HAPPY HALLOWEEN

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

I hope everyone has a safe and warm night, and the monsters come begging for candy! May your movies be scary, you get only treats, and may the Great Pumpkin bring you a good book. Tonight I'm off to pass out candy at work to the neighborhood kids with my staff.

New Release Tuesday

Genre: Horror

Series: Stand Alone

Pages: 336

“This is not a story. It’s a road trip.”

Keisha Lewis lived a quiet life with her wife, Alice, until the day that Alice disappeared. After months of searching, presuming she was dead, Keisha held a funeral, mourned, and gradually tried to get on with her life. But that was before Keisha started to see her wife, again and again, in the background of news reports from all over America. Alice isn’t dead, and she is showing up at every major tragedy and accident in the country.

Following a line of clues, Keisha takes a job with a trucking company, Bay and Creek Transportation, and begins searching for Alice. She eventually stumbles on an otherworldly conflict being waged in the quiet corners of our nation’s highway system—uncovering a conspiracy that goes way beyond one missing woman.

Why did Alice disappear? What does she have to do with this secret war between inhuman killers? Why did the chicken cross the road? These questions, and many more will be answered in Alice Isn’t Dead. 

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway

They say don't judge a book by its cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes it's the cover that originally catches our eye, drawing us to give a book a closer look. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday I'm going to post some of my favorite covers of books coming soon! Some are by authors I already enjoy, some are the reason I gave the book a longer look. Either way they're all going to find their way here!

Release Date: April 6th, 2019

Genre: Sattire

Pages: 352

The Skyr is a rich, verdant land claimed by both halflings and gnomes. For centuries, the halflings have worked to undermine gnomish power structures and seize total control--through legal means, certainly, but more insidiously through their extensive organized crime network. Now, threatened with being pushed out entirely, the gnomes are desperate and ready to fight back. Gustave the Goat King faces his first test as a leader: Can he bring peace to a fraught region or will a civil war consume the entire kingdom?

I love this cover, this series, but I do not love this wait! The first book, Kill the Farm Boy was one of my favorite reads this year. Ugh, waiting until April might kill me. That's so far away..

HAPPY READING!!

Mini Reviews

I'm really enjoying these books by Rick Geary! So far I've read ones with cases I knew quite a bit about, but this was the first one where I know bits and pieces. A lot of research goes into these books for under a 100 pages of story. But, none of these have felt rushed in any way. Everything is presented in a way that keeps the narrative going, never really casting suspicion just mere speculation. Plus, I enjoy the black and white artwork. It kept my attention on the story instead of on the pictures, but the pictures ads a nice little something.

Legacy - Review

Author: Alastair Pack

Genre: High Fantasy

Format: e-Book

Pages: 275

I have to say a huge thank to my friend Sio for putting Alastair Pack in touch with me. He was gracious enough to give me a copy of his book Legacy to read, in trade for my honest review. 

Honestly, I'm really glad I got a chance to read this book. In fact, I'm very much looking forward to the next book in the series. Already I've put this on some friends to read list because it's totally up their alley, but also I need someone else to freak out with me. Because my poor flatmate has had to deal with my yelling at my phone as I read this, and throwing myself down dramatically on the couch when I've needed to take a break.

So bless her for that.

I had a little trouble at the start of the book. Not only was Legacy a new series with a new world for me to understand, new characters to love and hate, but also a new writing style to get use to. I am very much a creature of habit with many things, including books I ready. So it took me few pages to get into the flow of Alastiar's prose. I'm glad I stuck it out though. Legacy quickly went from my bus book to everything else can wait book.

I love when that happens!

One of my favorite things about Legacy was kind of how there's a story inside of a story. While the story follows Brande through the trail of saving his family, you also get the story of the man Brande was before coming to Burke. Even better was how those moments we saw of his past came full circle toward the end of the book. Every little flashback lead to one moment at the end, and is the reason for the ending itself. I really liked that.

I also really liked that the whole story arc for this book was solved just enough to leave room for more books. Personally I'm very happy with how things ended for many reason. First of all I'm very glad my assumption about Alland was spot on, he is fact an asshole. I'm also very glad we got one last scene with Wylie because he amuses me. I love when a book ties up its quest in the final pages, and Legacy did just that. However, it leave just enough open that you know whose gonna be a problem in the books to come.

