Back to School Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the Back to the Book Giveaway Hop
Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer & Buried in Books

Since I am going back to school for year 36 as a school media specialist, this seems like a perfect hop for me.

The winner will be given one book of their choice (up to a $20 value) to be purchased at The Book Depository. You can decide which book you would like the most. There are so many good ones to choose!

Here are the rules:

• You must be a follower to enter.
• You must fill out the form completely.
• You must live somewhere The Book Depository ships. (If you live in the US, I'll probably use Amazon because delivery times are faster.)

The contest runs from Sept. 1 - Sept. 7. The winner will be chosen by Random.org and notified on Sept. 8.

Fill out this form.

Good luck!

Click on the image at the top of the page to see a list of all the participants.

August Reading Report

It is hard to believe that August (and my summer vacation) are over. It went by so quickly. This past week I have been busy moving back to my school year home and getting ready to begin work again with my wonderful and enthusiastic students.

I read a total of 17 books in August. Eight were young adult books and the rest adult books. You can see the spreadsheet of my progress here. I read a lot of very good books this month.

My favorite young adult book was The Friendship Doll by Kirby Larson. You can see my review here.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline was my favorite adult book. You can see my review here.

Here is the state of the TBR mountain:

• I added 57 books to the stack this month.
• I began the month with 1142 books marked TBR.
• I ended the month with 1107 books marked TBR.

Thirty-two of the books I added in August were books for my Kindle. Of the 57 I added, 42 are still on my TBR mountain.

Instead of Spring Cleaning, I did a "start of the school year" cleaning. I decided to go through my young adult book stacks and donate those I was unlikely to read to my High School Media Center. I weeded out 81 books. Here is the visual evidence:

Now, I just have to haul them to work with me on Tuesday. I hope that my students will enjoy these new books. 

Teaser Tuesday: Canyons of Night by Jayne Castle

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I just received Canyons of Night by Jayne Castle and moved it right to the top of my TBR stack. I am a fan of her work whether she writes as Jayne Ann Krentz, Amanda Quick or Jayne Castle. This book is the finale in the Looking Glass Trilogy and moves onto the SF world of Harmony.

Teaser:

She winced. "Men hate it when I start talking like this."

"No shit."

"The history of my social life is filled with disastrous first dates. Well, sometimes, I make it to two or three. Once in a while I get all the way to five."

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (September 5, 2011)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

School starts on Tuesday for the students but I have been at work most days this past week. We were scheduled for Monday and Tuesday. I also had to help with the netbook distribution for the sophomores, juniors and seniors on Monday and Tuesday evening, the sixth grade open house on Wednesday evening, and the preparation of the NWEA testing file on Wednesday afternoon. I also managed to get ready for most of the classes that I will see on Tuesday. I think I would rather say that the plans for the sixth grade are "flexible" rather than "I'll be winging it" but both are true.

I did get some reading done this past week. I finished these books for review:

Gabrielle Zevin's All These Things I've Done is an interesting story about a future New York City where chocolate and caffeine have been banned. The main character is the daughter of a chocolate mafioso who is struggling to hold her family together after her parents' deaths. It doesn't help when she falls in love with the new District Attorney's son. My review is here. The book comes out on Tuesday.

Wisdom's Kiss by Catherine Gilbert Murdock is a fairy tale sort of story with an unusual structure. The story is told from eight points of view in letters, diary entries, encyclopedia entries, memoirs, a play and a biography. It was fun to read with lots of humor and subtle jokes and wordplay. My review will be posted on Sept. 8. The book will be published on Sept. 13.

I received my copy of The Medusa Plot ARC by Gordon Korman from Amazon Vine the day after the copy I bought arrived. This is the first book in the Cahills vs Vespers series of the 39 Clues and has all the action and adventure of its predecessors. It is a fun, middle grade book. My review will be posted on Sept. 7 and my copy is going to my High School Media Center for my students to enjoy. 

I also read a couple of books that I own this week.

Sympathy for the Devil by Justin Gustainis is the most recent in the Morris and Chastain urban fantasy series. It was excellent and makes me eager for the next book. Here is my review.

Canyons of Night by Jayne Castle finishes up her Looking Glass Trilogy. This one takes place on the science fiction/futuristic world of Harmony and has the crisp dialog and nice romance that Castle/Quick/Krentz is noted for. My review will be posted on Sept. 8.

I am currently reading One Grave at a Time by Jeaniene Frost. This one is mine and is the next in the Cat & Bones series. The product description is short and sweet: Having narrowly averted an (under)world war, Cat Crawfield wants nothing more than a little downtime with her vampire husband, Bones. Unfortunately, her gift from New Orleans' voodoo queen just keeps on giving-leading to a personal favor that sends them into battle once again, this time against a villainous spirit.

Next week I plan to read some more of my September books for review:

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson is from NetGalley. It comes out September 20 and is a young adult fantasy.

Dark of the Moon by Tracy Barrett is one of my Amazon Vine books. It also comes out on September 20 and is a romance based on the story of Theseus and the Minotaur.

