Since I started the blog I've done 'Wednesdays worldly covers' where I shared a cover each week from around the world and also showed the UK cover for people who didn't know what it looked like.
Recently I started adding on a 'UK vs. US' post and even more recently 'UK vs. AUS', but the post was getting to crowded and I wanted to simplify it whilst still keeping it original(ish)
So I've come up with 'UK vs. THE WORLD!'
Each week to UK book covers will battle it out against their foreign counterpart as we judge them and decide which we like better because who doesn't love judging boks by their covers!
If you'd like to join in then make up a post yourself, take the picture if you like, then come and leave a link so I can see it :)
Mist: Oh it's a tough one, since they're both so simlair and gorgeous! I think though that I have to go UK. I love the deeper shade of red and the more modern dress. I do however love the patterns on both.
Ninfa: Really difficult choice as both covers are gorgeous, pretty much the same colour pallet use with the shades of red, though the Bulgarian cover model is a little more period-y. I'd have to go for the UK cover as my favourite, the model, the dress, the Paris view, is all very atmospheric and stylish,really love it
Mist: Well I like the blue of the UK cover and it's kinda creepy but the US cover definitely catches my eye, even though the UK cover conveys the theme more, the US cover is what I'd be more likely to pick up if I passed it in a bookstore so US wins for me.
Ninfa: Another UK win. This cover really stands out, it's dark, shoking, scary and intriguing. I like the blue colour with the skull in the backdrop, very effective. I also like the review quote by Charlaine Harris. The US cover just doesn't grab me as much, it's a little drab in the grey tones and a bit same-y compared to other book covers in stores.
Hi guys, I wanted to share with you some information about a great anthology that's raising money for a great cause. - Mist
Blurb:
Once upon a time, a rough and tumble seven year old caught Santa sliding down the chimney… Then a ninja elf came and broke Santa out, no net is strong enough to keep out this ninja elf! Off past the faithful family pet they ran and jumped in the sleigh. They raced to another house but refused to stop when ghosts were there to greet them. Santa doesn’t tangle with ghosts. He doesn’t tangle with vampires, either. At the next stop, he met a runaway gingerbread man who yelled, “You can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man!” Santa didn’t bother to catch him; he had things to do. On his way to his next delivery, he passed a werewolf jumping out of a plane and dodged a zombie hungry for his brain. He finally touched down in a nice, normal town full of tidings and great joy… Or did he?
Dive into a world of variety—a world of spirit with this Creative Reviews anthology. What better way to celebrate the holiday season than with some short stories that entertain and encompass the true meaning of Christmas? All proceeds of this book will be donated to the NCADV (national coalition against domestic violence). Debut authors and published authors have come together in this one-of-a-kind compilation – please help support a great cause and plunge deep into our imaginations.
Info of what they do: NCADV believes violence against women and children results from the use of force or threat to achieve and maintain control over others in intimate relationships, and from societal abuse of power and domination in the forms of sexism, racism, homophobia, classism, anti-Semitism, able-bodyism, ageism and other oppressions. NCADV recognizes that the abuses of power in society foster battering by perpetuating conditions, which condone violence against women and children. Therefore, it is the mission of NCADV to work for major societal changes necessary to eliminate both personal and societal violence against all women and children.
NCADV's work includes coalition building at the local, state, regional and national levels; support for the provision of community-based, non-violent alternatives - such as safe home and shelter programs - for battered women and their children; public education and technical assistance; policy development and innovative legislation; focus on the leadership of NCADV's caucuses developed to represent the concerns of organizationally under represented groups; and efforts to eradicate social conditions which contribute to violence against women and children.
List of Titles and Authors:
Shane Stilson: Higher Ground
E.C. Stilson: How I Found My Soul Mate and Turkey Avenger
Clarity by Kim Harrington - These were both from my friend Natalie, they've been on my wish list for ages so I'm really excited to have them!
For review:
Crossed by Ally Condie - From Penguin. I've had Matched for ages so now I'm finally going to read it along with Crossed lol
Bugsy Malone by Alan Parker - From Harper Collins. I love this movie but I hadn' realise it had been adapted to a book until I was asked if I'd like a copy to review, which I did!
Exile and Muse by Rebecca Lim - Also from HC.I've had the first book Mercy for a few months so I'll read all three together soon.
Audiobook
Variant by Robison Wells - I got this one with this months audible credit, I've been lusting after it for a while so I'm really glad to have it. I'm in an hour already and enjoying it.
eBooks
For review Blue sky days by Marie Landry - I received an eARC from the author who just happens to be one of my bloggy friends so I'm really excited about this one!