The writing itself is strong throughout the whole book. There was never really a point where I set the book down because I was confused, or because something doesn't fit. Every moment leads to another moment, to another addition to the questing party. Though, I was very thankful when we stopped killing off the characters I enjoyed. Because for a minute there I thought all my happiness would be squashed. So thank you for letting me keep Aldway. Appreciate it.

As for the characters, they were all really solid. The ones I disliked had nothing to do with the writing quality. Just because they are terrible. I also really liked how none of the female characters were simpering. Ainthe kicked some major butt in us the first few pages, and while Githa isn't always my favorite, she is a badass with a sword. 

However hands down Eberhand and Aldway are my favorites. I'm sucker moral ambiguous characters of low fiber. 

All-in-all, it was an amazing read and I'm so thankful I had the chance to read it. Now if the second book could come soon, that'd be great. 

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about what we have yet to read. Generally they are books that have yet to be released, but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous at Breaking the Spine.

Before he was a flesh-eating corpse, R was something worse. He remembers it all now, a life of greed and apathy more destructive than any virus, and he sees only one path to redemption: he must fight the forces he helped create. But what can R, Julie, and their tiny gang of fugitives do against the creeping might of the Axiom Group, the bizarre undead corporation that’s devouring what’s left of America?

It’s time for a road trip.

No more flyover country. This time they’ll face the madness on the ground, racing their RV across the wastelands as tensions rise and bonds unravel—because R isn’t the only one hiding painful secrets. Everyone is on their own desperate search: for a kidnapped daughter, a suicidal mother, and an abused little boy with a gift that could save humanity…if humanity can convince him it’s worth saving.

All roads lead home, to a final confrontation with the plague and its shareholders. But this is a monster that guns can’t kill. A battle only one weapon can win…

Books can be pre-order on Isaac Marion's site, here!

Waiting on Wednesday: OMG! This is just weeks away!

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

Genre: Historical Fiction

Series: Stand Alone

Pages: 448

The wry, macabre, unforgettable tale of an ambitious orphan in Revolutionary Paris, befriended by royalty and radicals, who transforms herself into the legendary Madame Tussaud. 

In 1761, a tiny, odd-looking girl named Marie is born in a village in Switzerland. After the death of her parents, she is apprenticed to an eccentric wax sculptor and whisked off to the seamy streets of Paris, where they meet a domineering widow and her quiet, pale son. Together, they convert an abandoned monkey house into an exhibition hall for wax heads, and the spectacle becomes a sensation. As word of her artistic talent spreads, Marie is called to Versailles, where she tutors a princess and saves Marie Antoinette in childbirth. But outside the palace walls, Paris is roiling: The revolutionary mob is demanding heads, and . . . at the wax museum, heads are what they do.

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway

They say don't judge a book by its cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes it's the cover that originally catches our eye, drawing us to give a book a closer look. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday I'm going to post some of my favorite covers of books coming soon! Some are by authors I already enjoy, some are the reason I gave the book a longer look. Either way they're all going to find their way here!

Release Date: December 18th, 2018

Genre: Thriller

Pages: 304

Sean Suh is done with killing. After serving three years in a psychiatric prison, he’s determined to stay away from temptation. But he can't resist Annabelle--beautiful, confident, incandescent Annabelle--who alone can see past the monster to the man inside. The man he's desperately trying to be.

Then Annabelle disappears.

Sean is sure she’s been kidnapped—he witnessed her being taken first hand—but the police are convinced that Sean himself is at the center of this crime. And he must admit, his illness has caused him to “lose time” before. What if there’s more to what happened than he’s able to remember?

Though haunted by the fear that it might be better for Annabelle if he never finds her, Sean can’t bring himself to let go of her without a fight. To save her, he’ll have to do more than confront his own demons… He'll have to let them loose.

HAPPY READING!!

Mini Reviews

I love random library impulse grabs. This was one of those items. Actually, there is a whole series of them I can't wait to work my through. But, I had to start with H.H. Holmes! Only recently has his crimes sort of  come into mainstream media, and his "Murder Hotel". What I really like about these is how they sort of have that old school sort of Penny Dreadful feel to them. Like something you could follow along to week-by-week until you finally find out how they catch him. It's super sort, but I felt like all the facts were there and the story was well told without being dry. I'm excited to see how the others play out.

