account of I can't seem to shake them. Every time I turn around, Bam!, there they are again.<br />
<br />
I can't really call them friends. More like acquaintances. The truth is I am kind of getting sick of their faces, but I feel compelled to seek them out.<br />
<br />
I have to say, though, this has got to be the most utilized book cover for a contemporary YA/NA book.<br />
<br />
Previously, I had brought you two smack downs, but this is the fight to end all fights and the winner takes all.<br />
<br />
Bout 1:<br />
Paris Cravings by Kimberly Montpetit<br />
Starkissed by Brynna Gabrielson<br />
‘Til Summer Comes Around by Susannah Balch<br />
A Million Little Snowflakes by Logan Byrne<br />
Bella Notte by Amber Roettger<br />
<br />
Bout 2:<br />
Picture Perfect (First Kiss Romances Book 5) by Lily Carwyn<br />
Heart Strings by Betty Jo Schuler<br />
Lovesessed by Pamela Diane King<br />
<br />
And now to introduce the challengers:<br />
Crushing on the Enemy by Sarah Adams<br />
Before Time by Ms. Xunaira J. and Ms. Michelle Browne<br />
AND<br />
Every Beat by Samantha Rey<br />
<br />
<br />
Who will take home the prize and who will be crying in their cornflakes?<br />
<br />
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<br />
I ask again? Who is this guy? He's like a young Tom Cruise wannabe.Bohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116544104167420505noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979533387268460793.post-24837391492606255932015-09-04T08:00:00.000-04:002015-09-04T08:00:07.033-04:00To Buy or Not to Buy: Prince of Fools by Mark Lawrence<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Prince of Fools by Mark Lawrence</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Book Description (From Amazon):</span></b><br />
<b>First in a brand new series from the author of The Broken Empire Trilogy.</b><br />
<br />
The Red Queen is old but the kings of the Broken Empire dread her like no other. For all her reign she has fought the long war, contested in secret, against the powers that stand behind nations, for higher stakes than land or gold. Her greatest weapon is The Silent Sister—unseen by most and unspoken of by all.<br />
<br />
The Red Queen’s grandson, Prince Jalan Kendeth—drinker, gambler, seducer of women—is one who can see The Silent Sister. Tenth in line for the throne and content with his role as a minor royal, he pretends that the hideous crone is not there. But war is coming. Witnesses claim an undead army is on the march, and the Red Queen has called on her family to defend the realm. Jal thinks it’s all a rumor—nothing that will affect him.<br />
<br />
But he is wrong…<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">My Thoughts:</span></b><br />
I haven’t read an adult Fantasy in quite some time. I find that there is very little that is original out there. And while a really well written fantasy book is my favorite type of reading to do, I find that most of the books are just too formulaic and not to my taste at all. I don’t like Barbarian story, male or female, I don’t really like space operas, I don’t like stories about witches, am getting tired of stories about werewolves and vampires. And while I love the Game of Thrones HBO series, I tried reading the first book and just couldn’t get through it. I got mired down in so many words. Epic fantasy can be really enjoyable, but it is so hard to not draw comparisons between Tolkien and now George R.R. Martin.<br />
<br />
However, Prince of Fools by Mark Lawrence was on special for $1.99, so I figured why not give it a try and I downloaded the sample. I was hooked after the first paragraph:<br />
<br />
I’ve always found hitting a man from behind to be the best way to go about things. This can sometimes be accomplished by dint of a simple ruse. Classics such as, “What’s that over there?” work surprisingly often, but for truly optimal results it’s best if the person doesn’t even know you were there.<br />
<br />
Prince Jalan is a rake and seems to frequently be in somewhat compromising situations. The kingdom of Vermillion is ruled by The Red Queen, Prince Jalan’s grandmother, who does not seem to be liked over much. She calls all the royal off spring to her to announce that they will all need to take arms in the coming war. A war in which any dead are to be cremated immediately without fail. Witnesses were brought forth before the throne to speak of the horrors they have seen and that ends the sample.<br />
<br />
I really liked what I read of Prince Jalan. He’s crafty, seems a bit lazy, but is also charming. He gets away with a lot and since he is ninth in line to the throne, doesn’t seem to think much of the possibility of ever ruling. I found that I wanted to keep reading to find out just what the heck is going on and what type of war was coming.<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Decision?</span></b><br />
To buyBohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116544104167420505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979533387268460793.post-63147822048570826952015-09-03T20:57:00.002-04:002015-09-03T20:57:21.615-04:00Book Review: A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha6T3fcjy2NGPhtSEKct3oVSxk9ro9rlAjAYmeM7ByDHYZNKOK53rCTBJay_aeA_wybgnpqQ02h-bljYq8EZzrukWlrDT1EouosQVwH8Gkrq22Obm04ra2RHMpad41gyPyXA0ke-GnS2I/s1600/a+little+something+different.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha6T3fcjy2NGPhtSEKct3oVSxk9ro9rlAjAYmeM7ByDHYZNKOK53rCTBJay_aeA_wybgnpqQ02h-bljYq8EZzrukWlrDT1EouosQVwH8Gkrq22Obm04ra2RHMpad41gyPyXA0ke-GnS2I/s320/a+little+something+different.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall</b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Book Description (From Amazon):</span></b><br />
The distinctive new crowdsourced publishing imprint Swoon Reads proudly presents its first published novel--an irresistibly sweet romance between two college students told from 14 different viewpoints.<br />
<br />
The creative writing teacher, the delivery guy, the local Starbucks baristas, his best friend, her roommate, and the squirrel in the park all have one thing in common--they believe that Gabe and Lea should get together.<br />
<br />
Lea and Gabe are in the same creative writing class. They get the same pop culture references, order the same Chinese food, and hang out in the same places. Unfortunately, Lea is reserved, Gabe has issues, and despite their initial mutual crush, it looks like they are never going to work things out.<br />
<br />
But somehow even when nothing is going on, something is happening between them, and everyone can see it. You'll be rooting for Gabe and Lea too, in Sandy Hall's quirky, completely original novel A Little Something Different, chosen by readers, writes, and publishers, to be the debut titles for the new Swoon Reads imprint!<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">My Thoughts:</span></b><br />
I have to say, I really loved this book. On the surface it is a simple enough love story, told often enough. Boy meets girl but it takes the entire film or book for them to tell each other how the feel. What made this book so enjoyable was seeing Gabe and Lea’s story unfold through 14 points of view, not all of them human or even animate objects.<br />
<br />
They are both so awkward and shy, both so insecure that they can’t see what everyone else sees and assumes. They have stories and rather than have it all out in the open in the beginning, we see only snippets, we only know the piece of the story that someone has witnessed or has been told.<br />
<br />
As the characters pass through the scenes in the story, we get to find out a little bit more. It is a literary game of tag, but instead of being it, the character tagged gets to reveal some of Gabe and Lea’s story until they in turn tag another character, so the story keeps moving along and is always fresh because the perspective changes so frequently.<br />
<br />
You gotta love Gabe. He seems kind of dorky, but right from the beginning, you know there is something up with him, but he doesn’t talk much, even to his friends. He’s got a lot of very personal stuff going on in his head and he keeps it to himself. It kept me wondering what could have possibly happened to damage him so badly. Why was he so awkward and quiet? Why would he not talk to anyone about what he was thinking? How could anyone be so clueless? But I routed him on because he was nice and polite, saying thank and please, but he was just so sad most of the time. And he would blush furiously and get flustered so he couldn’t speak. He liked this girl so much, but he just could never get up the courage to try to talk to her and I really wanted him to.<br />
<br />
Lea, while shy and insecure, is a bit more outgoing than Gabe. She notices him, watches him. She can’t help it. She gets frustrated because he never says much, so she tries to engage him in conversation, but it usually ends up being a one-sided conversation which becomes extremely awkward. When he reads an essay he wrote in class about how he is a shy guy, she finally starts to understand him. She, like Gabe, is a sweet person. She is pleasant to the people she encounters, our perspective characters, but she is also kind to animals. She made friends with a squirrel and often talks to him and give him crumbs. She is a very likeable person and people notice her. I like that she keeps making an effort to get Gabe to open up, but she often gets frustrated by his lack of communication. She really likes him, but she can’t tell if he really likes her or not because he seems to run hot and cold. He wants to be friendly, but then he ignores her. And I want her to get through to him, for him to open up to her because these two really just need to be together.Bohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116544104167420505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979533387268460793.post-59119761415910338372015-08-31T00:08:00.003-04:002015-08-31T00:08:48.874-04:00Stacking the Shelves - August 2015 EditionI've have had some issues with time management. Not so much that I can't balance my time, more that I have had no time to spare. Doesn't help that I was gone for half the month. I really did plan to schedule posts in my absence, but it always seems like what I want to do comes last in just about every scenario.<br />
