TGIF (25) Choose Your Next Read

TGIF is a weekly feature created and hosted by Ginger at GReads! that re-caps the week’s posts and has different question each week.

This Friday's Question: Choose Your Next Read: How do you go about choosing what you read next? Do you have a schedule you follow, or do you read whatever makes you happy at the moment?

I have a Review Books To Read spreadsheet where I update what books I've received, time frame if given, publisher and date released.  I have stuck to this until quite recently where studies and work have taken up more of my spare time then I would have liked.  I still read but not quite as much, if you have noticed.  I definitely miss curling up on the couch with a good book and have slowly been getting back into.  Fingers crossed I'll have some reviews up soon.

Sometimes though, I do get into a reading slump when it comes to review books.  It's not that the books are bad or unreadable, it's more that the pressure of getting the books reviewed by a certain time frame tend to weigh in a little to the point where I can stop reading for a few days.  I've found that picking up one from my own TBR pile does help.  It also depends on my mood as to what I'll pick up next.  Nine times out of ten I will reach for the review pile but there are those days where I like to shake things up a little.

How do you choose your next read???

Over You by Emma Mclaughlin Book Trailer

This looks good.

The Forsaken by Lisa M. Stasse Book Trailer

This looks good!

The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore

Title:  The Rise of Nine

Author:  Pittacus Lore

Genre:  Young Adult/ Science Fiction

Publisher:  Penguin 

Publication Date:  22nd August 2012

ISBN:   9780718159696

Stand alone or series:  Lorien Legacies  #3

Pages:  400 pages

Book Received from:  Penguin (Publisher)

First Lines:  6A. Seriously?  I look at the boarding pass in my hand, it's large type announcing my seat assignment, and wonder if Crayton chose this seat on purpose.

Possible spoilers if you haven't read the previous books.  You've been warned :)

Synopsis:
Until the day I met John Smith, Number Four, I'd been on the run alone, hiding and fighting to stay alive.
Together, we are much more powerful. But it could only last so long before we had to separate to find the others. . . .
I went to Spain to find Seven, and I found even more, including a tenth member of the Garde who escaped from Lorien alive. Ella is younger than the rest of us, but just as brave. Now we're looking for the others--including John.
But so are they.
They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They caught me in New York--but I escaped.
I am Number Six.
They want to finish what they started.
But they'll have to fight us first.

My Thoughts:
What can I say?  These books are awesome!  Big thank you to Penguin for sending this out to me.  It was sooo well worth the read.

Ok for starters..  the books are told between three characters.  Six, John/Four and Seven/Marina.  Thankfully the different fonts for each character help to make them stand out although obviously after a little bit of reading it's easy to pick each personalities shining through in the writing.  Six with her strong personality, Marina for her caring and softer approach, and John well, favourite character of the lot, plus he 's teamed up with Nine and Bernie Kosar so super easy to tell.

There is so much revealed in these books that had left me wondering in the Power of Six.  We also find out some things I hadn't initially thought about.  And we also get to officially meet "The Big Bad Dude"!

Two of the numbers irritated me from the beginning but gradually grew on me until I finally started to like them in the end.  It wasn't until around page 100 that I started to think Nine wasn't so bad.  Eight was the other one that annoyed me.  The games he played in the beginning cost precious time and I didn't really see the point as he could of done things differently.

As always this story is full of action and is fast paced keeping me hooked all the way to the end!  The ending... well it makes me wish I had the next book there in front of me to keep going.

There are still a few things we don't find out about and I'm itching so badly to know what is happening with that but I guess I will have to wait... impatiently.

Well worth the read!

Haunting Obsession by R.J. Sullivan Book Trailer

Waiting on Wednesday (116)

Waiting On Wednesday was created by Jill over at Breaking The Spine. It's a weekly post for you to share what upcoming books you can't wait for!

I'm looking forward to getting this one when it comes out.  Stray Souls by Kate Griffin will be out in 18th September 2012.

Synopsis

Sharon Li has just discovered she's a shaman. And just in time: London's soul has gone missing. If anyone can solve the mystery and rescue the dying city, she can, but she'll need help-from the support group she's just set up for people with magical issues. Among them are a vampire who is O, a druid who suffers from allergies and a lack of confidence, and a banshee looking for an evening class in impressionist art. Now, this motley crew must find a way to save the world ...

What are you waiting on??

MBOB: World War Z

I can't believe how good this looks! Based on the book World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks.

