Bookish Deals (11)

Happy Saturday, everyone! Welcome to today's biweekly edition of Bookish Deals where I (Julia) try to scour the Internet to find you guys an array of deals to fit in with any budget!

Today one of my favorite romance novels is on sale for an awesome price. This is one of my go to recommendations for people who are interested in starting to read the romance novel genre, but don't know where to start. The Duke and I is a great mix of humor and sensuality, with characters that I adore. Please check it out if you are interested even a little in romance. The price is too good to pass up!





The Duke and I by Julia Quinn - $1.99
AZ | BN

Can there be any greater challenge to London's Ambitious Mamas than an unmarried duke?
--- Lady Whistledown's Society Papers, April 1813

By all accounts, Simon Basset is on the verge of proposing to his best friend's sister, the lovely---and almost-on-the-shelf---Daphney Bridgerton. But the two of them know the truth--it's all an elaborate plan to keep Simon free from marriage-minded society mothers. And as for Daphne, surely she will attract some worthy suitors now that it seems a duke has declared her desirable.

But as Daphne waltzes across ballroom after ballroom with Simon, it's hard to remember that their courtship is a complete sham. Maybe it's his devilish smile, certainly it's the way his eyes seem to burn every time he looks at her...but somehow Daphne is falling for the dashing duke...for real! And now she must do the impossible and convince the handsome rogue that their clever little scheme deserves a slight alteration, and that nothing makes quite as much sense as falling in love...

Rainshadow Road by Lisa Kleypas - $2.99
AZ | BN

Lucy Marinn is a glass artist living in mystical, beautiful, Friday Harbor, Washington. She is stunned and blindsided by the most bitter kind of betrayal: her fiancé Kevin has left her. His new lover is Lucy’s own sister. Lucy's bitterness over being dumped is multiplied by the fact that she has constantly made the wrong choices in her romantic life.

Facing the severe disapproval of Lucy's parents, Kevin asks his friend Sam Nolan, a local vineyard owner on San Juan Island, to "romance" Lucy and hopefully loosen her up and get her over her anger. Complications ensue when Sam and Lucy begin to fall in love, Kevin has second thoughts, and Lucy discovers that the new relationship in her life began under false pretenses. Questions about love, loyalty, old patterns, mistakes, and new beginnings are explored as Lucy learns that some things in life—even after being broken—can be made into something new and beautiful.

The Witch's Daughter by Paula Brackston - $2.99
AZ | BN

My name is Elizabeth Anne Hawksmith, and my age is three hundred and eighty-four years. Each new settlement asks for a new journal, and so this Book of Shadows begins…

In the spring of 1628, the Witchfinder of Wessex finds himself a true Witch. As Bess Hawksmith watches her mother swing from the Hanging Tree she knows that only one man can save her from the same fate at the hands of the panicked mob: the Warlock Gideon Masters, and his Book of Shadows. Secluded at his cottage in the woods, Gideon instructs Bess in the Craft, awakening formidable powers she didn’t know she had and making her immortal. She couldn't have foreseen that even now, centuries later, he would be hunting her across time, determined to claim payment for saving her life.

In present-day England, Elizabeth has built a quiet life for herself, tending her garden and selling herbs and oils at the local farmers' market. But her solitude abruptly ends when a teenage girl called Tegan starts hanging around. Against her better judgment, Elizabeth begins teaching Tegan the ways of the Hedge Witch, in the process awakening memories--and demons—long thought forgotten.

Part historical romance, part modern fantasy, The Witch’s Daughter is a fresh, compelling take on the magical, yet dangerous world of Witches.Readers will long remember the fiercely independent heroine who survives plagues, wars, and the heartbreak that comes with immortality to remain true to herself, and protect the protégé she comes to love.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater - $2.99
AZ | BN

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again. Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

Kimberly's Review of 'Nolichuck' by Jackson Keene

Nolichuck

A copy of this book was sent to me by the author for an honest review. I have tried and failed many times to write a proper review for this novel. I'm going to simplify this a bit.

Story:

TJ’s just an ordinary fourteen year old kid with extraordinary problems at home and school: A broken up family from his parents’ bitter divorce, evil bullies almost every afternoon, failing grades, boring classes, snobby girls, mean teachers, cut from basketball tryouts, few friends. Life is rough for TJ Cockrell.

