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Friday, 24 January 2014

Bookvie: A Long Way Down - out March 7, 2014


Who's in it:
Aaron Paul, Rosamund Pike, Imogen Poots, Pierce Brosnan

What's it all about (book blurb from Goodreads):
In his eagerly awaited fourth novel, New York Times-bestselling author Nick Hornby mines the hearts and psyches of four lost souls who connect just when they've reached the end of the line. 

Meet Martin, JJ, Jess, and Maureen. Four people who come together on New Year's Eve: a former TV talk show host, a musician, a teenage girl, and a mother. Three are British, one is American. They encounter one another on the roof of Topper's House, a London destination famous as the last stop for those ready to end their lives. 

In four distinct and riveting first-person voices, Nick Hornby tells a story of four individuals confronting the limits of choice, circumstance, and their own mortality. This is a tale of connections made and missed, punishing regrets, and the grace of second chances. 

Intense, hilarious, provocative, and moving, A Long Way Down is a novel about suicide that is, surprisingly, full of life.

Movie Stills








I've read a few novels by Nick Hornby, and I must say I have enjoyed them all. I haven't read A Long Way Down, but there's still time to get my claws into it before the movie hits the cinemas, so I'll check it out.

Have you read any novels by Nick Hornby? Have you read this one?

Thursday, 23 January 2014

Must-Read: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman


Release Date: September 30, 2008
Publisher: HarperCollins

Summary (from Goodreads):

After the grisly murder of his entire family, a toddler wanders into a graveyard where the ghosts and other supernatural residents agree to raise him as one of their own.

Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead. There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family . . . 

Beloved master storyteller Neil Gaiman returns with a luminous new novel for the audience that embraced his New York Times bestselling modern classic Coraline. Magical, terrifying, and filled with breathtaking adventures, The Graveyard Book is sure to enthrall readers of all ages.

Wednesday, 22 January 2014

Cover Reveal: Control You by Jennifer Snyder


Control You
Release Date: Spring 2014

Summary from Goodreads:
Companion novel to Break You.
Kind hearted and naive, Paige Jacobs wants what every girl craves…to be loved. She uses this need to make excuses when her current boyfriend goes from being a tad jealous and slightly overprotective to stalker-ish. She isn’t that girl and Craig isn’t one of those guys. Things are fine. Perfectly fine. Until the moment a dark-haired, tattooed hottie with a snarky mouth walks into her life and tells her she deserves better.

Confident and boldly spoken, Cameron Green has always been the guy bad girls can’t get enough of and all the good girls want to tame. He’s lived a lavish lifestyle filled with drugs, women, and alcohol up until his destructive path finally caught up with him. Now Cameron isn’t sure what to do with himself or how to dampen the longing for something more festering inside of him since coming out of his drug-induced haze. But when he meets a doe-eyed girl who gets past his walls like no other, everything about him clicks into place.

Together the two learn there are emotions that hold within them all the power to control you…


Link to Break You:

About the Author

Jennifer Snyder lives in North Carolina were she spends most of her time writing New Adult and Young Adult Fiction, reading, and struggling to stay on top of housework. She is a tea lover with an obsession for Post-it notes and smooth writing pens. Jennifer lives with her husband and two children, who endure listening to songs that spur inspiration on repeat and tolerate her love for all paranormal, teenage-targeted TV shows.


Author Links:
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Cover Reveal Organized by:

BOTM - Bad Boy Vibes

Bad Boy Vibes

Sarcastic nobody, Kayla Burns is a thrill seeker at heart. Though she prefers her head to be in a book and her pen on the paper.

Adrenaline junkie, Evan Winters has just been bailed out from jail...again. So when the two are thrust together in a tragic tale of next door neighbours, there is no escaping one and other.













Interview

1. Please tell the readers a bit about yourself.

I am a seventeen year old girl who loves to write purely because it's my hobby. I am an American born, but I grew up in a small town in England due to my Dad's job. I suppose I'm a bit sarcastic, - a trait I take from my mother.

2. What types of books do you write?

Mostly teen fiction and humour but I have been branching out to write some more fantasy kind of mythology type of books. However, I guess I'm still more comfortable on what I know.

