2014 "1001 Books To Read Before You Die" Challenge

This year, I challenged myself to read 20 books from the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list.  You can download a copy of a nifty spreadsheet where you can track your books and how long it will take you to read all the books. It's pretty cool and costs less than $7.00 to download.



This year so far I've read:



I'm currently working on:


Have you heard of this list? How many books have you read from the list? Which books are your favorite?  Which did you not like so much?

Review, Promo & Giveaway: Second Verse by Jennifer Walkup

 

My Review:  Second Verse is a paranormal young adult mystery that transcends time.  The small town of Shady Springs has a torrid past.  A gruesome murder took place in the past.  The town holds a murder mystery festival every year called The Hunt.  The students at Lange's school solve a fake mystery.  This year, shortly before the festival Lange and friends hold a séance.  The séance scene is super creepy and Lange and Vaughn hear a murdered girl Ginny begging for their help.  She directs them to some clues and the two become obsessed with finding out what happened to Ginny.  In a creepy twist, Lange and Vaughn start to receive the same threats that Ginny did before she died.  Will they be able to solve the mystery before they are the next victims?

 

I thought the writing on this book was pretty good.  There were a few spots where the dialogue between the teenage characters sounded sounded unnatural, but it got better as the book progressed.  The paranormal element was pretty good and the twist at the end was very unexpected.  Overall, I enjoyed this book very much.

About the Book - About the Author - Prizes!!!

Welcome to another exciting publishing house spotlight tour from Novel Publicity. Join us as two new titles from Luminis Books--we're calling them the Luminis Dyad--tour the blogosphere in a way that just can't be ignored. And, hey, we've got prizes! About the prizes: Who doesn't love prizes? You could win either of two $25 Amazon gift cards, an autographed copy of Second Verse by Jennifer Walkup, or an autographed copy of its tour mate, The Field by Tracy Richardson. Here's what you need to do...

1. Enter the Rafflecopter contest
2. Leave a comment on my blog

That's it! One random commenter during this tour will win a $25 gift card. Visit more blogs for more chances to win--the full list of participating bloggers can be found HERE.

The other $25 gift card and the 3 autographed books will be given out via Rafflecopter. You can find the contest entry form linked below or on the official Luminis Duo tour page via Novel Publicity.

Good luck!

 

About the book: Can love last more than a lifetime? Can Murder? Bad things come in threes. In Shady Springs, that includes murder. Lange Crawford’s move to Shady Springs, Pennsylvania, lands her a group of awesome friends, a major crush on songwriter Vaughn, and life in a haunted, 200-year-old farmhouse. It also brings The Hunt: an infamous murder mystery festival where students solve a fake, gruesome murder scheme during the week of Halloween. Well, supposedly fake. Weeks before The Hunt, Lange and her friends hold a séance in the farmhouse’s eerie barn. When a voice rushes through, whispering haunting words that only she and Vaughn can hear, Lange realizes it's begging for help. The mysterious voice leads Lange and Vaughn to uncover letters and photos left behind by a murdered girl, Ginny, and they become obsessed with her story and the horrifying threats that led to her murder. But someone doesn’t like their snooping, and Lange and Vaughn begin receiving the same threats that Ginny once did. The mysterious words from the barn become crucial to figuring out Ginny's past and discovering how their own past is connected to hers. They must work fast to uncover the truth or risk finding out if history really does repeat itself. Pick up your copy of this Young Adult/ Paranormal/ Thriller l through Amazon US, Amazon UK, or Barnes & Noble.


About the author: When Jennifer Walkup isn’t writing or reading, she’s spending time with her husband and young sons, listening to Red Hot Chili Peppers, and coming up with costume ideas for Halloween. She’s obsessed with good coffee and new recipes and likes broccoli on her pizza, flowers in her hair, flip-flops on her feet, and the number 13. A member of SCBWI, Jennifer also serves as fiction editor for The Meadowland Review and teaches creative writing at The Writers Circle. Second Verse is her first novel. Connect with Jennifer on her website, blog, Facebook, Twitter, or GoodReads.

Luminis Books was launched in January, 2010 by husband and wife team Tracy Richardson and Chris Katsaropoulos with a mission to publish thought-provoking literary fiction for children and adults. We publish what we love: Meaningful Books That Entertain. Our award-winning books engage and inform readers and explore a wide range of topics from love and relationships, teen sexual assault and homelessness to string theory, consciousness, and the Universal Energy Field. Luminis Books is a proudly independent publisher located in Carmel, IN. Learn more at www.luminisbooks.com.

