Endlessly Celebrating!

Sorry about the later-than-normal post today. I've been busy taking care of my sick cat and working a temp job, so time has gotten away from me lately.

I do have some exciting news in the YA bookosphere: Today we celebrate the release of Kiersten White's Endlessly, the riveting conclusion to the Paranormalcy series. But before you run off to go find the new release, treat yourself to the book trailers and an interview with the author below!

For more information, and a few awkward hugs, be sure to check out Kiersten's Blog.

Okay, now you can go grab your copy.

You heard me.

GO! RUN!

BEFORE THEY'RE ALL GONE!!!!

And lastly, a HUGE

to Kiersten and Evie!

"What Is A Werewolf?"

~Bonds of Fenris~
By S. J. Bell
Amazon
Shooting for the Moon

Talia Thornwood's life ended one year ago, when she became a werewolf. She survived the attack, and the horrifying transformation a month later, but the life she has now is barely worth living. She lurks about in a filthy, run-down house, with too many werewolves crammed into too small a space. Every day is a struggle against the stress of human contact, the romantic prodding of her obnoxious packmate Pierce, and the gnawing hunger for flesh in her soul.

She's all but resigned herself to a dreary existence on the margins of society when she meets Corwin. Corwin is a werewolf like none other. He walks among humans as if it was nothing, and can keep his wolf under control even when the moon is full. Talia's mind is suddenly opened to the possibilities before her, and the realization of how little she really knows about lycanthropy.

Corwin claims that he can teach her how to cope as he does, even how to transcend her affliction. But it will not be easy. It is a hard education that requires her to question everything her pack taught her, and confront exactly what she has become. And, more amazingly, what she never stopped being.


If the whole theme of this blog wasn't evidence enough, I'm a bit of a wolf lover. That affection also extends easily to werewolves. And yet, surprisingly enough, the only 'werewolf' books I've reviewed thus far were the Mercy Thompson series. So when Mr. Bell offered his soon-to-be-released werewolf story up for review, I was thrilled to accept. And look at that, our color schemes match perfectly!

Books...In...Space...

You might want to hit the More Info button for a neat link...

As part of his April 14th publication, Kevin McGill built a high altitude balloon system equipped with an HD GoPro camera, and a mount for the book. He sent it 100,000 feet up, which is considered near space. The near space area is between 65,000 and 350,000 feet.

Kevin explains:

"I wanted to show teens where a book could truly take them.
See, in the near future, fourteen-year-old hero, Nikolas, discovers that our moon is the cradle of all magical civilization. In order to travel there, Nikolas and company have to launch and ride a shuttle to Moon. When they read, they can go 100,000 feet above the Earth's surface, and more!"

Pretty cool, huh?

And besides giving us stunning visuals and a great adventure, Kevin is also offering a free Kindle Fire as the prize for the person who can correctly (or closely) guess the distance between the launch site and the landing site (not including the height of the tree).

Click HERE to enter.
But hurry—the contest ends this Saturday, May 5th!

But here's what all the fuss is really about:

~The Merman and The Moon Forgotten~
Nikolas & Company
Book 1
By Kevin McGill
Amazon

Nick lives in a time when one can extend their life indefinitely through cerebral downloads, zip from country to country in hovercars, and have every whim taken care of by the ever faithful nannydrones.

Nick hates it.

Aside from the refugee camps, overpopulation, and unchecked consumerism filling every city across the globe, Nick just doesn’t belong. That is when he hears the voice of a woman:

“The Rones lie about their true intent. They enter the city of Huron at the peril of us all.”

Shortly after, his slightly crazed grandfather reveals to him:

“All you’ve ever heard about the Moon is a lie, my dear Nikolas. He was not always a mere satellite, a ghost wandering the stars. In an age before our own, Moon was our twin, and in him bore the whole of magical life. The cradle of this magical civilization was a fantastic metropolis filled with fire-breathing winged lions, volcano-born nymphs, automaton-legged mermaids, and so much magic you can smell it. We called this city Huron, and you, Nikolas, are her steward.”

