The Indie New Release Linky (June 2012)

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I've decided to try out something new. I've noticed that there are a lot of groups and websites devoted to indie authors and their books. At the same time I haven't been able to find a place where everyone is welcome to share a simple link to their book's page in an easy to navigate list format.

Since I am still receiving a lot of review requests and am still unable to accept, I thought I'd give yet another way for authors to share their book on my blog. I've decided to start fresh and make a linky for indie new releases. There will be one post each month so please remember to come back and add your link once your book is released.

This page is devoted to June New Releases

Rules of the linky:
1. Your book must be released this month
2. You must be an indie author (self-published, small press, or imprint)
3. Your book must be family friendly (no erotica or bloody/gruesome covers)
4. Books in any genre or age group are welcome

Please format your link in the following manner:
Title by Author (Age group; Release date)

Any book added to the linky which does not follow the rules above will be deleted.



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TBR PILE Reading Challenge: May Wrap-up

Today I am sharing with you my progress for the TBR PILE Reading Challenge.

2012 goal: 20-30 books read from my "shelves", aquired in 2011 or earlier (new additions to the shelves do not count for this challenge).

Here are the books I read from January to April:

1.  Takeover (Day of Sacrifice #4) by S.W. Benefiel
2.  The Snow Owl (Short Story) by Jon Hartling
3. Audition by Stasia Ward Kehoe (One A Day Y.A. review)
4. Beyond the Stars: Kataria by Kelly Beltz
5. Beyond the Stars: Ineo by Kelly Beltz (I also interviewed Kelly here)
6. Every Last Kiss by Courtney Cole (One A Day Y.A. review)
7. The Desperate Dad's Guide to Getting Some by Jackie Papandrew
8. Quiet As They Come by Angie Chau (Short Story)
9. The Jinx by D.F. Lamont
10. Delirium by Lauren Oliver (One A Day Y.A. review)
11. When God Was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman
12. Shades of Love by Sunny Lockwood (Short Story Collection)
13. Evolvement by Isaac Sweeny (Short Story Collection)
14. The Secret Circle (Part I) by L.J. Smith (One A Day Y.A. review)
15. Hunted by Cheryl Rainfield (One A Day Y.A. review)
16. The Weight of the Sky by Lisa Ann Sandell (One A Day Y.A. review)

In May, I reviewed from previous months' reading:

Beyond the Stars: Ineo by Kelly Beltz 
Quiet As They Come by Angie Chau (Short Story)
Shades of Love by Sunny Lockwood (Short Story Collection)
Evolvement by Isaac Sweeny (Short Story Collection)
Audition by Stasia Ward Kehoe (One A Day Y.A. review)
The Desperate Dad's Guide to Getting Some by Jackie Papandrew

For May, I planned to read:

Give Me - a tale of wyrd and fae by L.K. Rigel (started and 1/3 through)
and up to three more books

And I actually read:

17. Most Likely by Craig Hansen
18. Give Me - a tale of wyrd and fae by L.K. Rigel

In June, I plan to read:

Murder by Another Name by Jo Stone
Winnemucca by Laura A. H. Elliott

Book Review: The Desperate Dad's Guide to Getting Some by Jackie Papandrew

Publishing Info:

Title - The Desperate Dad's Guide to Getting Some

Author - Jackie Papandrew

Publisher - Jackie Papandrew

Date Published -  2011

# of pages - 98

Summary:

If you’re a woman who understands that choreplay is most definitely foreplay, that hiding the remote control is a valid strategy for getting the Honey Do List done, and that while there’s no such thing as “woman’s work,” there are jobs only a man should have to do, then this book is for you. And if you’re a man who still hasn’t quite gotten the choreplay message, who thinks you have to be teeming with testosterone to use the grill and who truly believes men and women should share equal time and space in the bathroom, then, oh boy, is this book for you! Award-winning writer Jackie Papandrew takes us on a hilarious tour of her marriage, covering everything from bikinis to Kim Kardashian’s backside to stolen girly soap, and finally, to two match-making pigs. The Desperate Dad’s Guide to Getting Some is a riotous romp that even at its naughtiest is only rated PG. You’ll probably laugh off a certain posterior part of your body reading it!

Thoughts:

This is quite possibly the funniest book I've read all year. I laughed constantly and had such a fun time reading all about the mis-adventures in Jackie's marriage. The book is actually quite "clean". The title is a bit misleading because it's not about that at all. It's really a book about the funny things that can happen throughout a marriage.