<br />
Well, hubby is now home, but I did join him for the last two weeks of his trip. He sure was glad to be home and Egg was happy to have both his people right where he feels they belong, within eyesight. So, I've been spending a lot of time this past week making it up to him.<br />
<br />
The fun part of being away was going to the post office and picking up the mail I put on hold. Quite a few boxes!! So before you judge me too harshly, I do just want to say that the majority of books I bought were all discounted at least 40%. It was about two months of deep, deep discounts and I took full advantage. They still have some of the books on my wish list discounted over 40% like The Rose Society by Marie Lu and The White Rose by Amy Ewing, but most of the books dropped down to Amazon's more normal discount strategy. I'm glad I ordered when I did.<br />
<br />
So, anyway, here is my haul for the month.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj69nUtCFqPxKPzBOko4_oIaSBSHKEjZ5vGdU8h-BSiQVkCEVkNZaZA_VpTEnGA-oQsMdf1I8zbTpNumCuoSfwlNq0x8gt_OJFzH-nkZ3W_W_FEtI-68Kdbw0SQifLt7NYJpuOHKFIRRuo/s1600/stacking+the+shelves.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj69nUtCFqPxKPzBOko4_oIaSBSHKEjZ5vGdU8h-BSiQVkCEVkNZaZA_VpTEnGA-oQsMdf1I8zbTpNumCuoSfwlNq0x8gt_OJFzH-nkZ3W_W_FEtI-68Kdbw0SQifLt7NYJpuOHKFIRRuo/s320/stacking+the+shelves.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Books Purchased:</span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9-wc3x-DrNKmF0clqu1SLs4J9IDE5pyWXPtjTy0M6xU0i3giCSga2wojN93bZ5H8eABYCMr58ml9FfE5mEYJKvc7LdfTr3_pT1WUGfpNf_nInWD-TKhfnC7TKiMJ3kAQu3A_UaVbwas/s1600/oblivion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9-wc3x-DrNKmF0clqu1SLs4J9IDE5pyWXPtjTy0M6xU0i3giCSga2wojN93bZ5H8eABYCMr58ml9FfE5mEYJKvc7LdfTr3_pT1WUGfpNf_nInWD-TKhfnC7TKiMJ3kAQu3A_UaVbwas/s200/oblivion.jpg" width="131" /></a><b>The School for Good and Evil #3: The Last Ever After </b>by Soman Chainani <br />
<br />
<b>A Desperate Fortune </b>by Susanna Kearsley<br />
<br />
<b>Every Last Breath</b> (The Dark Elements) by Jennifer L. Armentrout<br />
<br />
<b>Oblivion: A Nevermore Book</b> by Kelly Creagh<br />
<br />
<b>Neverwhere: Author's Preferred Text</b> by Neil Gaiman<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Outlander 2016 Wall Calendar</b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPErre78RZslL30DXp63_6lSeo-5BpahbWGsHck2k6Zs1x5LiLH1MXXH31QOdKQsu_fOup-9qLy_-4BOpKJtmAyhx5BuM2fRzItP7y8-fOMjRHi5SzkHPEiSmuQ5t0RJfpghju6I3KFxg/s1600/hatter+m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPErre78RZslL30DXp63_6lSeo-5BpahbWGsHck2k6Zs1x5LiLH1MXXH31QOdKQsu_fOup-9qLy_-4BOpKJtmAyhx5BuM2fRzItP7y8-fOMjRHi5SzkHPEiSmuQ5t0RJfpghju6I3KFxg/s200/hatter+m.jpg" width="130" /></a><b>Outlander 2016 Boxed/Daily Calendar</b><br />
<br />
<b>Hatter M Volume 1: Far From Wonder</b> (Looking Glass Wars) by Frank Beddor - This is an updated version with additional material<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Most Likely to Succeed </b>(The Superlatives) by Jennifer Echols<br />
<br />
<b>Once Upon a Time: Shadow of the Queen</b> by Daniel T. Thomsen<br />
<br />
<b>The Accident Season</b> by Moira Fowley-Doyle<br />
<br />
<b>Insidious </b>(The Twixt) by Dawn Metcalf <br />
<br />
<b>The Nightmare Charade</b> (Arkwell Academy) by Mindee Arnett<br />
<br />
<b>Jesse's Girl</b> by Miranda Kenneally<br />
<br />
<b>The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zak</b> by Brian Katcher<br />
<br />
<b>The Boy Most Likely To </b>by Huntley Fitzpatrick<br />
<br />
<b>Never Always Sometimes</b> (Harlequin Teen) by Adi Alsaid<br />
<br />
<b>Fearless</b> <b>(Pax Arcana) </b>by Elliot James<br />
<br />
<b>Deception</b> by C.J. Redwine – Used Book<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Kindle Books Purchased:</span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnAlH5W6g6i6zmRLPeLn0LRFcfyEAsuXMva-qOV2koRsnnrPK6RMpbCAMevfYdBBsdPsOhFx3_ALdotyEnOxtKdaHdaZ3QXIEInp06Dh2NrX8hKFGvymLRZ7xfvpI3c-Wf-hXSnnr3wDI/s1600/off+the+page.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnAlH5W6g6i6zmRLPeLn0LRFcfyEAsuXMva-qOV2koRsnnrPK6RMpbCAMevfYdBBsdPsOhFx3_ALdotyEnOxtKdaHdaZ3QXIEInp06Dh2NrX8hKFGvymLRZ7xfvpI3c-Wf-hXSnnr3wDI/s200/off+the+page.jpg" width="131" /></a><b>The Reckoning: Book Two of the Taker Trilogy</b> by Alma Katsu – Kindle Daily Deal<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>The Descent: Book Three of the Taker Trilogy</b> by Alma Katsu – Kindle Daily Deal<br />
<br />
<b>The Light Princess</b> by George MacDonald – Free eBook<br />
<br />
<b>The Burning Sky</b> (The Elemental Trilogy Book 1) by Sherry Thomas – Publisher discounted at $1.99 <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjozvYvQw4x0BkH8yueNTEGs5kB41KbZFNufOMbujy3c3jx5r4kTC0UZjTMIdo0fN5a5q2u_kaMDbF_oWplAkMlW339ABY-rUULqojC75Inyt0GCPmYwytM3aR-K1WWRzLpOQeM8ibFVvs/s1600/falling+kingdoms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjozvYvQw4x0BkH8yueNTEGs5kB41KbZFNufOMbujy3c3jx5r4kTC0UZjTMIdo0fN5a5q2u_kaMDbF_oWplAkMlW339ABY-rUULqojC75Inyt0GCPmYwytM3aR-K1WWRzLpOQeM8ibFVvs/s200/falling+kingdoms.jpg" width="131" /></a><b>Off the Page</b> by Jodi Picoult, Samantha Van Leer, Yvonne Gilbert – Publisher discounted at $2.99 <br />
<br />
<b>Falling Kingdoms: A Falling Kingdoms Novel</b> by Morgan Rhodes - Publisher discounted at $2.99<br />
<br />
<b>The Last Time We Say Goodbye </b>by Cynthia Hand - Publisher discounted at $1.99 <br />
<br />
<b>Top Ten Sights: Bucharest</b> by Mark Jones – Free eBook<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSStLa89xEZFuo8vtx4pd9IJcuFp4oV10aKEVWD3YoWdjnwu7xq8ctNyGolUekhZdjo-M7C-tWnkIxBrSobyyE6jLsbsy9HQVvkQZ4kKCvn95tsQ2xzyaamZ6G-9zLlS4Ar7lto0LkVFA/s1600/anno+dracula.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSStLa89xEZFuo8vtx4pd9IJcuFp4oV10aKEVWD3YoWdjnwu7xq8ctNyGolUekhZdjo-M7C-tWnkIxBrSobyyE6jLsbsy9HQVvkQZ4kKCvn95tsQ2xzyaamZ6G-9zLlS4Ar7lto0LkVFA/s200/anno+dracula.jpg" width="128" /></a><b>Anno Dracula</b> by Kim Newman – Kindle Daily Deal - This actually came up as a daily deal the day I was staying at the Hotel Castel Dracula in the Borgo Pass in Transylvania, so naturally I had to buy it. It was providence.<br />
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<b>Iced Romance</b> by Whitney Boyd – Free eBook<br />
<br />
<b>Improper English</b> by Katie MacAlister – Free eBook<br />
<br />
<b>The Start of Me and You</b> by Emery Lord – Publisher discounted at $1.99 <br />
<br />
<b>Newford Stories: Crow Girls</b> by Charles de Lint<br />
<br />
<b>Geek Drama</b> (Geek Girl) by Holly Smale<br />
<br />
<b>Outcast (Courier's Daughter) </b>by C. J. Redwine<br />
<br />
<b>My Fairly Dangerous Godmother</b> by Janette Rallison, CJ Hill<br />
<br />
<b>Son of War, Daughter of Chaos</b> by Janette Rallison, CJ Hill <br />
<br />
<b>Center Ice </b>(Entangled Crush) (Corrigan Falls Raiders) by Cate Cameron<br />
<br />
<b>Not in the Script: An If Only novel</b> (If Only . . . Book 3) by Amy Finnegan - Kindle August Monthly Deal<br />
<br />
<b>First Frost</b> (Mythos Academy) by Jennifer Estep<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbUY8V6lHp7M3IHINhYPmVPVEwCMMd4rikVy3WkX7DNuqtFQoVm-ArNvwhBN7HVbUu-hclPcrUhks8NWwhdxqlFaX7i6H2ynQb9VqX2jhRJr1iLE5Vz4QibKbzU3Ti1RPb8G8DGmSbzSM/s1600/goong+18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbUY8V6lHp7M3IHINhYPmVPVEwCMMd4rikVy3WkX7DNuqtFQoVm-ArNvwhBN7HVbUu-hclPcrUhks8NWwhdxqlFaX7i6H2ynQb9VqX2jhRJr1iLE5Vz4QibKbzU3Ti1RPb8G8DGmSbzSM/s200/goong+18.jpg" width="136" /></a><br />
<b>Mia and the Bad Boy </b>(Entangled Crush) (Backstage Pass) by Lisa Burstein<br />
<br />
<b>Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie</b> by Maggie Stiefvater – Kindle August Monthly Deal<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Manga Purchased:</span></b><br />
<b>Goong, Vol. 18: The Royal Palace</b><br />
<br />Bohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116544104167420505noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979533387268460793.post-37392638407042334652015-07-31T21:55:00.000-04:002015-07-31T21:55:23.454-04:00Friday Night is Movie Night: Casual Vacancy Miniseries<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<br />
I just watched the HBO miniseries of Casual Vacancy. WTF!!! People, how could I have not had a clue??? Clearly, this is an example of buying the book based on the author's name alone.<br />
<br />
I admit it. I pre-ordered the book. Got a really good discount on it too. I mean, I loooove the Harry Potter books, but I fail to find many who have read them and don't like them. I've mostly met them what have not been converted yet. Or people who just don't read.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I figured it's JK! HP was awesome so Casual Vacancy must be too. I finally understand just how wrong I was.<br />
<br />
A secret I must tell. I still have not read the book. Had I read the book, I would have known to stay clear away from the miniseries. I apologize to any of you out there that liked the book or the miniseries, I shudder to think, but for me it was just bloody awful. I felt like I was watching a Victorian drama that should star Michelle Pfeiffer or Keira Knightly.<br />
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It was a horrid little town, everyone was miserable. What a sad, uninteresting and downright nasty bunch of people. If they weren't nasty, they were so far into their own misery and making everyone miserable around them.<br />
<br />
Everyone was unhappy, nobody got what they wanted, they all got the miserable ending they deserved and everybody died in the end. Okay, I made that last part up.<br />
<br />
Clearly this is an example of JK getting too big for her britches when what she really needs is to get over herself. I'm so disappointed. <br />