And then that mysterious little green book had to go and throw him into the past. And not just any past, but into the untamed forbidding forests of 1802 eastern Tennessee along with the savage Indians, wild beasts, bloodthirsty robbers, backwoods ruffians, and log cabin living! Yup, it’s definitely not 2011 Knoxville anymore.

And he thought his present life was bad news! But TJ’s adventures are only beginning. Along the way, he fights off killer beasts and bandits and braves, gains a world of confidence in himself, finds his first real love, and meets a fantastic frontier family who really has it together. When he returns to the present, he’s a brand new person––ready to defeat deadly robbers in his own home, beat the bullies at school, win the girl, gain friends, and make great grades. He even gets his family back together again. Sort of. In the end, the little green book is really cool. And TJ can’t wait to go on another action-packed adventure into the perilous past!

What I didn't like:

I feel like this floats between two genre/age groups. TJ thinks like a character from a MG novel would, yet at the same time the violence and language as well as his relationship with his crush are more YA. A novel that bridges the slight gap between MG and YA would be great, but I feel like Nolichuck fell a bit short.

I'm in my 20's and female, so some of my issue's with TJ may be unfounded, I can't relate to this teenage boy as well. I still felt like TJ was immature for his age. He DID grow as the novel progressed, I still felt frustrated with him.

I'm being nit picky here, but some of the writing felt... odd. Let me see if I can describe it. It's as if someone were describing him, but he is thinking that himself. It felt like parts of the book were written in first person, and some parts in third.

What I liked:

Time travel. I especially liked that it all took place in Tennessee. So many authors feel the need to make the story more exotic by placing it in a far away country. There is SO much history right here in the US, I enjoyed reading that.

The rules. The way he travels in time, and the rules that apply, are unique and I liked them. I've read so many time travel books, and watched Doctor Who far too much, but you never want to mess with the past. Bad things can happen. In Nolichuck however, it works a bit differently.

Conclusion:

Overall, I wasn't thrilled with this book. The characters frustrated me, the narration was difficult to read... However, there were a few ideas I did like, and I think that if future books in this series expand on those, they will be interesting.

1.5 Stars 

Paula's Top Ten Reading Goals for 2013

 For the list of past topics and future schedule, click here!

Hello all! I hope the first week of 2013 has treated you well :D As the new year rolled in I got really excited about completing 2012's goals and making a new pretty list of 2013's reading challenges. This year I have significantly lowered my numerical  goals (book count, page count) because - thanks to my job at a fabric company I am surrounded by fabric in my apartment - and I need to spend some time on my other hobby: sewing. (wahh having 2 time consuming hobbies!)

So here are my Top Ten (cough 8) 2013 reading goals:

1. Read at least 40 books
2. Read at least 15,000 pages
3. Read 5 books from my shelf before buying more (always a difficult one >_< )
4. Read 5 books that have been on my "to-read" list for over a year
5. Read The Lord of The Rings trilogy
6. Read further into the Discworld series
7. Read a book over 500 pages long
8. Read a book of short stories

I think (hope) those are manageable goals for this year.
I look forward to seeing what every one is challenging themselves to do this year!

Broke and Bookish Book Haul for 11/25 - 1/6

Paula's Book Haul

For Christmas, my parent's friends gave me a Barnes & Noble gift card. SO that night I got onto the marketplace and ordered lots of used books. So far only two have gotten here. I am anxiously awaiting them all.

1. Everything Matters! by Ron Currie Jr.
2. Animals by Don LePan
3. The Light by DJ MacHale
4. The Clockwork Man by William Jablonsky
5. How to Buy A Love of Reading by Tanya Egan Gibson

All of these books have been on my to-read list for quite sometime. So I am excited to get a chance to finally read them :D  

Julia's Book Haul

Well. There is definitely back story to this haul. I bought my sister a gift card for Christmas to Half-Priced Books with the intent of going with her to spend it. Saturday, we walk in the story by my house and I see a small sign that says the store is closing for good the next day (!) Thus they were having a $1 special on all paper backs. Well, I went a little crazy with the romance selection of TBR... this was the result. (I do have to mention that these were books for my sister (16), cousin (3) and me (28). I have bought so many other books that I haven't listed in the haul... maybe some other time.