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Promo: Ashes to Ashes by Karina Halle -All Experiment in Terror books only 99 cents!

I am so excited to be sharing Karina Halle's Experiment in Terror series.  They are my favorite series right now, and you can get all the books for 99 cents for a limited time.  

Title: ASHES TO ASHES (EIT 8)

Author: Karina Halle

Release date: December 11, 2013

Age Group: Mature NA/Adult

Genre: Romantic Suspense/Horror

Links to find/buy your book (if available):

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17608219-ashes-to-ashes

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Karina-Halle/e/B0050KE63C/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1383322642&sr=1-1

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/karina-halle

Book Description:  It’s been two months since Perry Palomino and Dex Foray’s relationship reached a new turning point, two months since Perry started a new life in Seattle, and two months since their Experiment in Terror show took on a new partner, ex-Wine Babe Rebecca Sims, and found a new level of success. But whenever there is light in their lives, the madness still has a way of coming back in.

When the team is sent back to the stormy Oregon coast to investigate a haunted school, Perry wants to use the opportunity to reconnect with her family and reintroduce Dex into their lives. Only Perry’s not the only one who’s reaching out – her grandmother Pippa has started appearing to her with disturbing warnings and Perry’s presence at the school has ignited a chilling new wave of supernatural phenomenon. Once used a century ago as a sanatorium to house children dying of tuberculosis, the school’s past residents are slowly coming back to life and with one thing on their mind. They want someone to play with, someone to join them. Forever.

Even when dead, some children get whatever they want.

And they want Perry.

About the Author

Karina Halle is the USA Today Best Selling Author of The Artists Trilogy (On Every Street, Sins & Needles, Shooting Scars, and Bold Tricks) published by Hachette, the Experiment in Terror series, and The Devil's series published by Diversion.

The daughter of a Norwegian Viking and a Finnish Moomin, Karina Halle grew up in Vancouver, Canada with trolls and eternal darkness on the brain. This soon turned into a love of all things that go bump in the night and a rather sadistic appreciation for freaking people out. Like many of the flawed characters she writes, Karina never knew where to find herself and has dabbled in acting, make-up artistry, film production, screenwriting, photography, travel writing and music journalism. She eventually found herself in the pages of the very novels she wrote (if only she had looked there to begin with).

Karina holds a screenwriting degree from Vancouver Film School and a Bachelor of Journalism from TRU. Her travel writing, music reviews/interviews and photography have appeared in publications such as Consequence of Sound, Mxdwn and GoNomad Travel Guides. She currently lives on an island on the coast of British Columbia where she's preparing for the zombie apocalypse with her fiance and rescue pup.

Karina is represented by Scott Waxman of the Waxman Leavell Literary Agency
             
Author social media links:
http://experimentinterror.com

http://khalle.wordpress.com

https://www.facebook.com/ExperimentinTerror

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Karina-Halle/

www.twitter.com/MetalBlonde

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4785031.Karina_Halle

 Follow the tour:

http://atomrbookblogtours.com/2013/10/28/experiment-in-terror-promotional-event-12-days-of-dexmas/

Giveaway

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Collared (Going to the Dogs, #4) by Zoe Dawson Book Promo

The Adult Contemporary Romance/Mystery, Collared (Book #4, Going to the Dogs) by Zoe Dawson has release! To help celebrate, we have an excerpt and giveaway below.

Release: October 14, 2013

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads

Diamonds are a dog’s best friend.

Harper Sinclair discovers that her champion, award-winning standard poodle, Ch. Edgewood Sky High Blue is missing her $50,000 diamond dog collar that was given to her by Harper's eccentric, indulging grandmother.  Harper calls the robbery division of the NYPD and reports the theft.  The detective they send is surly and tough with a pair of blue eyes that make even this calm, cool socialite's lungs claw for air.

​Rough and tumble Detective Caleb Shaw has better things to do than run over to the penthouse of a frigging socialite to find a frigging collar for a frigging pampered poodle---award winning or not.  He has real cases to solve, but when he gets a load of the poodle's owner, his interest in the case...heats up.  Satin sheets or not, he wants Harper.

​Can a lovely socialite collar a hard-boiled detective or are they worlds apart?

