I got the idea and the motivation to start doing Tackling The TBR from All The Book Blog Names Are Taken.
It has helped me to keep track of my reading shelf as far as current
events and I also started doing a post for Books From The Backlog,
from Carole’s Random Life in Books,
to tidy up my shelves. I feel better about my out of control TBR and
have even knocked off a couple of those old ones that had been
hanging around for years.
COME ON….JOIN IN.
Previous Total: 2216
Currently Reading
Books Read
Books Added
The following two books by A B Whelan and Toni Anderson were added to my shelf this week because I entered their Goodreads Giveaway. Check them out on Goodreads by clicking the cover.
Join Us for This Tour from September 27 to October 15!
Book Details:
Book Title: Grace Under Siege: Not a Love Story by René Voland Category: Adult Fiction 18+, 286 pages Genre: Psychological Fiction, Psychological Thriller Publisher: Solomon’ s Books Press Release date: April 2021 Content Rating: Rated G. It has no explicit sex scenes, religious expletives or bad language
Book Description:
Grace, a newlywed in her 30’s, discovers that her new life isn’t exactly what she expected. Her husband Narcissus is a handsome, former special agent
whose puzzling behavior follows a mysterious pattern. Despite Grace’s best efforts, she finds it incredibly difficult to build a happy life with him. The ultimate revelation leads to a showdown with Narcissus. Grace believes the well-being of others depend on what she must reveal.
René is an author, playwright, poet and publisher/editor. She is a seasoned business owner, private coach and ministerial leader. Grace Under Siege is her debut novel. She and her spouse live in Georgia. She is a graduate of Georgia State University.
Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those
neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread. If you are anything
like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in
your stacks.
Orphan Jack Templar has no memory of his parents and only the smallest details from his Aunt Sophie about how they died. The day before Jack’s fourteenth birthday, things start to change for him. At first it’s great: A sudden new strength helps him defend his nose-picking friend “T-Rex” from the school bully, and even his crush, Cindy Adams, takes notice. But then a mysterious girl named Eva arrives and tells him two facts that will change his life forever. First, that he’s the descendent of a long line of monster hunters and he’s destined to be in the family business. Second, that there’s a truce between man and monster that children are off-limits…until their fourteenth birthday! Jack has only one day before hundreds of monsters will descend on his little town of Sunnyvale and try to kill him.
As if that weren’t enough, things get even more complicated when Jack discovers that the Lord of the Creach (as the monsters are collectively known) holds a personal grudge against him and will do anything to see that Jack has a slow and painful death. To stay alive and save his friends, Jack will have to battle werewolves, vampires, harpies, trolls, zombies and more. But perhaps the most dangerous thing he must face is the truth about his past. Why do the other hunters call him the last Templar? Why do they whisper that he may be the “One?” Why do the monsters want him dead so badly? Even as these questions plague him, he quickly discovers survival is his new full-time job and that in the world of monster hunters, nothing is really what it seems.
I added Jack Templar Monster Hunter, Book One, by Jeff Gunhus to my TBR on 1.29.13. I have read some of his work and enjoyed it, so why not? I’m sure I got it free, probably during a tour as he was promoting future books in the series and offered this one for free. I do love reading about monsters of all kinds. How about you? Do you have a favorite monster?
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will award a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter at the end of the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
What is Vella? A Rundown of the New Platform for Readers
What is Vella? It’s a new reading platform by Amazon available through their website or the Kindle iOS app. It works very similar to other online serial platforms like Wattpad and Radish, with a coin or token pay system to unlock episodes. Each story has 3 FREE episodes to get the flavor of the story, and then can be unlocked further after purchasing tokens. The tokens can be purchased in different packages, with more given for the more expensive bundles.