The thing about marriage is we can choose to take everything serious or we can choose to look at some things from the perspective that what has happened really was amusing in it's own way. Jackie is an extremely funny writer and although it could have come off as male bashing - as most essays are from her own perspective - they really didn't. They were lighthearted and quite entertaining.

My favourite story has to be the story about the soap. Thinking she'd get some special 'girly' soap for herself, Jackie had used and wrapped it up again to make sure it stayed nice. She was appalled to find her husband had rummaged through her drawer and used it the next day. She was so angry because she bought it special just for herself, and all her husband says is that it made his butt real soft! See, to me that shows both how ridiculous it is that women even get special things just for themselves like that, thinking that men wouldn't like them or even consider using them, and it was hilarious just for how her husband reacted to her comments when she was angry about it.


There really is not much else to say except that it was a very funny book. If you are in any sort of relationship at all you would probably enjoy this. I really did enjoy it and hope the author chooses to write more like it in the future.

Disclaimer: I received a free e-copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

You can buy  The Desperate Dad's Guide to Getting Some in Kindle and paperback formats from Amazon. 

You can check out more reviews or add it to your Goodreads list.

Book Review: Give Me by L.K. Rigel

Publishing Info:

Title - Give Me: A Tale of Wyrd and Fae (Tethers #1)
Author - L.K. Rigel
Publisher - Sanguibahd Press

Date Published -  2011

# of pages -214

Summary:

Lilith Evergreen has always lived in the California desert, but when she receives an antique ring as a gift, she dreams of a magnificent tree at cliff's edge, a castle by the sea, and a mysterious woman who bids Lilith to come to Dumnos, a land of mist and rain.

Cade Bausiney is the future Earl of Dumnos, but at present he just wants to bolster the local economy with a scheme to increase tourism. When Cade and Lilith meet, they're overwhelmed with longing for each other - but their desire might be magically induced.

Long ago a witch's spell ended in disaster that left two souls to haunt Dumnos to this day. Lilith and Cade must find a way to make things right - or be forever possessed by the spirits who've waited a millennium to consummate their love.

Thoughts:

I wasn't sure what to expect when picking up Give Me by L.K. Rigel. Sure, I've read every single one of L.K. Rigel's books so far, but this seemed like it would be very different from her Apocalypto series. Looking back now I'm not so sure why I thought those things. It makes perfect sense in the world of L.K. Rigel to create a world of wyrd and fae!


I liked what was presented here. Through a series of events that leads the main character, Lilith, to go on vacation to little known Dumnos she is swept up in a story of fae and wyrd and their influence over the town's history. The story switches back and forth between pivotal characters and we learn about Elyse and Lourdes, two wyrding sisters who are caught up in a disagreement over Lourdes infatuation with the nobleman about to be married.

When this story first starts I really didn't have any idea how it was going to relate back to Lilith's story. It seemed for the longest time that I was reading two completely different stories. And then we are introduced to Cade, the male protaganist in Lilith's story and also the man she is slowly falling in love with, despite her claim that she's "taking a break" from men. All these characters were fascinating. My only problem was I think I had trouble really getting into the story because I kept forgetting who all the other characters were in their perspectives. This made the story confusing for me at times.

The thing I liked the most about Give Me was the story between the wyrd and the fae, how the fae kept trying to steal away the women and the stories the wyrd told about their own experiences with them. I also enjoyed the story behind Glimmer Cottage and Dumnos, how the cottage was invisible to humans and how technology wouldn't work in the town. It gave it an otherworldly feeling yet being set in the modern day made it more accessible for me.

This is the first book in the Tethers series by L.K. Rigel. There seemed to be a definite end to the story so I'm curious how the author will choose to continue to the series. I'm also curious about what else the wyrd and fae could be up to.

Disclaimer: I received a free e-copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

You can buy Give Me in Kindle and paperback formats from Amazon. 

You can check out more reviews or add it to your Goodreads list.

Highlights from Waterloo Region: Archive

Highlights from Waterloo Region was created when I went looking for a list of books written by members of my own community - and found none. I asked my local public librarians and my answer was, they couldn't find one either. These books and authors were scattered across the internet and as far as we could tell no one had made a list to bring them all together. This inspired me to create my own list in the hopes that others would find it useful as well.

