Friday 30 November 2012

The Sun Dwellers Book Blast


Author Bio:
David Estes
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

David Estes was born in El Paso, Texas but moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania when he was very young. David grew up in Pittsburgh and then went to Penn State for college. Eventually he moved to Sydney, Australia where he met his wife. A reader all his life, he began writing novels for the children's and YA markets in 2010, and started writing full time in June 2012. Now he travels the world writing with his wife, Adele. David's a writer with OCD, a love of dancing and singing (but only when no one is looking or listening), a mad-skilled ping-pong player, and prefers writing at the swimming pool to writing at a table.




Some of you may have already heard of David Este's other books from The Dwellers series - The Moon Dwellers and The Star Dwellers - well today is the release date for The Sun Dwellers and if you keep reading you'll be able to grab a sneak peak at an excerpt. Oh and aren't the covers of all the books to die for?

The Sun Dwellers
Published On: 30th November 2012
Amazon UK | US
Synopsis: With those she's closest to dying around her, Adele embarks on a secret mission to the Sun Realm to assassinate the President. Along the way she'll uncover secrets about her relationship with Tristan that she might not be ready to face. Tristan has a secret, too, one that's been eating him up inside ever since he met Adele. Will he reveal all, and risk the loss of friendship and love at a time when he needs it the most? At the same time, Adele's mother, General Rose, must lead her soldiers into battle to face the sun dweller army in the hopes of holding them off until Adele can complete her mission. Can she outlast the strength of President Nailin's elite fighting force?There's only one truth in their world: someone must die.

Includes a bonus Dwellers Short Story (Anna's Story) and a sneak peek at David Estes' follow up YA dystopian series, Fire Country!

Teaser Excerpt:
The Sun Dwellers


Before Tristan, I’d never kissed a guy. And before now, I’d never kissed Tristan like this. It feels amazing and I want it to go on forever, but then Tristan laughs mid-kiss.
“What?” I say, frowning and staring down at him, while he continues laughing to himself, as if at some inside joke. “Am I doing it wrong?” I ask, suddenly concerned that in my zealousness I’ve made some grievous kissing mistake due to my naivety.
“No, no, sorry,” Tristan says, still cracking up. “Trust me, you’re doing everything right.”
My concern dissipates and I look at him curiously. “Then why the laughter?”
“Because as we were making out I had a funny thought.”
“You mean you weren’t thinking solely of me while we kissed?” I joke, punching him lightly in the stomach.
“Oh, I most certainly was. The funny thought was about you,”he says, laughing again.
Oh great, so I’m some big joke. “Would you mind sharing with the group?” I say, wanting to know what it is about me that’s so freakin’ funny.
“I was just thinking that a few minutes ago you seemed ready to kill me—literally—and
now you’re all over me. It just made me laugh.”


Wednesday 28 November 2012

Wishlist Wednesday (25)


Wishlist Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Pen to Paper where we can share books that are on our wishlist.

Crushed Seraphim I won another book of Debra Anastasia's earlier this year and the covers are just to die for, plus I love paranormal stories, hence why Crushed Seraphim needs to jump onto my bookshelf.
GR: How does a foul-mouthed angel end up as the last hope for all of Heaven and Earth?
When Seraph Emma is maimed and tossed from Heaven by a rogue angel who's taken charge, she fears she'll never be allowed to return. Tasked with the impossible job of showing the self-loathing (and not even human!) Jason his worth, Emma is sure she's doomed to fail. Meanwhile, having wormed his way into Heaven, the corrupt Everett has trapped God in Hell and has designs on unleashing evil everywhere. Fortunately, if there's one thing Emma can't do (in addition to minding her language), it's give up. Determined to save Jason and get back to Heaven-even if it means going to Hell-Emma's plan is simple yet impossible: trick the Devil to save God. What she doesn't count on is the devotion and, well, humanity she finds in Jason; the spirit, hidden compassion, and raw sex appeal within the Devil; and the vulnerability of her own heart. With the help of two unlikely allies, she'll wage the battle for Heaven. But will Emma be sidetracked by a new sort of heaven along the way? What's truly more dangerous? Falling from Heaven, or falling in love?

