Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday


"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating...
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Title: "Tempest"
Author: Julie Cross
Release Date: January 17th, 2012

From Goodreads: "The year is 2009. Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.

That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.

Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.

But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler. Recruit… or kill him.

Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world."

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

YA Heroine Tournament Team Buttons

I thought that it would be helpful to post all of the YA Heroine buttons that I have made in one place so that all participants and advocates can easily grab them! 

YA Sisterhood
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Monday, November 28, 2011

"Wherever You Go" by Heather Davis

From Goodreads: "Seventeen-year-old Holly Mullen has felt lost and lonely ever since her boyfriend, Rob, died in a tragic accident. The fact that she has to spend most of her free time caring for her little sister and Alzheimer’s-stricken grandfather doesn’t help. But Holly has no idea that as she goes about her days, Rob’s ghost is watching over her. He isn’t happy when he sees his best friend, Jason, reach out to help Holly with her grandfather—but as a ghost, he can do nothing to stop it. Is his best friend really falling for his girlfriend?

As Holly wonders whether to open her heart to Jason, the past comes back to haunt her. Her grandfather claims to be communicating with the ghost of Rob. Could the messages he has for Holly be real? And if so, how can the loved ones Rob left behind help his tortured soul make it to the other side?

Told from the perspectives of Holly, Jason, and Rob,Wherever You Go is is a poignant story about making peace with the past, opening your heart to love, and finding the courage to move forward into the light." 

If I had to describe this book in one word it would be "sweet". Almost everything about it was "sweet"- from Holly's relationship with her little sister and her grandfather, from her relationship with Jason, the prose of the book, to the characters (who were quite well-developed and dynamic) themselves. Holly was a character you couldn't help but like and root for. 

I did quite enjoy the book being told from multiple perspectives (I have read numerous reviews where people have complained about this, citing that the shifts in perspectives was a bit confusing, but I didn't have a problem with it, Heather did a marvelous job, in my opinion, differentiating between the characters). However, I must admit, I did have a bit of difficulties getting into the book, the pacing of the book was a bit slow for my taste and while I found the second half of the book to be much more enjoyable than the first half, I was a but disappointed that there wasn't a really grand climax (or "AHA!" moment). 

That being said, while the book didn't do much for me I am know that fans of Lurlene McDaniel's books will love this book as it has the same sort of vibe to it (in fact, I am going to force- in the nicest way possible- my little sister who loves Lurlene McDaniel books to give this a go). If you are looking for a lighter book that pulls at your heartstrings, I highly recommend this.

Rating: 7/10

I received this book from the publisher to read and honestly review. I was not compensated in any way for said review.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

YA Heroine Tourney: Tessa Advocate


This year I have decided to partake in the YA Sisterhood's Tournament of Heroines and I will be advocating... Tessa! From Cassie Clare's "Infernal Devices" series. As many of you who follow myblog know Cassie is one of my most favourite authors of all time so I am really excited to get the chance to represent such an amazing character (though admittedly nervous as heck- have you seen our competition? Clary? Katniss? Eek!).

I want to know why all of you (yes, YOU!) love Tessa and think that she deserves to win the YA Tournament of Heroes (I may even use your suggestions as to why she deserves to win the title in my defense)!

Do you love Tessa because...
  • She doesn't only appear in Cassie's "Infernal Devices" series but also her "Mortal Instruments" series (WHA? You didn't know that? Reread the epilogue of "City of Glass")? 
  • Do you love her because of the Dirty Sexy Attic scene with Will? Or the Dirty Sexy Balcony Scene that Cassie has been teasing us with for months
  • Do you love the fact that she loves books as much as you do?
  • Do you love the fact that we aren't entirely sure what she is (save for a Downworlder of some sort and save for the fact that she is by far one of the most unique and mysterious characters of Cassie's)?
  • Do you love the fact that she has not one BUT TWO amazingly swoon-worthy boys vying for her attention?
  • What about the fact that she is able to defend herself (and that she is snarky)? Anyone recall her swinging a jug at Will? Her biting Henry?  