3. How many books have you written?

I have only got one completed book on Wattpad but I have several on going books. Bad Boy Vibes has now released it's sequel, Good Girl Vibes which I am excited about writing. I've also got some other stories plotted and posted and I tend to write and add chapters to them when I'm stuck on another book.

4. What movie and/or book are you looking forward to this year?

If we're talking movies then The Hunger Games! I am a massive fan and can't wait to go and see it at the movies. Book wise, I will probably have a stroll through some book stores and see if anything catches my interest. I still need to buy my copy of Allegiant by Veronica Roth!

5. What type of books do you enjoy reading?

I used to be an all round Teen Fiction girl but now I love anything dystopian. Don't get me wrong, if a book catches my eye and has a great blurb, I am one to read it whatever the genre.

6. If you were stranded on a desert island what 3 things would you want with you?

1. My laptop.
2. Food.
4. And my best friend.

7. Are you considering a sequel?

I have one already out! So yes, I knew I wanted to make one half way through writing Bad Boy Vibes.

8. What inspired you to become a writer?

I was never good at drawing,and writing was something that came more natural to me. I developed a love of reading and I love acting too. I guess the fact that I would make up scenarios in my head told me I could write these down and turn my thoughts into a story.

Bad Boy Vibes Book Trailer


Bad Boy Vibes Scavenger Hunt

Click the image below for more details

Author Spotlight - Astrid93

Clandestine

Adelaide and her father have always lived a sheltered life, constantly moving from town to town, hidden from the eyes of others; until now.

Supernatural hunters have tracked them down and Adelaide is confronted with a world that has purposely been hidden from her. Despite the evidence of Adelaide’s magic powers there is no record of her ever being born and she has to prove she is not a threat in order to keep her life. With the help of an unexpected hand she slowly begins to learn who and what she is and that it comes with a heavy price.








Interview

1. Please tell the readers a bit about yourself.

My name is Astrid, but amongst my English friends I’m also called Martie. I’m a twenty-year-old girl who has a love-hate relationship with the cold and resides just beneath the Arctic Circle, also known as Norway. And before you ask; no we do not have polar bears where I live (you’d be surprised how often people ask me this on the internet).

I absolutely love writing and I want to study Creative Writing abroad at some point and one day I hope to be published!

2. What types of books do you write?

I write Young Adult Fantasy and I have a weakness towards the dystopian part of the genre. I also have a few stories that are Teen Romance because I want to experiment with different genres, although Fantasy holds a special place in my heart.

3. How many books have you written?

I have only completed one, but have several others in the works, Clandestine being really close to finished right now so that’s exciting for me since it has slowly become my baby.

4. What movie and/or book are you looking forward to this year?

Too many! I’m an absolute movie geek and so when books I love becomes movies they automatically go on the list so Vampire Academy, Divergent and Mockingjay are three movies I am looking forward to for sure! As well as American Hustle (it doesn’t premiere until March here in Norway). X-men Days of Future Past, How to Train Your Dragon 2 and The Hobbit; There and Back Again! There are probably more…

When it comes to books Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead is very high on my list (the ending of the Indigo Spell messed so much with my fangirl feels!). City of Heavenly Fire (Cassandra Clare) is also one, and the conclusion to the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness; The Book of Life. I’m a sucker for the fantasy series as you may have noticed…

5. What type of books do you enjoy reading?

On Wattpad I read almost all genres (even tried horror, not doing that again, it messed with my head so bad!), but at home my bookshelves are dominated by Fantasy with only a few exceptions (I do not consciously plan this, it just turns out that way).

6. If you were stranded on a desert island what 3 things would you want with you?

1. A notebook
2. A pen
3. A dragon

7. Are you considering a sequel?

Yes, definitely! There are so many layers and things I want to do with the plot and characters in Clandestine that it will end up spanning either two or three books. 

8. What inspired you to become a writer?

It started out as therapy for me, writing poems and such, which later developed into story writing and I have loved it ever since! 

The first conscious thought I ever had of it was when I was reading my first full length English book six years ago and I absolutely fell in love with the language and I remember admiring the author and thinking how amazing it must be to have such a talent to be able to write an entire book… and now that admiration has become the thing I love most and want to do with my life!