Be warned. This is a little graphic!

In My Mailbox (120)

In My Mailbox is a weekly post created by The Story Siren.

For Review:

Rise of the Nine by Pittacus Lore

Thanks SOOOOO much Penguin for sending this to me.

Bought:

N/A

What did you get in your IMM?

Spellbound Noticeboard (32)

Welcome to Spellbound Noticeboard. Here is where Authors, Bloggers and others can send in anything that you'd like promoted. Competitions, book releases, blog events etc. This is your spot! So feel free to send me a line if you have anything book related (Including books made into movies) and I'll be sure to post these up! I'll also be including features etc that I come across to help spread the word for other Authors and bloggers! Just email me at melissa@spellboundbybooks.com 

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Easy to enter, easy to get a lot of entries, and you can win a Kindle Fire, Amazon.com gift cards/certificates, signed books, eBook bundles and much more!

Here are the parameters of this contest. All eBook, book, poster art, and art card prizes relating to Seventh Star Press authors directly, as well as the Kindle Fire, and the Amazon.com gift cards will be fulfilled by Seventh Star Press . eBooks from non-SSP authors featured in the bundles of the first three prizes (Grand Prize and prizes #2 and #3) will be fulfilled by the authors themselves. These authors assume all responsibility for fulfillment and delivery of their titles to the prize winners. They have been asked to deliver their eBooks in the week following the close of the contest at midnight on September 19th.

Grand Prize limited to US/Canadian residents only. Prizes #2-15 eligible for international entries.

Also, this promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. We hereby release Facebook of any liability.

This contest uses the RaffleCopter system where you can earn extra entries merely by liking the Facebook pages or following the Twitter accounts of various authors and some bloggers. We encourage you to get as many entries as possible and discover from wonderful new authors in the process!

And now for a description of the available prizes:

Grand Prize: Kindle Fire, plus 10 SSP eBooks of your choice (choose from any title in our catalog from authors Jackie Gamber, Michael West, Stephen Zimmer, H. David Blalock, D.A. Adams, R.J. Sullivan, and Steven Shrewsbury), as well as eBook bundle from participating non-SSP authors, including titles from Apex Book Company, Hydra Publications, Blackwyrm Publishing, LocoNeal Publishing, and more! (total of 29 eBooks, 10 from SSP and 19 in non-SSP bundle)

Participating Authors and Titles (other than SSP): Total of 19 eBooks in this bundle.

J.H. Glaze: 5 pack including The Spirit Box, Northwest, Forced Intelligence, and The Horror Challenge Volumes I and II.

James R. Tuck: Hired Gun:The Culvert City Crime Files and That Things at the Zoo: Deacon Chalk e-novella 1

Rachel Hunter: Empyreal Fate

Dianne Gardner: Deception Peak

Gwen Perkins: The Universal Mirror

Sara Harvey: Penemue Trilogy (The Convent of the Pure, The Labyrinth of the Dead, The Tower of the Forgotten)

J.M. McDermott: Last Dragon

Georgia L. Jones: Legends of Darkness

Christopher Kokoski: Dark Halo

Sheila Deeth: Divide by Zero

Ren Garcia: Sands of the Solar Empire

Aaron Drown: Path of An Arrow

Prize # 2: $25 Amazon.com gift card/certificate, plus 5 eBooks of your choice from the SSP catalog, and full eBook bundle of non-SSP authors (as described in Grand Prize). Total of 24 eBooks in this prize package.

Prize #3: $25 Amazon.com gift card/certificate, plus 5 eBooks of your choice from the SSP catalog, and full eBook bundle of non-SSP authors (as described in Grand Prize). Total of 24 eBooks in this prize package.

Prize #4: Your choice of 1 limited edition hardcover version from the following titles: Poseidon’s Children or Cinema of Shadows. Signed and numbered by author.

Prize #5: Your choice of 1 limited edition hardcover version from the following titles: Redheart, Overkill, or The Fall of Dorkhun. Signed and numbered by author.

Prize #6: Your choice of 1 limited edition hardcover version from the following titles: Angelkiller or Haunting Obsession. Signed and numbered by author.

Prize#7: Softcover of your choice from SSP Catalog

Prize#8: Softcover of your choice from SSP Catalog

Prize#9: Softcover of your choice from SSP Catalog

Prize#10: Poster Art from Matthew Perry and Bonnie Wasson: includes the ”Kissing Image” from Poseidon’s Children, and the “Elf Woman” from The Fall of Dorkhun. Posters are 14X20 and sent in cardboard tube.