<br />
I still have a habit of buying books on speculation. I guess that won't stop, but maybe I ought to learn to make better choices in the future. Needless to say I will not be reading the book and I will divulge that I bought this book when it first came out. I am not buying so many books these days. <br />
<br />
Although, consumers be aware, Amazon is still discounting a lot of hot YA titles deeply and I am ordering the ones on my wishlist because the hard cover is currently cheaper than the paperback will be. Man I love a bargain!<br />
<br />
Seriously, though. A little warning next time. Someone could have gotten hurt. Bohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116544104167420505noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979533387268460793.post-83132601960229301492015-07-27T00:36:00.000-04:002015-07-27T00:36:40.847-04:00Stacking the Shelves - July 26, 2015I realize it is a little past midnight, but let's still pretend it's Sunday.<br />
<br />
So, I did something I haven't done in quite a while. I actually looked at my Kindle Matchbook titles. The reason why I hadn't looked in so long was because nothing new was ever added so I just stopped looking. Well, today, there were a lot of new titles added for books that I had bought years ago. The disclaimer does say that new books become available to the program, but nothing had been updated in so long, I kind of forgot about it. This, of course, created a whole new quandary.<br />
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I know I have mentioned that there are books on every floor of the house. Counting the basement and walk-in attic, that is four floors and most of the rooms have books. I'm a visual person and the problem that I run into is that I will pick up and read what is close to hand. So I have all these fantastic fantasy books downstairs by authors like Neil Gaiman, Terry Brooks, Raymond Feist, David Eddings, Robert Silverberg, Charles DeLint, Patricia McKillip and Janny Wurts to name a few, but I never pick them up to read because they are downstairs ion the library and my TBR piles are upstairs.<br />
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The solution? I actually purchased a number of the Matchbook titles for my Kindle which is actually perfect because I will be heading out for a vacation soon. The majority of the digital books are matchbooks and while I never planned to convert m entire library to digital format, by downloading the first book in a few series, I can at least get started so it will be easier for me to pick up the physical copies to read for the rest of the series.<br />
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Genius, no? Yes! At least that is my story for this week and I'm sticking to it...until a better excuse, um, story comes along.<br />
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Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Books Purchased:</span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihICqae9Haqxc3k-b0qURewafFiW00IPYuRGxi52TgdBsfuW_dhugP8YklKsTqefUSj3XTcRNDdTOCBrN0wq3c0fGtM23fYfiUvrkgwyq77UiCVA9KYSB8buvkPs8X-E-t5a1MOCADTXY/s1600/rogue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihICqae9Haqxc3k-b0qURewafFiW00IPYuRGxi52TgdBsfuW_dhugP8YklKsTqefUSj3XTcRNDdTOCBrN0wq3c0fGtM23fYfiUvrkgwyq77UiCVA9KYSB8buvkPs8X-E-t5a1MOCADTXY/s200/rogue.jpg" width="133" /></a>Rogue by Julie Kagawa<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Kindle Books Purchased: </span></b><br />
<b>Del Rey and Bantam Books 2015 Sampler</b> by Diana Gabaldon, Robin Hobb, Terry Brooks, Kevin Hearne, Pierce Brown – Free eBook Sampler<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKoajOUyiFwCI7pqHb_vxVaOZEtoN1xOE3dINPPflsgk4chvLcJRryUSTcJmS9F-x2Xkk-5cpzvc_jPEcv9xzrAQ-UJiI5J_QqrF1yc6TX-YiMTGDAUTWQY_8KUledFHKYWHTSsRFjSfg/s1600/anya+and+the+shy+guy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKoajOUyiFwCI7pqHb_vxVaOZEtoN1xOE3dINPPflsgk4chvLcJRryUSTcJmS9F-x2Xkk-5cpzvc_jPEcv9xzrAQ-UJiI5J_QqrF1yc6TX-YiMTGDAUTWQY_8KUledFHKYWHTSsRFjSfg/s200/anya+and+the+shy+guy.jpg" width="132" /></a><br />
<b>Anya and the Shy Guy</b> (Entangled Crush) (Backstage Pass) by Suze Winegardner – Kindle Daily Deal<br />
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<b>Torrent: A Novel</b> (River of Time Book 3) by Lisa T. Bergren – Marked down to $.99<br />
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<b>Messenger: Chapter 20 </b>by Alethea Kontis <br />
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<b>Getting Lucky Number Seven</b> (Entangled Embrace) by Cindi Madsen – Marked down to $.99<br />
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<b>Frankenstein or, The Modern Prometheus:</b> Original edition (illustrated) by Mary Shelley – Free eBook<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzVZCb1_3RCXMqF0HVBjRYwB5oebbF9J0wNJieKaRDbYXWm-xmBHCo2qbKWk7aZJlmLhpBSGBoT6Kvd87B6P3UogDeKfhZZR3zvVEDIlCVK9S0cNl2H9JQZH7xHtkEb1jrkJuQIuyvMM/s1600/spirits+in+the+wires.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzVZCb1_3RCXMqF0HVBjRYwB5oebbF9J0wNJieKaRDbYXWm-xmBHCo2qbKWk7aZJlmLhpBSGBoT6Kvd87B6P3UogDeKfhZZR3zvVEDIlCVK9S0cNl2H9JQZH7xHtkEb1jrkJuQIuyvMM/s200/spirits+in+the+wires.jpg" width="133" /></a><br />
<b>The Onion Girl </b>(Newford) by Charles de Lint – Kindle Matchbook<br />
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<b>Muse and Reverie</b> (Newford) by Charles de Lint – Kindle Matchbook<br />
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<b>Widdershins</b> (Newford) by Charles de Lint – Kindle Matchbook<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOAek-5qLZYPcok2MrxKKSig550dlQ5UBtMl6PkDdMAOdg879P-etWC2RN1HBBgvZJEmlIi_1DS7zubQlS1qWzYrVkgVS09mCYPtJQpWtmwjLt8ViBW0s18Cups0cjvqN-WjdWJacNCqE/s1600/forests+of+the+heart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOAek-5qLZYPcok2MrxKKSig550dlQ5UBtMl6PkDdMAOdg879P-etWC2RN1HBBgvZJEmlIi_1DS7zubQlS1qWzYrVkgVS09mCYPtJQpWtmwjLt8ViBW0s18Cups0cjvqN-WjdWJacNCqE/s200/forests+of+the+heart.jpg" width="133" /></a><br />
<b>Spirits in the Wires</b> (Newford) by Charles de Lint – Kindle Matchbook<br />
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<b>Forests of the Heart</b> (Newford) by Charles de Lint – Kindle Matchbook<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGoWLnGZmZJLl1JQjiujWkjGD8yN14S5FQUefSDFK3JJkGk5lRFGO7q1LMotA2_sb_bMkyIZr4fwn1vc8_yD5SjH4ToP1OoZ_Kcp_ge4N12LI5LENsp1SK63FwK6pd7yLHQU4dUl09siw/s1600/mystery+of+grace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGoWLnGZmZJLl1JQjiujWkjGD8yN14S5FQUefSDFK3JJkGk5lRFGO7q1LMotA2_sb_bMkyIZr4fwn1vc8_yD5SjH4ToP1OoZ_Kcp_ge4N12LI5LENsp1SK63FwK6pd7yLHQU4dUl09siw/s200/mystery+of+grace.jpg" width="136" /></a><b>The Mystery of Grace </b>by Charles de Lint – Kindle Matchbook<br />
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<b>The Dark Mirror: Book One of the Bridei Chronicles </b>by Juliet Marillier – Kindle Matchbook<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7YOHoQO0PVGB1lUEc5hFdZYgJU4UWdEOBot5dPmXfvuHoLmEy21I91mtIOw6RoDXnzFIzxcuABPxVvzZUcO3QpsWJNILfZJgarS-losP3KK56MEkb8mM2Gi-yIzHuN7nzkV8ri3sz7yE/s1600/dark+mirror.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7YOHoQO0PVGB1lUEc5hFdZYgJU4UWdEOBot5dPmXfvuHoLmEy21I91mtIOw6RoDXnzFIzxcuABPxVvzZUcO3QpsWJNILfZJgarS-losP3KK56MEkb8mM2Gi-yIzHuN7nzkV8ri3sz7yE/s200/dark+mirror.jpg" width="123" /></a><b>Daughter of the Forest </b>(The Sevenwaters Trilogy Book 1) by Juliet Marillier – Kindle Matchbook<br />
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<b>The Iron Tree: Book One of The Crowthistle Chronicles </b>by Cecilia Dart-Thornton – Kindle Matchbook<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-3kbp4oZbk_MTULD6MN-C_qti7DdzMcrKDGqf-9DmhZP7MpaHmqmJz-FcG8pI4_7RBTpzIxzWV0kfinmE9VFebfcUuz4uITBjiwg2zEZ_L8OagU1_uSa5S0lwI5nrB5xzKKWtnLK1dE/s1600/daughter+of+hte+forest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFvvC1Pe9A4pd5W-tGmxGgMH_ijAbZIskB7teC-wMx4294isiVN97MMGkrPPhceYNGhyphenhypheneybfoCG7Ewk4K6M-hiRZhuhIeG9ehBygcY2nQhSV5p9J_ArYzDuApRlPEibHZ_BouqZ9-jxc/s1600/antigoddess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFvvC1Pe9A4pd5W-tGmxGgMH_ijAbZIskB7teC-wMx4294isiVN97MMGkrPPhceYNGhyphenhypheneybfoCG7Ewk4K6M-hiRZhuhIeG9ehBygcY2nQhSV5p9J_ArYzDuApRlPEibHZ_BouqZ9-jxc/s200/antigoddess.jpg" width="139" /></a><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-3kbp4oZbk_MTULD6MN-C_qti7DdzMcrKDGqf-9DmhZP7MpaHmqmJz-FcG8pI4_7RBTpzIxzWV0kfinmE9VFebfcUuz4uITBjiwg2zEZ_L8OagU1_uSa5S0lwI5nrB5xzKKWtnLK1dE/s200/daughter+of+hte+forest.jpg" width="122" /><b></b><br />
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<b>The Golden Hills of Westria</b> by Diana L. Paxson – Kindle Matchbook<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg52rLv9PTVLlgU0CJpDOiw14fJ5BFxsCwGtBqQEsRzBlfS0tIgMcNPgAU63wXCIDuthsKn1DyvTvBdBDWMN2F0n5KDBBp20tHCs1jsStoTsYiZ05EOUtqi0dlxcAZinMIMHOz6IuTJzW0/s1600/westria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg52rLv9PTVLlgU0CJpDOiw14fJ5BFxsCwGtBqQEsRzBlfS0tIgMcNPgAU63wXCIDuthsKn1DyvTvBdBDWMN2F0n5KDBBp20tHCs1jsStoTsYiZ05EOUtqi0dlxcAZinMIMHOz6IuTJzW0/s200/westria.jpg" width="131" /></a><b>Antigoddess </b>(The Goddess War Book 1) by Kendare Blake – Kindle Matchbook<br />
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<b>The Consequence of Loving Colton</b> by Rachel Van Dyken – Kindle July Monthly Deal<br />
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<br />Bohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116544104167420505noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979533387268460793.post-47583046444196010062015-07-23T22:55:00.003-04:002015-07-23T22:55:52.701-04:00To Buy or Not to Buy: My Pride, His Prejudice by Jenni James<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">My Pride, His Prejudice (Austen in Love Book 1) by Jenni James</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Book Description (From Amazon):</span></b><br />