Author’s Favorite Quotes from Collared

Part 1

He rang the bell, and it chimed like these people had Big Ben in there somewhere.

“Geezus,” he muttered.

Zoe: This shows Caleb’s mindset when he goes to Harper’s penthouse. It’s also funny.

_____

“Is that so?” He grinned. “You wouldn’t last five minutes in my world.”

“What? I can fit into any world. You wouldn’t last five minutes in mine.”

“What’s the hard part? Drinking champagne and partying until one in the morning? Oooh, brutal.”

Zoe: This exchange sets up the rivalry between them. I love his sarcasm.

_____

Shane threw him a wry look. “She’s a fairy princess living in a castle in the clouds. You, my friend, are a troll who lives under a bridge.”

Zoe: This is said by Caleb’s partner at NYPD. Shows the difference between them and the obstacles they’ll face getting together.

_____

“What’s the matter?” she asked. “Your wings at the cleaners with your brass knuckles?”

Zoe: I love this quote. Harper’s first challenge for Caleb in her world is a Fairy Tea Party—with little girls. On the invitation, it says wings are optional.

About the Author

Zoe Dawson is the alter ego of Karen Anders, award winning, multi-published author. Her writing journey started with poetry and branched out into fiction. With a couple of college English courses under her belt, she penned a historical, then moved onto contemporary romance fiction. Today, she is happy producing romantic suspense, romantic mystery, urban fantasy and paranormal novels. The words feed her soul and the happily ever afters feed her heart.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Blog | Goodreads | Newsletter

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From Gods by Mary Ting Book Blast Trailer Teaser & Giveaway $50 Amazon Gift card

From Gods by Mary Ting Did you just see a flash of lightning across the sky on a clear sunny day? It’s not from Mother Nature. It is most likely from Mason Grand, swoon-worthy demigod, one of Zeus’s descendants. Skylar Rome is supposed to be having the best summer ever before she heads off to college. Little did she know, her whole life was about to change while visiting her cousin. Nearly drowning at the beach due to unknown forces, one of the Grand brothers she’d just met, Mason, saves her life. Cool, collected, mysterious, and dangerously good-looking, Skylar is drawn to him from the start. Though she knows he is the type of guy good girls stayed away from, it seems he is always saving her life, and the attraction was inevitable. Upon meeting the brothers, strange things begin to happen. When she accidentally kills one of the brothers, it throws her life into turmoil, as they search to find the answers. Implausibly, she gets caught up in a world of the decedents of ancient gods, all who have super powers. Not only is her discovery difficult to accept, evil beings are after her. Running out of time and running for her life, she must unravel a mystery. What do they want from her? Forced into a battle set into motion long before she was born, will she find the answers, or will she die trying?  


  Teaser 1: “You’re wet. You should take off your clothes.” What a way to avoid a question! Skylar blinked her eyes in disbelief. Did she hear him correctly? “Excuse me?” Not wanting to assume he was really asking her to strip off her clothes, she didn’t move a muscle, but the way his piercing eyes laid on her, she might as well have already been naked. Then she inwardly gasped when he started to unbutton his shirt. Her eyes shot to the floor, then back to him, and then to the floor, wondering what she was supposed to do in this awkward moment. “Here. Go change in the restroom. You don’t want to catch a cold.” He placed his shirt in front of her. She looked up to see him shirtless for the very first time. With all the right curves and tightness, he looked like a statue of a god. He was beautiful and perfectly toned, with satin-like skin, which looked like it would be smooth to the touch. And there was a small tattoo shaped like a lightning bolt on his upper right arm, toward his shoulder. Way too sexy! As warmth flushed her face, she tried not to stare, but there was no way around it. “Umm…you won’t have a shirt,” Skylar said, thinking that was the most idiotic thing she had said so far, but she couldn’t think when he was half-naked in front of her. “I’m not cold, but you will be.” Mason was right. Skylar didn’t realize she was shivering until she placed her hand out to take his shirt. The adrenaline from the initial shock had kept her warm, and now it was wearing away. The blasting air conditioner didn’t help either. “Thanks.” Just as she pivoted right toward the restroom, even though she was deathly scared to go back, Mason gripped her arm. “Wait. Don’t go in there without me.” His sudden protectiveness surprised Skylar, but then again, he had saved her.   Teaser 2: “Mason, Mason, Mason,” Skylar panicked. “I know. Skylar, hold on tight. I’m going to brake.” “But…but there are cars behind us.” “We have no choice. Don’t worry. I got this.” Pushing down on the brake pedal forcefully, the car hydroplaned to the right. “Hold on,” Mason yelled. Skylar gripped the first thing she could place her hand on tightly. The water from the road jetted up into the air like a water show, but the car kept gliding sideways, until finally it spun a full circle and stopped. With no time to waste, Mason turned the car toward the right and accelerated, hoping to dodge what was coming toward them. Out of nowhere, a long piece of ice, taking the form of a spear-like shape, darted through the trucks’ tires and punctured some of them. More ice spears came soaring out of the rain, but this time, ten or more sphere like ice balls followed, denting the sides of the trucks, and one went through a windshield. With flat tires, the trucks now glided as if on ice, maneuvering from side to side. “Did you do that?” Skylar asked excitedly. “No…must be Poseidon’s kids. Where the hell are they?” Mason spread his right arm in front of Skylar, as if to protect her. “Bend down, Sky.” One of the trucks hit another and swirled, hitting the other adjacent to it. The crash caused the trucks to flip and tumble, heading straight for Mason’s car. With a look of shock, Skylar held her breath. With no time to move, think, or get out of the car, she closed her eyes and prepared for the crash. Just seconds before the impact, Mason’s car flew up into the air, over the trucks. Somehow, magically, the water created a liquid bridge, guiding the car safely over, and then it thumped hard on the ground on the other side. Without looking back, Mason sped away as the sound of screeching brakes and metal impacting on metal blasted
behind them

