Stacking the Shelves - 1.23.16

Stacking the Shelves
hosted by Tynga's Reviews (details)
Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

~*~
Bought:

Passenger
(Passenger #1)
by Alexandra Bracken
-Fantasy, SciFi, YA
Amazon | Goodreads
passage, n.
i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes.
ii. A journey by water; a voyage.
iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time.

In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now.

Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them— whether she wants to or not.

Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are play­ing, treacherous forces threaten to sep­arate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home . . . forever

=====> So thrilled to finally get this. It was one of my most anticipated books for 2016 :-)

=====> Books Inc. of San Francisco presented both Alexandra Bracken and Susan Dennard along with their latest books!

Things related to both authors…
- latest books involve sea, sailors and ships
- love research
- online gamers

To everyone's delight, Susan sang a sea shanty which appears in her book, Truthwitch (see below for details on book).


For Review:

Losing the Light
by Andrea Dunlop
-Contemporary, France
courtesy of tour, BookSparks -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads -giveaway offer, ends Feb 6
A smart, obsessive debut novel about a young woman studying abroad who becomes caught up in a seductive French world—and a complex web of love and lust.

When thirty-year-old Brooke Thompson unexpectedly runs into a man from her past, she’s plunged headlong into memories she’s long tried to forget about the year she spent in France following a disastrous affair with a professor.

As a newly arrived exchange student in the picturesque city of Nantes, young Brooke develops a deep and complicated friendship with Sophie, a fellow American and stunning blonde, whose golden girl façade hides a precarious emotional fragility. Sophie and Brooke soon become inseparable and find themselves intoxicated by their new surroundings—and each other.

But their lives are forever changed when they meet a sly, stylish French student, Veronique, and her impossibly sexy older cousin, Alex. The cousins draw Sophie and Brooke into an irresistible world of art, money, decadence, and ultimately, a disastrous love triangle that consumes them both. And of the two of them, only one will make it home.

=====> I am looking forward to dipping into this one as it takes place in one of my favorite locations - France!


UNBOXING:

From Uppercase package (details & signup):
A hand-selected young adult book & fun bookish item, delivered monthly #UppercaseBox

JANUARY Box includes:
- Truthwitch by Susan Dennard - signed
- Truthwitch poster (map)
- Truthwitch related bookmark (with interactive links)
- Sup Nerd? socks from Blue Q
- Childlike Wonder Coloring Book from Emma Margaret (Uppercase exclusive)

Truthwitch
(Witchlands #1)
by Susan Dennard
-Fantasy, YA
Amazon | Goodreads
On a continent ruled by three empires, some are born with a “witchery”, a magical skill that sets them apart from others.

In the Witchlands, there are almost as many types of magic as there are ways to get in trouble—as two desperate young women know all too well.

Safiya is a Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lie. It’s a powerful magic that many would kill to have on their side, especially amongst the nobility to which Safi was born. So Safi must keep her gift hidden, lest she be used as a pawn in the struggle between empires.

Iseult, a Threadwitch, can see the invisible ties that bind and entangle the lives around her—but she cannot see the bonds that touch her own heart. Her unlikely friendship with Safi has taken her from life as an outcast into one of reckless adventure, where she is a cool, wary balance to Safi’s hotheaded impulsiveness.

Safi and Iseult just want to be free to live their own lives, but war is coming to the Witchlands. With the help of the cunning Prince Merik (a Windwitch and ship’s captain) and the hindrance of a Bloodwitch bent on revenge, the friends must fight emperors, princes, and mercenaries alike, who will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.

=====> LOVE this month's selection and socks are always a favorite. Nice touch with the coloring book as that is definitely the most IN thing to do these days ;-)

I must say that the exclusive bookish items created for Uppercase make the box quite special and unique.

OTHER things on my shelf: kinda book-related

Tournament of Books 2016
Short List - now available
Details | Powells | Goodreads
=====> I was lurking in the last two years of tournament play. This year, I plan on reading as many as I can in this before the March discussions begin.


AND binge watching: online

Kill Me, Heal Me (2015)
tv series, season one
Director: Dae-jin Kim, Jin-man Kim
Writer: Soo Wan Jin
Starring: Seong Ji, Jung Eum Hwang
-Korean, Comedy, Drama, Romance | imdb | my rating: 5
A love story between the son from a wealthy family who has 7 personalities Cha Do Hyun (Ji Sung) and Oh Ri Jin (Hwang Jung Eum) who becomes his secret psychiatrist.

=====> Still enjoying Kdrama. This series has an interesting premise that makes for interesting situations that hit extremes of wacky to violent.

~*~
* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

Blitz: Strange and Ever After by Susan Dennard

DID you know...

IFB is hosting the promo tour for the third and final book in Susan Dennard's STEAMPUNK, ZOMBIE trilogy.

wheeeeee!

or rather in keeping with zombie mode, nom nom, delicious!

