The Bane (Eden # 1) by Keary Taylor - Book Review

Title: The Bane (Eden #1)    
Author: Keary Taylor  
Publisher: Keary Taylor Books
Publication Date: 5 March 2013
Pages: 203
Format: E-Book - EPUB
Genre: SF Dystopia YA
Source: ARC via NetGalley

Darkness Before Dawn (Darkness Before Dawn # 1) by J.A. London - Book Review

Title: Darkness Before Dawn (Darkness Before Dawn #1)  
Author: J.A. London
Publisher: HarperTeen 
Publication Date: May 2012
Pages: 342 
Format: Paperback  
Genre: Paranormal YA
Source: Xmas Gift

Circus of the Damned (Anita Blake # 3) by Laurell K. Hamilton - Book Review

Title: Circus of the Damned (Anita Blake #3)

Author: Laurell K. Hamilton  
Publisher: Jove  
Publication Date: 2002 (1995)  
Pages: 336  
Format: Paperback  
Genre: Paranormal   
Source: Xmas Gift

The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood - Book Review

Title: The Penelopiad

Author: Margaret Arwood
Publisher: Canongate Books
Publication Date: 2006 (2003)
Pages: 199
Format: Paperback
Genre: Literary Fiction
Source: Xmas Gift

Book Blogger Hop # 35 / Follow Friday # 56

 

 Which do you prefer most: a printed book or an Ereader?




I actually read about 50/50 these days. If it's a book I know I want to keep forever and reread, I'll get print (even if I read it in e-copy originally), but e-books are great for trying new authors and for review copies via NetGalley. 

What books have you given other people lately?

Well, I recently gave a late 2nd Xmas gift to my manager (he spent too much on my gift, so I had an urge to get him something extra than the bottle of wine I'd already given him). I gave him A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel - a book I really love and thought he'd enjoy too since he likes her two Wolf Hall books.

Black Swan Rising by Lee Carroll - Book Review

Title: Black Swan Rising

Author: Lee Carroll
Publisher: Bantam Press
Publication Date: November 2010
Pages: 299
Format: E-Book - EPUB 
Genre: Paranormal 
Source: ARC via NetGalley

The Ambassador's Daughter by Pam Jenoff - Book Review

Title: The Ambassador's Daughter

Author: Pam Jenoff

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA

Publication Date: January 2013

Pages: 298

Format: Paperback

Genre: Literary Fiction / Historical

Source: Review Copy from Publisher

David M. Brown - Guest Post

Today I welcome author David M. Brown to the blog. Over to you, David....

Keep Your Eyes, Ears and Mind Open

I first started writing in 1999 when I was at college. I set out to build a fantasy world, beginning as a solitary world map, and from there I developed the histories of twenty-three lands, spread across twenty-five ages and with more than five hundred accompanying maps. As I built that history, ideas for novels inevitably came to me but from many sources.

My first book, Fezariu’s Epiphany, came into being when the history was being built. In the early centuries a group of hired hands known as the Merelax Mercenaries appeared frequently but they never had a prominent role. I wanted to know more about them and Fezariu was the one that came forward to join them and experience their way of life. The novel began very simply with that plotline but as the months passed it gained far more substance until it reached the stage where Fezariu’s joining of the mercenaries was actually a secondary element in the story. His upbringing and abandonment by his mother became far more important. I was surprised at this change but I’m glad it happened.

Oddities and Entities by Roland Allnach - Book Review

Title: Oddities and Entities

Author: Roland Allnach 

Publisher: All Things That Matter Press 

Publication Date: March 2012 

Pages: 266 

Format: E-Book - PDF 

Genre: Paranormal / Short Stories

Source: ARC via NetGalley

Follow Friday # 55

Write a letter to your favorite character. Rant, rave or gush…just pretend like they are real and you just want to let them know a “few things”. – Activity courtesy of author, Kelly Walker

Dear Gareth

I know Adele is a princess and the joining of royal dynasties is always a buzz and pleases the family....

But, if you ever get bored of spoilt rich kids and want to get to know the common mortals, you can knock on my door any time. My blood is always pumping and waiting should you need refreshment.

Love

Nicki

NB. How many of you know which book series I am referring to? 

The Laughing Corpse (Anita Blake # 2) by Laurell K. Hamilton - Book Review

Title: The Laughing Corpse (Anita Blake # 2)

Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Publisher: Jove
Publication Date: 2002 (1994)
Pages: 293
Format: Paperback   
Genre: Paranormal
Source: Xmas Gift

Vlog - Books of the Month - New Feature

I am planning to start a new monthly feature on the blog. I am going to enter the world of vlogging to bring you a selection of my favourite reads from the past month. I will also try to give you the occasional vlog update on my own writing whenever I have some news to share. Anyway, here is my first video which I hope you will enjoy.

By the way, I also just joined the world of Twitter, so feel free to come on over and follow me there too! ;)

Notes from Ghost Town by Kate Ellison - Book Review

Title: Notes from Ghost Town

Author: Kate Ellison
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Publication Date: February 2013
Pages: 336
Format: Paperback   
Genre: Paranormal/Contemporary YA
Source: ARC via NetGalley

Winner - Follower Love Giveaway Hop

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway. A random selection has been made and the winner is:

Lilian S. W.

Congratulations. I have emailed the winner!

Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles # 1) by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl - Book Review

Title: Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles # 1)

Author: Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl  
Publisher: Penguin  
Publication Date: 2010 (2009)  
Pages: 563  
Format: Paperback   
Genre: Paranormal   
Source: Bought Copy

Claimed By Shadow (Cassandra Palmer # 2) by Karen Chance - Book Review

Title: Claimed by Shadow

Author: Karen Chance
Publisher: Roc
Publication Date: 2007
Pages: 376
Format: Paperback 
Genre: Paranormal 
Source: Xmas Gift

Follower Love Giveaway Hop (Intl)

Welcome to the Follower Love Giveaway Hop, hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer and The Reader's Antidote. There are many blogs participating in the hop, so do check out the full list at either of the host sites to enter some more amazing giveaways.

Read on to see what you can win here!

The Accursed by Joyce Carol Oates - Book Review

Title: The Accursed

Author: Joyce Carol Oates

Publisher: Harper Collins/Ecco

Publication Date: 5th March 2013

Pages: 688

Format: E-Book - PDF
Genre: Paranormal / Historical

Source: ARC via NetGalley

Guest Post - Liesel Hill - Ten Recipes for the End of the World

Today I welcome Liesel Hill, author of Persistence of Vision, to the blog. Liesel is here to share a few recipes for the end of the world. Over to Liesel....

10 Recipes for the End of the World

Hello Everyone! My name is Liesel K. Hill and I’m here to promote my debut novel, Persistence of Vision, a dystopian fantasy with elements of sci-fi. Thanks so much to Nicki for hosting me here today. My blog tour has turned out to be massive, so as you can image, I’ve been writing lots of guest posts and they often contain similar information. Nicki told me to pick my own topic today, which I’m grateful for because it allows me to do something unique and fun!

The Peculiar by Stefan Bachmann - Book Review & Giveaway

Title: The Peculiar  
Author: Stefan Bachmann  
Publisher: Harper Collins    
Publication Date: September 2012   
Pages: 360   
Format: Paperback    
Genre: Middle Grade-YA/ Steampunk/ Fantasy  
Source: Review Copy from Publisher