Paid episodes are priced by word count. For example, 3500 words in an episode would be 35 tokens. The word limit on Vella per episode is 600 to 5,000 words. So, no episode can be more than 50 tokens or at the very least, 6 tokens. When logging into Amazon’s website or through the iOS app, you can get 200 free tokens to start reading. You can follow stories and like individual episodes. After purchasing your first bundle of tokens, you are awarded a weekly “Fav” which you can bestow on your favorite story you’ve read that week. The likes, favs and follows all help stories become more visible in the system like many other platforms.
The fastest and easiest way to find stories are to follow direct links to them. Each story is assigned an ASIN, but I have found that search abilities on Vella can be hard to isolate. The easiest way to find Vella stories by your favorite author is by doing a search with their author name, a combination of their story title and their author name, or just the story name. Seaching for just Vella doesn’t seem to bring up much yet. But the system is still new, and things are being sorted out daily as the platform gets more use.
To find “Love Over Kpop” by Marilyn Vix:
• Search for Marilyn Vix, Love Over Kpop Marilyn Vix, or Love Over Kpop
• Use the direct story link https://www.amazon.com/Love-Over-Kpop/dp/B0945ZBBSH
• Pick up your 200 FREE TOKENS!
• READ THE FIRST 3 EPISODES FOR FREE!
• Follow and “Fav” to stay on top of new episodes posted weekly.
-Marilyn Vix
Trish Russo has just started a job at an agency in LA that is paired with a Korean agency to help with managing the band, Friends5, in the States. But the finicky Woo In-ho won’t come out of his trailer to film the current music video. Trish is asked, as the new assistant, to talk to him. She tries to talk to him like a regular person. He responds to the normal treatment, but on one condition. She needs to help out and be in the video. What is a girl to do when a gorgeous K-pop Idol asks you to be in his video? Then, she reads the scene she is to appear in. There’s a scripted kiss. Will it all just be acting? Or will she let her feelings get entangled with In-ho threatening her new career?
About the Author:
Marilyn is a paranormal romance novelist. She enjoys the characters that just don’t fit in. From witches to time traveling researchers, she is letting her imagination soar to explore new worlds and write all the details down. Marilyn has traveled to Paris, London, Sydney, and Munich. She loves to include these in her settings as much as can allow. Best of all is letting her reader enjoy them through the perspective of a character. Here love for K-pop has produced her current rock star/K-pop romance project, Love Over Kpop, available on Kindle Vella. She currently lives in Northern California with her husband and cat. The cat, of course, is the center of attention.
Happy Monday everyone and welcome back to Music Monday! Let’s share some songs we’ve been enjoying lately! If you would like to play, and I really hope you do, please see the rules and link up below HERE
Every time I hear this, I want to get up and do the dance. Still hear it at the sports stadium all the time.
**images are linked to Amazon (I am an affiliate)**
Hi Everyone. I have been a bit out of it the past week, some kind of stomach bug, but on the mend and feeling fine. Been raining quite a bit, so I have been hanging inside, missing the pool. I know the days are numbered before it gets cold enough that I don’t want to get in. It’s been very good, easy exercise as I try to get back into the swing of things. I want to be ready for when Covid does come under control and I feel good about traveling.
How about you? Read any good books? Been anywhere? Done any home projects? Or if you just want to share something, feel free. I’m listening.
I got the idea and the motivation to start doing Tackling The TBR from All The Book Blog Names Are Taken.
It has helped me to keep track of my reading shelf as far as current
events and I also started doing a post for Books From The Backlog,
from Carole’s Random Life in Books,
to tidy up my shelves. I feel better about my out of control TBR and
have even knocked off a couple of those old ones that had been
hanging around for years.
COME ON….JOIN IN.
This is two weeks worth of updates. I was a bit under the weather (no big thing) and missed a post and messed up a couple of posts. Back to normal and almost caught up.
Michaelbrent Collings writes some amazing novels and I never hesitate to say YES when I see a new one to read. Gimme Gimme.
…for this lesson he would be called teacher…death, destruction, instruction.
Already I have chills running up and down my spine at 4%, because from past experience with Michaelbrent Collings writing, his villains are at the top of my worst ever list. I am shoring myself up for the Teacher’s visit…I know it won’t be a pleasant one.