First up we will be battling Luce from Lauren Kate's "Fallen" series (represented by Moirae (The Fates) Book Reviews). Why do you think Tessa deserves to win over Luce*?

And here are some buttons that I made advocating Tessa- feel free to grab them from the grab box!


YA Sisterhood

YA Sisterhood


YA Sisterhood

*No character bashing please! Any bashing will be deleted.

If you have any great points about Tessa from "Clockwork Prince" (those of you who were lucky enough to get an ARC I would greatly appreciate it if you could send some my way. To avoid spoilers please DO NOT post your points in the comments- you could DM me on Twitter or email me at averys.book.nook@hotmail.ca. Thanks muchly! 

Saturday, November 26, 2011

On My Wishlist

 

On My Wishlist is a great event that Book Chick City runs every Saturday. It's where you list all of the books that you desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. I thought that this was a fantabulous idea so I thought I would join in!
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"Scorched Skies" by Samantha Young 

From Goodreads: "FEAR THE HEAT…

Ari’s life has irrevocably changed. Her time is split between dodging the political and terrifying machinations of the Sultan Jinn and The White King, reining in Charlie who has been granted a wish that could destroy him, and trying to navigate the choppy waters of her now very complicated relationship with guardian Jinn, Jai.

All of that fades in comparison, however, when heartbreak once again seeks out Ari and she realizes she can no longer avoid her connection to the Jinn world. Instead she must stand and face it head on.

Especially now a formidable sorcerer has discovered her existence.

To save not only herself, but the rest of the Jinn world, Ari will have to team up with The Guild of hunters to track the sorcerer down… before he finds her, takes her, and bleeds the power of the Seal from her to hold all at his command."

Thursday, November 24, 2011

E-ARC Review: "Obsidian" by Jennifer L. Armentrout

From Goodreads: "Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring…. until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don’t kill him first, that is."


When I first read this book synopsis way back when, while I found the premise to be intriguing, I can't lie, I scoffed at the idea of the paranormal beings of this book being aliens (I totally pictured little green aliens with tiny bodies and gigantic heads running around with lasers and other technologies that my mere human mind would be unable to wrap my head around). Therefore you can imagine my surprise when I read this book and learn that the aliens are in fact SUPER gorgeous looking humans (and even when they are in their 'natural' forms they are still pretty gorgeous sounding- think Lend from Kiersten White's "Paranormalcy" series) and when the book didn't follow the stereotypical alien plotline (ie. "We have come to take over your planet", "Take us to your leader", and whatnot).

I don't know if I have ever seen so much sexual tension in a YA book before than I did in this book, sexual tension that was extremely reminiscent of an adult UF/ PNR (don't get me wrong, I am by no means complaining, sexual tension= fun times)- what does this mean? That this book successfully bridges the gap between YA and adult- a thirty year old will be as satisfied with this book as a 16 year old.


Both Daemon and Katy are such well-developed characters and probably the snarkiest pairing I have ever read in a YA book before. Seriously, neither one could not out-do the other (nor could they allow the other to have the last word). I am convinced that if they were to become a legitimate couple they could rule the world (with him being totally swoon-worthy,  possessive- in a not-creepy-but-cute-possessive way, and a genuinely nice guy despite his tough exterior and her being a strong female not afraid to stand up for what she believes in and who never backs down).

All in all, once you start this book you won't be able to set it down, not only because of the sexytimes, but also the fast-paced and unique plotline and dynamic characters. I am totally kicking myself for this being the first book by Jennifer that I have read before (guess who is adding her other series to the top of their TBR pile?)! I need a sequel ASAP!

Rating: 5/5

I received this book from the Publisher/ NetGalley to read and honestly review. I was not compensated in any way for said review.

Memorable lines from the book: 

"Yeah, it's kind of a hobby. What's yours? Kicking puppies?" (7%)

"Yeah, people call me Kitten all the time. But you make it sound so... I don't know, like it's an insult... Or something sexually deviant" (19%). 