On my reading pile
I usually tell what I'm reading the coming week at the end of my video, it's an idea I got from Rachel @ Fiktshun who creates a reading pile every week, it's far more in depth than my post so you should go check hers out :)
I'm really hoping I can get through all three of these this week but I probably won't lol It was supposed to just be Matched and Crossed but I realised You are my only, which I got from Netgalley, came out a month ago so I thought I best read it next!
There's just a few days left on my big giveaway so I thought I'd repost for anyone that missed it, just follow the link to the original post to go enter:)
Arnold Ruben has created a memory machine, a utopia housed in a picture palace, where the happiest memories replay forever, a haven in which he and his precious daughter can shelter from the war-clouds gathering over 1937 Britain. But on the day of her seventeenth birthday Amaryllis leaves Warlock Hall and the world she has known and wakes to find herself in a desolate and disturbing place. Something has gone terribly wrong with her father's plan. Against the tense backdrop of the second World War Sally Gardner explores families and what binds them, fathers and daughters, past histories, passions and cruelty, love and devastation in a novel rich in character and beautifully crafted.
My review
5/5
You know when you agree to review a book you wouldn't normally read, then you get worried starting it that you'll hate it and have to go back and say you couldn't read it? Yeah, I got a little case of that when I started this, I feel silly now though! Literally within a few pages I was engaged in the book, before I knew it I was 130 pages in and it was 2am! I really was swept into the book and had no trouble getting into the era it was set into or getting used to the way the characters talked. I've never read any book set in a different time, not a real one anyway and I know little about WWII but I felt Gardner eased me into it really well and her descriptions were very thorough, she gave a great sense of how terrifying it must have been to live in that time, what life must've been like, whilst at the same time telling a neatly woven, imaginative story.
She also gave the book an extra dimension when she added some real science into it which I found really interesting, there were times it could have gotten complicated but the author took her time to explain properly within the story so it didn't feel like a school lesson, so I didn't struggle to keep up.
She also dealt with a lot of different issues really well and again gave the impression of what it was like for people.
I enjoyed all the characters, even the bad guys! But my favourites were defintiely Tommy treacle, for his innocence and vulnerability and Ezra. Whilst the book starts around Amaryllis and what happens to her, I felt we saw Ezra grow the most throughout the span of the book, from a naive teenage boy into a handsome young man. He's extremely brave a number of times and I was on the edge of my seat for him at the end.
Though she's more a side character, one more person I want to mention is Nancy, Ezra's mother who also endures a lot throughout the book and stays strong.
The book seamlessly flows between characters and past and present as we see the memories that help set the scene for the present and gives the reader a real understanding of all the characters and everything ties together nicely to make for a very rounded story that left me staisfied.
The writing was absolutely beautiful and gave a great description of places and emotions, I really cared for the characters and about what happened to them.
I'm so glad I was offered the chance to review this book because I'm sure I'd never have picked it up otherwise and I just loved it. I'd certainly consider reading something else like this in the future and would defintiely read more by the author.
My thoughts on the cover
Going in I didn't really think much of the cover if I'm honest, after reading the book I see how it fits in and even which part it's related to. It suits the mood of the book to a point but not the teen genre it's bee put into. So, yeah, a nice cover but not something that would catch my eye.
Favourite quotes
Home was in the memory machine.
Ezra fell to the ground, Orpheus returned from the underworld to a bluebell wood.
I love looking at pretty and different and just plain strange covers so these different features give me and Ninfa, who comments with me, an excuse to do it.
However, I would like to know if you think the post is to crowded, if I should split it up or if you like it?
Wednesdays worldly covers is where we share a cover from around the world.
This is a feature I made up myself not long after I started the blog, if you'd like to play along just post a foreign cover and link your post :)
First up is the Slovakian cover of Označená (Designated) by P.C. and Kristin Castová.
I really like this one, I love the pattern and the shade of blue and the girl is very pretty.
US definitely wins for me! Whilst the UK cover is pretty cool and different the models stance is completely lazy so she doesn't pull off that kick ass outfit and kinda ruins the cover. The girl on the US cover looks a lot tougher and I love the red and the lightening.
UK vs AUS
And this last one I did as a special last week when we were doing a double post but then decided to keep it.
Whilst I've not see anyone else do this I doubt I'm the only one lol
I love them both I'm not sure I could choose! The golds and the feathers and the butterfly's are all gorgeous on the UK cover but I do love the pinky purple colours on the AUS cover in the end though I think I have to vote UK! I also noticed how both have the girls face hidden, that's interesting! :)
Which do you prefer?