Sunday 25 November 2012

Bought, Borrowed & Bagged (30)


Bought, Borrowed and Bagged is a weekly event hosted by Talk Supe where you can share the books you have bought, borrowed or bagged (won) plus a recap of the previous week's reviews, upcoming reviews and on going events. 
(P.S. click the image to go to its Goodreads page)

Bought:
Star Wars Limited Edition Moleskin Journals

A weekly one for myself and a daily one for my Dad's Christmas present! Look how beautiful they are :3






Undeadly by Michele Vail
I preordered this when I first heard of it and needless to say I completely forgot about it until it showed up at my door, hooray!
Undeadly (The Reaper Diaries, #1)

Backstage Pass by Olivia Cunning
I wanted to read something completely different to my usual choices so I took a dive through Braine and Cimmaron's shelves and decided this would do :3
Backstage Pass (Sinners on Tour #1)

Bagged (freebies):
Nordic Faires by Saga Berd and Iron's Prophecy by Julie Kagawa
No idea when I got either of these, I just stumbled across them sitting on my computer, I think NF is from smashwords and is still free and JK was doing a giveaway or something a few weeks ago and had this up for download, I haven't even read the rest of the series but figured I should get my hands on it whilst I able!
Nordic Fairies (Nordic Fairies, #1)Iron's Prophecy (The Iron Fey, #4.5)

Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols
Thanks so much to Caitlin from The Y.A Bookworm Blogger for sending this too me, I won as part of her 350+ follower giveaway!
Such a Rush
This week on Northern Plunder:
Wishlist Wednesday

Currently Reading:
End of Faith by Rena Williams

I'm really enjoying this and can't wait to get a review up and to thank Rena for contacting me, it's reminding me a lot of The Stand too!
Backstage Pass by Olivia Cunning

Well this was completely different to my usual reads and not too bad really, not far off finishing either x)

In Other News:
Oh wow I have been so busy this week, I decided to not bother to try and show you guys how much I've been typing and to queue all my posts for December instead, November has already been a flop month for me so  no reason to start now ;) At least I'm prepared for December!

Wednesday 21 November 2012

Wishlist Wednesday (24)


Wishlist Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Pen to Paper where we can share books that are on our wishlist.

Geek LoveGeek Love by Katherine Dunn seems to be on every ones to-read list on my goodreads friend list.
GR: Geek Love is the story of the Binewskis, a carny family whose mater- and paterfamilias set out–with the help of amphetamine, arsenic, and radioisotopes–to breed their own exhibit of human oddities. There’s Arturo the Aquaboy, who has flippers for limbs and a megalomaniac ambition worthy of Genghis Khan . . . Iphy and Elly, the lissome Siamese twins . . . albino hunchback Oly, and the outwardly normal Chick, whose mysterious gifts make him the family’s most precious–and dangerous–asset.
As the Binewskis take their act across the backwaters of the U.S., inspiring fanatical devotion and murderous revulsion; as its members conduct their own Machiavellian version of sibling rivalry, Geek Lovethrows its sulfurous light on our notions of the freakish and the normal, the beautiful and the ugly, the holy and the obscene. Family values will never be the same.

Sunday 18 November 2012

Bought, Borrowed & Bagged (29)



Bought, Borrowed and Bagged is a weekly event hosted by Talk Supe where you can share the books you have bought, borrowed or bagged (won) plus a recap of the previous week's reviews, upcoming reviews and on going events. 
(P.S. click the image to go to its Goodreads page)
Bought:
Nocturnal: A Novel by Scott Sigler
I preordered this book months and months ago to the fact that I completely forgot that I had it preordered! It was a complete surprise when it showed up.
Nocturnal: A Novel
This week on Northern Plunder:

In Other News:
I've had no mouse for the week, its been horrible! You know when you're completely in the mood to get some reviews written but you can't. Anyhow I have a mouse back now and I'm getting back into the flow of this and I promise to sort out my lack of blogging.

Wednesday 14 November 2012

Wishlist Wednesday (23)


Wishlist Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Pen to Paper where we can share books that are on our wishlist.

Snow CrashSnow Crash by Neal Stephenson has been recommended to me by various friends, I hope its as good as they say.
GR: In reality, Hiro Protagonist delivers pizza for Uncle Enzo’s CosoNostra Pizza Inc., but in the Metaverse he’s a warrior prince. Plunging headlong into the enigma of a new computer virus that’s striking down hackers everywhere, he races along the neon-lit streets on a search-and-destroy mission for the shadowy virtual villain threatening to bring about infocalypse. Snow Crash is a mind-altering romp through a future America so bizarre, so outrageous…you’ll recognize it immediately.

