Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Blitz + Giveaway and Excerpt: The Courage Test by James Preller



The Courage Test by James Preller

Will has no choice. His father drags him along on a wilderness adventure in the footsteps of legendary explorers Lewis and Clark--whether he likes it or not. All the while, Will senses that something about this trip isn't quite right.

Along the journey, Will meets fascinating strangers and experiences new thrills, including mountain cliffs, whitewater rapids, and a heart-hammering bear encounter.

It is a journey into the soul of America's past, and the meaning of family in the future. In the end, Will must face his own, life-changing test of courage.

A father-and-son journey along the Lewis and Clark Trail--from Fort Mandan to the shining sea--offers readers a genre-bending blend of American history, thrilling action, and personal discovery.






Praise for THE COURAGE TEST


"Preller stirs doses of American history into a first-rate road trip that does traditional double-duty as plot device and coming-of-age metaphor. Will is initially baffled and furious at being abruptly forced to accompany his divorced father, a history professor, on a long journey retracing much of the trail of Lewis and Clark. ...Will survives a meeting with a bear and a spill into dangerous rapids—tests of courage that will help him weather the bad news that awaits him at home." --Booklist



"Whatever young explorers look for on their literary road trips, they’ll find it here."--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books



"The lively narrative is interspersed with Will’s entries for a school writing assignment, which contain lots of facts about the original journey, as well as postcards to his mother. Despite the emotional heft, there is plenty of action, including white-water rafting and a close encounter with a bear. A middle grade winner to hand to fans of history, adventure, and family drama."--School Library Journal



EXCERPT
My mother pushes me out the door, and I don’t know why.



“I don’t want to go,” I tell her.

“I know,” she says.

“But why now?” I ask again. “All-Stars starts this week. I don’t want to miss it.”

“We’ve been over this,” she says.

She might as well say what every parent resorts to when they run out of good answers: Because I said so. There’s no explanation, no more discussion. It’s time for me to go.

I feel ridiculously, stupidly, helplessly annoyed, and there’s nothing I can do about it. I see in that instant my mother is getting old. Stray gray hairs, wrinkles around the down-turned corners of her mouth. She looks tired and thin, sick of arguing with me. I carry a fully loaded metal-frame backpack on my shoulders and a smaller gym bag in my right hand—stuff for the long drive, all my technology’s in there. I don’t want to go, but I can’t stand here forever. So come on, Mom, let’s do this.

“You’ll have fun,” she says. “It’s good for you and your father to spend time together.”

“Please, Mom.”

“He’s the only father you’ve got,” she says.

I give her nothing in return. Not a nod. I’m not even listening. I turn my back to her.

“Bye,” she says, and adds, “I love you, Will.”

I walk away like I don’t hear.

“Will?”

I raise my hand in good-bye without looking back.

My father waits in the car. He steps out as I approach. I nod to him, hey. None of this is my idea. I have no say, no choice. I refuse to be happy about it. I’m not going to make this easy.

“Here, um, let me help you with that.” He reaches to take my backpack.

“No, I got it,” I say, leaning away.

“Oh, okay, sure,” he says.

He stands there, not knowing what to do.

“Are you going to pop the trunk?” I ask. Because: obviously.

Flustered, my father moves to the driver’s side door. He fumbles in the front pocket of his water-resistant khakis, drops the keys on the road, stoops to the ground. I glance sideways, slyly, to check how this is playing from the front window. But my mother is no longer watching.

She’s gone.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James Preller (born 1961) is the children's book author of the Jigsaw Jones Mysteries, which are published by Scholastic Corporation. He grew up in Wantagh, New York and went to college in Oneonta, New York. After graduating from college in 1983, James Preller was employed as a waiter for one year before being hired as a copywriter by Scholastic Corporation, where he was introduced (through their books) to many noatable children's authors. This inspired James Preller to try writing his own books. James Preller published his first book, entitled MAXX TRAX: Avalanche Rescue, in 1986. Since that time, James Preller has written a variety of books, and has written under a number of pen names, including Mitzy Kafka, James Patrick, and Izzy Bonkers. James Preller lives in Delmar, New York with his wife Lisa and their three children.

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Top Ten Tuesday: Thriller and Horror Novels

So I've been wanting to read more thrillers/mysteries/suspense/horror novels. Not because I don't read much, but just because I am really in the mood for them right now. I would love to hear from all of you what your favorite novels in these genres are. But for now, here are my top ten thriller and horror novels that I want to read in no particular order. As you can tell from the list of books, the majority are YA horror stories, but I do love thriller and mysteries just as much. Have you read any of the books below and if so, what did you think of them?