And like I said at the start please let me know if you think there's to much in this post or if it's ok.
Should I split them into separate posts and make some crazy amalgamation; UK vs the world! haha
Arnold Ruben has created a memory machine, a utopia housed in a picture palace, where the happiest memories replay forever, a haven in which he and his precious daughter can shelter from the war-clouds gathering over 1937 Britain. But on the day of her seventeenth birthday Amaryllis leaves Warlock Hall and the world she has known and wakes to find herself in a desolate and...moreArnold Ruben has created a memory machine, a utopia housed in a picture palace, where the happiest memories replay forever, a haven in which he and his precious daughter can shelter from the war-clouds gathering over 1937 Britain. But on the day of her seventeenth birthday Amaryllis leaves Warlock Hall and the world she has known and wakes to find herself in a desolate and disturbing place. Something has gone terribly wrong with her father's plan.
Introduction from the author.
The Double Shadow is a new kind of adventure novel - it's a Film Noir, Sci-fi family saga set against the backdrop of Second World War. It's about a man called Arnold Rueben who develops a memory machine as a gift for his troubled daughter Amaryllis - a machine where you can inhabit your past self and live out your memories again as if they were really happening. But only those that belong to our world have a double shadow, the rest are loop memories created by the machine. Amaryllis has to solve the riddle of her past and her present - who was her mother? And who is she in this place without time? What happened to her childhood? And who is really controlling the memory machine? It is also an epic love story.
Excerpt.
WASTELAND
Once there was a girl who asked of her reflection, ‘If all I have is fragments of memories and none of them fit together, tell me then, do I exist?’ There was no answer, only the silence of the room and the hum of the green light that oozed from the television in the corner. She had no idea how long she had been standing there, maybe an eternity. Her name, her age, beyond recall. All she knew was there would be no tomorrow if she couldn’t work out the riddle of yesterday. She wondered often if she was going crazy, but it was hard to remember what crazy looked like. In the apartment, on the windowsill before her, lay a dead butterfly. Its wings and its beauty disturbed her. It was familiar, it had an echo of another time.
Softly, she sang a few words, her breath misty on the cold night - time glass, her reflection the only silent proof of her existence.
If you go down in the woods today
You’re sure of a big surprise.
If you go down in the woods today
You’d better go in disguise.
She was certain there were more verses but, like so much, they twinkled on the brink of things lost. High up in a dark tenement block, the girl looked out of the window to a wasteland. In the middle stood one building. A picture palace. She imagined that once it must have been fabulous, with its mirrored facade built of thousands of reflective squares. How it came to fall into such decay was a mystery. As so much here was. The girl could see that the movie house had three grand silvered steps leading up to diamond-paned glass doors. Now all smeared with the grime of neglect. The place looked haunted, having scared away every other building that might have kept it company, leaving it isolated. There, at the very edge of the world, the other buildings formed a protective circle, shoulder to shoulder, arm in arm, joining with rows of tall houses and one black tower to make an impenetrable wall, a mix of apartment buildings and tenement blocks whose fronts were laced with a spider’s web of fire escapes, water tanks and balconies. Behind this barricade she could see skyscrapers turning their Venetian blinded eyes away. There was no way out. This was landscape with no colour, no trees to break the endless monotony of grainy black and white, just the ever-present eerie hum of the green light. It was this light that, in the darkness, filled her nightmares. Perhaps it was the sound of crazy, perhaps it was the end. How was she to know?
The wasteland was a rippling sea, its tides rushing in on waves of things remembered, sucked out by waves of things forgotten. Here, once, a city stood. All that was left was rubble. Here, once, a burning airship fell from the sky. Then the tide changed again and the wasteland was awash with mud and barbed wire, an empty pram that no one would ever collect. The flotsam and jetsam of memories.
It was now night in this eternal day, but there was no time here, no clocks to mark the passing hours. The dark a false promise of a future that would never come.
Snow started to fall, thick, fluqy, playful flakes. The girl watched a magic of sorts unfolding as the wasteland began to turn white.
From an adjoining room, a man said, ‘Do you want tea?’ She didn’t answer.
‘I always like my tea strong, builder’s tea, proper tea,’ he said. ‘I know it’s sweet enough when the teaspoon stands upright in the mug. Made two cups. I always make two cups. Made one for Bernie after they blew his arm off.’
The girl heard him come shuring into the room. He was wearing a dressing-gown over a soldier’s shirt and trousers of the Great War, his calves still wrapped in putties, his boots muddy. Carrying his tea to the armchair he sat down, quietened by the green flickering light from the television.