This is one of those cases that I know backward and forward. I've read a dozens of books about the case both fictional and nonfictional. Like most stories there have been some winners, and some that where bone dry. This one was definitely a winner. I enjoyed the narration throughout the story, which read like a journal entry. Like someone who was watching the event unfold around them. The artwork matched with the first book so the were clearly part of a serial collection which I like. I hate when the artwork changes from book-to-book. It's a quick read (I read it on the bus). This series is turning out to be the best little library find.

HAPPY READING!!

Eric Idle Book Event

I had the amazing opportunity to go and see Eric Idle talk about his career last week. It was one of those things where I had to go. It didn't matter what was going on in my life, or how many favors at work I had to call in to make sure it happened. There was no way I was going to miss this event to see one of my favorite actors, writers, and comedian talk about his work. The Monte Python Series was my first introduction to British Comedy, and I fell in love with Eric Idle's characters. So come Hell or High Water this was happening.

 The house was packed for the event, but it didn't seem that anyone cared that we were all sitting elbow-to-elbow. All of us excited for Eric to take the stage. Boy was it worth the wait. To be fair I didn't know much about Eric Idle leading up to last week. I knew his body of work, had seen several of his movies, and Spamalot is on my bucket list. Of course, I'd read about how the guys from the Python series had a falling out, yada, yada, yada. But, I can honestly say I didn't know much about the actor and writer himself.

He's met so many amazing people in his career, and made so many friends. The evening was filled with amazing stories about his writing, friends, and time with the Python series. It was so cool to see how they made the Flying Circus. To hear where the song, Always Look On the Bright Side, actually came from.

But, most of all is was aces to get here Eric Idle sing! One new song he had just for the tour, one from the series, and of course the song that he named his book after. The event was amazing and I'm glad I made it work. It was honestly a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. I got to be just a few feet away from one of my favorite humans. We laughed so hard my face hurt the whole ride home. It's one of those things you get to tell people later in life. I once saw Eric Idle do his thing life just a few feet away.

I'm honestly not sure anything will top that.

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about what we have yet to read. Generally they are books that have yet to be released, but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous at Breaking the Spine.

"Femi makes three, you know. Three and they label you a serial killer."

Korede is bitter. How could she not be? Her sister, Ayoola, is many things: the favorite child, the beautiful one, possibly sociopathic. And now Ayoola's third boyfriend in a row is dead. Korede's practicality is the sisters' saving grace. She knows the best solutions for cleaning blood, the trunk of her car is big enough for a body, and she keeps Ayoola from posting pictures of her dinner to Instagram when she should be mourning her "missing" boyfriend. Not that she gets any credit.
A kind, handsome doctor at the hospital where Korede works, is the bright spot in her life. She dreams of the day when he will realize they're perfect for each other. But one day Ayoola shows up to the hospital uninvited and he takes notice. When he asks Korede for Ayoola's phone number, she must reckon with what her sister has become and what she will do about it.
Sharp as nails and full of deadpan wit, Oyinkan Braithwaite has written a deliciously deadly debut that's as fun as it is frightening.

Why I'm Waiting: This sounds right up my alley. I love a good thriller, and the early reviews sound so good! Excited to crack this one open.

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

Genre: Horror

Series: Stand Alone

Pages: 464

A compelling, eerie new novel from the internationally bestselling author of Let the Right One In."Sweden's Stephen King." The Washington Post "One of the hottest writers in the horror genre." Mystery Scene"At the top of his game, Lindqvist gives Stephen King and John Saul at their best a run for the money." Library Journal (starred) "Dubbed the Stephen King of Sweden, Lindqvist lives up to the billing." New York PostFour families wake up one morning in their trailer on an ordinary campsite. However, during the night something strange has happened. Everything outside the camping grounds has disappeared, and the world has been transformed into an endless expanse of grass. The sky is blue, but there is no sign of the sun; there are no trees, no flowers, no birds. And every radio plays nothing but the songs of sixties pop icon Peter Himmelstrand.As the holiday-makers try to come to terms with what has happened, they are forced to confront their deepest fears and secret desires. Past events that each of them has tried to bury rise to the surface and take on terrifying physical forms. Can any of them find a way back to reality?

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway

They say don't judge a book by its cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes it's the cover that originally catches our eye, drawing us to give a book a closer look. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday I'm going to post some of my favorite covers of books coming soon! Some are by authors I already enjoy, some are the reason I gave the book a longer look. Either way they're all going to find their way here!