"They were googly-eyed in class on Friday. It was pretty steamy, the while 'I'm screwing you with my eyes' thing they had going on" (64%). 

"We could take her out to a field and chase her around in our cars" (82%).

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday


"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating...
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Title: "Struck"
Author: Jennifer Bosworth
Release Date: May 8, 2012

From Goodreads: "Mia Price is a lightning addict. She’s survived countless strikes, but her craving to connect to the energy in storms endangers her life and the lives of those around her.

Los Angeles, where lightning rarely strikes, is one of the few places Mia feels safe from her addiction. But when an earthquake devastates the city, her haven is transformed into a minefield of chaos and danger. The beaches become massive tent cities, populated by millions of homeless. Downtown is a wasteland, where a traveling party moves to a different empty building each night, the attendees drawn to the destruction by a magnetic force they cannot deny. Two warring cults rise to power in the wake of the disaster, and both see Mia as the key to their opposing prophecies. They know she has a connection to the freak electrical storm that caused the quake, and to the worse storm that is yet to come.

Mia wants to trust the enigmatic and alluring Jeremy when he promises to protect her, but he’s hiding a more sinister truth. When the final disaster strikes, Mia must unleash the full horror of her strength to save them all."

Monday, November 21, 2011

Guest Post: "Creative Commons" by James Hutchings

Many writers, whether published or just starting out, are very nervous that someone else will steal their work, whether that be another writer using their ideas in their own stories, or someone making pirated copies of their books. When I put out a collection of my writing, I specifically gave permission for anyone at all to copy my ideas, or even to cut and paste whole stories. I also contacted the Pirate Party, a worldwide network that wants to lessen copyright, and told them that I was giving anyone permission to put my ebook on file-sharing sites. In this post I hope to show why I went against common wisdom.

Creative Commons

I used a free service called Creative Commons. Creative Commons is useful for people who want to give the general public permission to use their work, but with restrictions. In my case I didn't mind people using my work for non-profit purposes, such as posting on a blog, but I didn't want to allow anyone to make money off it. Similarly I wanted anyone who used it to give me credit. I could have just listed these things myself. However I'm not a lawyer, and perhaps I would have worded it wrong so that someone could twist what I said to do more than I meant. Also I could have been unclear about what I was allowing and what I wasn't allowing. Sure, someone could email me and ask, but the whole purpose of having a written statement is so that people don't have to ask.

Creative Commons has a series of different licenses, which give permission to do different things. They're all legally 'tight', and they're all summarized in plain language. So all you have to do is go to their site and answer a series of questions, to get to the license that does what you want. In my case I used the Attribution Non-Commercial License.

Why?

That's what I did. But why? Common sense would suggest that I'm giving something away for free that I could be selling. However I believe that, in the long run, I'll be better off. The main reason is that I've seen how many people are, like me, trying to get their writing out there. Go to Smashwords and have a look at the latest ebooks. Then refresh the page ten minutes later, and you'll probably see a whole new lot. The problem that new writers face isn't that people want to steal your work; it's getting anyone to show an interest in your work at all. If someone passes on a pirated copy of my work, it might get to someone who's prepared to buy it - and that someone would probably have never heard of me otherwise. Even if they don't want to pay for what they read, I might come out with something else in the future, and perhaps paying 99c for it will be easier than hunting it down on a file-sharing site.

Science fiction writer Andrew Burt tells the story of someone who disliked his book, and to get back at him decided to put a copy on a file-sharing site. The effect was that he got a small 'spike' in sales immediately afterwards.

I also have some less selfish motives. Many people would assume that the purpose of copyright is to protect authors and creators. Leaving aside the fact that someone else often ends up with the rights (how many Disney shareholders created any of the Disney characters? How many shareholders in Microsoft have ever written a line of code?), that doesn't seem to have been the intention in the past. The US Constitution says that Congress has the power "to promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries." Note that protecting 'intellectual property' isn't mentioned. The authors of the Constitution seemed to see the point as getting ideas out there where people can use them: almost the exact opposite of keeping them 'safe' and 'protected'.