When Will Darcy proposes out of the blue, Eliza Bennet's world comes crashing down. Of course she tells him no, but why would he ask her in the first place? Haven’t they always been enemies? For the past year, Eliza has worked for Will's company, Revolutionary Innovations, as an efficiency expert. Her whole goal has been to raise profits, finish her contract, and then get out. She assumed Will wanted the same, but now she's not so sure. And more importantly, she has begun to wonder if she made a mistake in telling him no. <br />
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Jenni James, author of The Jane Austen Diaries series for teens, does it again! Now she's creating a whole new series just for adults, Austen in Love. Book #1 is a delightful adaptation of Pride and Prejudice that has all the components of Jane Austen's amazing love story, sticking true to the original theme, while taking modern liberties to give this a fresh, new twist for the clean romance genre. <br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">My First Impression:</span></b><br />
This story doesn’t start when Elizabeth meets Fitzwilliam Darcy. It begins when he proposes. The only trouble as, as with Jane Austen original story, Eliza is less than accepting of Will’s proposal and even goes so far as to believe he is joking. She insists he never liked her, so why would he propose. She just can’t accept that he could really have feelings for her. He is handsome, rich, owns his own company and is her boss. She is a hired consultant to get his company on track. Love was never part of the contract.<br />
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Naturally, she turns him down and she has a weekend to get herself together before she has to face him at work Monday. What she finds is a distracted man, clearly upset but unwilling to speak about it. Eliza believes that she is the cause of his lack of composure, but he assures her she is not. He informs he needs to leave for a few days to take care of some personal business which he won’t disclose and asks Eliza to cover for him. Despite the unfortunate proposal attempt, he still trusts her to take care of his company.<br />
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Eliza finally worms the story out of him how his 18 year old sister, Georgia has eloped to Las Vegas with his old partner, George Wickham who goes by the nickname Joe. No one has seen her or heard from in several days and Will needs to go find her. While his story may be softening her opinion of him, he takes it a step further and kisses her before he leaves her office.<br />
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I’m not quite sure what to think of this one. I do have other books by Jenni James and I have a large number of modern retellings of Jane Austen’s stories, but perhaps this is one too many. I think I need to mull this one over for a while. <br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Decision?</span></b><br />
Not to buy…for now.Bohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116544104167420505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979533387268460793.post-26078310310019599832015-07-21T22:52:00.000-04:002015-07-21T22:52:04.570-04:00Internal Ramblings - The Modern Cinderella StorySo I went to a teen pop band concert with my niece, Brianna and sister-in-law, Shannon. Brianna is totally obsessed with R5 and has been for some time. I must confess, I really like them, too. Don't judge.<br />
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It was kind of a weird experience. First off, I didn't go to my first concert until I was 15. I went to a show at Monmouth College with my best friend to see Loggins & Messina. Who you ask? No one of consequence anymore, but I really dug them. Brianna has seen R5 four times now and she's only 12. She's been to other shows too. Some of the stuff she listens to is just way too pop-y for me, but R5 is a talented bunch of musicians, singers and songwriters.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtZhYswb7dWHDjgNpEA07XJOioRJtGF1bHUYRHK27YfvhscYXcDWPzEh0krwlt5qRtJ4mIr_5TV8enlaHpn3Pt0Li5lWa0i4nNaE7k3Bn6ztmBEf-O43A9eDIKFieNTxrz8CGSV6cAFW0/s1600/R5rocks+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtZhYswb7dWHDjgNpEA07XJOioRJtGF1bHUYRHK27YfvhscYXcDWPzEh0krwlt5qRtJ4mIr_5TV8enlaHpn3Pt0Li5lWa0i4nNaE7k3Bn6ztmBEf-O43A9eDIKFieNTxrz8CGSV6cAFW0/s320/R5rocks+2.jpg" width="320" /></a>We were in general admission seating real close to the fence that separated us from the upper crust. Standing in front of us was about four rows of teen, tween and younger girls. I guess they are all cute, four guys and one girl, which really helps them sell records. All I can tell you is the squee factor was at an all-time high. Not only was there lots of screaming at an inaudible pitch, the girls were also screaming things like "Ryker, I love you", "take off your shirt" and my favorite "I want to have your babies".<br />
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Brianna met a friend around her age and luckily, the screaming teens were compassionate people at least and shoved the two of the up against the fence so they could see. I was not quite so fortunate. I am short and could only see parts of the stage in between heads and such.<br />
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But all the screaming and histrionics really got me thinking. First thought? Do you idiot girls really think the band can a) hear you and what you're saying?, b) see you beyond the stage lights that are shining in their faces, and c) are going to notice you, drop their incredibly hot beach babe girlfriend to date you? I think no to all these questions, but yet the continued to scream.<br />
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That brought to mind one of the current popular genres in teen romance, the Rock 'N' Roll bad boy (or insert movie star) and the local girl. I was wondering why it is such a popular genre. And that's when I realized, that it's a fairytale. Swap handsome prince, with hot rock star/movie star and voila! All these girls were dressed for the ball, but rather than a ball gown, they were decked out in super short cutoff jean shorts, tank tops and flip flops or converse. A lot of converse. The princes didn't arrive on a white horse, but rather a golf cart. Instead of a sword to slay the dragon, they laid down the fat tracks which were as sharp as a knife.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUW5P_nj0E38Huz733AzcpDVvA6L2JxAuEX9_2Wl4mxO-l4u__f37wWEvDoOsnzRtWmcDq2QW-U7wxf8NNcT4m-mGHiOYINut9gzSI6YwG4i2SGGIvPYYcpK2_X7gFRtzmK93EPtnScls/s1600/catch+a+falling+star.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUW5P_nj0E38Huz733AzcpDVvA6L2JxAuEX9_2Wl4mxO-l4u__f37wWEvDoOsnzRtWmcDq2QW-U7wxf8NNcT4m-mGHiOYINut9gzSI6YwG4i2SGGIvPYYcpK2_X7gFRtzmK93EPtnScls/s200/catch+a+falling+star.jpg" width="133" /></a>But I guess that's why I like these types of stories so much. I just finished Catch a Falling Star by Kim Culbertson which was about a local girl and a movie star recently released from rehab. They are all so formulaic, but that is what I love about them. I want the girl to win the prince and have her happily ever after. Since it is never going to happen in real life, I can at least dream about it and there are plenty of books to read like the Entangled Crush Backstage Pass series of books.<br />
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We all need our fantasies and to believe that dreams can come true, that life can be a fairytale. There's no harm in dreaming as long as it doesn't become an obsession. So, you go ahead girls. Scream your bloody heads off and I sincerely hope that they might look your way or you might get to touch one of them. No matter how unrealistic it might be, a life without hope and dreams is a pretty dead life if you ask me. For me? I'm just going to go read quietly in the corner with my earplugs in.Bohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116544104167420505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979533387268460793.post-69545314848373538632015-07-19T23:49:00.002-04:002015-07-19T23:49:57.945-04:00Stacking the Shelves - July 19,2015I know it's been awhile since I've been able to get a STS post written, not for lack of trying. Even now it is 11pm and I am feeling the day. The yawning has already started, but I am determined to get my cache posted from the past month.<br />
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Before you judge me, I do want to point out that Amazon is currently discounting some books at 48% off. It was such a bargain I couldn't resist.<br />
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Here are some currently on sale at 48% off: The Stars Never Rise by Rachel Vincent, The White Rose (Jewel) by Amy Ewing, Hello, Goodbye and Everything in Between by Jennifer E. Smith, The Clasp by Sloane Crosby, Ice Like Fire (Snow Like Ashes) by Sara Raasch, Dreamland by Robert L. Anderson, A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston, The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zak by Brian Katcher, Black Widow, Forever Red by Margaret Stohl, Spinning Starlight by R.C. Lewis,Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid, Dumplin' by Julie Murphy and The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick. To name a few. So get your pre-orders in before the prices go up. <br />
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You see, I just had to buy some of them. They were a bargain. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. So here is my June/July haul.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0QJSG9e5ZV3NyZbr95wG-DXWQBckA8JYLRmt8OHoRBLr1z52vdqhHNejzFrTXaPBKxV2nQl9xt7XA7z-y_5v_49X-bad5U9l6MliVijumvNuQarhxB5baegcWk1mNpEnJduTPad0kc44/s1600/stacking+the+shelves.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0QJSG9e5ZV3NyZbr95wG-DXWQBckA8JYLRmt8OHoRBLr1z52vdqhHNejzFrTXaPBKxV2nQl9xt7XA7z-y_5v_49X-bad5U9l6MliVijumvNuQarhxB5baegcWk1mNpEnJduTPad0kc44/s320/stacking+the+shelves.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Books Purchased:</span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5zZU1nLoQufSXjVRZd-UF0BBeWwGzhNjc8o0cRJGzGqiPDRshOooFw_Rt8iKcVLMtpPjdL3xhbUoTdSeFRbLFmslEFQK53fjUiCLW54w3DYNt8L9Iq34ftTC4OlmZgdTHd64CaMhFkT0/s1600/book+spirits+thieves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5zZU1nLoQufSXjVRZd-UF0BBeWwGzhNjc8o0cRJGzGqiPDRshOooFw_Rt8iKcVLMtpPjdL3xhbUoTdSeFRbLFmslEFQK53fjUiCLW54w3DYNt8L9Iq34ftTC4OlmZgdTHd64CaMhFkT0/s200/book+spirits+thieves.jpg" width="131" /></a>The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler <br />