Meanwhile on the moon, the senior stagecoach driver Yeri Willrow thought he was performing a simple drive and drop for his mysterious passengers, until they are attacked by foul-breath red-eyed creatures. He soon learns that his passengers are a family of automaton-legged merfolk, and he is their only hope. Yeri suddenly finds himself tasked with saving the merfolk or they will fall to the peril of the creature most foul.

---

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, you should have read this post's title like this beloved Muppet Show intro:

Ah, the good old days...

Obscure Reference? Since When?!

Sunday was my grandfather's 76th birthday (yay!) and in celebration we decided to take him out for lunch. I'd never been to Applebee's, and he was in the mood, so we decided to try it out.

(Note, this is not a rant against Applebee's. It just so happens to be the setting.)

Now, my grandpa is a retired minister, which means (at least) two things: he's extremely outgoing, and he's capable of being very loud. His hearing isn't what it used to be, so he generally enunciates everything very pointedly and projects his voice louder than what it might need to be. Since we were in a noisy restaurant with talking and music going, this trait came in especially handy: we had no trouble hearing or understanding him throughout the meal.

Our server was probably around my age (early twenties), maybe a little younger. I don't know if he was having a bad day or if his personality was generally stiff, but he didn't reciprocate much of the jolliness that my grandpa tried to include him in.

When ordering, my grandpa made a joke that he wanted a candle in his shrimp dish. The server chuckled confusedly and asked what he was talking about. "What do you mean a kindle?" All three of us said simultaneously, "CANDLE," which he still looked awfully confused about. Grandpa finally explained that it was his birthday and he was just joking. "Oh, well, I don't think we have any candles, but save some room for dessert." Oh well, indeed.

Later, after we'd started in on our entrees, he came over to check on us again. And again, Grandpa tried to engage him: "Say, is there any way to get your music in here to play Seventy-Six Trombones?"

Server looks extra confused this time. He glances around the room as he says, "Uh, I'm not sure-"

Grandpa cuts in to explain more of the joke. "It's my 76th birthday, you see, and I thought that song would be fitting," he says with a big grin and a chuckle.

"Actually, I've never heard of it. Is it some sort of classical-"

"IT'S FROM THE MUSIC MAN!" my mom and I practically yell. "You know, the musical?" my mom adds.

"Oh... Nope, I've never heard of that."

If I don't look it on the outside, I definitely feel disgusted on the inside. Grandpa, meanwhile, dismisses the server from our awkward conversation again. "I was just kidding about the music. Thanks for checking in."

Since when is The Music Man
an obscure reference?!?!

And so, to prevent such atrocities from happening in the future, I share with you the following videos. Mind that these are all from the original 1962 movie staring Robert Preston, Shirley Jones, Buddy Hackett and an adorable young Ron Howard. Of course, if any of these great songs interest you, be sure to check out the full movie!

Okay, not from the movie, but all I could find was the finale version
- and who want's to give away the ending?
Ya Got Trouble
Pick-A-Little / Goodnight Ladies
Madame Librarian

That's right, Shipoopi was originally from The Music Man
Thank you Seth MacFarlane

Coming Soon: Bonds of Fenris

~Bonds of Fenris~
By S. J. Bell

Talia Thornwood's life ended one year ago, when she became a werewolf. She survived the attack, and the horrifying transformation a month later, but the life she has now is barely worth living. She lurks about in a filthy, run-down house, with too many werewolves crammed into too small a space. Every day is a struggle against the stress of human contact, the romantic prodding of her obnoxious packmate Pierce, and the gnawing hunger for flesh in her soul.

She's all but resigned herself to a dreary existence on the margins of society when she meets Corwin. Corwin is a werewolf like none other. He walks among humans as if it was nothing, and can keep his wolf under control even when the moon is full. Talia's mind is suddenly opened to the possibilities before her, and the realization of how little she really knows about lycanthropy.