So I was going to include Midsummer Night's Scream in the list because I just started that, but then I decided that I would focus on books that I really want to read that I haven't started yet. But Midsummer Night's Scream by R.L. Stine would have definitely made it onto the list if I hadn't started it.

#1: Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson

30037870Allegedly is one of my most anticipated reads of 2017. I actually bought this book a few days ago, and hope to add it to my shelves soon. It will also be one of the books that I am reading for the Debut Author Challenge, which you should all check out (the link is in my left sidebar). This is a YA mystery, and the opening of the blurb is: 

Mary B. Addison killed a baby.

Allegedly.

So if that doesn't sound intriguing at all, I don't know what is.







#2: Beast is an Animal by Peternelle van Arsdale

29522966So I don't really know much about this book. I just saw it the other day, and loved the cover, and haven't read the description yet, because well sometimes I just read books based on their cover and go in knowing absolutely nothing about the book. This is a YA horror book. Again, I am planning to read this book for the Debut Authors Challenge.













#3: Escape from Asylum by Madeleine Roux

27064441I really enjoy the Asylum series. I have read both of the short novellas, and the first and second book so far. I contemplated between which book by Madeleine I want to read the most right now, and the prequel novel is the most intriguing to me. I do want to give a shout out to her House of Furies book that also sounds absolutely amazing, but right now I want to read Escape from Asylum the most. This is a YA horror.

The nightmare is just beginning.

If you like Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, you might enjoy this series. I, personally, think it's much darker, but I loved it. I actually loved it more than Miss Peregrine's, and highly recommend checking it out.





#4: And the Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich

28449150I have absolutely no idea what this book is about either. The only thing I know is that it's by Dawn Kurtagich, who wrote the Dead House, which is arguably one of my favorite horror books of all time because the story (didn't scare me), but it was really creepy. And where I am at the point that I don't think any book will scare me, I think it takes a lot to creep me out - and Dead House accomplished that. Probably the only reason this book is on my tbr list. I mean it has a really beautiful cover, so maybe I would have picked it up, but there's always the possibility I would have never known about this book otherwise. This, again, is a YA horror.








#5: MARY: Unleashed by Hillary Monahan

24396989This is the second book in the Blood Mary series, and I will almost read or attempt to read anything about Bloody Mary. I won't say this is one of the best horror books I have ever read, but I did think it was entertaining and I am excited to read the second book. This is, once more, is a YA horror story. I will say, I don't understand what the crow on the cover has to do with anything, but we'll see once I read it - hopefully.

Mary in the mirror.
Mary in the glass.
Mary in the water.

No one is safe.







#6: Fall by Bethany Griffin

18241263I, at one point in time, knew what this story was about. I don't really recall now, but I still plan on reading it. I actually just got in the other day, and it will be included in my haul when I finish getting the pictures posted on my Instagram account. This book is a gothic YA horror story, and I hope to get to it soon.

Madeline Usher is doomed.

I decided to not read what it was about for this, and to go into this story blind, but I pulled the first line from the blurb, and I feel like it says enough for me to still be intrigued, but have absolutely no idea what this story is about.

I do know that it is a reimagining of Edgar Allan Poe's classic, The Fall of the House of Usher, which I like about Bethany Griffin's books. She has another series, Masque of the Red Death based off of another Edgar Allan Poe classic. 



#7: The House by Christina Lauren

24885831I feel like the title is kind of self-explanatory to what this story is about. It is about a girl, Delilah, and a guy, Gavin, and a house that Gavin lives in that Delilah is drawn to and there's just something wrong with this house. Other than that, I have absolutely no idea. I have also heard nothing about this book, and I have read nothing by this author so I don't really know what to expect. This is a YA horror.













#8: Women in the Walls by Amy Lukavics

28367592This is another haunted house story about two cousins and an ancient and deadly legacy that has marked the women in their family for generations. Once again, I have no idea what this book is about really. I have heard nothing about this story and have never read a book by this author. This is another YA horror.















#9: Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco


28962906This is similar to my feeling about Bloody Mary. If I see a book about Jack the Ripper, I will probably pick it up even if I don't know much about it. Audrey, who is our main character, works with her uncle, I believe, working with dead bodies which her father/family doesn't know about. And through that, she basically gets pulled into the Ripper story. I probably bought this as soon as I could, and plan to get to it in the near future because I absolutely cannot wait. This is a YA mystery.














AND FINALLY...