Romance:
Seduction of a Proper Gentleman, Secrets of a Proper Lady, What a Lady Wants - Victoria Alexander
The Heart of Christmas - Mary Balogh, Niccola Cornick and Courtney Milan
So Enchanting, My Pleasure - Connie Brockway
Captive of Sin - Anna Campbell
Blameless - Gail Carriger
How to Dance with a Duke - Manda Collins
Barely a Lady - Eileen Dreyer
Written on Your Skin - Meredith Duran
A Lady's Guide to Improper Behavior, The Care and Taming of a Rogue - Suzanne Encoch
A Lady Never Lies - Julianna Gray
Passions of a Wicked Earl - Lorraine Heath
The Serpent Prince, The Raven Prince, The Leopard Prince - Elizabeth Hoyt
Midnight Pleasures - Eloisa James
Once Upon a Dream - Katherine Kingsley
Then Came You, Mine Till Midnight, Seduce Me at Sunrise, Married By Morning, Love in the Afternoon - Lisa Kleypas
Wicked, Sinful Nights - Julia Latham
A Rake's Guide to Seduction, What a Gentleman Wants - Caroline Linden
Gentle Rogue, Marriage Most Scandelous, A Loving Scoundrel - Johanna Lindsey
Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake, A Rogue by Any Other Name - Sarah MacLean
After Midnight, Yours Until Dawn (x2) - Teresa Mederios
The Art of Duke Hunting, Between the Duke and the Deep Blue Sea - Sophia Nash
Ten Things I Love About You, On The Way to the Wedding, The Viscount Who Loved Me(x2), To Sir Philip with Love, The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever, What Happens in London, Romancing Mr. Bridgerton - Julia Quinn

Young Adult:
Disney In Shadow - Ridley Pearson

Fantasy:
The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss
  

Daisy's Book Haul

Ok, so keep in mind this is a month worth of books :)

Egalleys For Review

-Rapunzel Untangled by Cindy C. Bennett: SO EXCITED! I LOVED Geek Girl by the same author and this sounds all kinds of wonderful!
-The Forbidden Queen by Anne O'Brien
-Pretty Girl-13 by Liz Coley: it sounds really intense and creepy!
-Through The Ever Night by Veronica Rossi: I loved, loved, LOVED Under the Never Sky and can't wait to see what's next for Aria and Perry. And Roar (love).
-The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd: I've heard amazing things about this one!
-Requiem by Lauren Oliver: EEE! I still haven't read Pandemonium because I was scared by everyone going AAAH! at the ending, but now I can read this one straight after so I think I'll be ok :)
-School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins
-The Importance of Being Wicked by Victoria Alexander
-The Loop by Shandy Lawson
-If You Give A Rake A Ruby by Shana Galen: I just love Shana Galen's historical romance novels!
-Lord of Darkness by Elizabeth Hoyt
-Godiva by Nicole Galland: who hasn't heard of Godiva? This is bound to make my little history-loving heart happy!
-The Forgotten Queen by D.L. Bogdan
-And Then She Fell by Stephanie Laurens
-The Rules by Stacey Kade: a girl created in a genetics lab, hello EXCITEMENT!
-Geek Girl by Holly Smale: this sounds like so much fun!
-Sins of a Ruthless Rogue by Anna Randol

Christmas Gifts
Don't You Forget About Me by Alexandra Potter: I love her chicklit :)
Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter
With many thanks to my brother :)

Bought
Cleopatra's Moon by Vicky Alvear Shecter
The Thirteen Hallows by Michael Scott
Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes: this sounds like just my kind of book and the cover is gorgeous!
Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey: I know Rachel @ Fiktshun is a fan of this book, so that's really enough reason for me to pick it up :)
Tempest by Julie Cross: I really liked it when I read it last year, wanted my own copy

Our Broke & Bookish book haul is inspired by memes like IMM & Stacking the Shelves& Mailbox Monday. This is just our very simple way of doing it collaboratively so we can participate in all of them and not have to choose one.

Tahleen reviews: "Night of the Howling Dogs" by Graham Salisbury

Title: Night of the Howling Dogs
Author: Graham Salisbury
Publisher: Recorded Books, 2009 (print available from Laurel Leaf)
Narrator: Robert Ramirez

Rating: 4.5 stars

Dylan and his scout troop from Hilo, Hawaii are psyched to be camping out at the base of a volcano in Halape during the summer of 1975. But when he finds out tough, older Louie, with whom he has a history, will be joining them, his enthusiasm is dampened. They start off the camping trip on a rocky start, with Dylan struggling to assert himself as senior patrol leader with the other boys. Then disaster strikes, and the beach paradise they started camping in turns into a nightmare when an earthquake causes rockslides and a tsunami. Dylan, Louie, and the rest of the troop must put aside their differences, rely on their wits, and on each other to survive.