Sunday 11 November 2012

Bought, Borrowed & Bagged (28)


Bought, Borrowed and Bagged is a weekly event hosted by Talk Supe where you can share the books you have bought, borrowed or bagged (won) plus a recap of the previous week's reviews, upcoming reviews and on going events. 
(P.S. click the image to go to its Goodreads page)
Bagged (Amazon Freebies):
Hollowland by Amanda Hocking

Hollowland (The Hollows, #1)

Island of Fog by Keith Robinson
Pretty sure I'm too old for this one but :3
Island of Fog (Island of Fog, #1)

Promise by Kristie Cook
Promise (Soul Savers, #1)

Into the Night by Jade Fowler
Not an Amazon freebie but can be grabbed by checking out this post on Goodreads
Into the Night (Into the Night #1)
This week on Northern Plunder:

In Other News:
With this being a book blog I never mentioned that I went to see Skyfall with my Dad, however it is needed to be brought up now. Before the movie started there were a bunch of trailers as usual and one was for Twilight: Breaking Dawn part 2, this is the first trailer I'd seen and honestly I didn't think it looked too bad compared to the others, I guess my Dad agreed cause he turned to me and said "Wow this looks like a proper Vampire movie for a change, guess we better watch part 1 soon", it kind of made my night. We watched part 1 the next day, needless to say I felt like tearing my hair out with just how stupid it was and my Dad wasn't too impressed either.

Wednesday 7 November 2012

Wishlist Wednesday (22)


Wishlist Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Pen to Paper where we can share books that are on our wishlist.

Dear Mr. Potter: Letters of Love, Loss, and MagicWho doesn't want to get their hands on Dear Mr. Potter: Letters of Love, Loss and Magic by Lily Zalon is the real question here?
GR: “Dear Mr. Potter: Letters of Love, Loss, and Magic” features hundreds of letters and pictures from Harry Potter fans. Individually, these letters and pictures tell stories of how fans have been impacted and inspired by Harry Potter. Together they serve as proof of what all Potter fans know so well: the Harry Potter series changes lives.
Along with fans from around the world, “Dear Mr. Potter” also features letters from Harry Potter actress Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood), New York Times-bestselling author John Green, Leaky Cauldron webmistress and author of New York Times-bestseller “Harry, A History” Melissa Anelli, Andrew Slack of the Harry Potter Alliance, Paul DeGeorge of Harry and the Potters, Andrew Sims and Eric Scull of MuggleNet, and Esther Earl’s mom, Lori.

Monday 5 November 2012

Mini Reviews: The Vittra Attacks, Hannah Hoch: Picture Book and Evidence: The Art of CandyJernigan


SwitchedThe Vittra Attacks by Amanda Hocking
Published: 12th July 2010
Publisher: Tor
Series: Trylle Trilogy #1.5
Page Count: ?
Synopsis: A never-before-published bonus story, “The Vittra Attacks,” set in the magical world of the Trylle which can only be seen in the new edition of Switched.
Review: As mentioned above The Vittra Attacks is a very short bonus story at the back of Switched which I reviewed earlier this year, and honestly I think I enjoyed it more than Switched. Getting to know about characters from the other society of Trolls was far more interesting and fast paced and I kind of hope we get to experience more of their lives in the other two books and from what I read here the meetings of the Vittra's again will be worth sticking with the series.
4 / 5 stars