I began my journey into blackness thinking this is like a Criminal Minds episode and Michaelbrent Collings can take me to a place I have never been before, so dark and disturbing that sometimes I have to wonder what my fascination is with such criminals, psychopaths and sociopaths. They fascinate me.
“Is it just me or did he actually act like a human?” “He did….
But, the human monster can be the worst monster of all, the one you may not see coming. For me, I like reading about monsters and I like my stories dark and disturbing, hitting on humanities best and worst traits, making me uncomfortable and questioning…why…what is my fascination with the human mind, a human’s ability to inflict so much damage to another human being baffles and intrigues me.
I want to warn you…read the Prologue. Check out some reviews. This may not be a book for you…graphic brutality and triggers.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Malignant by Michaelbrent Collings.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Global bestseller and multiple Bram Stoker Award and Dragon Award Finalist Michaelbrent Collings brings you his most thrilling tale yet!
***
When armed commandos storm an elite boarding school, the police think it’s a plot for ransom, or an attempt to extort favors from the teens’ powerful parents.
But the men, led by a killer who calls himself ‘‘Teacher,” have much darker plans in mind.
Teacher intends to give a lesson unlike any taught before. Written on flesh, inked in blood.
A lesson about monsters.
The bell has been rung, the lesson begun. And the lesson is this:
The monsters are real, and to them… you are just a plaything.
ABOUT MICHAELBRENT COLLINGS
Michaelbrent Collings is an internationally-bestselling novelist,
multiple Bram Stoker Award nominee, produced screenwriter, and one of
the top indie horror writers in the United States.
He hopes someday to develop superpowers, or, if that is out of the question, then at least to get a cool robot arm.
Michaelbrent
has a wife and several kids, all of whom are much better looking than
he is (though he admits that’s a low bar to set), and also cooler than
he is.
Michaelbrent also has a Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/MichaelbrentC…
and can be followed on Twitter through his username @mbcollings.
Follow him for cool news, updates, and advance notice of sales. You
will also be kept safe when the Glorious Revolution begins!
Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those
neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread. If you are anything
like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in
your stacks.
Seems like Leo Scott has it all: looks, brains, and athletic talent. He’s captain of his high school swim team with a bright future in college and beyond. But Leo has secrets. His mother’s crippling car accident has devastated his family and left Leo to deal with his father’s abuse, battered and alone.
Leo’s girlfriend Audrey Rose is poised for her own share of success. As one of Florida’s top high school swimmers, Audrey dreams of college swimming stardom. But there’s an obstacle to her glorious rise to the top. Her number-one supporter — her father — is in prison for murder.
Part murder mystery, part tale of young love in a military family, this gripping story takes readers on a journey from Pensacola to Annapolis. Leo and Audrey must band together to rise above the adversity they encounter and find their true selves in the process. When everything’s on the line… streamline.
I added Streamline by Jennifer Lane to my TBR on 1.28.13. I won the book. I like the pretty cover and I do love mystery, so this seemed like a good fit. AND, we are traveling from Pensacola to Annapolis, and that hits very close to home. I have read one of her books, On Best Behavior and enjoyed it, so I feel like I will enjoy this one too.
Join Us for This Tour from September 27 to October 15
Book Details:
Book Title: ZITHER! by Jeffrey Hanlon Category: Adult Fiction 18+, 350 pages Genre: Mystery, Humor Publisher: Zither Studios Release Date: April 20, 2021 Content Rating: G.
“A zany rollicking mystery adventure as compelling as it is hilarious.” ~ Independent Book Review
“Hanlon’s humor shines bright and will leave fans of such madness wanting more.” ~ Publisher’s Weekly
Nominated for the prestigious Audie Award, Best Fiction 2021
Book Description:
A nutty religious cult rustles a herd of prime gazebos (huh??) and it’s up to bumbling P.I. Mars Candiotti to rescue them. Wannabe author Mars chronicles his quest in Jeffrey Hanlon’s rom-com mystery Zither.