Excerpt

Trip suddenly has a dagger in his hand, thankfully it’s still in a sheath and Kaidan is staring at me with a newfound interest, “From where?”

“What?” I ask.

Trip glares at me before continuing, “You were about to say we were from somewhere or someplace, I’d like to hear you say it.”

“No I wasn’t, and what the heck are you doing with that knife? Put that thing away!”

“It’s a dagger, and no,” Trip answers and then turns slightly towards Kaidan but still keeps an eye on me. “We should take her with us, she could be a threat.”

For some reason, this makes my blood boil. “So now I’m the threat? Am I the one standing here with a knife in my hand? I don’t think so! And who the hell are you, pointing that thing at me just because you’re some state guardian from another dimension or whatever! And you come here and call me a threat? I hadn’t even used my powers on purpose until you guys wrecked everything!” At the end I am openly shouting and I have to take a break to breathe and they both look at me as if they’re afraid. “What?!” I shout.

“What’s your name again?” Kaidan asks, his voice the epitome of calm.

“Adelaide! My freaking name is Adelaide!”

“Okay, so, Adelaide. Do you always do that?”

“Do what?”

Trip cuts him off, “He just wants to know if you always light on fire when you’re angry.”

“What do you mea-“ I cut myself off as I look down to see the flames that are burning brightly up my arm and that’s when I scream.

Tuesday, 21 January 2014

Book Blitz: The Skinwalker's Apprentice by Claribel Ortega


The Skinwalker's Apprentice
by Claribel Ortega
Release Date: 02/24/14

Summary from Goodreads:

“Welcome to The Empire State, where banshees, witches, and skinwalkers wait…”


Margo Pennyfeather is being hunted. The 16-year-old witch has always been an outcast, in her home back in England, and now in the village of East Hampton New York where her family has settled. No one but her family has ever cared for Margo, but now the most important witch in the magic world wants her as an apprentice, giving her a chance to bring her family out of poverty.




Before long, Margo realizes things aren't what they seem, least of all, what kind of witch she really is. Now, the young witch must face a terrifying monster on her own, and the reverberations will reach farther than she could have ever imagined.

More than three hundred years later, in 1984 Emerald Kipp is a high school senior in New York City. A troubled teen with a rebellious streak, Emerald can't seem to figure out what to do with her life, and unfortunately for her, “witch” isn’t one of the available career choices in her guidance counselor’s office. As she struggles to figure herself out, Emerald is faced with the threat of being stuck in school and missing her final summer with her three best friends. Her last year of high school is turning out to be the worst yet, and Emerald thinks it can’t possibly get any worse. Unfortunately for her, she’s dead wrong.

And there’s something else, something far more sinister stirring in Emerald’s world, and she’ll have to believe in herself if she wants to get through it alive.

Two witches, three hundred years apart, one inescapable fate.

The Skinwalker's Apprentice is a prequel to the upcoming novel, Emerald Kipp and The Riddle of The Timekeeper, a terrifying magical scavenger hunt through the gritty streets of 1980’s New York City,set to a killer soundtrack, and perfect for fans of Harry Potter and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Part of The Empire Witches series.

*Available February 24th, 2014 on Smashwords, iBooks, Amazon, Barnes & Nobles and more! (Pre orders available Jan. 20th)


About the Author


Claribel Ortega is a graduate of the SUNY Purchase journalism program, and got her start writing for the school’s Independent Newspaper. There, she quickly rose the ranks from editing the student’s often times hilarious ads and ramblings on the back page of the paper to staff and feature writer.
After graduation, Claribel worked as a reporter for The Rivertowns Enterprise, a local paper in lower Westchester County, New York. As a reporter, she enjoyed going to board of education meetings and texting the town mayors about the line at Starbucks.
Today, Claribel works for The Combined Book Exhibit, a book marketing company in Westchester NY.
She lives in New York with her really awesome boyfriend, her suspiciously intelligent yorkie Pancho Villa and is surrounded by an impenetrable fort of books she gets from her job.

“The Skinwalker’s Apprentice” is her first book, and cheese is her favorite food.