Hannah Hoch: Picture Book
Hannah Hoch: Picture Book by Gunda Luyken
Published: 15th November 2010
Publisher: Green Box
Page Count: 44
Synopsis: A central figure in the Berlin Dada circle, friend to Kurt Schwitters and Piet Mondrian and lover of Raoul Hausmann, Hannah Hoch (1889-1972) is probably the most important female artist from the German modernist period. She is best known for her pioneering works of photomontage, which briskly juxtapose mechanical and organic forms, ancient and contemporary bodies, symbols and text drawn from brands and headlines, also edging feminism, commodity critique and other political concerns into the mix. "It is striking how contemporary to us much of Hoch's work feels," Luc Sante wrote recently, "in its sexual politics, its humor, its gleeful appropriation of anything and everything at hand." In 1945, Hoch made this fantastical full-color children's book, which chronicles the adventures of the four mythical creatures Runfast, Dumblet, Snifty and Meyer in an enchanted garden, combining photomontage with the hallucinatory plant imagery she had come to favor. It is published here for the first time.
Review: As most of you may be aware I'm an art student and just before starting we had to write an essay on Dada art with reference to a book as well as internet sources, I decided to just go ahead and buy an affordable book on the artist I was basing my essay on. The only part I needed for the essay was the last two pages where the only writing part was but the rest of the book was beautiful, I love Hannah Hoch's collaged photo-montages and a lot of them are rather adorable. 
3 / 5 stars

Evidence: The Art of Candy Jernigan by Candy Jernigan
Published: 1st July 1999
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Page Count: 144
Synopsis: For eight years after her untimely death in 1991, the evidence of artist Candy Jernigan's life was stored in a quiet Manhattan basement. Drawers and shelves were crammed with paintings, collages, drawings, journals, and eclectic installation pieces like "Ninety-nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall"-composed of, well, ninety-nine small laboratory bottles of beer on a wall. Little known until now outside a circle of New York's artistic avant- garde, Jernigan's one-of-a-kind talent is finally brought to light in "Evidence." The works collected here reveal a fierce and funny creative spirit, an artist whose commitment to documenting life as she really found it led her not only to record sample swipes of the food she consumed, but also to stuff a roadkill rat and lovingly arrange it in a diorama. Jernigan's method - using the precision of a scientist to reveal the souls of discarded objects - makes her advocacy of the overlooked at once surprisingly charming and thought-provoking. Including four gatefolds, "Evidence" is an art book that gives readers a witty, transformative vision of the stuff that composes our lives - and bears witness to the genius of a truly original thinker.
Review: During my first few weeks in my Art class one of the teachers placed a few books out amongst them this caught my eye, I only wish I could have spent more time looking at the pages properly rather than just skipping quickly before being told to get back to work but Candy Jernigan's work is collections of food stains, cigarette books and eventually bits and pieces to recall her travels around the world - tickets, receipts, toilet paper, fluff! It was rather fascinating really.
4 / 5 stars

Sunday 4 November 2012

Bought, Borrowed and Bagged (27)


Bought, Borrowed and Bagged is a weekly event hosted by Talk Supe where you can share the books you have bought, borrowed or bagged (won) plus a recap of the previous week's reviews, upcoming reviews and on going events. 
(P.S. click the image to go to its Goodreads page)
I didn't actually get any books this week, I've been eyeing up the Kindle Fire seeing as though its only just been released in the UK and I'm pretty sure the boyfriend is considering buying it me for Christmas *o* I should probably find someone who wants a second hand Kindle Keyboard Wi-Fi... Oh anyway back to what I got this week other than a killer cough I did get some bookmarks and a poster from Astrid Yrigollen for her upcoming book His Black Wings! 
This week on Northern Plunder:
In Other News:
I've decided to stop taking part in Follow Friday as I always end up being busy and it gets side tracked or lost behind everything else I'm doing, I'm sad to see it go but its for the best, on the plus side I've got 10 invites to this wonderful new book site called BookLikes, you should have a gander it looks wonderful! If any of you would like an invite just message me one way or another and I'll send one your way. Its exactly like tumblr only completely geared towards books like goodreads.

Friday 2 November 2012

October Wrap Up

 I had hoped that October would be a little friendlier on the reading front but I guess that didn't happen so much either. Woops. I've started reading a bunch of books but not finished too many, I need a good shove back into read more often again please. As I completed my goal to read 36 books this year a while ago I updated my goal to 50 and I'm not far off reaching that and still ahead according to goodreads.

Challenges:
Outdo Yourself Challenge:
1. Pledged
2. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Total: 46 / 50

A-Z Title Challenge:
N/A this month
Total: 21 /26

Millionaire Challenge:
45. Pledged 503 pages - 07.10
46. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter 336 pages - 31.10
Total: 12,404

Shelf Stacking:
eBooks bought/freebies:

Books bought:
Demon Thief
Bec
eBooks won:
Princess

Books won:
Against All Odds + goodies


For review:
Word and Breathe
A World Apart