The original idea of copyright seems to have been a sort of deal: you have an idea, and we want you to get it out into the world where it will do some good. To encourage you to do that, we'll give you a monopoly on its use for a limited time. After that, anybody can use it (it will enter the 'public domain').

A lot of people don't know that copyright used to give a lot less protection than it does now, especially in the United States. In the US, it used to be that works were copyrighted for a maximum of 56 years. Today copyright in the US can last for over 100 years. In fact Congress keeps extending the time. In practice, they're acting as if they never want ideas to go into the public domain.

This is great for the owners of 'intellectual property'. But it's hard to see how this "promotes the Progress of Science and useful Arts," or how forever is a "limited time." In a sense it's a theft from the public. Anyone who publishes work has accepted the deal that the law offers, of a limited monopoly in return for making their idea known. Congress has been giving them more and more extensions on that monopoly, but doesn't require them to do anything to earn it.

It probably doesn't matter that much that Disney still owns Mickey Mouse, or that Lord of the Rings is still under copyright. But remember that these laws don't just apply to the arts. They apply to science as well. So an invention that might save lives could be going unused, because its owner wants too much money for it, or because it's tied up in court while two companies fight about who owns it.

Conclusion

I'm far from an expert on either the law or the publishing industry. However I hope that I've given you, especially those of you who might be thinking about publishing some writing, a different take on the whole issue of whether authors should worry about their ideas being stolen. At least I hope I've shown you that there's a different way of thinking about it, and that that way doesn't require you to just give up on making money; in fact that it might be more profitable as well as better for society.

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James Hutchings lives in Melbourne, Australia. He specializes in short fantasy fiction. His work has appeared in Daily Science Fiction, fiction365 and Enchanted Conversation among other markets. His ebook collection The New Death and others, is now available from Amazon and Smashwords.

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This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

In My Mailbox


In My Mailbox is a weekly post hosted by Kirsti at The Story Siren as a chance to share the books we've bought or received over the past week.
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Bought
"The Pledge" by Kimberly Derting

For Review
"Fever" by Lauren DeStefano (Special thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada)

What did you get in your mailbox?

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Winners!


Congrats to Stephanie (Skk25) and Kelly Mills who have won E-book versions of "The Drorgon Slayer's Choice" by Tahlia Newland! 

Thanks to everyone who entered and special thanks to Tahlia for writing an extremely informative post about self-publishing and for providing the prizes!

On My Wishlist

 

On My Wishlist is a great event that Book Chick City runs every Saturday. It's where you list all of the books that you desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. I thought that this was a fantabulous idea so I thought I would join in!
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"Witches of East End" by Melissa de la Cruz 

From Goodreads: "From the author of the highly addictive and bestselling Blue Bloods series, with almost 3 million copies sold, comes a new novel, Melissa de la Cruz's first for adults, featuring a family of formidable and beguiling witches.

The three Beauchamp women--Joanna and her daughters Freya and Ingrid--live in North Hampton, out on the tip of Long Island. Their beautiful, mist-shrouded town seems almost stuck in time, and all three women lead seemingly quiet, uneventful existences. But they are harboring a mighty secret--they are powerful witches banned from using their magic. Joanna can resurrect people from the dead and heal the most serious of injuries. Ingrid, her bookish daughter, has the ability to predict the future and weave knots that can solve anything from infertility to infidelity. And finally, there's Freya, the wild child, who has a charm or a potion that can cure most any heartache.

For centuries, all three women have been forced to suppress their abilities. But then Freya, who is about to get married to the wealthy and mysterious Bran Gardiner, finds that her increasingly complicated romantic life makes it more difficult than ever to hide her secret. Soon Ingrid and Joanna confront similar dilemmas, and the Beauchamp women realize they can no longer conceal their true selves. They unearth their wands from the attic, dust off their broomsticks, and begin casting spells on the townspeople. It all seems like a bit of good-natured, innocent magic, but then mysterious, violent attacks begin to plague the town. When a young girl disappears over the Fourth of July weekend, they realize it's time to uncover who and what dark forces are working against them.