If he talked at all, he talked only of tea, toast and the trenches. He said he’d seen ghosts on the wasteland, seen the dead of Passchendaele rise, young men again.
The girl, too, had seen things on the wasteland, been tempted to go out there and investigate. But she was afraid the boy might not find her. She had searched one apartment, one tenement block after another. Now and again it struck her like a body blow that perhaps the boy wasn’t there. Only the child, and she would be happy never, ever to see her again.
Then something strange happened. The sign over the front of the picture palace lit up. It read:
Vervaine Fox starring in The Night of the Tiger
She turned to the man in the armchair.
‘Look, look,’ she said. ‘The picture palace is coming to life.’ The soldier said nothing, his tea untouched, the spoon still standing upright.
Now the girl stood in front of him, trying to get his attention. ‘Come and see, just once, look out.’ Still the soldier sat, hypnotised by the light from the television. She went back to the window. The picture palace had undergone another transformation. No longer derelict, its mirrored face reflected the snow, shimmering with a glamour that made her long to be a part of it.
She saw a man throw open the double doors. The foyer glowed, honeypot golden, the light spilling on to the carpet of virgin snow, all crisp, all even.
The girl’s heart beat faster.
A white tiger walked through the foyer, out of the picture palace, and moved languidly towards the apartment block.The closer the mighty animal came the more the girl felt alive,the more she was aware of a sensation beyond herself, within herself, a stirring, a clue of what yesterday might have been.
This majestic creature, conjured from an alchemist’s book of spells, walked with measured steps, its paws leaving a map of prints in the snow. The girl felt certain that if she were with the tiger she would be safe. Safe was not anything she remembered, safe was nothing she knew, except for a snapshot of brown stripes against white fur.
She left the apartment, closing the door carefully behind her so as not to disturb the soldier in his slumbers. The corridor was deserted, green light seeped from under each of the many front doors. She looked down the thirteen storeys of the stone stairwell and started walking. On the ground floor, by the entrance, she stood gazing at the white tiger, fascinated by its beauty. It prowled back and forth, weaving between long-deserted swings and roundabouts, stopping every now and again, its blue eyes seeing right into her.
She will never find the boy, it’s been too long, she’s sure it’s been too long. Only the child is waiting for her and she wishes she would leave her alone.
She pushes open the door. Snow flurries into the passageway and turns to water on the concrete.
She will follow the tiger, come what may. His tracks make stepping stones across the wasteland to the picture palace.
The man is waiting, watching.
He bows to Amaryllis. ‘I’m Silas. It’s good to see you again.’
Again?
At the top of the grand staircase stands an apparition dressed in a satin evening gown, a rippling waterfall of fabric.
The girl has seen her before. She has a name.
The white tiger prowls around this goddess of the silver screen.
Suddenly there is a noise, a sharp shaking of a door, a clattering of brooms and brushes, and from a small panel in the mirrored foyer a young man tumbles backwards into the light.
‘I’m Ezra Pascoe,’ he says, scrambling to his feet. ‘Do you remember me?’
How would you like to get your hands on a copy of the book?
Two lucky winners will win a hardback copy of The double shadow!
Deets
This giveaway is open to the UK ONLY, sorry international peeps.
Giveaway will end 27th November when two winners will be drawn randomly.
There is no requirement to follow or share, though it is appriciated so after your free entry please feel free to enter any of the extra entries (or none) that you like.
Winners will be notified via email so please make sure you enter with an address you check often.
the christmas spirits by Whitley Strieber - This is a modern day scary adaption of A Christmas carol so I'm totally excited to read it, I'm going to read it around the same time I read the original for christmas and do a review and comparison type thing.
Touch of power by Maria V. Snyder - And I saved the best for last! I am on the list to get a pb copy of this from the UK publishers next month but I just couldn't wait!
Audio (every other) Friday is where i post an audio review every fortnight switching between myself and Wanda, one of your fellow followers so that we post one review each a month.
This week it's my turn.
The Fox inheritance by Mary E. Pearson
Read by Matthew Brown
Available now
What's it about?
Once there were three. Three friends who loved each other: Jenna, Locke, and Kara. And after a terrible accident destroyed their bodies, their three minds were kept alive, spinning in a digital netherworld. Even in that disembodied nightmare, they were still together - at least at first. When Jenna disappeared, Locke and Kara had to go on without her. Decades passed, and then centuries. After 260 years, they have been released at last. Given new, perfect bodies, Locke and Kara awaken to a world they know nothing about, where everyone they once knew and loved is long dead. Everyone except Jenna Fox.