.  

  Praise for From Gods “A fast paced adventure full of mystery, action, magic and romance! Readers won’t be able to put this book down!” ~InD’tale Magazine   “From Gods takes mythology to a whole new level of imagination with its incredible plot and amazing characters. It’s full of hotness that you never want to end!” ~Michele, Insane About Books   “From Gods by the AMAZING AUTHOR Mary Ting is OMGods good!! If you even LIKE Greek Mythology, set aside some time because you will DEVOUR Mary Ting's Demi Gods and Vultures!!!” ~Mindy, Books Complete Me   “This book is “electric” as it blends paranormal romance, mythology (which I love), action and suspense together for an amazing read. Mary Ting, you’ve done it again! This book exceeded my expectations and I was literally blown away as if I were struck by lightning!” ~Vanessa, Fairiechick’s Fantasy Book Reader

   

Author Mary Ting Bestselling/award-winning author Mary Ting resides in Southern California with her husband and two children. She enjoys oil painting and making jewelry. Writing her first novel, Crossroads Saga, happened by chance. It was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother, and inspired by a dream she once had as a young girl. When she started reading new adult novels, she fell in love with the genre. It was the reason she had to write one-Something Great. Why the pen name, M Clarke? She tours with Magic Johnson Foundation to promote literacy and her children's chapter book-No Bullies Allowed.  
BookBlast Giveaway $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 11/8/13 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Starchild Book Blast and Giveaway $100 Amazon Gift Card

Starchild: The City of Souls In The Age of Akra, a pilgrimage to the Valley of a Thousand Thoughts brings together four children as an ancient prophecy is set in motion. Having triumphed against dangerous adversaries, Mai, Long, Akra and Sahib are now pursued by the melkarie and must escape to the City of Souls. In the land of Naroan, in a city hidden under a blanket of living green, they are confronted with the challenge to find the Singing Soul. But the underworld has other plans, and a beast so fierce is conjured to stop the children from finding anything that will add to the power to the prophecy of the seven nations.

Praise for Starchild:

“Strong and riveting start to what is sure to be an engrossing series for young readers keen on fantasy, mythology and sci fi.” “Following in the footsteps of shamanic storytellers, the wizardess Vacen Taylor has delivered a winner! Mystical and magical, it’s a thoroughly engaging adventure that will delight both children and adults.”