Corwin claims that he can teach her how to cope as he does, even how to transcend her affliction. But it will not be easy. It is a hard education that requires her to question everything her pack taught her, and confront exactly what she has become. And, more amazingly, what she never stopped being.

Bonds of Fenris is a paranormal novel by S.J. Bell,
due to be released through Smashwords on May 7, 2012.

The gorgeous cover was designed by the delightful Stephanie Mooney.

Be sure to check out the author's blog for more updates!

And check back here for a review of the ARC closer to the release.
I'm so excited at the prospect of a new werewolf book! How about you?

A Book Birthday Ahead of its Time

Today I'm pleased to announce the (early) birthday of an awesome start to a new series:

~The Dig~
Zoe and Zeus
Book 1
By Audrey Hart
Amazon
~ Official Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~

Out of time and out of her element, teenager Zoe Calder finds herself in ancient Greece, battling against the power of the Olympians and the vengeance of a scorned goddess—all for the strange and mysterious boy she has come to love.

Zoe Calder has always been an outsider. Stashed away in boarding schools since her parents died, Zoe buries herself in the study of ancient worlds. Her greatest thrill is spending her summers with her archeologist aunt and uncle on digs around the world. And one day, while investigating a newly unearthed temple in Crete, Zoe discovers a luminous artifact that transports her to ancient Greece.

As Zoe quickly learns, the Olympian Gods are real, living people—humans with mysterious powers… Powers that Zoe quickly realizes she has come to possess, as well. However, when the people of ancient Greece mistake Zoe for an Olympian, the Gods must restore the balance of the ancient world… No matter what.

Zoe is forced to play a confusing and dangerous game as Hera rallies the gods against her—all except for Zeus, the beautiful, winged young god who risks everything to save her.

Happy Birthday!
And be sure to check back in December for my review!

A Very Dreadful Book Birthday!

Today I'm pleased to announce the birthday of an awesome book.
Out of the same publishing house as the well-known monster mash-ups Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, and Android Karenina, Quirk Books is proud to present the latest work in the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies trilogy:

~Dreadfully Ever After~
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Book 3
(Sequel)
By Steve Hockensmith
Amazon ~ Powell's

Hair-raising and heart-pounding, the story opens with our newly married protagonists, Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy, defending their village from an army of flesh-eating “unmentionables.” Of course, the ever-meddling Mrs. Bennet is anxious for them to settle down and produce an heir—but everything changes when poor Fitzwilliam is nipped by a dreadful. An apotecary is summoned, ans his prognosis is unfortunate: Within days, Mr. Darcy is destined to transform into a zombie.

Elizabeth is distraught. She knows the appropriate course of action is to promptly behead her husband (and then burn the corpse, just to be safe). But when she hears rumors of a miracle antidote being developed in London, she realizes there may be one last chance to save the life of her true love—and for everyone to live happily ever after.

Complete with romance, heartbreak, martial arts, cannibalism, and an army of shambling corpses, Dreadfully Ever After brings the story of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies to a thrilling conclusion.

Of course, if you're not familiar with the history...

In My Mailbox (3)

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by The Story Siren

In the past two weeks I've...

Borrowed

Terrier (Audiobook) ~ Tamora Pierce
Bloodhound (Audiobook) ~ Tamora Pierce
hush, hush (Audiobook) ~ Cassandra Clare
Incarceron (Audiobook) ~ Catherine Fisher
Fallen (Audiobook) ~ Lauren Kate
From My Library


Received

House Seasons 4 & 5 (Dad)
Bones Seasons 1, 2 & 3 (Mom)
Handmade Joker and WALL-E paper figurines (Sister)
For my Birthday!


And Won

Wicked Game ~ Jeri Smith-Ready
From Robyn at The Bookaholic Zone