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Split Second by Kasie West<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlW1fRNRFF8c66OKrD4FPiSHLvqI1iX_EZbrQdr5mkGQTMfm_jqYr0RHbsRtSYaxWAkUiv2_KsHbW2_9FoY9Gfc_oBEOD6HiRWE3cw9tHDiwm7Y5HwL1fVMr5ZGPwvEn71V3pDL-AdNso/s1600/Isle+of+the+lost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlW1fRNRFF8c66OKrD4FPiSHLvqI1iX_EZbrQdr5mkGQTMfm_jqYr0RHbsRtSYaxWAkUiv2_KsHbW2_9FoY9Gfc_oBEOD6HiRWE3cw9tHDiwm7Y5HwL1fVMr5ZGPwvEn71V3pDL-AdNso/s200/Isle+of+the+lost.jpg" width="130" /></a><br />
A Book of Spirits and Thieves by Morgan Rhodes<br />
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The Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel by Melissa de la Cruz - I'd like to be able to read it before Descendants airs on the Disney Channel<br />
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The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl-yk_7yavbTytKg7pA6PBESBodiSJ3AfIFrxM-IoOX-ZQ3OFd0VN_iTvJpuLeVt_gnyw9-Xi1JqX37Tf04yQ0lA3jAJ6hyphenhyphenDHX01bhMFXkeyxLhKZRbtLS6VgCtqT40UQ7J11p5tCOEnM/s1600/silver+in+the+blood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl-yk_7yavbTytKg7pA6PBESBodiSJ3AfIFrxM-IoOX-ZQ3OFd0VN_iTvJpuLeVt_gnyw9-Xi1JqX37Tf04yQ0lA3jAJ6hyphenhyphenDHX01bhMFXkeyxLhKZRbtLS6VgCtqT40UQ7J11p5tCOEnM/s200/silver+in+the+blood.jpg" width="131" /></a>Silver in the Blood by Jessica Day George - 48% off - Takes place in Romania where hubby is<br />
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Rook by Sharon Cameron - 48% off<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic9nunYZBPoIXWJvYF4Sfqp182jSEjmSwIqZnntZt2zUQxE0pQouTYUWq-wezDeAaRTHr-xjY7CQ1lZ9RevHXJ8kuflRv6EJVIxsJIM-jM_ZxhLGfUc8DKRboNG0Go5_QHbQC9KolMuvo/s1600/rook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic9nunYZBPoIXWJvYF4Sfqp182jSEjmSwIqZnntZt2zUQxE0pQouTYUWq-wezDeAaRTHr-xjY7CQ1lZ9RevHXJ8kuflRv6EJVIxsJIM-jM_ZxhLGfUc8DKRboNG0Go5_QHbQC9KolMuvo/s200/rook.jpg" width="130" /></a><br />
The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things by Ann Aguirre<br />
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Star Wars: Heir to the Jedi by Kevin Hearne<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTcbdjPXMRteNbqZQMuiftJHDIqbDEW5IFZubUeUVD1WxoLPGHTLqHIYQEuxgIdyCUOt2luwlLsvUaRFgyLkWqJHmX0d5OD-KfD-zw7gbokN7wjXKe95S5Gf-GhwE19GGsIwbWRe14IEw/s1600/heir+to+the+jedi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTcbdjPXMRteNbqZQMuiftJHDIqbDEW5IFZubUeUVD1WxoLPGHTLqHIYQEuxgIdyCUOt2luwlLsvUaRFgyLkWqJHmX0d5OD-KfD-zw7gbokN7wjXKe95S5Gf-GhwE19GGsIwbWRe14IEw/s200/heir+to+the+jedi.jpg" width="131" /></a>Pip Bartlett’s Guide to Magical Creatures by Maggie Stiefvater and Jackson Pearce - I missed this one at Book Expo. I was on line for something else and didn't make it back in time<br />
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Bone # 1: Out of Boneville Tribute Edition by Jeff Smith<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjlUFFOcnwf7Zg2R65lOsjD4sWrYYU93EvfL1yGucJ6JEliW4a41uet3rTrE_02hz4xgi5KLgtZhAeTv9uREL5_brtpt8nBXAhypBYTWQp0SSGlTTlv656gAM0t8ai1ORjLzmirLydkUA/s1600/pip+bartlett.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjlUFFOcnwf7Zg2R65lOsjD4sWrYYU93EvfL1yGucJ6JEliW4a41uet3rTrE_02hz4xgi5KLgtZhAeTv9uREL5_brtpt8nBXAhypBYTWQp0SSGlTTlv656gAM0t8ai1ORjLzmirLydkUA/s200/pip+bartlett.jpg" width="132" /></a><br />
Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone - 48% off<br />
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Jessie’s Girl by Miranda Kenneally<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Kindle Books Purchased: </span></b><br />
Remember When (The Remember Trilogy Book 1) by T. Torrest – Free eBook<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV8UVNlV6UXWdQCyOiGAEZmJYLbJhqYoaAq4CZ9xmVN4_6GHrd6MBtA8eCxlcecgmzz1HLoO_KMZei1IJYwu8E3J1TsMlcx_0GlgBZ-A-YymlOS63AuffaUBRW0kOQrwMjlBLvnQSCAbA/s1600/tales+of+arilland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV8UVNlV6UXWdQCyOiGAEZmJYLbJhqYoaAq4CZ9xmVN4_6GHrd6MBtA8eCxlcecgmzz1HLoO_KMZei1IJYwu8E3J1TsMlcx_0GlgBZ-A-YymlOS63AuffaUBRW0kOQrwMjlBLvnQSCAbA/s200/tales+of+arilland.jpg" width="130" /></a><br />
The Chapel Wars by Lindsey Leavitt – Kindle The Big Deal Sale<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP9ryXXMsxSTxYjeOR8CBtfsLMQCln8EH9ad9s5OREHhUZGdlywTlSdN5HsAJeZxJTQ-Wy2gZVl9nm43dTmnM_FJvuGgtMY4PfX3R0Q6MX5oorVm4RTIyOQ9bxQDFt7K_oKDs-F26-Yyo/s1600/trixter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP9ryXXMsxSTxYjeOR8CBtfsLMQCln8EH9ad9s5OREHhUZGdlywTlSdN5HsAJeZxJTQ-Wy2gZVl9nm43dTmnM_FJvuGgtMY4PfX3R0Q6MX5oorVm4RTIyOQ9bxQDFt7K_oKDs-F26-Yyo/s200/trixter.jpg" width="132" /></a>Stone Cold Touch (The Dark Elements Book 2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout – Kindle Daily Deal<br />
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Tales of Arilland by Alethea Kontis<br />
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Vicious by V. E. Schwab – Marked Down to $2.99<br />
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All-American Girl by Meg Cabot – Kindle Monthly Deal for May<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2oQRKUySzSQ6SwA9X9S2bqeAhjjORMWxxm_MCnEy10C1nUQ3xJ8e9P0Rc8OnhRQk-EGawC4HsjPdNVPT4G8WF-kWHvgXY7c7oXE3iW0Hc2RewxDxUGOYgnwl21G5gN6I2og-LxeP40s4/s1600/all+the+bright+places..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2oQRKUySzSQ6SwA9X9S2bqeAhjjORMWxxm_MCnEy10C1nUQ3xJ8e9P0Rc8OnhRQk-EGawC4HsjPdNVPT4G8WF-kWHvgXY7c7oXE3iW0Hc2RewxDxUGOYgnwl21G5gN6I2og-LxeP40s4/s200/all+the+bright+places..jpg" width="131" /></a>Catch a Falling Star by Kim Culbertson – Kindle Monthly Deal for May<br />
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Trixter (The Trix Adventures Book 1) by Alethea Kontis<br />
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Royally Lost by Angie Stanton - Kindle Monthly Deal for May<br />
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Hero (The Woodcutter Sisters Book 2) by Alethea Kontis - Kindle Monthly Deal for May<br />
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Trial by Fire (The Worldwalker Trilogy Book 1) by Josephine Angelini – Kindle Monthly Deal for May<br />
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All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven – Marked down to $2.99 - I missed getting this at BEA so I was really happy the price dropped in Kindle<br />
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Rise (The Paper Gods) by Amanda Sun – Free eBook<br />
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Lying Out Loud by Kody Keplinger – Marked down to $2.99<br />
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Daisy and the Front Man (Entangled Crush) (Backstage Pass) by Rebekah L. Purdy<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikUL3Z-fG-cI2yvoTqcYBu6apiZnPNF1lseAgopB0-nGHltcVJ8G9xjHl5dqoPE23jECd7bsiVV0FacmNR7kEwNBPCG10z2iTKTqv2N957_bpnIPPcdVFZz1z2yYQ4mYPH7DXRzFV2ADY/s1600/rowan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikUL3Z-fG-cI2yvoTqcYBu6apiZnPNF1lseAgopB0-nGHltcVJ8G9xjHl5dqoPE23jECd7bsiVV0FacmNR7kEwNBPCG10z2iTKTqv2N957_bpnIPPcdVFZz1z2yYQ4mYPH7DXRzFV2ADY/s320/rowan.jpg" width="209" /></a><br />
Lovestruck in London (Lovestruck Series, Book 1) by Rachel Schurig – Free eBook<br />
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Me & My Invisible Guy by Sarah Jeffrey – Marked down to $1.99<br />
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Dream Boy by Mary Crockett, Madelyn Rosenberg – Kindle Daily Deal<br />
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Voice of Gods (Blood of Gods and Royals) byEleanor Herman – Free eBook<br />
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The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean – Marked down to $1.99<br />
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Rowan by Josephine Angelini, Holly West<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiNc1nPoI4M3DREMorCmKIzs219AIiKfr521XNJXsA9WmiyAr7GXmDnrK1kFvYHOS05eeznuYV1UrTHwlCciAYw57Lu8Pk9LJQX-nilr_iyuk_BLGAGGsun0T7477HWlaNzFsi6Pukkd4/s1600/unlikely+event.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiNc1nPoI4M3DREMorCmKIzs219AIiKfr521XNJXsA9WmiyAr7GXmDnrK1kFvYHOS05eeznuYV1UrTHwlCciAYw57Lu8Pk9LJQX-nilr_iyuk_BLGAGGsun0T7477HWlaNzFsi6Pukkd4/s320/unlikely+event.jpg" width="214" /></a><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Gift Received:</span></b><br />
In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume – Autographed copy a gift from my niece<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Manga Purchased:</span></b><br />
Yukarism 2<br />
Skip Beat! 34<br />
Meteor Prince 2<br />
Library Wars: Love & War 13<br />
Kiss of the Rose Princess 3<br />
Kiss of the Rose Princess 4<br />
Kimi ni Todoke (From Me to You) 21<br />
Kamisama Kiss 17<br />
Kamisama Kiss 18<br />
Denegeki Daisy 16<br />
<br />Bohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116544104167420505noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979533387268460793.post-39862606666413164692015-07-18T12:28:00.000-04:002015-07-18T12:28:02.257-04:00Sample Sized Reviews or Where Have I Been?Well, so far this summer has not turned out like I planned.<br />
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Hubby is in Romania for two months. I have no problem with that. He is taking a language course and then will be doing research for his Master's thesis. In five short months I will be living my own movie, "Tammy and the Professor". It's ironic you see as my mother named me after the Tammy movies from the 60s starring Debbie Reynolds, Sandra Dee and I can't remember who else.<br />