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos is also a review book that came in my mail. I got this middle grade story from a publicist at Macmillan. It comes out Sept. 13.

If I have time, I hope to read a couple of books that I own.

I have been wanting to read Bloodlines by Richelle Mead since I attended an author signing and she read the first chapter -- last May! Maybe this week I'll finally be able to do so.

Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue by Stephanie Laurens is her latest Cynster novel. I am in the mood for some historical romance and always enjoy her books.

Those are my plans for the week. We'll see how it plays out this next week. What are your plans?

In My Mailbox (September 4, 2011)

The weekly In My Mailbox post is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. It is fun to see what everyone else gets in their mailboxes, shopping bags, and library visits. Click on the link to The Story Siren's site to see the rules and join in the fun.
 
I guarantee that your TBR pile will grow when you see all the wonderful books everyone gets. You will discover lots of great blogs and lots of books that you won't be able to live without.

It looks like my small, quiet mailboxes are a thing of the past. I got quite a few new books this week. Most of them were print books, too!

Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue by Stephanie Laurens is a new Cynster novel. I love these historical romances.

Canyons of Night by Jayne Castle is the conclusion of the Looking Glass Trilogy and takes place on the futuristic world of Harmony. These are also fun romances.

One Grave at a Time by Jeaniene Frost is the newest Cat & Bones novel.

Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent is her start to a new urban fantasy series. 

Animal Magnetism by Jill Shalvis starts a new contemporary series. I like both the humor and the romance of Shalvis' books.

Succubus Revealed by Richelle Mead is the conclusion of the series, I think. I have been following along and am eager to read how the series ends. 

I received Mercury Rises by Robert Kroese for review. I don't know much about it but the cover looks intriguing to me. 

I was browsing the shelves at Uncle Hugo's Science Fiction Bookstore while I was at a signing recently and saw a book by Diane Duane that I hadn't heard of. I had to buy Omnitopia Dawn when I read that it was about game worlds. I have recently read Ready Player One by Ernest Cline which has a similar theme and I am eager to compare the two.

I did take advantage of a Kindle special this week and bought a Jill Shalvis bundle. I got Shadow Hawk and Room Service. I don't usually read the Blaze line and missed these.

That was my mailbox this week. What did you get?

ARC Review: Stone Cold Seduction by Jess Macallan

Stone Cold Seduction
Author: Jess Macallan
Publication: Entangled Publishing, LLC (September 6, 2011)


Description: When a regular night of Robin Hood-ery results in the manifestation of some, um, unusual paranormal abilities, perfume-maker Elleodora Fredricks realizes the normal world she lives in isn't quite... normal. And neither is she, thanks to her father, king of the shadow elves. Not only is he evil incarnate and the reason Elle moonlights as a burglar someone has to take care of all his victims he's stolen her memories.


And only reading her fate can fix that.

Good thing she s got a trio of hotties willing to help her find said fate, but only if she gives them something in return. Saving her oracle BFF's fiance, falling in love with the gargoyle, and making up for breaking the phoenix s heart ought to be a piece of cake for the princess of the shadow elves.
If only the king didn't want his daughter dead...



My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this first book in a new urban fantasy/paranormal romance series even though the female lead was atypical for the genre. Elle is not a kick-butt and take names kind of woman. She hates the sight of blood and violence makes her faint. She owns her own shop where she makes soaps and lotions. She is very sensitive to the way things smell. She also had an unfortunate childhood. She is the child of divorced parents and her two weeks each year with her father was the opportunity for one of her father's employees to torture her (with her father's permission.) She was constantly told that she was worthless to her father. She grew up hating him and wanting to help his many victims. This has led to a second career as a cat burglar.


She has a best friend named Teryl who assists her in her second career. She only steals from her father and uses the proceeds to take care of some of his other victims. Teryl helps her identify things to steal. She also has an employee in her shop named Jax. He is a hottie of epic proportions but she just longs for him from afar until the night he rescues her in the middle of one of her burglaries. That burglary also caused her to manifest some unusual powers. 


She didn't know that her father was a shadow elf. In fact, he is the king of the shadow elves and she is his heir. She is surprised to find out that Teryl is an Oracle and Jax is a gargoyle. Apparently, when she didn't manifest any powers by age seventeen, her father wiped out her memory. She needs to play catch-up really fast now that she is developing some unusual powers. She also finds out that she has been stealing the souls of a variety of the non-human characters in the world which were hidden in the objects Teryl had her steal. All of a sudden, she has hunters on her trail. Her only hope is to travel to Scotland to find out her fate which her father should have shared with her at age eleven.


She also finds out that she once had a fiance named MacLean who is a phoenix. He comes to her shop to investigate the thefts. She doesn't remember him. This immediately sets up a rivalry for her affections between Jax and MacLean. Both believe that she is their fated mate. Elle is very conflicted.


The book is a journey of self-discovery for Elle. She learns about a world that she didn't know existed. It is also filled with danger and adventure as Elle, Teryl, Jax and sometimes MacLean try to find Elle her fate and keep her out of the hands of the hunters and her father.


This book also introduced me to a new word - manversation. Elle defines it as "a conversation men have where only grunts, growls, and manly looks are exchanged." I love it and intend to use it lots. 


I recommend this book for lovers of paranormal romance but caution readers that this is the first book in a series. There is a small resolution at the end of the book but most of the major problems are still to be solved. Luckily, readers need only wait until November for book 2 and January for book 3. I know that I am eager to find out what comes next for Elle.


Favorite Quote:

"I don't know what happened. We weren't caught, and we didn't die after stepping off the ledge, and if one of you doesn't explain, I'm going to start crying. Big, fat, hysterical woman tears."

I received this book for review and because I am on the blog tour from Entangled Publishing via NetGalley. You can get your copy here.

Jess Macallan Guest Post & Giveaway

I am pleased to be a site on Jess Macallan's blog tour for her new book Stone Cold Seduction. I really enjoyed this urban fantasy novel and look forward to books two and three in November and January.

Check out what Jess has to say about a writer's family and then enter the giveaway for an ebook copy of her story.

A Writer’s Family

I’m excited to be at Inside of a Dog today. Thanks for having me! I’m celebrating my upcoming  release STONE COLD SEDUCTION with Entangled Publishing. I’ve been asked a lot of questions about my characters, my inspiration, and my story line. I love talking about those things, but I also need to give credit to the other important people in my life: my family.

I see a lot of blogs discussing how writers manage to write and juggle family time, so I won’t bore you with another one. But have you ever wondered how families juggle life with a writer? Creative types aren’t all that easy to live with. A lot of focus is given to our support systems or lack thereof. I’m lucky to have a husband and kids who are supportive and understanding. Very understanding. Let me give you a few examples:

One day I was desperately trying to finish edits, and dinner time was closing in. I had the brilliant idea to let my kids do what we now call Snack-y Dinner. Their eyes lit up, because it was essentially a free-for-all. I let them raid the cupboard and the fridge (within reason), and load up their plates with their favorite snacks. I finished my edits, and the kids were fed. Success! Or rather it would have been if I’d only done it a few times. You know you’ve relied on Snack-y Dinner too often when your kids request baked chicken and lots of veggies instead of more snacks. Ahem.

My poor husband asks a week in advance if I can pencil in time to sit and watch our favoritenshow together on his days off. However, he has a better chance of getting a response if he asks via Facebook or Twitter because, well, I don’t hear much of anything while I’m typing. Have I mentioned he’s very understanding?

My parents and grandparents are afraid to call because I’m usually writing like mad during our normal chat times. I have a sneaking suspicion they can hear me clicking away on the keyboard while they update me on their lives. It’s not that I don’t care, or don’t want to talk. But when inspiration strikes, you learn to take advantage of it. And…er…I might possibly suffer from creative tunnel vision.

A few years ago, I could multi-task with the best of them. I’ve since discovered writing and multi-tasking don’t make good bedfellows. When I’m writing, I’m consumed with the story. And by consumed, I mean completely oblivious to anything and everything around me. There are only a few things that can pull me out of my creative flow. Kids screaming bloody murder, my husband offering to cook dinner, and the need for a piece of chocolate. Everything else is off my radar.

Fortunately, my obliviousness paid off. STONE COLD SEDUCTION is the first in the Set in Stone trilogy and I’m thrilled to share it with the world. Plus, I promised my family I’d take an entire month off when my writing, editing and blogging are done. *girns* Hey, I’m never above bribery.

If you’re a creative type, are your loved ones understanding of your quirky habits?

Thanks again for having me on Inside of a Dog today. I love chatting with readers at www.JessMacallan.com | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads  (Check out her blog too.)

Happy Reading!

****************

Would you like a copy of Stone Cold Seduction? Here is the product description:

When a regular night of Robin Hood-ery results in the manifestation of some, um, unusual paranormal abilities, perfume-maker Elleodora Fredricks realizes the normal world she lives in isn't quite... normal. And neither is she, thanks to her father, king of the shadow elves. Not only is he evil incarnate and the reason Elle moonlights as a burglar someone has to take care of all his victims he s stolen her memories.

And only reading her fate can fix that.

Good thing she s got a trio of hotties willing to help her find said fate, but only if she gives them something in return. Saving her oracle BFF's fiance, falling in love with the gargoyle, and making up for breaking the phoenix s heart ought to be a piece of cake for the princess of the shadow elves.

If only the king didn't want his daughter dead...

Entangled Publishing is letting me give away one ebook edition. This contest is open internationally. Fill out the form below for your chance to read this exciting and entertaining title. You can check out this link to Entangled Publishing to read the first two chapters too.

Fill out this form to win a copy.

Enter by midnight on Friday, Sept. 9. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and notified on Saturday, Sept. 10. Good luck.