Visit here for tour schedule and a cool giveaway.

MUST get...

Strange and Ever After
by Susan Dennard
-just released: July 22, 2014
Amazon | Goodreads
In the conclusion to the trilogy that Publishers Weekly called “a roaring—and addictive—gothic world,” Eleanor Fitt must control her growing power, face her feelings for Daniel, and confront the evil necromancer Marcus...all before it’s too late.

He took her brother, he took her mother, and now, Marcus has taken her good friend Jie. With more determination than ever to bring this sinister man to justice, Eleanor heads to the hot desert streets of nineteenth-century Egypt in hopes of ending this nightmare. But in addition to her increasingly tense relationships with Daniel, Joseph, and her demon, Oliver, Eleanor must also deal with her former friend, Allison, who has curiously entangled herself in Eleanor’s mission.

With the rising dead chomping at her every move and Jie’s life hanging in the balance, Eleanor is convinced that her black magic will see her through to the bitter end. But there will be a price. Though she and the Spirit Hunters have weathered every battle thus far, there will be consequences to suffer this time—the effects of which will be irreversible. And when it’s over, only some will be able to live a strange and ever after.

Susan Dennard will leave readers breathless and forever changed in the concluding pages of this riveting ride.


AND if you haven't already, get the first books in the series too...

A Dawn Most Wicked
by Susan Dennard
-prequel
Amazon | Goodreads

Something Strange and Deadly
by Susan Dennard
-book 1
Amazon | Goodreads

A Darkness Strange and Lovely
by Susan Dennard
-book 2
Amazon | Goodreads

Dazzling Dresses

A Breath of Eyre
by Eve Marie Mont
Just released: March 27, 2012
part of the The Class of 2k12
In this stunning, imaginative novel, Eve Marie Mont transports her modern-day heroine into the life of Jane Eyre to create a mesmerizing story of love, longing, and finding your place in the world. . .

Emma Townsend has always believed in stories--the ones she reads voraciously, and the ones she creates. Perhaps it's because she feels like an outsider at her exclusive prep school, or because her stepmother doesn't come close to filling the void left by her mother's death. And her only romantic prospect--apart from a crush on her English teacher--is Gray Newman, a long-time friend who just adds to Emma's confusion. But escape soon arrives in an old leather-bound copy of Jane Eyre. . .

Reading of Jane's isolation sparks a deep sense of kinship. Then fate takes things a leap further when a lightning storm catapults Emma right into Jane's body and her nineteenth-century world. As governess at Thornfield, Emma has a sense of belonging she's never known--and an attraction to the brooding Mr. Rochester. Now, moving between her two realities and uncovering secrets in both, Emma must decide whether her destiny lies in the pages of Jane's story, or in the unwritten chapters of her own. . .

~~* * *~~
Enchanted
by Alethea Kontis
Release date: May 8, 2012
It isn’t easy being the rather overlooked and unhappy youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week. Sunday’s only comfort is writing stories, although what she writes has a terrible tendency to come true.

When Sunday meets an enchanted frog who asks about her stories, the two become friends. Soon that friendship deepens into something magical. One night Sunday kisses her frog goodbye and leaves, not realizing that her love has transformed him back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland—and a man Sunday’s family despises.

The prince returns to his castle, intent on making Sunday fall in love with him as the man he is, not the frog he was. But Sunday is not so easy to woo. How can she feel such a strange, strong attraction for this prince she barely knows? And what twisted secrets lie hidden in his past—and hers?

~~* * *~~
The King's Agent
by Donna Russo Morin
Just released: February 28, 2012
currently on blog tour - check out more details about this book and author
and giveaways ;-D
To the casual observer, Battista della Paglia is an avid art collector, or perhaps a nimble thief. In reality, the cunning Italian is an agent for François, the King of France, for whom he procures the greatest masterpieces of the day by any means necessary. Embroiled in a power struggle with Charles V, the King of Spain, François resolves to rule Europe's burgeoning cultural world. When he sets his sights on a mysterious sculpture, Battista's search for the elusive objet d'art leads him to a captivating woman on a mission of her own. . .

Having spent her life under the controlling eye of her protector, the Marquess of Mantua, Aurelia longs for freedom. And she finds it in Battista. Together, they embark on a journey to find the clues that will lead him to the sculpture-- a venture so perilous it might have spilled from the pen of Dante himself. From the smoldering depths of Rome to a castle in the sky, the harrowing quest draws them inextricably together. But Aurelia guards a dark secret that could tear them apart--and change the course of history. . .

~~* * *~~
The Selection
by Kiera Cass
Release date: April 24, 2012
For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself—and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

~~* * *~~
Something Strange and Deadly
by Susan Dennard
Release date: July 24, 2012
There’s something
strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about.
Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—

The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.

Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.