#10: There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins

15797848So I have, at this moment, never read a Stephanie Perkins book. If things work out the way I'm expecting, this book will probably be my first of her books. I am interested in reading the Anna and the French Kiss trilogy, but at the same time, I'm not like dying to read them. This book, I actually don't know how I stumbled across it. It might have been recommended to me... even though its not out yet, but just recommended because they knew I would be intrigued. So this book is apparently, a classic teen slasher story that is also fun... So I don't know what to expect, but if I end up liking this, I might end up going and reading her trilogy.

As you can see, there's not really a cover, but that's because this book doesn't come out until September of this year.







There are many more books that I want to read that fall under these genres, but these are just some of the ones that I am intrigued most to read, or in a few cases, just want to finish the series (still want to read them), but just want to get those series out of the way since I think they are the final books in both series. So I hope you enjoyed finding out about some horror stories, and what I am intrigued most to read. If you love horror/thriller/mysteries, feel free to share and recommend your favorites in the comments.

Small Announcement: Giveaway

Not many of you know that I have an Adult blog, Reading for the Stars and Moon over at http://adultreadingforthestarsmoon.blogspot.com/. Right now, I have a giveaway going on for a signed ARC of Highland Duke by Amy Jarecki here. And you have to go to that blog to enter. I will not be including the rafflecopter on this blog. Right now there are 6 days remaining, but I might extend it to add an extra week.

Here is the book's Goodreads page.

Blitz: Hard Truth About Sunshine by Sawyer Bennett

FBHardTruthNowAvailable

 

The Hard Truth About Sunshine AMAZONNew York Times bestselling author Sawyer Bennett has written her most gripping and poignant tale yet.

Provocatively heart-breaking, audaciously irreverent and romantically fulfilling, The Hard Truth About Sunshine exposes just how very thin the line is between a full life and an empty existence. Despite having narrowly escaped death's clutches, Christopher Barlow is grateful for nothing. His capacity to love has been crushed. He hates everyone and everything, completely unable to see past the gray stain of misery that coats his perception of the world. It's only after he involuntarily joins a band of depressed misfits who are struggling to overcome their own problems, does Christopher start to re-evaluate his lot in life. What could they possibly learn from one another? How could they possibly help each other to heal? And the question that Christopher asks himself over and over again... can he learn to love again? He's about to find out as he embarks upon a cross country trip with a beautiful woman who is going blind, a boy with terminal cancer, and an abuse victim who can't decide whether she wants to live or die. Four people with nothing in common but their destination. They will encounter adventure, thrills, loss and love. And within their travels they will learn the greatest lesson of all. The hard truth about sunshine... Warning: This book deals with some tough issues including suicide and sexual abuse.

Amazon | Paperback | B&N | iBooks | Google Play | Kobo

LaurenBlakelyQuote THTAS Teaser #7 

AuthorPhotoSince the release of her debut contemporary romance novel, Off Sides, in January 2013, Sawyer Bennett has released more than 30 books and has been featured on both the USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists on multiple occasions. A reformed trial lawyer from North Carolina, Sawyer uses real life experience to create relatable, sexy stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From new adult to erotic contemporary romance, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone. Sawyer likes her Bloody Marys strong, her martinis dirty, and her heroes a combination of the two. When not bringing fictional romance to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to a very active toddler, as well as full-time servant to two adorably naughty dogs. She believes in the good of others, and that a bad day can be cured with a great work-out, cake, or a combination of the two.

Sunday, March 26, 2017

Review: To Catch a Killer by Sheryl Scarborough

To Catch a Killer by Sheryl ScarboroughTo Catch a Killer by Sheryl Scarborough

Erin Blake has one of those names. A name that, like Natalee Holloway or Elizabeth Smart, is inextricably linked to a grisly crime. As a toddler, Erin survived for three days alongside the corpse of her murdered mother, and the case—which remains unsolved—fascinated a nation. Her father's identity unknown, Erin was taken in by her mother's best friend and has become a relatively normal teen in spite of the looming questions about her past.

Fourteen years later, Erin is once again at the center of a brutal homicide when she finds the body of her biology teacher. When questioned by the police, Erin tells almost the whole truth, but never voices her suspicions that her mother's killer has struck again in order to protect the casework she's secretly doing on her own.

Inspired by her uncle, an FBI agent, Erin has ramped up her forensic hobby into a full-blown cold-case investigation. This new murder makes her certain she's close to the truth, but when all the evidence starts to point the authorities straight to Erin, she turns to her longtime crush (and fellow suspect) Journey Michaels to help her crack the case before it's too late.