This feature includes books that were written by or set in the Waterloo Region of Ontario, Canada. This includes, but is not limited to:

* Cambridge
* Kitchener
* Waterloo
* St. Jacobs

You can find local books listed below by age:

Children (picture book):

BOOMer Rules by Frank Glew
Butterfly Wishes by Frank Glew
Christmas Mouse, The by Erick Traplin
Eggbert's Dragon Dream by Frank Glew
Feed the Good Wolf by Frank Glew
Going on a Lion Hunt by Jan G. Hansen
I Need a Hug by Frank Glew
Little Ladybug Earn's Her Spots by Frank Glew
Maybe Even Pigs by Judy Woodhouse
No More Empty Smiles by Jan G. Hansen
Samuel's Most Important Message by Frank Glew
Something Alive! by Judy Woodhouse
Something is Missing by Judy Woodhouse
That Chickadee Feeling by Frank Glew
When I Grow Up I Want to Be Just Like My Dog by Frank Glew
Woosh! There Goes My Heart by Frank Glew

Children (chapter book):

Children (nonfiction):

Invisible Worlds: Earth's Secrets by James Bow (Gr 4+)
Sing, Sing by Erick Traplin (book/cd sing-a-long kit)

Young Adult (fiction):

Jewels of Sophia Tate, The by Doris Etienne
Monad 12.21.12 by T. Anderson
Plain Kate by Erin Bow
Unwritten Books, The (Series) by James Bow

Young Adult (nonfiction):

Adult (fiction):

Aaron by Yves Theriault (translated by W. Donald Wilson and Paul G. Socken)
Eavy by Laura Scoggins
M.O.E. by Linda Blum
Vision, The by Linda Blum
Watermelon Soup by Annie Jacobsen, Jane Finlay-Young, and Di Brandt

Adult (nonfiction):

Cocktail Party Economics by Eveline Adomat and Richard Maranta
Tricksters & Trancers by Mathias Guenther

Resource Books:


Extras: You can find local events, author interviews, excerpts, and more below:

Awards: Plain Kate by Erin Bow
Bloggers of WR: Sarah from Workaday Reads
Events: Nov 2011-March 2012
Interview and Excerpt with Doris Etienne, author of The Jewels of Sophia Tate
Interview with Eveline Adomait, co-author of Cocktail Party Economics
Word on the Street (Kitchener): 2011
Writer-in-Residence: Kenneth Oppel on the research behind Half Brother

Tips for people looking for local authors:

* Our local news program often features interviews as well as cooking segments with our local authors

Highlights from Waterloo Region: Starting Over

I feel as though I need a new start with this feature. I started out excited about the prospect of featuring local authors and then tried to include an excerpt or interview with every entry. That was impossible as authors didn't email me back or were too busy to participate. I became discouraged and then didn't know what to do. It became an abandoned feature and that was never my intention.

So this is what I plan to do. I am starting over. I will feature spotlights - book covers and information - for the books I find that belong to local authors or which take place in Waterloo Region. As a bonus, I will feature the authors and excerpts when they are available. I am making a new archive and as you can see this pretty header came with my new blog design which I had installed last fall.

Short Story Review: Say Not What If by Andrew Friedman

Publishing Info:

Title - Say Not What If

Author - Andrew Friedman

Publisher - CreateSpace

Date Published -  2011

# of pages - 51

Summary:

Say Not What If” is about a man on death row, and has as its theme the concept that time is our most valuable commodity. As someone once said, “waste anything but time, because we really are promised no tomorrows.” This theme is explored through the life of a man who sacrifices his marriage and everything else for his career. He realizes much too late the terrible consequences of this decision, and then desperately tries to regain those lost years by making a much worse choice. The resolution of this latter choice involves an additional examination of the concepts of accountability and responsibility, redemption, and the morality of the death penalty.

Thoughts:

A short story in verse, Say Not What If was crafted in an extremely compelling and insightful voice. Following a man who is misleadinly told by "the keepers" that in order to get back his life he must take the life of another - and they want a child. Unfortunately he is caught after doing so and goes to jail where he awaits death row.


The whole story of this man reads like a train wreck that you just have to stop and see what happened and how big of a disaster it really is. The story moved quickly but at the same time a lot happened. The book explores many issues like death row, family, lost time, and regret, without losing it's edge. The most compelling scene in my eyes was when the judge must decide if the death penalty is an ethical choice. There are debates from both sides and both are considered fairly. It was dramatic and very well written.


I enjoyed this book immensely. It has been a while since I have read it and I still get excited every time I see it on my shelves. I hope to find someone to pass it on to or re-read it many times later on. My only complaint was that fifty pages of rhyming lines became too tiresome for me although I was amazed at Mr. Friedman's skill in that regard. I wished I could have slowed down and enjoyed it more but the story was a page-turner and I didn't want to stop.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

You can buy  Say Not What If in Kindle and paperback formats from Amazon. 

 

You can check out more reviews or add it to your Goodreads list.