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Yes, the issue is not hat he is gone, but rather my grand plans in his absence.<br />
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First let me apologize for my absence. It was unexpected. Hubby left on June 29, but the last two weeks of June were spent running errands and taking care of business to get him ready to go. When I did have a moment to breathe, I was far to tired to do anything, not even read, and I was often in bed by 10:00. That is big considering I would be up until at least midnight every night. So no time in June.<br />
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I figured once he left I would have all the time in the world. I went to Vermont for July 4th to see my niece, nephew and sister-in-law and the few days in between Cam's departure and heading to Vermont were spent getting me ready to go to Vermont. it was only a four day trip, but the drive home was ridiculous and I didn't get home until about 9.<br />
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So with the weekend over, I figured I have plenty of time to write and read. I really am so naive. I still have a lot of work to do around the house. I have cleaning to do. Weeding to do. Errands to run. Bills to pay. A bicycle to ride. Clothes to fold, well T-shirts really, and clothes to hang. My fear was that I would end up doing nothing and I would stare at the ceiling in my spare time due to a brain implosion. Well, that fear was unfounded.<br />
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As it turns out, I still have no time for anything. The weekend is my time to get things done. And I swear I have not been sleeping the day away. The trouble is everyone wants to make sure that I am not hibernating in Cam's absence. I love our friends, I really do and I feel so lucky to have them in our lives, but I just can't keep up this pace. Last weekend was the first weekend after July 4th. I went to the movies Friday, the pool all day Saturday and on Sunday had a barbecue/pool invitation, a pool invitation and a dinner invite. I never stopped moving. So Monday comes along and I am dead tired.<br />
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And, of course, I have to spend quality time with Egg. He misses his daddy and he constantly tells me about it. Well, what he does is yell loudly in my ear and demand scratchies. But all the time. If I am not moving for a second he is on me like white on rice. He is used to daddy being home during the day, but now he is all on his own.<br />
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Today is my first day I can really spend some time writing. And that is only because I put another chair next to my computer so he can nap on that while I type from the other. I do have to leave in a couple hours though as I'm heading to a show with Cam's sister and niece. Tomorrow, maybe the pool if the weather is nice. <br />
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Anyway, I do plan to take more time to write even if that means I have to kiss off some of the chores. I hate cleaning anyway. I can't hire a cleaning service, though, because I don't like people touching my stuff.<br />
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This is supposed to be about books, not my pathetic excuses. As I have not been able to get any reading done, I decided to write a very short blurb about some of the samples I have managed to read. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfuceK-l5dTjdqkXHiJAABD6uw-9GIwMIyS3LgcX_FysdF3IIGNtvVtHQOQx71ZFNIePL-O9P2XFmG07fOfu4lRZ2iVR3fr7KnF2-7-OhyGPyFyisN4I-ykOrNsE8GD4VeZQjATmNccc/s1600/galgorithm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfuceK-l5dTjdqkXHiJAABD6uw-9GIwMIyS3LgcX_FysdF3IIGNtvVtHQOQx71ZFNIePL-O9P2XFmG07fOfu4lRZ2iVR3fr7KnF2-7-OhyGPyFyisN4I-ykOrNsE8GD4VeZQjATmNccc/s200/galgorithm.jpg" width="132" /></a><b>Galgorithm by Aaron Karo</b><br />
This read like a movie or a commercial/infomercial and not in a good way. The book is from a male point of view, our narrator so calculating, knowing just how to advise fellow male students on what to do to get the girls to notice them. I made it through two chapters before deciding it wasn’t for me. - <b>No</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY5pyj7Lwd9ChYTsCRS7PgssxVrTw8XAIjHGGx5vLrcfiS3-sgkuGHkoAHN93Pz5ToUNat-juGvHBF-xYIHKKbjOt9sa_G7NyHjYrVlXLIyl-0QBAivpqutrLi3UddN8zbEmjCENmvsr0/s1600/dark+paradise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY5pyj7Lwd9ChYTsCRS7PgssxVrTw8XAIjHGGx5vLrcfiS3-sgkuGHkoAHN93Pz5ToUNat-juGvHBF-xYIHKKbjOt9sa_G7NyHjYrVlXLIyl-0QBAivpqutrLi3UddN8zbEmjCENmvsr0/s1600/dark+paradise.jpg" /></a><b>Dark Paradise by Angie Sandro</b><br />
Another witch story, but add in a touch of voodoo in the deep, deep south. Woman, witch, curse, deep south. Sound familiar? I think I’d prefer to just finally read Beautiful Creatures. -<b> No</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjrGFIFoGjH5pfo1ZOWSXmX6Q0aLorZvbcE8i3ZPZ2tURWthnzXmeZJRo_3qtYa8cMBAsSP7mY18q4Lpoq5Y0uMm7RYDHdBev-fm4R7ll3cZ8vZ7GjA1IVbVRD5wVaPqwbB_Kw2Av6IxM/s1600/my+faire+lady.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjrGFIFoGjH5pfo1ZOWSXmX6Q0aLorZvbcE8i3ZPZ2tURWthnzXmeZJRo_3qtYa8cMBAsSP7mY18q4Lpoq5Y0uMm7RYDHdBev-fm4R7ll3cZ8vZ7GjA1IVbVRD5wVaPqwbB_Kw2Av6IxM/s200/my+faire+lady.jpg" width="132" /></a><b>My Faire Lady by Laura Wettersten</b><br />
Rowena is a recent dumpee and like many dumpees, her ex left her for another girl. Well, he cheated on her. Just once I would like to see the relationship end because it just wasn’t working out, not because the guy was cheating on the girl. Just once. Regardless. Rowena had a summer job lined up at the mall, which she now doesn’t want to take because of her ex and his new GF. Since she has to work to contribute to her college fund, she finds a job listing for a body art specialist which happens to be at the local Renaissance Festival. I am a fan of the whole medieval thing and you’d think it would be right up my alley, but I just could not get into this. - <b>No</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0rqbqGlN3WM-Gaa0oZG6X0U8gal3B4hWquXkbZOEGmaVBsdkDSoTD_PusMlA-oC2pzz-oHbqCtZgRZHvgI-eu0yfxHkneDURYQWAMZ4-E1uFXstj1VT2ZOX8JmH1Wymqjcj31jzPe2_8/s1600/every+last+word.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0rqbqGlN3WM-Gaa0oZG6X0U8gal3B4hWquXkbZOEGmaVBsdkDSoTD_PusMlA-oC2pzz-oHbqCtZgRZHvgI-eu0yfxHkneDURYQWAMZ4-E1uFXstj1VT2ZOX8JmH1Wymqjcj31jzPe2_8/s200/every+last+word.jpg" width="131" /></a><b>Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone</b><br />
Samantha, our main character, is suffering from a condition. She has episodes where she starts thinking all these terrible thoughts about the people around her. It is difficult to control and she has a hard time hiding it from her friends. She has to focus on thinking new thoughts to drive the dark thoughts out of her head. Her mom helps her calm down and get control of her thoughts. Samantha intrigues me and I definitely want to know more about the root cause of her episodes. - <b>Yes</b><br />
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<b>Rook by Sharon Cameron</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ-W9lJaPNktt3kpEWxAVA_AzDoJ1kz1-ObmEHCsgcYmEEjPfSJpvV_i5bX49cc6cYV5dLFi6Zb4TxdSkoqXs9mBx89out8OqdrzN9YtdeYE1iXdmejjgTevPCbJRsumLRjIr0QgQsaf4/s1600/rook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ-W9lJaPNktt3kpEWxAVA_AzDoJ1kz1-ObmEHCsgcYmEEjPfSJpvV_i5bX49cc6cYV5dLFi6Zb4TxdSkoqXs9mBx89out8OqdrzN9YtdeYE1iXdmejjgTevPCbJRsumLRjIr0QgQsaf4/s200/rook.jpg" width="130" /></a>This is Paris in an alternate reality. The city has sunken and anyone opposing the current party in power are executed. The Red Rook rescues condemned prisoners before they can be executed, leaving behind only a red rook feather in their prison cell. What no one realizes is that the Red Rook is actually a privileged woman of city about to marry a wealthy elite. It is sort of a Scarlet Pimpernel story but with role reversal for a new generation. - <b>Yes</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEUUCRBnZ-zpd1_ENC1nbIXxTkd5vcgO01udKizDFLD6s0-Xr0RWa8zNJLYqDyNm5j5xHBfWZU3arPOM5AH9svuJu0Fzx3s4VyvS-Rt7OTFFBUB_qzzdl3kb3-t1cGDpcL4IxQg3_U0NE/s1600/liam+darcy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEUUCRBnZ-zpd1_ENC1nbIXxTkd5vcgO01udKizDFLD6s0-Xr0RWa8zNJLYqDyNm5j5xHBfWZU3arPOM5AH9svuJu0Fzx3s4VyvS-Rt7OTFFBUB_qzzdl3kb3-t1cGDpcL4IxQg3_U0NE/s200/liam+darcy.jpg" width="133" /></a><b>Liam Darcy, I Loathe You by Heidi Jo Doxey</b><br />
I saw this on the book shelf. It is the first in the Jane Journals at Pemberley Prep series. Well, I like the sound of that. So, I downloaded a sample. What I didn’t realize is that the story doesn’t center on any one character, or at least it didn’t seem to from the sample I read. There are journal entries from at least 6 girls. For me, at least from the length of the sample, there was no cohesiveness and it was all over the place. I couldn’t get a feel for any of the characters and the journal entries were relatively short so it jumped around a lot. - <b>No</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXkKr9ZzPdJUAfsPFJpgHuAuChyaq31An4Aw9bVm_p3f8y5YnA4CnC2vrHAExI0wlFfUTlmo8MP-F8d933NEFtaMfHvcs4d66Uh3LJYYujyQwb-zdLR9UHD5IvRXPJLIAEfP9u_fTLEg/s1600/hockey+tutor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXkKr9ZzPdJUAfsPFJpgHuAuChyaq31An4Aw9bVm_p3f8y5YnA4CnC2vrHAExI0wlFfUTlmo8MP-F8d933NEFtaMfHvcs4d66Uh3LJYYujyQwb-zdLR9UHD5IvRXPJLIAEfP9u_fTLEg/s200/hockey+tutor.jpg" width="133" /></a><br />
<b>Hockey Tutor by Mary Smith</b><br />