This book might be short, but it's a true tale of survival that is based on actual events. As soon as the earthquake hits, we as readers are never sure who will survive, or when they will be rescued. Tensions were high to begin with, but it goes through the roof once the natural disaster hits and people go missing.

At first I didn't really like Dylan. He was kind of irritating and petulant. But I warmed to him once he started showing what he was really made of. I liked Louie much more than Dylan from the beginning, mostly because it was clear there was more to him than Dylan seemed to see. He just had a huge chip on his shoulder, and an attitude to go with it. Plus he was not friendly toward white people, or haole.

The setting and culture are one of my favorite aspects of all of Salisbury's books. He really infused the Hawaiian mythology into the story; one of the characters says that one of the howling dogs of the title is Pele, the volcano goddess, and a shark is a spirit watching over the island. The dialogue is often in pidgen, creating a strong sense of character and place.

Robert Ramirez did a good job on the narration. At times he sounded like he was accenting words a bit too much, but it was not something that took away from the storytelling. I've listened to him narrate before, and I would have no issue with listening to him again.

Ever since visiting the beautiful islands of Hawaii on my honeymoon, I've loved traveling back through novels. Salisbury is one of the best authors I've found for this. His authenticity in writing for young people is unparalleled in this regard, and I look forward to reading his other works. (I've already read a number of his Calvin Coconut books, and he also wrote the Scott O'Dell Award–winning Under the Blood Red Sun.)

Disclosure: I got this audiobook from my local library.

YA2U: Book Tour, why it should come to Cleveland + Giveaway!

Have you ever wished that a big YA book tour would make a stop in your hometown? I sure have. Often times I look longingly at tour schedules and watch as they sweep up the west or east coast, with maybe a few stops in the south. But alas! My home is in the Midwest. Ohio to be exact. Cleveland to be more exact. Which brings me to something really awesome...

YA2U is a program that features five award-winning and
best-selling authors who are holding a contest to see what city they should visit in an exclusive tour stop! These five lovely ladies are collecting votes from January 1 to February 15. 

Any city in the continental US or any major Canadian city (major defined as 'has an international airport') can win an exclusive visit from all five authors, including an author panel and book signing! It's like a freaking dream!

Entering is easy. In addition to the author contest, the ladies are giving away a complete set of their compendium of books, which in my very biased opinion contains some of the best books I have read in the YA genre (for realz) and ones I've been looking forward to reading.

The authors in the program are:

• Marie Lu, the New York Times best-selling author of Legend and the upcoming Prodigy
• Marissa Meyer, the New York Times best-selling author of Cinder and the upcoming Scarlet
• Beth Revis, the New York Times best-selling author of Across the Universe, A Million Suns, and the upcoming Shades
  of Earth
• Victoria Schwab author of The Near Witch and the highly-anticipated upcoming The Archived
• Megan Shepherd, author of the debut novel The Madman's Daughter

It's like a dream YA bookshelf. (I've reviewed Cinder and Across the Universe if you want to check them out.)

And they want to have an event in a town of your choice! To participate, just go to the YA2U website and let them know what city you want them to come to, like Cleveland. And while you're there, help spread the word about the contest and you can be entered to win all of their books--TEN signed books in total! 

Now, remember when I said I dreamed a dream of a YA tour stop? Help me live my dream peeps.

Here's why the YA2U Team should come to Cleveland, Ohio. 

Cleveland is an awesome town on the coast of Lake Erie. It was really big in the turn of last century and still has some really amazing and unique things. For instance, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is here. Playhouse Square is the second largest theater complex in the US, second only to NYC. I've seen some great plays and musicals there throughout my life. Cleveland has an awesome restaurant scene. Every time I go downtown I can eat at another amazingly rated eatery with a wide variety of options. USA Today listed Ohio City (which is right over the river from the downtown area of Cleveland) as one of the ten greatest places to barhop in the world.