Website * Amazon * Goodreads

*** Starchild: The Age of Akra (Book One) is only $0.99 in the Kindle Store for October ***

Excerpt: The children were unaware of the dark forces that had gathered in the south. A force far greater than any seen before had grown into a power of unconquerable strength. From the very first night of Mai and Long’s journey, the eyes from which this force had grown had been searching for them. The search would not stop until the prophecy, its foreknowledge and the children were extinguished. The four children had travelled a long way. The mountain had disappeared behind them and so had the crumbled Castle of Stone. Akra had been attentive throughout the whole journey, listening to Sahib talk about the City of Beams. Behind them Long listened in, but Mai sensed a twinge of jealousy was beginning to twist his thoughts. Sahib and Akra were friends now. Long’s ‘buddy for life’ had been yanked away from him—by a sealer of all things. Mai noticed the frown on Long’s face, pushing his eyebrows closer together as he watched Sahib and Akra talk. Every so often he stopped to rub his ankles. Mai knew the burns around them would not heal quickly. The wound left from the searing grasp of the invisible hands of the underworld, which had almost pulled him to his death, would soon blister. What she didn’t know was that two nasty red streaks were beginning to snake their way up Long’s legs, and with them came an unusual meddling in his thoughts. When it was clear to Mai they had walked as far as possible for that day they found a place to rest. Long collected some dead wood, and with Akra’s fireruling skills a crackling fire soon spread its warmth as the darkness of the night settled over them. It was a clear night. A starlit blanket twinkled above them. Each of the children, too tired to eat, curled up around the fire and soon they were all asleep. Mai was happy to be back on her journey to the Valley of a Thousand Thoughts. But as she slept her flickering eyelids told a different story. Her mind replayed memories of the last few days that had passed. It was a skill only thoughtbankers possessed: the ability to replay a memory as if it were a dream.  

Author Vacen Taylor Vacen Taylor is an author, writer, storyteller, occasional artist and amateur photographer. She describes her writing as a basic prose style with the occasional splash of creative penning. She collects comics and loves superheroes, anime and science.  

Facebook * Twitter * Website






 

  BookBlast Giveaway $100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Open Internationally Ends 11/4/13 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the publisher. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Promo: The King of Sunday Morning by J B McCauley

The King of Sunday Morning is a geezer. Not in the traditional sense of the word as in old man. This geezer is a face, a wannabe, a top notch bloke. He is the greatest DJ that never was. He should have been. Could have been. Would have been. Now becoming a has-been. Tray McCarthy was born into privilege but with the genetic coding of London’s violent East End. Having broken the underworld’s sacred honour code, it is only his family’s gangland connections that save him. But in return for his life, he must deny that which he has ever known or ever will be and runs to Australia where he is forced to live an inconsequential life. But trouble never strays far from Tray McCarthy and eventually his past and present collide to put everyone he has ever loved in danger. He must now make a stand and fight against those that are set to destroy him and play their game according to his rules. Set against the subterfuge and violence of the international drugs trade, The King of Sunday Morning is the tale of what can go wrong when you make bad decisions. Tray McCarthy has made some of the worst. He must now save those he holds dear but in the process gets trapped deeper and deeper into a world where he doesn’t belong. “I want three pump-action shotguns, about twelve sticks of dynamite and a blowtorch” THIS BOOK CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE, FREQUENT DRUG USE AND SEX SCENES - NOT RECOMMENDED FOR PEOPLE UNDER 18 YEARS OF AGE

Buy on Amazon

Follow the author on FaceBook | Goodreads | Amazon | Twitter

Listen to him on the radio : I98FM Radio Interview | Bondi Radio Interview

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Egypt Rising Book Blast & Giveaway

Tour Schedule

Egypt Rising Some ancient secrets should remain buried. An American teenager in Cairo finds herself in the middle of the Egyptian revolution fleeing militant Islamic extremists. She leads her worst enemy and the boy she thinks about much too often on the adventure of a lifetime. When she discovers an ancient artifact that was buried for thousands of years, she learns that very powerful people will stop at nothing, including murder, to learn the secrets of a long-dead civilization.  

Amazon

Praise for Egypt Rising From the first page, and quite possibly the first sentence, I was hooked on this refreshingly different YA read that is suitable and enjoyable for all ages! ~Dii   Author Stan Schatt Stan Schatt has written thirty books on a wide variety of topics including a chapter book for children, a YA novel, biographies of Michael Connelly and Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., and books on technology and career changing. His love for teaching is reflected in outstanding teaching awards he received from the University of Southern California and DeVry Institute of Technology. Rather than having one career, Schatt has had several. He has worked as an autopsy assistant, an English professor, a software trainer, a law enforcement administrator, a market research executive, and a sales manager.

Website * Twitter * Goodreads

          BookBlast Giveaway $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 10/25/13   Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. a Rafflecopter giveaway