Guided by his magically prescient IHOP waitress, Mars strives to mitigate the shocking global consequences of the gazebo heist, even though he has no idea what the word mitigate means.
As Zither swallows its own tale, Mars finds it increasingly tricky to distinguish between real people and his rambunctious fictional characters. Zither becomes the romper room where his reality meets fantasy – and get frisky with each other.
Mars’ international odyssey leads to an explosive conclusion in Panama. Teevees around the world tune in to watch live coverage of “Carnage in the Canal”.
And amid the lunatic havoc that is Zither there is (of course!) an epic love story as Mars meets Marian, the brainy librarian he had dreamt of. Marian says his books are “slapstick existentialism with subjective reality couched in parable”. (This is news to Mars). But is Marian real, or just another illusion in Zither World?
And in Mars’ klutzy (yet endearing) courtship of the enchanting Marian will he ever muster the nerve to ask her for a date???
My family moved to Northwest Oregon when I was 7. Or maybe when I was 8.
Had we stayed in the Beach Boys town, and knowing myself as I do now, I suspect I would have grown long hair, started a rock band, and been heavily into drugs. The rock band would probably have been pretty good. The rest of it, not so much. I’d likely have joined the ranks of those like Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin.
We moved to a mountaintop. The last five miles to get there were gravel. The final two miles were steep and to the end of the road.
That’s where we lived: the end of the road, 22 miles to the nearest town.
Our closest neighbor, about a mile down the road, was a hermit who lived in a shack. He had a goat. About once a month the goat would visit us. Then the hermit would show up to retrieve his goat. I think the goat liked us better than the hermit, which is why the goat kept showing up.
Goats are funny animals. I think they aspire to be house pets.
And speaking of animals, we had cats. Lots and lots of cats. Because we were remote and at the end of the road, unkind people – and ‘unkind’ is the kindest description I can use here – would dump their unwanted cats on or near our property. The cats would find our house. We gave them Fancy Feast and our love, and in turn they loved us.
My childhood friends didn’t visit too often. That was at least partly because when they did show up my father would say something like this: “Great! We have a job that could use an extra hand. Won’t take more than five minutes.” Well, that five minutes usually turned into an hour or two – volunteer labor! – and that friend would seldom visit again.
So my favorite childhood playmate was a 2000 pound Hereford bull, a big boy with horns spanning three feet. I’d go out in the pasture and the bull would strike a pose not unlike what you’ve seen in the movies where the bull was ready to charge, head down, eyeing me. But he wasn’t going to charge me. He just wanted his forehead scratched. And so I would scratch his forehead. He liked that, shaking his head every so often to show his approval. Then we’d elevate to a game that the bull might have called ‘Let’s see how far we can toss this little kid!’ and I’d place my
right hip against his massive head and he’d toss me into the air like a sack of flour. Over and over, farther and farther, higher and higher. I could have done that for hours – I can fly! – but after a few tosses the bull would grow bored with the game and wander off. Probably to chase some cute heifers.
The
nearest library was 30 miles away, and we ventured there often. It was a majestic old building, and the Grand Room had books on all four walls with reading chairs in the center. But that was not where I wanted to be. I figured all those books were popular books or books I was supposed to read. I wanted something different, so I would enter the room with a
small sign that said ‘Stacks’. It was row after narrow row after row of books, floor to ceiling, dimly lit, dusty. It was like entering a cave. Filled with treasures! It was in those Stacks that I discovered the likes of Kerouac and Heller and Huxley and Fowles and Steinbeck and Ellison and Bradbury and Hemingway
and many many others.
As Stephen King said, “Books are a uniquely portable magic.”
And those, each in their own way, was the inspiration for the first book I wrote at the age of eight or nine: ‘Pond Scum’.
It was illustrated. Jeffrey currently lives at an undisclosed location on the shores of the Caribbean where he spends his days is shorts and sandals making up stories.