Well, I do love hockey and the price was right. The smart girl is hired by the Dean to tutor a new transfer student, Andrew, who also happens to be the school’s best shot at a championship season. The trouble is he has a bad attitude and failing grades. Katie is being paid $20,000.00 and given a company car by Andrew’s father, but only for the semester. She will tutor him, make sure he does his work and gets to class on time. Well, this just seems a little ridiculous. - <b>No</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvpnYsFIYDUrMnLOm6R0fUxAQRTkFp5bavyoMGMJvvdfWhicY0e9sdvJh8gfEPR_TemVrS4BVuSnZ9uBuB6WPKATrJO8q2MNPkJQiSB0PelHzwAt61pFHLayyUD81qszz4pP1caa-fW-U/s1600/imperfect+chemistry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvpnYsFIYDUrMnLOm6R0fUxAQRTkFp5bavyoMGMJvvdfWhicY0e9sdvJh8gfEPR_TemVrS4BVuSnZ9uBuB6WPKATrJO8q2MNPkJQiSB0PelHzwAt61pFHLayyUD81qszz4pP1caa-fW-U/s200/imperfect+chemistry.jpg" width="132" /></a><b>Imperfect Chemistry by Mary Frame</b><br />
Lucy has a position at a university and a grant to allow her to study emotion as it relates to passion. The trouble is she has never experienced it herself. Well, that is not the only problem. Lucy has a PhD in microbiology which she got at the ripe old age of 20. What? I can understand graduating high school early to start college and maybe finishing a bachelors early, but it is a little far fetched to me that by the age of 20 she could complete her PhD program. My brother is studying for his PhD in physics and he’s been at it for 5 years. This is just such a ridiculously implausible idea to me. It is currently priced at $0.00 on Amazon, but even that is too much to pay. - <b>No</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsY01ryWIey9dIppHHIEaEE3Sp6hM4cKDidj2VkIZeWnep4AvoOcPgfPQB1nyzjCsEXhNaCqtsGrjScNlgHn8PlUgSFsKtYUmKlYcuI9UOtyFfaAq6bNOrK8T9FuYyZ9ohxQua0zUJyzY/s1600/stars+never+rise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsY01ryWIey9dIppHHIEaEE3Sp6hM4cKDidj2VkIZeWnep4AvoOcPgfPQB1nyzjCsEXhNaCqtsGrjScNlgHn8PlUgSFsKtYUmKlYcuI9UOtyFfaAq6bNOrK8T9FuYyZ9ohxQua0zUJyzY/s200/stars+never+rise.jpg" width="131" /></a><b>The Stars Never Rise by Rachel Vincent </b><br />
I know there’s been a lot of buzz about this book, but it seems like another zombie story, which I am kind of getting tired of. Nina is not a privileged girl. She has an arrangement with the maid of a well to do family. She gets paid $15.00 a week to take the daughter’s school clothes and wash them. Nina and her sister wash them Monday and wear them all week, cleaning them over the weekend and return them to the maid by Monday am. On her way home she is attacked by a degenerate, but you might as well call it a zombie. She’s rescued by an exorcist that seems to be operating outside the system. - <b>Maybe</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKVFmlL6xrHZ-3S8O8gK7SZ7qhNb6F_LbYy82lKs80omFGS4EO4gvqS69hdN4XFgRcldKFJDjpiBWEW5mKq6qoXRgumqh5NigDu0lhSGFPULi5Q3ovbftbgKoXu4BhuBlmP5fgrpMBwqQ/s1600/aimee+and+the+heartthrob.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKVFmlL6xrHZ-3S8O8gK7SZ7qhNb6F_LbYy82lKs80omFGS4EO4gvqS69hdN4XFgRcldKFJDjpiBWEW5mKq6qoXRgumqh5NigDu0lhSGFPULi5Q3ovbftbgKoXu4BhuBlmP5fgrpMBwqQ/s200/aimee+and+the+heartthrob.jpg" width="133" /></a><b>Aimee and the Heartthrob by Ophelia London</b><br />
Aimee had planned to spend the summer living with her friend Becky while her parents travel to Cambodia, but Becky’s come down with mono and Aimee’s grandmother is not coming until July. Her parents decide to send her off with her brother who is on tour with only the hottest musical act in forever, Seconds to Juliet. Unfortunately, their front man, Miles, is her brother, Nick’s best friend and he was her first crush. But since he made fun of her for always tagging along with them, she has gotten over her crush and has been avoiding him ever since. How can she continue to avoid him when she is forced to be on tour with him? - <b>Yes</b><br />
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Bohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116544104167420505noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979533387268460793.post-50663126507629961382015-07-10T00:12:00.000-04:002015-07-10T00:13:00.539-04:00To Buy or Not to Buy: Open Road Summer by Emery LordA promise is a promise no matter how small.<br />
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I have a lot of work to do in more ways than one. The later half of June was spent getting hubby ready to spend the summer abroad. Amazing how much there is for me to do to get someone else ready for a lengthy trip. It does, however, leave me time...sort of...to take care of some projects. I have a ton of stuff to do around the house, a ton of work to do for my job and the blog always comes last. I usually do my writing on the weekends, but I haven't had a weekend free in almost a month. Now that he is gone for a bit, I do plan to catch up on writing and actually get some reading done. <br />
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For the time being, though, please forgive me for taking the easy way out. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQImLHKjuw0ZCT_aHGFspALIgpG6jhyvIldheJy2ePmPcG9c-_Na3hs2Fv2O-UUYmqjKc6jVEXqyxKdGvmanfUz0QW5EL7hOGelmuawFVKth7S3MdSbiW2ekt-mIAspVajo0Kwh-fuD8/s1600/open+road+summer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQImLHKjuw0ZCT_aHGFspALIgpG6jhyvIldheJy2ePmPcG9c-_Na3hs2Fv2O-UUYmqjKc6jVEXqyxKdGvmanfUz0QW5EL7hOGelmuawFVKth7S3MdSbiW2ekt-mIAspVajo0Kwh-fuD8/s1600/open+road+summer.jpg" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Open Road Summer by Emery Lord</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Book Description (From Amazon):</span></b><br />
After breaking up with her bad-news boyfriend, Reagan O'Neill is ready to leave her rebellious ways behind. . . and her best friend, country superstar Lilah Montgomery, is nursing a broken heart of her own. Fortunately, Lilah's 24-city tour is about to kick off, offering a perfect opportunity for a girls-only summer of break-up ballads and healing hearts. But when Matt Finch joins the tour as its opening act, his boy-next-door charm proves difficult for Reagan to resist, despite her vow to live a drama-free existence. This summer, Reagan and Lilah will navigate the ups and downs of fame and friendship as they come to see that giving your heart to the right person is always a risk worth taking. A fresh new voice in contemporary romance, Emery Lord's gorgeous writing hits all the right notes.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">My First Impression:</span></b><br />
The story starts in Nashville as Lilah Montgomery is preparing to leave for her summer tour. This story is not about her, though. It is about her best friend Reagan who is going on tour with her. Reagan come from a broken home because her mother left when she was young. Her father turned to the bottle and left Reagan to her own devices. She has anger issues due to the abandonment of both her parents and acts out whenever she gets the chance, but she’s trying to change.<br />
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I know that this is a book that I have heard good things about, but I am not a fan of country music. While I know the story itself is not about country music, I found that I was not very interested in the story with a country music tour as the back drop.<br />
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I also found that I did not really care for Reagan too much. I realize she is trying to change, but she still has a bad attitude and is so jaded for one so young.<br />
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The sample didn’t get very far in the story. They got to their first destination and the sample ended as they were getting everything finalized for the concert.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Decision?</span></b><br />
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Not to buy<br />
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<br />Bohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116544104167420505noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979533387268460793.post-60741346432410127452015-07-08T22:14:00.000-04:002015-07-08T22:14:15.078-04:00A Promise<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">You sit and wait patiently <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">for a chance,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">just a moment to spark into life<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">but the moment is long in coming.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Still you wait, ever faithful<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">if you can even be faithful<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">being what you are<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">A thought, a glance,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">a moment of possibilities<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">passing too quickly </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">in the silence of the night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Perhaps tomorrow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Just wait<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">and be patient still.</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p>Bohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116544104167420505noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979533387268460793.post-23948099720972535122015-06-15T12:00:00.000-04:002015-06-15T12:00:10.280-04:00Discussion: Signature Alone vs PersonalizationI really only have one more point I'd like to discuss that came to mind during BEA and I’d like to get opinions on the matter. It is regarding getting a book signed. Do you request signature only or a personalized book? <br />
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I have always been an advocate for the personalized books, but the more I have thought about it recently, the less inclined I am to get books personalized. Let’s face it, I can’t take my library with me no matter how I may try to make that possible. No one will want a copy of a book signed to me and they would have no resale value if personalized. This is all a theoretical "after I’m gone" discussion. Morbid, right?<br />