~~* * *~~
The Treachery of Beautiful Things
by Ruth Long
Release date: August 16, 2012
A darkly compelling mix of romance, fairy tale, and suspense from a new voice in teen fiction

The trees swallowed her brother whole, and Jenny was there to see it. Now seventeen, she revisits the woods where Tom was taken, resolving to say good-bye at last. Instead, she's lured into the trees, where she finds strange and dangerous creatures who seem to consider her the threat. Among them is Jack, mercurial and magnetic, with secrets of his own. Determined to find her brother, with or without Jack's help, Jenny struggles to navigate a faerie world where stunning beauty masks some of the most treacherous evils, and she's faced with a choice between salvation or sacrifice--and not just her own.

~~* * *~~
IN COMMENTS: tell me which dress catches your fancy and would you want to read the print or ebook of the book

Also, leave you email if I don't already have it.

~~* Glamorama schedule *~~

Zombie Tale from: Susan Dennard

~-~-~-~-~ guest ~-~-~-~-~
by Susan Dennard
~-~-~-~-~ guest ~-~-~-~-~
Of Necromancy, Zombies, and Other Such Ilk

Zombies. The undead. Revenants. Walking corpses.

Some are brought to life by nasty viruses , while others are the result of a necromancer’s hand.

Whatever the cause for reanimation and no matter what you choose to call them, they’ve all got one thing in common: THEY’RE FREAKING SCARY.

You know it’s true! When a decomposed, blood-thirsty monster shambles toward you, the normal reaction is to panic and—if you’re smart—to flee at maximum speed.

Now, your average, run-of-the-mill zombie is slow. They shuffle and list like a drunk on high seas, and all it takes is a well-aimed bullet to stop them dead (pun intended) in their tracks. I’m all for these zombies because as long as I’m not too outnumbered, I’m pretty sure I can evade them. I’ve seen Zombieland, so I know the rules (don’t forget #3: Beware of bathrooms).

Then there are the really creepy undead: the fast ones. These zombies can sprint as quickly as you can but without the annoyance of pain or exhaustion or lack of cardiac endurance. If you’re going to shoot ‘em, you had better be darn good with moving targets. I still have nightmares about the girl in the red vest from Carrie Ryan’s The Forest of Hands and Teeth.

And just when you think it can’t get any more bowel-releasing scary than fast zombies, the smart ones come onto the scene. These ones can learn, and they remember things from life. I literally had to sleep with the lights on after reading Ilsa Bick’s Ashes. I mean, think about it: if a zombie knows how to hunt? To unlock doors? How to set traps for its victims? I don’t stand a chance.

In my novel, Something Strange and Deadly, I wanted zombies that were also a new level of terrifying—I wanted Eleanor, my protagonist, to be as backed into a corner as she could get. A flimsy parasol just wasn’t gonna be a good zombie-defense.

In the book, a necromancer has reanimated all the corpses in the local graveyard (Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia, if you’re wondering). The bodies range from freshly dead with maggots feeding on their skin to long-decomposed skeletons. Eleanor sees children, Civil War soldiers, and wealthy debutantes side-by-side—all quite dead and rotting, of course.

When these Dead are under the necromancer’s control, they aren’t too scary (well, unless he’s ordered them to kill you—then they’re pretty terrifying). But what about when the necromancer loses control? When the leash snaps?

Then the Dead turn rabid and desperately hungry for human flesh. They’re full of unbridled energy, and they’ll sprint, jaws chomping, straight for your jugular.

Worst of all, there’s no stopping the Hungry. You can’t just shoot them or chop off their heads. The bodies will keep coming at you, all the way down to the last little pinky toe. The only way to stop one of the Hungry is to remove the bits of magic that animate it. Or dynamite—that’ll usually do the trick too.

Oh, but you can’t control necromantic magic? And you don’t have any TNT on hand? Well, too bad for you. Looks like today might be your last, my friend.

Unless, of course, the Spirit-Hunters are around—and you had better hope they are…

Because there’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia.

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—

The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.

Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.

The book is set to release in in July 2012 (look for ARCs in early 2012!), and the sequels are due in summer 2013 and summer 2014. Right now, book 2 is tentatively titled A Darkness Strange and Lovely, and it follows Eleanor and the Spirit-Hunters to Paris. French zombies--ooh la la!

Now you tell me: What are your favorite zombie books? What about movies or TV (I’m a big Walking Dead fan, myself)? Most importantly of all, what is your zombie-fighting weapon-of-choice? Personally, I’m gonna go for enormous, super-sharp samurai swords…

~end

Guest post created for September Zombies event by x, author of
© 2011. All rights reserved.


Visit Susan:
Website
Blog
Facebook
Goodreads
Twitter

~-~-~-~-~ guest ~-~-~-~-~
by Susan Dennard
~-~-~-~-~ guest ~-~-~-~-~
BE on the lookout...

Something Strange and Deadly
by Susan Denard
Release date: July 2012

~*~
* header image source

=== September Zombies schedule ===