My review
4/5
On the narrator: I found Matthew Browns voice easy enough to listen to and could relax into the 'book' easily. I could mostly distinguish between the characters, only once or twice I got a bit confused but I think that may have been a lack of concentration on my part when I was distracted by my kids lol I'd definitely listen to something narrated by him again.
On the book: I did enjoy this book a lot, however it didn't have the same effect on me as the first one because it didn't have the same shock and thought provoking appeal. Though Locke and Kara are even more advanced than Jenna when they are bought back, I've still already seen it in the first book, I've already pondered where medical extremes can take us in the future. That being said, it was interesting to see how they'd come back, what effect being stuck in nothing for 260 years had on their psyche. I also really enjoyed the glimpse of a believable future and all the advancements we might have. However, if I'm totally honest, I could easily predict where the story was going and what happened at the end but I still enjoyed going through the journey with Locke as he struggles to come to terms with what he is now and trying to figure out where he fits in and also dealing with the grief that everyone he ever knew is gone... well almost.
Though the 'book' didn't have me on my toes or get my brain gears working as much as the first one it was an interesting, well written, tale about a boy.
I felt the author ended it really well so that I was satisfied yet at the same time I'll always wonder what happens in Locke's next chapter but not in a way that I'm frustrated, I'm happy to make it up for myself.
On the cover: I love this cover, it's so relevant to the story, though I loved it before I knew the story lol The jigsaw pieces really resemble how Locke starts off in this, trying to fit himself together, wondering where he fits in society. The blue colour is striking and the model does look how I'd imagine Locke.
I have a pretty addictive personality. Thankfully, my addiction stretches to exercise and good food. And books. I am the cookie monster of book reading. Give me any kind of fiction with a romantic arc and I will eat it right up. The more I read (and write) in my favorite genre, which is romantic suspense, the more I wonder if instead of writing about cops and detectives, I should actually be one.
Despite living in the United States for five years, I only recently became a citizen. Of course one of the requirements of being an officer is citizenship so this longstanding, hypothetical question has become a real possibility since May of this year. Somebody taught me to shoot a gun about a month ago. Again, something I've always thought about doing, but never had the opportunity. Because a good friend of mine is a Detective, I've had the fortune to hear the down and dirty details (all public record, just FYI) of some of his investigations. I get that it's not all glamour, or the plot of a thriller, but there's something about that career that draws me.
I'm almost thirty. In February, I started working out and I can gratefully say that I am now officially "fit" by any standards. Passing the fitness test for the Academy should be manageable. The written test will be well within my reach--or I should hope so, being a writer. My biggest concern is raising a toddler during the five months of residential training. My daughter is so amazing. I wonder how much of her childhood I would miss in pursuit of a goal. Of course, I doubt I would be able to consume many romance novels at the academy, or even after. An officer's schedule seems challenging, to say the least, if not grueling. And instead of being a bookaholic, I would be transitioning to workaholic. Although I'm certain the material I'd gain for my writing of romantic suspense would be invaluable.
While I mull over this life-changing decision, I'll be content to write
about those men and women who encounter danger every day. And dream.
Author bio: Lucianne writes romantic suspense for Entangled Publishing and
Cobblestone Press. Born and raised in Ireland, she currently lives in New
Mexico with her young daughter.
Formerly a stage and television actress, she now manages a non-profit and
is NM State Champion in her weight class for Olympic style weightlifting.
Long story. Recently she has taken up Crossfit, Jiu Jitsu and boxing.
Title: Entice Me (Caldwell Sisters, #3)
Author: Lucianne Rivers
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: Novella
Launch Date: October 2011
ISBN: 978-1-937044-32-9
Heartsick over the untimely death of her mother, Allison Caldwell is blindsided again by the secret revealed in her mom’s will. Her supposedly dead father is alive, and she and her two sisters must find him in order to settle the Caldwell estate.
Robert Rivera, private investigator and former Navy SEAL, alerts Allison to new intel identifying her father as a P.O.W. in Afghanistan. With her sisters out of the country pursuing leads, Allison insists on heading to the war-ravaged country to find him. Robert doesn’t want his naïve client to take the risk. He knows what danger lays in that godforsaken land…he’s lived through it. Barely.
But Allison is determined to go, and Robert can’t let her travel alone. Reluctantly appreciative, Allison quickly realizes how much she needs his guidance and protection, and how deeply she longs for his love. Robert struggles to understand her effect on his battle-weary heart.
The path to Allison’s father is blocked by terrorists, traps and treachery—all demons of Robert’s past. Can he survive a second round with the enemy and keep Allison out of harm’s way?