Pages: 320
Format: Hardback
Published By: Tor Teen
Genre: YA - Thriller, Mystery, Contemporary
FTC Disclaimer: I received this book free to read, thanks to Bookwraiths.

Cover Review:
This cover is absolutely beautiful. I love the fog in the background because I think it really adds that air of mystery to the cover of this thriller book. I'm typically not a fan of books that have a person featured but I like that her face is turned away, looking behind her, which again is very accurate for the story.

Rating:
✮✮✮

Review:
To Catch a Killer by Sheryl Scarborough was one of my most anticipated reads of 2017. I was completely drawn in by what this story was about and mystery/thrillers/suspense are probably my favorite type of story. To Catch a Killer lived up to the expectations I had for it.

I am going to point out that the names were not a favorite of mine: Spam and Journey. All though, Spam's name turned out to actually be Samantha but still, wasn't really a fan of those names. That being said, Spam reminded me a lot about myself. She's fiesty and spirited, with a lot of determination. Erin was the same way, but I don't think she was as spirited as Spam, but Erin was also a lot like me. She again was very determined, and she had a knack and love for forensics. They were probably my two favorite characters.

I also really liked Victor, and liked how he paid attention to Erin which I feel isn't typically common in YA books. Parents/Adults are either very absent in the story or they just don't believe or understand the teenager. Rachel was a character that I was going back and forth with whether I liked her or not, solely based on her decisions throughout the story, but I ended up liking her. And I loved Journey. He was just really sweet and nice, and just someone I find hard not to like.

I liked the romance. I didn't think it was rushed, and I felt like it was in the story a nice amount without taking over the story. I think that Journey and Erin are such a great couple, and I think that they were cute together.

The plot was fantastic. It kept me on my seat because it was action-packed and nicely-paced. I will say that almost roughly 1/4 into the story, I had figured out who the killer was. It wasn't really a shocker to me based on actions and mannerisms. There was also another thing that Erin was trying to figure out which about her life in the story, and I kinda assumed that "the potential at the end" was what she was looking for before it was mentioned.

So, my final thoughts are that this is a wonderful mystery that will keep you ensnared because it contains a great plot and great characters. I also would love to have the final question (regarding the "potential" mentioned above answered. I am satisfied where this story left off, but if Sheryl Scarborough writes a sequal in the future, I will definitely read it!

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Book Sacrifice Tag


book sacrifice TAG


So I didn't have anything book tour, blitz, etc. related going up today, and since I haven't really had the time to read (being sick twice within the past month) since I am still catching up on some schoolwork, I decided to find a book tag to do. I typically search youtube, but this time, I stumbled upon this tag on a blog. Here is the blog I looked at Pewter Wolf. This tag is really old, but it looked like fun so I'm doing it!

1) An Over-Hyped book: Let's start this off with a Zombie Apocalypse! Let's say you're in a bookstore, just browsing, when BAM! ZOMBIE ATTACK! An announcement comes over the PA System saying that the military has discovered that the zombies' only weakness is over-hyped books. What book that everyone else says is amazing but you really hated do you start chucking at the zombies knowing that it will count as an over-hyped book and successfully wipe them out?!

I am going to talk about two books here - and I didn't hate them, but they were the lowest rated hyped-up books that I had on my Goodreads account (3 stars for both of them). The first being Forest of Hands and Teeth. When I read this book everyone was telling me about it. I had non-reader friends who would come up and be like "You totally need to read Forest of Hands and Teeth", so I did (and I don't know how popular this was elsewhere because I wasn't as active within the book community at this time), but it was super hyped up for me. The second book is Twilight. Everyone I knew in 8th grade was reading this book (I'm pretty certain every girl had a copy of this book). So I picked it up, and well, I wasn't as into it as everyone else I knew.

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2) A Sequel: Let's say you've just left the salon with a SMASHING new haircut and BOOM: Torrential downpour. What sequel are you willing to use as an umbrella to protect yourself?


This answer could totally be stemming from the fact that Twilight was already on my mind, but New Moon (which is also the introduction to me hating love triangles...). Again, this book got 3 stars from me.


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3) A Classic: Let's say you're in a lecture and your English teacher is going on and on about how this classic changed the world, how it revolutionized literature and you get so sick of it that you chuck the classic right at his face because you know what? This classic is stupid and it's worth detention just to show everyone how you feel! What Classic did you chuck?