Author Links:
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***GIVEAWAY***
Prize pack: (US only)
Forever 21 Mint green Handbag 
Forever 21 Emerald glitter nail polish 
Forever 21 Cat charm bracelet 
Forever 21 Pink heart gold necklace 
iTunes Playlist of all the songs in "The Riddle of The Timekeeper" (Playlist attached) 

Bookmarks and ebook of The Skinwalker’s Apprentice



Book Blitz Organized by:

Cover Love - After The End (After The End #1) by Amy Plum


Release Date: May 6, 2014
Publisher: Harper Teen

Summary (from Goodreads):

World War III has left the world ravaged by nuclear radiation. A lucky few escaped to the Alaskan wilderness. They've survived for the last thirty years by living off the land, being one with nature, and hiding from whoever else might still be out there.

At least, this is what Juneau has been told her entire life.

When Juneau returns from a hunting trip to discover that everyone in her clan has vanished, she sets off to find them. Leaving the boundaries of their land for the very first time, she learns something horrifying: There never was a war. Cities were never destroyed. The world is intact. Everything was a lie.

Now Juneau is adrift in a modern-day world she never knew existed. But while she's trying to find a way to rescue her friends and family, someone else is looking for her. Someone who knows the extraordinary truth about the secrets of her past.

Monday, 20 January 2014

BOTW - Taken By Destiny


Taken By Destiny

Teen Romance / Mystery

Wattpad Book Blurb:

Sixteen year old Lucy Harper is an average, happy girl with a good life. One decision plucks her from the life she knows in America to an unfamiliar London where she is a stranger to everyone. This mysterious place forces Lucy to realize that in life, we have to fight for those we love. We must make sacrifices. 

The longer Lucy stays in this place the more odd things begin to happen. Ominous dreams stain her sleep, where she encounters a strange girl who brings about more questions than answers. The mystery deepens with the presence of a boy shrouded in intrigue. In time Lucy learns that her presence in this place means more to some than others. In time she learns what she is fighting, and what is worth fighting for.

As she fights for those she loves, she is faced with a destiny she never thought possible.

Click here to read the book.

BOTW - Haunted


Haunted

Paranormal

Wattpad Book Blurb:

Harry tried to look at the girl as he tried to make out what she was talking about, but the weariness that took over him after the explosion wasn't helping in the least.

His eyes slowly drifted close no matter how hard he tried to keep them open. He couldn't open them even when a wet drop fell on his cheeks, not even when a gunshot rung into the air. He just drifted into the darkness and silence for no one knows where.

Click here to read the book.

BOTW - First Kiss & Broken Promises


First Kiss & Broken Promises

Teen Romance

Wattpad Book Blurb:

First Kiss can be earth-shattering and so can ‘broken promises’, especially when both are sealed and delivered by the one who has held your heart in the palms of his hands since the day you turned a teen. 

Seventeen year old Divya Narayan is a high-spirited young girl with an adventurous streak in her, who doesn’t think twice before taking a risk. She learns very early in life that broken promises by ones you love equals a broken heart. So she makes two promises – Never to fall in love and never to break a promise. 

One fateful night four years ago, Aryan Diaz not only broke Divya's heart but also her trust and their unique bond of friendship. When the charming heart-breaker returns next door to Divya, he holds more than a key to her locked heart; he has answers that can set her free to break the promises she made.

Click here to read the book.

BOTW - Sicilian Seductions


Sicilian Seductions

Romance

Wattpad Book Blurb:

A town, set against the dramatic rocky coastline silhouetted with palm trees and kissed by a sea, above which towers a smoking volcano and rolling green hills... In it, lives a sexy young billionaire, whose reputation is staked in nothing but the indulgence of fine wine and finer women. Swanky and smug Raul sets his sights on a ho hum small - time businesswoman whose only ambition is to succeed in managing her ailing father's wine business. Out of nowhere, he comes like a whirlwind throwing Nadia's well guarded emotions into a ruckus of desires and weaknesses. As the days fly by, Nadia succumbs to Raul's seductions, finding herself falling helplessly in love with the irresistible Sicilian. In a tale created in the heart of a hot and sizzling romance, lurks a danger which seeks to destroy them both...

Click here to read the book.