Prize#11: 7 eBooks of your choice from SSP Catalog

Prize#12: 7 eBooks of your choice from SSP Catalog

Prize#13: 7 eBooks of your choice from SSP Catalog

Prize#14: Sets of 5X7 art cards from Poseidon’s Children, Angelkiller, Overkill, Redheart, and The Fall of Dorkhun plus 2 SSP eBooks of your choice from the SSP catalog .

Prize#15: Sets of 5X7 art cards from Poseidon’s Children, Angelkiller, Overkill, Redheart, and The Fall of Dorkhun plus 2 SSP eBooks of your choice from the SSP catalog.

Go check this out now!!

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Waiting on Wednesday (115)

Waiting On Wednesday was created by Jill over at Breaking The Spine. It's a weekly post for you to share what upcoming books you can't wait for!

Can't wait to get my hands on this one!  Pretty Girl-13 by Liz Coley will be out 19th March 2013!

Synopsis

Angie Chapman was thirteen years old when she ventured into the woods alone on a Girl Scout camping trip.

Now she’s returned home…only to find that it’s three years later and she’s sixteen—or at least that’s what everyone tells her.

What happened to the last three years of her life?

Angie herself doesn’t know.

But there are people who do—people who could tell Angie every detail of her forgotten time, if only they weren’t locked inside her mind.

With a tremendous amount of courage and support from unexpected friends, Angie embarks on a journey into the darkest corners of her mind. As she unearths more and more about her past, she discovers a terrifying secret and must decide: when you remember things you wish you could forget, do you destroy the people responsible, or is there another way to feel whole again?

What are you waiting on?

Swipe by Evan Angler Book Trailer

This looks really good. I wouldn't mind getting my hands on this book.

In My Mailbox (119)

In My Mailbox is a weekly post created by The Story Siren.

For Review:

N/a

Bought:

50 Shades of Grey by E.L James

What did you get in your IMM?

Spellbound Noticeboard (31)

Welcome to Spellbound Noticeboard. Here is where Authors, Bloggers and others can send in anything that you'd like promoted. Competitions, book releases, blog events etc. This is your spot! So feel free to send me a line if you have anything book related (Including books made into movies) and I'll be sure to post these up! I'll also be including features etc that I come across to help spread the word for other Authors and bloggers! Just email me at melissa@spellboundbybooks.com 

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Seventh Star Press Announces New Anthology Project With James R. Tuck!

Seventh Star Press proudly announces a new anthology project with James R. Tuck, author of the highly acclaimed Deacon Chalk stories released by Kensington Publishing. An open call for submissions has been issued regarding the new anthology, Thunder on the Battlefield, which will take the reader on many adventures within the realms of Sword and Sorcery.

Writers are encouraged by James to explore the possibilities of the genre. The time of the story could be placed in an ancient world, or even perhaps a futuristic one where a cataclysm has set a modernistic society back into a barbaric age. The setting could be the heart of Africa, the steppes of Russia, the snowbound wastes of Iceland, or the hills of China. Warriors were found throughout the ages, the Celts, the Vikings, the Samurai, the Israelites, the Zulu, the Romans, and many more. The challenge to the writer is to bring their best and make it heroic.

James brought the project to Seventh Star Press for a number of reasons. “I have been extremely impressed with the professionalism I have seen from Seventh Star Press. Their books are quality, they always make a big presentation at conventions, and their authors are happy. Happy authors mean a LOT in this business. Plus, with the stable of incredibly talented authors working with Seventh Star I knew that this anthology would be taken seriously and done right.”

James, whose latest Deacon Chalk adventure, Blood and Silver, is to be released in mass market paperback by Kensington on August 7th, is a former bouncer and a professional tattoo artist who lives in the Atlanta area with his wife, two children, and four dogs. His first Deacon Chalk novel, Blood and Bullets, was released in February of 2012 and received high praise in urban fantasy circles.

What inspired James to do a project like Thunder on the Battlefield? As James explains in his own words:

“Because sword and sorcery rocks my face off!

“On a serious note, I was a young kid when I discovered sword and sorcery for the first time. I have always been an artist, drawing when I should have been studying, and I found this artist, you may have heard of him, named Frank Frazetta. His artwork blew my preteen mind, just took the top of my skull right off and spilled in all this masculine power and feminine beauty and horrible monstrosity right inside my brainpan. I studied that book I had found, furrowed away in the back corner of my junior high library. Reading, I discovered these were the covers to books.