Before he was a flesh-eating corpse, R was something worse. He remembers it all now, a life of greed and apathy more destructive than any virus, and he sees only one path to redemption: he must fight the forces he helped create. But what can R, Julie, and their tiny gang of fugitives do against the creeping might of the Axiom Group, the bizarre undead corporation that’s devouring what’s left of America?

It’s time for a road trip.

No more flyover country. This time they’ll face the madness on the ground, racing their RV across the wastelands as tensions rise and bonds unravel—because R isn’t the only one hiding painful secrets. Everyone is on their own desperate search: for a kidnapped daughter, a suicidal mother, and an abused little boy with a gift that could save humanity…if humanity can convince him it’s worth saving.

All roads lead home, to a final confrontation with the plague and its shareholders. But this is a monster that guns can’t kill. A battle only one weapon can win…

Books can be pre-order on Isaac Marion's site, here!

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about what we have yet to read. Generally they are books that have yet to be released, but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous at Breaking the Spine.

Dakota Territory, 1866. Following the murders of a frontier fort’s politically connected sutler and his wife in their illicit off-post brothel, Lieutenant Martin Molloy and his long-suffering orderly, Corporal Daniel Kohn, are ordered to track down the killers and return with “boots for the gallows” to appease powerful figures in Washington. The men journey west to the distant outpost in a beautiful valley, where the soldiers inside the fort prove to be violently opposed to their investigations.

Meanwhile, Irish immigrant brothers Michael and Thomas O’Driscoll have returned from the brutal front lines of the Civil War. Unable to adapt to life as migrant farm laborers in peacetime Ohio, they reenlist in the army and are shipped to Fort Phil Kearny in the heart of the Powder River Valley. Here they are thrown into merciless combat with Red Cloud’s coalition of Native tribes fighting American expansion into their hunting grounds. Amidst the daily carnage, Thomas finds a love that will lead to a moment of violence as brutal as any they have witnessed in battle—a moment that will change their lives forever.

Why I'm Waiting: I've been in mood for some good Western this year.  This is one that has caught my eye, and not just because the cover is amazing. It sounds right up my alley. So I'm excited for it's November release.

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

Genre: NonFiction

Series: Stand Alone

Pages: 320

Every age and social strata has its bad eggs, rule-breakers, and nose-thumbers. As acclaimed popular historian and author of How to Be a Victorian Ruth Goodman shows in her madcap chronicle, Elizabethan England was particularly rank with troublemakers, from snooty needlers who took aim with a cutting “thee,” to lowbrow drunkards with revolting table manners. Goodman draws on advice manuals, court cases, and sermons to offer this colorfully crude portrait of offenses most foul. Mischievous readers will delight in learning how to time your impressions for the biggest laugh, why quoting Shakespeare was poor form, and why curses hurled at women were almost always about sex (and why we shouldn’t be surprised). Bringing her signature “exhilarating and contagious” enthusiasm (Boston Globe), this is a celebration of one of history’s naughtiest periods, when derision was an art form.

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway

They say don't judge a book by its cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes it's the cover that originally catches our eye, drawing us to give a book a closer look. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday I'm going to post some of my favorite covers of books coming soon! Some are by authors I already enjoy, some are the reason I gave the book a longer look. Either way they're all going to find their way here!

Release Date: October 30th, 2018

Genre: Thriller

Pages: 320

Everyone does bad things when no one is watching

Mercilessly bullied in high school, Ava knows she needs to put the past behind her and move on, but she can’t—not until she’s exacted precise, catastrophic revenge on the people who hurt her the most.

First, she watches Saanvi. Flawlessly chic and working hard at a top architectural firm, Saanvi has it all together on the surface. But everyone does bad things when they think no one is watching and Ava only wants what’s fair—to destroy Saanvi’s life the way her own was destroyed.

Next, she watches Cass. She’s there as Cass tries on wedding dresses, she’s there when Cass picks out a cake, she’s there when Cass betrays her fiancé. She’s the reason Cass’s entire future comes crashing down. 

Finally, Ava watches Mel. Mel was always the ringleader and if anyone has to pay, it’s her. But one tiny slipup and Ava realizes the truth: Mel knows she’s being watched, and she’s ready to play Ava’s games to the bitter end.

 

The cover of this was the first thing that caught my eye while I was looking for something else. Something about the red color that pulls you in, and it's kind of creepy at the same time.