Romeo and Juliet... William Shakespear has an amazing talent for writing, I will not argue that... this story, I will argue that it was stupid. I'm not going to rant about it because I can. I have had long debates with people about why it's a horrible plot, and does not represent love at all. Trust me, I will. If you want to read my somewhat rant, click here. Just remember I wrote this 4 years ago, and just kind of stated my opinion. I was not really reviewing books at this time, but you still get the gist of how I felt. I also rated this play 2 stars.

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4) Your least favourite book of life!: Let's say that you're hanging out at the library when BAM global warming explodes and the world outside becomes a frozen wasteland. You're trapped and your only chance for survival is to burn a book. What is the book you first run to, your least favourite book of all life, what book do you not fully regret lighting?

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. I hated it. I didn't really care at all about any of the characters, or the setting, or the plot, or the book at all. I was required to read it for school, but I hated it so much that I skipped the majority of it, and the section that I had to write my review on ( a specific aspect of the story) was the only part I read excluding the very beginning (maybe 2 chapters). I just hated it! I would have no problem burning this book at all. At first, I was going to have this book for problem 3, but it worked out perfectly. I will say, though... that what I did read, I felt like the book has some accurate perceptions considering when it was written - so brownie points to Aldous Huxley for seeing where the future could go - still didn't like the book! This is one of a I think 3 books that I gave a one star to.

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So yes, I really enjoyed this. I don't think there is anything wrong with not liking books other people like. I think it's what makes the book community so wonderful is the differences of tastes, and the different types of books that come out. For me, two of the four were stories that I hate. The other two were just books that I didn't get into as much as everyone around me. Tell me some of your least favorite books in the comments below. I'm not going to officially tag anyone because I wasn't tagged, but if you would like to do this - go for it, and leave your link in the comments below because I would love to see your answers!

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Blitz + Excerpts and Teasers: Solace in Silence by Melissa Ann

Title: Solace In Silence
Author: Melissa Ann
Release Date: March 21st


Title: Solace in Silence
Author: Melissa Ann
$0.99


BLURB:

Sometimes in our darkest moments,
When we can't tell the lies from what's true,
When we don’t have the strength to go on,
The love of a friend helps us get through.

Solace in Silence,
Is my personal fight,
Through poetry,
From darkness to light.



Excerpt #1:

One Day

Give me your hand,
I'll help lift you up.
Let me hold you near,
And you can tell me what's up.

You've been hurt in the past,
You have been broken down.
Instead of hating who did this,
You blame yourself, I can see it in your frown.

You hold the world on your shoulders,
Sometimes you wish you didn't feel so much,
But this is the gift you've been given,
And you must accept it as such.

You fight the demons,
Every single day.
Most days you win,
But some days you’re too tired to slay.

If you look
Deep within your soul,
You'll see a light,
Do you see the dim glow?

Just have faith,
In who you are.
And one day,
That light will grow.

So look at how far you have come,
Not how far you need to go.
As long as you keep fighting,
One day you won't feel as low.


Excerpt #2:

We All Have A Purpose

I admit there are days,
I wish I didn’t exist,
When my illness takes over,
And it will not desist.

I’ve learned to live with the challenges.
It can be difficult, I won’t lie,
But it’s the way it affects my family,
That makes me want to cry.

I won’t go very far,
With my children in tow.
What if I get sick,
I’ll have nowhere to go.

I want them to have a great life.
To be able to see all there is to see,
But I feel I’ve taken that away from them.
And that doesn’t sit well with me.

One thing that is positive,
About this life they live.
My children have learned empathy,
And they have lots of love to give.

There’s a reason I’m still here.
I admit the reason was hard to find.
I may not always have the use of my body,
But I still have my mind.

I can create stories,
For others to read.
I can change people’s lives,
And help those in need.

I still have my heart,
I send love every day,
You must never forget you have a purpose,
This is the message, I must convey.



TEASERS:






Solace In Silence Release Party Event
March 21st



Author Bio


Melissa lives in the Great White North in her spacious igloo with her two daughters, one of which is a mermaid, the other a unicorn. When she is not writing, she is riding her moose and wrestling with her polar bear. Due to the demand of her books, she was forced to train her hamsters to guard her home, as she typed out what the crazy voices in her head demanded. 

She's an avid supporter of World Wildlife Fund and makes an effort to involve herself as well as her family in fundraising campaigns for various charities. Melissa has an Employment Counsellor Diploma from Fleming College, but she prefers writing stories over resumes.

Presently she has nine books published in a variety of genres, which include Poetry, and Historical and Contemporary Romance.

Her Work in Progress is an Urban Fantasy titled, Mirrored Souls will be published soon.




Social Media Links: