Saturday, April 30, 2016

Stacking the Shelves: 4/17-4/30

For possible review (on Bookloons):
Mary Astor's Purple Diary by Edward Sorel

First Reads from Goodreads:
400 Calories or Less with Our Best Bites by Sara Wells & Kate Jones
Marked for Life by Emelie Schepp
Katherine of Aragon, the True Queen by Alison Weir

Bought on Humble Bundle:
The Demon Awakens by R. A. Salvatore
The Demon Spirit by R. A. Salvatore
The Demon Apostle by R. A. Salvatore
Mortalis by R. A. Salvatore
Ascendance by R. A. Salvatore
Transcendence by R. A. Salvatore
Immortalis by R. A. Salvatore
The Highwayman by R. A. Salvatore
Aoleyn by R. A. Salvatore

Friday, April 29, 2016

Beside the Music

Title: Beside the Music
Author: BJ Knapp
Publisher: Booktrope
ISBN: n/a
Why Read?: Early Review

Thoughts: I had a very hard time getting into this, and I think most of it had to do with the present tense, especially considering the amount of recounting in past tense.  Also, I just could not connect with the characters and it was a very character-driven novel.

Rating: 2 stars

Saturday, April 16, 2016

Stacking the Shelves: 4/10-4/16

For possible review (on Bookloons):
The Safest Lies by Megan Miranda
Never Missing Never Found by Amanda Panitch
Beware That Girl by Teresa Toten

First Reads from Goodreads:
Men by Xondra Day

Friday, April 15, 2016

Hollow World

Title: Hollow World
Author: Michael J. Sullivan
Publisher: Recorded Books
ISBN: n/a
Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: This is the best futuristic time travel novel I have ever read.  The world Sullivan imagines is completely believable yet fantastic at the same time.  I really appreciate how he incorporates so many weighty themes while keeping the story entertaining and fast-paced.  I cannot recommend this book enough.

Rating: 5 stars

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

In the Box: March 2016 Awesome Pack Big Kid Pack

This month's Awesome Pack Big Kid Pack was delayed, but they are always good about letting subscribers know.  The subscription is $44.99 a month and you can choose the Big Kid option (for those without kids - like me), or the Family option.  Their site does not have referral links set up yet, nor can you log into your account yet, but they do have a referral program, so if you do decide after reading my review to try it, I would very much appreciate if you told them you heard about it from me, rickimc [at] aol [dot] com.

For December, the main game was Hostage Negotiation (a $25.00 value) from Van Ryder Games.  What is super cool about this it is solely a single-player game!

This month, I received two additional games, but one could also be considered a collectible. First we have David L. Hoyt's Word Winder (a $12.99 value) from HL Games Unlimited.  This is the signature edition and can also be used to play RaceWinder. The game/collectible is My Little Pony Collectible Card Game Premiere Pack (a $5.00 value) from Enterplay.  I used to love CCGs, so I am kinda excited about this, even if I am not a fan of the current Ponies.

The collectible this month was a Harley Quinn Pop! Pin (a $5.50 value) from Funko.  Love this!  This month's Awesome Pack swag was the postcard again.

This month was another great one for me with Awesome Pack.  It came in at an $48.49 value, and I paid $44.95, which included shipping. If you would like to subscribe, once again, I ask that you say you heard it from me, rickimc [at] aol [dot] com.  (Please note: as games and collectibles can vary in price based on demand, I tried to take the price from the manufacturers site whenever possible.)

Saturday, April 9, 2016

Stacking the Shelves: 4/3-4/9

For review (on Bookloons):
The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas

First Reads from Goodreads:
The Mermaid's Secret by Katie Schickel
Must Remember by Colleen S. Myers
Divah by Susannah Appelbaum
The Harvest Man by Alex Grecian

LibraryThing Early Review:
The Cursed Canoe by Frankie Bow

Bought on Humble Bundle:
City of the Saints by D. J. Butler
Echoes of a Shattered Age by Ramon Terrell
Virtual Destruction by Kevin J. Anderson & Doug Beason
The Feather and the Moon Well by Shean Pao, David Farland, & Discovery
The Chronological Man by Andrew Mayne
A Tale of Red Riding: Rise of the Alpha Huntress by Neo Edmund
Resurrection, Inc by Kevin J. Anderson
Oshenerth by Alan Dean Foster
The Iron Thane by Jason Henderson
Chemical Burn by Quincy J. Allen
The Dandy Boys Mysteries by Peter J. Wacks & J. R. Boyett
Artifact by Kevin J. Anderson, Janet Berliner, Matthew E. Costello, & F. Paul Wilson
Four Unpublished Novels by Frank Herbert
The Maids of Wrath by Josh Vogt
Rescue from Planet Pleasure by Mario Acevedo
Dandelion Iron by Aaron Michael Ritchey
Night Terrors by John A. Pitts

Thursday, April 7, 2016

Cypher

Title: Cypher
Author: Cathy Perkins
Publisher: Red Mountain
ISBN: 978-1-942003-00-7
Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: Sort of a police procedural with some romance, this story went in some directions that did not seem the most intuitive.  The mystery and the suspense needed to be tighter, and might have been if the characters were more endearing.

Rating: 2 stars

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Daemon

Title: Daemon
Author: Daniel Suarez
Publisher: Signet
ISBN: 978-0-451-22873-4
Why Read?: For Fun

Thoughts: An interesting high-tech thriller with just enough plausibility to make it scary.  However, a little too long with too many characters

Rating: 3 stars

Saturday, April 2, 2016

Stacking the Shelves: 3/27-4/2

First Reads from Goodreads
Provenance of Bondage by Kyrian Lyndon

LibraryThing Early Review:
Empress by Alma Alexander

Friday, April 1, 2016

Eye of the Ninja

Title: Eye of the Ninja
Author: D. M. Marlowe
Publisher: Red Door
ISBN: n/a
Why Read?: Fresh Fiction

Thoughts: A fun mix of dystopian, fantasy, and Japanese mythology.  The end felt a little rushed, though.

Rating: 3 stars

Color of Darkness

Color of Darkness
by Ruth J. Hartman
published by esKape
2016
ISBN 9781940695839
Why read? Review

Like the title suggest, the next installment of Ruth J. Hartman's The Sullyard Sisters trilogy, Color of Darkness, takes a very dark turn.  That is not to say that it does not have a likeable characters and sweet romance that Hartman is known for, but the setting is definitely a departure from her usual.

Lydia Sullyard has a crush on her sister's husband's rakish cousin, Stratford Bexley.  She thinks she has kept her feelings hidden, but her younger sister, Patience, has figured it out, as has the ruthless Miss Queensbury who is determined to marry a Bexley.  To remove what she perceives as an obstacle, Miss Queensbury has Lydia committed to Bedlam.  Little does Miss Queensbury know that she is actually pushing Lydia right into Stratford's arms.  However, can Stratford save Lydia without giving into Miss Queensbury's outrageous demands?

Color of Darkness is definitely darker than the rest of Ruth J. Hartman's works, but it is very compelling.  The one thing I wish, and was hoping for throughout the book, was that Stratford's problem that he confided only to Lydia would be the solution to the Miss Queensbury predicament.  Even though I was wrong in this, I still very much enjoyed this novel about the middle Sullyard sister and look forward to what is in store for Patience in the last installment of the trilogy.

Rating 3/5