“I loved to read. The next trip to the used bookstore I found a book with a Frazetta cover, it was Robert E.Howard’s Conan The Adventurer. Those words, those damn near poetic, dark, strings of prose ate into my brain like acid. I was hooked from the first paragraph. I became voracious in finding more, more Robert E. Howard, more Conan, more sword and sorcery. I ran through Michael Moorcock, Fritz Leiber, Karl Wagner, and Edgar Rice Burroughs.

“All those stories imprinted on my DNA and helped form the kind of stories I write today. I wanted to bring more of them to the forefront and put together a collection of today’s heirs to Robert E. Howard and his colleagues. To put new faces in the hands of the fans of the genre.”

Thunder on the Battlefield is slated for release in the 2nd quarter of 2013 in both print and eBook editions.

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Blog Tour for R.J. Sullivan’s New Paranormal Thriller, Haunting Obsession

Seventh Star Press is proud to unveil the cover art and illustrations by Bonnie Wasson for Haunting Obsession, A Rebecca Burton Novella, by R.J. Sullivan, as well as announce sites and dates for the book’s blog tour. A pre-order window for a limited edition hardcover is also open in advance of the book’s official release.

 

The Haunting Obsession Blog Tour will feature 22 events, beginning August 25th and running through September 15th. The tour will feature a number of activities, including reviews, interviews, podcasts, guest blog posts, and contests/giveaways.
Haunting Obsession is the latest R.J. Sullivan story featuring the character Rebecca Burton. The novella tells the story of Daryl Beasley, who collects all things Maxine Marie, whose famous curves and fast lifestyle made her a Hollywood icon for decades after her tragic death. Daryl’s girlfriend, Loretta Stevens, knew about his geeky lifestyle when they started dating, but she loves him, quirks and all.

Then one day Daryl chooses to buy a particularly tacky piece of memorabilia instead of Loretta’s birthday present. Daryl ends up in the doghouse, not only with Loretta, but with Maxine Marie herself. The legendary blonde returns from the dead to give Daryl a piece of her mind—and a haunting obsession he’ll never forget.

The softcover and eBook versions will be released following the launch event for the novella on August 11th. Haunting Obsession is now available for pre-order in a beautiful hardcover edition that is strictly limited to 75 copies.

The limited hardcover edition will be signed and numbered by R.J. Sullivan and includes a bonus illustration from Bonnie Wasson not included in other editions. It will be accompanied by an assortment of collectibles, including a set of glossy art cards, bookmarks, and a set of buttons. Those interested in securing one of the 75 limited hardcovers can place a pre-order at: http://www.seventhstarpress.com/pre-orders/

The dates and sites for the Haunting Obsession Blog Tour are as follows:

8/25 Full Moon Bites

8/26 Stuck in Books

8/27 Mad Moose Mama

8/28 Beauty in Ruins

8/29 A Book Vacation

8/30 Bookishly Me

8/31 Darlene’s Book Nook

9/1 Me and Reading

9/2 Azure Dwarf Horde

9/3 From the Boot Heel Cotton Patch

9/4 Red Headed Bookworm

9/5 Bee’s Knees

9/6 I Read a Book Once

9/7 Spellbound by Books

9/8 Jess Resides Here

9/9 Books from the Purple Jelly Bean Chair

9/10 Eva’s Sanctuary

9/11 Urban Fantasy Reviews

9/12 Great Minds Think Aloud

9/13 Book and Movie Dimenson

9/14 The Cabin Goddess

9/15 I Smell Sheep

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Emily's Crammed Bookshelf

Make sure to check out these links in your travels :)

The Stone Girll Blog Tour Stop: Review and interview 
and
Review: Betrayed, by Ednah Walters 

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Enjoy!!

Waiting on Wednesday (114)

Waiting On Wednesday was created by Jill over at Breaking The Spine. It's a weekly post for you to share what upcoming books you can't wait for!

This week's pick is Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza and will be released in March 2013.  It sounds really good!

Synopsis

Pitched as a "Bourne Identity"-type sci-fi thriller about a teenage girl who discovers that she is a Mobile Intel Life-like Android, an experiment in artificial intelligence created by the U.S. government, and her scientist mother, who kidnapped her when she was found to have human emotions.

What are you waiting on?