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What I tell the authors, as I am not about to spew my "after I'm gone" sentiments (they'd think I was crazy and would probably be right) and they all seem to assume we want them personalized, is that I don’t know where the book will end up. Which is true. That it will start with me. Also true. And that I like to share the love. True that too.<br />
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Most authors understand and don’t have an issue, but I feel I was the victim of non-personalization prejudice. I was in line for a book, title and author shall remain nameless. He/she was, after all, a personable guy/gal. The point is, I had time to see what he/she was doing when signing. Everybody, and I do mean everybody but me, was getting their books personalized. He/she was signing on the title page, adding a witty sentence and then stamping the page with an awesome octopus ink stamp.<br />
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When it was my turn, I gave him/her the spiel, don’t know where it will end up, etc. So the first thing is he/she signed on the end papers, not the side glued to the cover, but the first page when you open the book. It does have a lovely ocean wave sort of coloring, but he/she signed his name and handed me the book.<br />
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Um, what? Excuse me! Where is my freaking octopus stamp?<br />
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I am not laboring under any false assumption that had I gotten it personalized I still would not have gotten an octopus stamp. I totally would have. He/she wouldn’t have thought twice about it, but it makes me feel like I bought the copper package or tickets for the cheap seats. I got my golden ticket, but I drank from the chocolate river, I stole fizzy lifting drink. So I get nothing. I lose. Good day sir!<br />
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Have any of you experienced anything like this? And I’m curious to know that for those of you thoroughly entrenched in the signing not personalized camp if you think it makes a difference in how the author relates to you. And for any authors out there, how do you feel when someone just asks for a signature and not the book to be personalized?<br />
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I'll be waiting to hear your thoughts, or read them, whatever.<br />
<br />Bohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116544104167420505noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5979533387268460793.post-36476854274612849172015-06-15T00:04:00.000-04:002015-06-15T00:04:45.072-04:00Stacking the Shelves - June 14, 2015How can I follow up my BEA/Book Con haul? Answer: I can't. There's just no way. It's probably good that I can't, but I still look for those bargains and I did not make it through the week unscathed. So, here are the books I picked up or received this week. I am pretty excited about some of the them, not that I am not looking forward to reading all of them.<br />
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In all fairness, most of the physical books I got were pre-orders. At least, that's what I tell myself.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEsYOqrsGBMsEFtF1WubcXzPcsgDJwAJqJi7MJxAbMZYMRl7-qX9T2Ed7RKK0SUdMD986374pilyW9IVlKQrQkYfkNaH3CoFqfMlZDErpO4J1E-DwnTpRFK8cXSsycJopQThr_QOy2fCo/s1600/stacking+the+shelves.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEsYOqrsGBMsEFtF1WubcXzPcsgDJwAJqJi7MJxAbMZYMRl7-qX9T2Ed7RKK0SUdMD986374pilyW9IVlKQrQkYfkNaH3CoFqfMlZDErpO4J1E-DwnTpRFK8cXSsycJopQThr_QOy2fCo/s320/stacking+the+shelves.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Books Purchased:</span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5cQFFRxkd99nPBHEJtmRJrGrWH_bOhwH1QMzSpZTsnttwQZx8u-PWVr2UBY9sQH8QcrTaTkCCwT0-vvueXj0SgC7YzTMN8IssLlzCBPnm40mZMj2x5n0PHUEP4qtNCHowtTcywUvR2Ao/s1600/winterspell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5cQFFRxkd99nPBHEJtmRJrGrWH_bOhwH1QMzSpZTsnttwQZx8u-PWVr2UBY9sQH8QcrTaTkCCwT0-vvueXj0SgC7YzTMN8IssLlzCBPnm40mZMj2x5n0PHUEP4qtNCHowtTcywUvR2Ao/s200/winterspell.jpg" width="133" /></a>Winterspell by Claire Legrand – Used<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjASO9n_Q7lV8nI09SV29mluubyP0OX6mcfZ_zzuMT_BoIRJakrNrdYs5HcoVlUs_wAUVEYrF02akTqqeeVhIhisa-pynz4DyG4ZfaovBgyzwYrgSHyCrAY4T8KTbcNVFUJb9UnS_iYxMs/s1600/briar+queen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjASO9n_Q7lV8nI09SV29mluubyP0OX6mcfZ_zzuMT_BoIRJakrNrdYs5HcoVlUs_wAUVEYrF02akTqqeeVhIhisa-pynz4DyG4ZfaovBgyzwYrgSHyCrAY4T8KTbcNVFUJb9UnS_iYxMs/s200/briar+queen.jpg" width="153" /></a><br />
The Perfect Couple (The Superlatives) by Jennifer Echols – Used<br />
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Briar Queen: A Night and Nothing Novel (Night and Nothing Novels) by Katherine Harbour<br />
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The Invasion of the Tearling: A Novel (Queen of the Tearling, The) by Erika Johansen<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimV-nVpApLdcdegVC5lbUdDEmTHdoLRT5_N5JZHTrVCAQ72gYKkBT-6eQl7rTGM22RZLKkOCtVev4IUqK2-ZfmIGuN60N4eNz8njIAo8WDc7gbpZtOpTMqBLT0UC-aZKEBS9ZcLolslCg/s1600/invasion+tearling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimV-nVpApLdcdegVC5lbUdDEmTHdoLRT5_N5JZHTrVCAQ72gYKkBT-6eQl7rTGM22RZLKkOCtVev4IUqK2-ZfmIGuN60N4eNz8njIAo8WDc7gbpZtOpTMqBLT0UC-aZKEBS9ZcLolslCg/s200/invasion+tearling.jpg" width="131" /></a>Eternity's Wheel (InterWorld Trilogy) by Neil Gaiman<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgdMEJ3_ke18JkOS663bktn4UBQe3htQkiZArryqQlEqmz5C-oBdcCu-s4RGBUWHJoj2DQHDqVweKHd7-Y7ougcTfH5foTZ0T9RxV9tUzEsxyp0A0nDqQQmVV7hD9bQnq_LnmnnqkyrYE/s1600/illusionarium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgdMEJ3_ke18JkOS663bktn4UBQe3htQkiZArryqQlEqmz5C-oBdcCu-s4RGBUWHJoj2DQHDqVweKHd7-Y7ougcTfH5foTZ0T9RxV9tUzEsxyp0A0nDqQQmVV7hD9bQnq_LnmnnqkyrYE/s200/illusionarium.jpg" width="132" /></a><br />
Illusionarium by Heather Dixon<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Kindle Books Purchased:</span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH8MGRsTGY-uLE0AolMxhcDLQ7mhyphenhyphenCVURCqefdIP0lbC_tvbdAWisgMPHN17s2o3CZGhWCqdYz5R7l0YcmuuKFPJtISXTIpDXdTh0X4zg7HaHQ1dkvy0BVouiwctZE9dRu5aSO7-8T3Z4/s1600/clockwork+angel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH8MGRsTGY-uLE0AolMxhcDLQ7mhyphenhyphenCVURCqefdIP0lbC_tvbdAWisgMPHN17s2o3CZGhWCqdYz5R7l0YcmuuKFPJtISXTIpDXdTh0X4zg7HaHQ1dkvy0BVouiwctZE9dRu5aSO7-8T3Z4/s200/clockwork+angel.jpg" width="133" /></a>Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices Book 1) by Cassandra Clare – Publisher mark-down @ $2.99<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3fmtF1u89_VbWYKEMgbvzXlsBhgpvfUzYxrUVyqHXwsLpa1bJa7x18Gfdlp-Cuv3VhxsBfalTaSJKFrmIYNhyWLJz1_kyQbaY49EXSWpN5RCtXlMqBn-MC7m_r_k7CO6YbpiIpA71ncU/s1600/geek+girl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3fmtF1u89_VbWYKEMgbvzXlsBhgpvfUzYxrUVyqHXwsLpa1bJa7x18Gfdlp-Cuv3VhxsBfalTaSJKFrmIYNhyWLJz1_kyQbaY49EXSWpN5RCtXlMqBn-MC7m_r_k7CO6YbpiIpA71ncU/s200/geek+girl.jpg" width="130" /></a><br />
Prodigal (The Lost Imperials Series Book 2) by Sherry Ficklin, Tyler Jolley – Price dropped to $.99<br />
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With a Kiss (Twisted Tales Book 1) by Stephanie Fowers – Free eBook<br />
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Wild Angel: A Rock'n Tapestries Novel by Shari Copell – Price dropped to $.99<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FBJvNpavielGBNMcAWtlYuLH22WXvjkp2D85D-kmRwLe1cviWTH94EiVK9Rq3Eniqvxss_7m8AkklPHLI87FQEyMMzcwkbOLj-3zAzGA9cbimO6paVuXo0qbVTmR1obnPe72x4yTGKg/s1600/tad+williams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FBJvNpavielGBNMcAWtlYuLH22WXvjkp2D85D-kmRwLe1cviWTH94EiVK9Rq3Eniqvxss_7m8AkklPHLI87FQEyMMzcwkbOLj-3zAzGA9cbimO6paVuXo0qbVTmR1obnPe72x4yTGKg/s200/tad+williams.jpg" width="133" /></a>Geek Girl by Holly Smale - Publisher mark-down @ $1.99<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM12SHVLRVMBgLMUYH6ewnZGW-g2Ss4uadKEXmRhMn4MedT6819RSUp8S-AtdN4elZrMC6K0RfOEK1Wxo7KkiaYcoNNyIgSoOoetPUF5QiuEnJNeGh2QOeB0Zzj6EyNigaRJn10vCc_Q4/s1600/captain+wentworth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM12SHVLRVMBgLMUYH6ewnZGW-g2Ss4uadKEXmRhMn4MedT6819RSUp8S-AtdN4elZrMC6K0RfOEK1Wxo7KkiaYcoNNyIgSoOoetPUF5QiuEnJNeGh2QOeB0Zzj6EyNigaRJn10vCc_Q4/s200/captain+wentworth.jpg" width="129" /></a><br />
Every Day by David Levithan - Publisher mark-down @ $1.99<br />
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The Very Best of Tad Williams by Tad Williams – Kindle Daily Deal<br />
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Searching for Captain Wentworth by Jane Odiwe – Price dropped to $2.99<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWy8W0mHJHGB1yxTG-37BI12ecet1s9OBGbJWt3w-ovT6etCsfwABp0uX7-uqVLR0lp_IEIPz51CizQX89WRWe9ObJzmC1eqBqIfQ9xLVYjd0Gqhg89gF90isGrlqDegD3PgdA3nFT_RE/s1600/abby+road.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWy8W0mHJHGB1yxTG-37BI12ecet1s9OBGbJWt3w-ovT6etCsfwABp0uX7-uqVLR0lp_IEIPz51CizQX89WRWe9ObJzmC1eqBqIfQ9xLVYjd0Gqhg89gF90isGrlqDegD3PgdA3nFT_RE/s200/abby+road.jpg" width="133" /></a>Aimee and the Heartthrob (Entangled Crush) (Backstage Pass) by Ophelia London – New Entangled imprint I figured I’d give a go.<br />
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Abby Road (Entangled Embrace) by Ophelia London – Priced at $.99<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWGzB9YNa8esjV_2hG1dRcJRsphE2XK5yaBwOj9bMOpE4d-1c65CLYU6cybgUBUnOtYadngZpcUl-cPEdfLntsB8w7TxP2L_JTyi0MbvZ4_iB9yJk4MeYHSR3OBS2u0Z8LSYWGRXS_jY/s1600/the+duff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWGzB9YNa8esjV_2hG1dRcJRsphE2XK5yaBwOj9bMOpE4d-1c65CLYU6cybgUBUnOtYadngZpcUl-cPEdfLntsB8w7TxP2L_JTyi0MbvZ4_iB9yJk4MeYHSR3OBS2u0Z8LSYWGRXS_jY/s320/the+duff.jpg" width="254" /></a><b><span style="font-size: large;"></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Blu Ray Purchased:</span></b><br />
The DUFF<br />
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<br />Bohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05116544104167420505noreply@blogger.com5