Source: joiseyshowaa CC BY-SA 2.0 via Flickr

We are super passionate about our sports teams, and are still waiting for the day when we can celebrate some sort of championship. We've been so close so many times... but alas! Are we down because of it? Maybe a bit, but we are fiercely supportive of all the teams no matter how bad or good they are doing. Assuming this tour would come in the winter, we have our Cavs playing as well as a hockey team, The Monsters. Both of which are a great time!

So in summary, CLE is awesome. As much as I travel around, it is still the place I call home and am proud to say that. I feel that Cleveland, though part of the Rust Belt, is starting to turn around. I honestly think it's on the brink of something amazing. What would make it more amazing would be these awesome authors sharing there works.

Anyway, I guess if you have a better city to vote for you can to it and I wont hold the grudge. Join in and let us know why we should vote for you guys. Vote for YOUR town here OR Vote CLEVELAND OHIO! Then when it wins, I will show you all the fun things about Cleveland when you come for the tour stop. :D

Remember, if you help spread the word, you can also participate in the book giveaway. Tell them that you learned about YA2U from Julia at The Broke and the Bookish, and we both get extra entries in the contest!

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Julia's Top Ten Books I Resolve to Read in 2013

For future Top Ten Tuesday topics & info on how to participate, click here!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! WELCOME 2013! 

Hey everyone! Happy New Year to you and yours. May the troubles of 2012 stay in 2012, and may 2013 bring you great prosperity and good tidings. That said, 2012 saw an exponential growth in my TBR pile. My To-Read shelf is now greater than my read shelf... and over 500 books high. Good thing it's digital. I recently did a list of my books that I will be reading for the 2013 TBR challenge. I may repeat some of them, but there are definitely other books that I want to include in my 2013 resolution. Let's get to them shall we?

Julia's Top Ten Books I Resolve To Read in 2013

1. A Feast for Crows and A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin
I am trudging through A Feast for Crows now, but this is seriously my first goal of 2013, reading wise anyway. I need to read both of these huge books AND watch season one and two of Game of Thrones, before March. Can it be done? Absolutely! I just need to stop reading Christmas themed romance novels and get back to Crows...
2. Heart of Steel and Riveted by Meljean Brooks
I read The Iron Duke back in like March or something, and it was awesome. People who like the sexytimes and some amazingly built Steampunk world, read this! I've heard that Riveted is amazing, but to get there I need to read Heart of Steel, too.
3. Divergent by Veronica Roth
This one made it on my challenge list. Oh, Divergent. I have been trying to read you since you came out. I actually have this one as an eBook, so there is no excuses!
4. How the Marquess Was Won and A Notorious Countess Confesses by Julie Anne Long
Another series I am trying to catch up on. I am only two behind now, with the next release sometime in summer of next year (maybe?). It's a hit and miss series for me. The last one was a hit, so hopefully these two will match that and not some of the others.
5. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
I MUST READ THIS! Especially before the movie comes out. Maybe that is in the summer? I don't know, but I actually own this one as well, so it must be done!
6. Libriomancer by Jim C. Hines
This book sounds like my dream come true. Apparently from what I heard it contains elements of being able to reach into the story, take out an item (like for instance "The One Ring") and the put it back when you are done with it. Are you kidding me!? If I had a genie wish it would be to jump into books; taking things out of book is a close second.
7. Heartless and Timeless by Gail Carriger
Tragically, I fell off the bandwagon where this series is concerned. Too many books, too little time. I really enjoyed Soulless, but unfortunately can't remember much of the other two. So I need to give these another go.
8. What Alice Knew by Paula Marantz Cohen
This book intrigues me to know end. I saw it at the airport one day and bought it when it was on sale in an eBook. Must read it!
9. I Love It When You Talk Retro: Hoochie Coochie, Double Whammy, Drop a Dime, and the Forgotten Origins of American Speech by Ralph Keyes
I have been searching for a good origin of English idioms for quite some time (not hard mind you, but searching). This book seems like an amazing factoid book that I must buy!
10. All of the eBooks that I buy when they are 99c.
I seriously have such a problem with that. Especially this month. With agency pricing going to way of the dodo, some of the sales have been awesomely amazing as my pocket book can tell you. Unfortunately I have not read too many of them... hence the encompass all of number 10.

Seriously this list can be called the "Julia catches up with her serieses" or "Julia reads all the books she buys" Let's be real here... that second one is a long shot. 

Anyway what does your list like? Link up below and peruse everyone else's lists as you recover from New Years Eve :) 

Bring it on, 2013!!