With a brand-new cast of characters, a fascinating and fresh world to discover, and a few surprise appearances from some of the Blue Blood fan favorites, this is a page-turning, deliciously fun, magical summer read fraught with love affairs, witchcraft, and an unforgettable battle between good and evil."

Friday, November 18, 2011

"Reckoning" by Lili St. Crow

From Goodreads: "The electric finale in New York Times bestselling author Lili St. Crow’s Strange Angels series!

Nobody expected Dru Anderson to survive this long. Not Graves. Not Christophe. Not even Dru. She’s battled killer zombies, jealous djamphirs, and bloodthirsty suckers straight out of her worst nightmares. But now that Dru has bloomed into a fullfledged svetocha—rare, beautiful, and toxic to all vampires—the worst is yet to come. Because getting out alive is going to cost more than she’s ever imagined. And in the end, is survival really worth the sacrifice?

Dru Anderson’s not afraid of the dark. 


But she should be."


Anyone who knows me knows how much I love this series, therefore, as you can imagine when I learned that this was the last book in Lili's "Strange Angels" series I was heartbroken. I hated the idea of this world ending, of not reading of Dru's badassness, Graves's over-protectiveness (that borders on bring soooooo cute), and Chris just being there. And when I saw a number of reviews where people were quite outraged by the ending of this book as they felt that the plot was in no way resolved I was further heartbroken. But then I read the book for myself...

While there was not near as much closure as I would have like (if you have read this book you know what I am talking about), I am by no means dissatisfied with how the series ended. Let's face it, if any character is deserving of a break, it's Dru-girl. And sure, I would totally be happy if Lili were to one day revisit this series, telling it from an adult perspective (Seriously, pretty please Lili?).

If anything, after finishing this book I am exhausted. I have become so engrossed and involved in these books (this book especially) that I seriously feel like I have fought countless vampires alongside Dru (and as a result of, been covered in acidic black vampire blood), ran at breakneck speed, for my life, from said vampires (avoiding trees while doing so), and have wanted to shake some sense into Graves with his constant back-and-forth/ smoking habit (ditto with Ash and his constant fidgeting). These emotions and feelings are truly a testament of how great of a writer Lili is (there are very few books in my opinion where the characters can literally come off of the pages and make me feel such a wide range of emotions).

All in all, this is a series that I will visit time and time again (Duh, I mean, I've already read each of these books, this one excluded, at least a half a dozen times already)- I will never tire of it. I cannot say enough good things about this series- if you have yet to read it, what are you waiting for? Seriously, you can't even use the excuse of, "Well, I am waiting for all of the books in the series to be released before I begin to read it since.... THEY ARE ALL RELEASED." As Lili would say, "finis."

Rating: 10/10

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday


"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating...
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Title: "Partials"
Author: Dan Wells
Release Date: February 28th, 2011

From Goodreads: "The human race is all but extinct after a war with Partials—engineered organic beings identical to humans—has decimated the population. Reduced to tens of thousands by RM, a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island while the Partials have mysteriously retreated. The threat of the Partials is still imminent, but worse, no baby has been born immune to RM in more than a decade. Our time is running out.

Kira, a sixteen-year-old medic in training, is on the front lines of this battle, seeing RM ravage the community while mandatory pregnancy laws threaten to launch what’s left of humanity into civil war, and she’s not content to stand by and watch. But as she makes a desperate decision to save the last of her race, she will discover that the survival of humans and Partials alike rests in her attempts to uncover the connections between them—connections that humanity has forgotten, or perhaps never even knew were there.

Dan Wells, acclaimed author of I Am Not a Serial Killer, takes readers on a pulse-pounding journey into a world where the very concept of what it means to be human is in question—one where our humanity is both our greatest liability and our only hope for survival"



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