BOTW - Clandestine


Clandestine

Teen Fantasy / Paranormal

Wattpad Book Blurb:

Adelaide and her father have always lived a sheltered life, constantly moving from town to town, hidden from the eyes of others; until now.

Supernatural hunters have tracked them down and Adelaide is confronted with a world that has purposely been hidden from her. Despite the evidence of Adelaide’s magic powers there is no record of her ever being born and she has to prove she is not a threat in order to keep her life. With the help of an unexpected hand she slowly begins to learn who and what she is and that it comes with a heavy price.

Click here to read the book.

Saturday, 18 January 2014

January Kindle Fire Giveaway ($229 Value)

January Kindle


Win a Kindle Fire HDX, Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash ($229 value) 

This is a joint AUTHOR & BLOGGER GIVEAWAY EVENT!

Bloggers & Authors have joined together and each chipped in a little money towards a Kindle Fire HDX 7".

The winner will have the option of receiving a 7" Kindle Fire HDX (US Only - $229 Value)



  Or $229 Amazon.com Gift Card (International)



  Or $229 in Paypal Cash (International)



      January Sponsors
  1. I Am A Reader, Not A Writer
  2. Feed Your Reader
  3. The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl
  4. Author Kimber Leigh Wheaton
  5. Author Inger Iversen
  6. NESSAROX
  7. Author Carol Davis Luce
  8. The Reporter and the Girl
  9. Author David Pandolfe
  10. Bella Street Writes
  11. Author Bonnie Blythe
  12. Author Elizabeth Seckman
  13. MyLadyWeb: Women's History and Women Authors
  14. Just One More Chapter
  15. Author Donna Fasano
  16. Author Lia Fairchild
  17. Author Linda S. Prather
  18. Author Heather McCoubrey
  19. Author M.A. Comley
  20. Jessica Loves Books
  21. Fae Books
  22. Author Cidney Swanson
  23. Lori's Reading Corner
  24. Author Jennifer Laurens
  25. Allergic to Life
  26. ~Owl Always Be Reading
  27. Author J.L. Weil
  28. Buku-Buku Didi
  29. Barb's Wire - eBooks & More
  30. Author Jennifer Gilby Roberts
  31. Another Head Full of Fantasy
  32. Fairiechick's Fantasy Book Reader
  33. Author Kim Cresswell
  34. Mother Daughter Book Reviews
  35. Buried Under Romance
  36. Jenna Does Books
  37. Laurie Here
  38. The Bunny's Review
  39. Bea's Book Nook
  40. Fabulously Girly Book Blog
  41. The Loopy Librarian
  42. Bound4Escape
  43. Michael SciFan
  44. Chapter by Chapter
  45. Author Helen Smith
  46. Button-the-Push Books and Giveaways
  47. Author S.M. Blooding
  48. Back Off My Books
  49. Author Brinda Berry
  50. Author Christie Anderson
  51. Author Leslie A. Susskind
  52. More Than A Review
  53. Author Heather Gray
  54. Paige Ryan
  55. Fire and Ice
  56. Author Bryna Butler
Sign up to sponsor the next Kindle Fire Giveaway:
http://www.iamareader.com/category/kindle-giveaway-sign-ups

Giveaway Details 1 winner will receive their choice of an all new Kindle Fire 7" HDX (US Only - $229 value), $229 Amazon Gift Card or $229 in Paypal Cash (International).

There is a second separate giveaway for bloggers who post this giveaway on their blog. See details in the rafflecopter on how to enter to win the 2nd Kindle Fire HDX 7".

Ends 2/9/14

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the participating authors & bloggers. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

BOTW - List #36

BOTW WEEK 36:





Friday, 17 January 2014

Bookvie: Divergent - out March 21, 2014

  

Who's in it:
Shailene Woodley, Theo James and Kate Winslet

What's it all about (book blurb from Goodreads):
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

DIVERGENT - Official Trailer


Movie Stills





 

Now, this is a book series I've been hearing about for quite some time yet, and I still haven't read any of the books. I read the blurb and sampled the book, but because I have read many books with similar storylines, so I haven't been too eager to pick it up.

I think I'll give it a go before the movie comes out and see how it goes.

Have you read Divergent?