Darkening Dream Book Preview and Giveaway

I just wanted to share some news about a book that I'll be reviewing later this week. They are having a big book release celebration with a bunch of giveaways. Since my review won't be until this giveaway is over, I wanted to share it with you ahead of time.


A Vampire Novel with Actual Bite! As the modern world establishes itself and pushes the supernatural into the shadows, the supernatural fights back. The Darkening Dream is a chilling new dark fantasy novel by Andy Gavin, creator of Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter. The book has received rave reviews and is on sale for only 99 cents on Amazon Kindle from June 25th-29th! Download your copy here. In addition, Andy is doing a big giveaway, including a $100 gift certificate to Amazon, signed copies of his books, video games, posters, and more! The Darkening Dream Rafflecopter Giveaway Tweet, like, follow, share, blog and grab a copy of his book to enter.

Get your 99 cent copy of The Darkening Dream today on Amazon only.

Long-time readers of dark historical fantasy (Tim Powers, Guy Gavriel Kay, Katherine Kurtz) will appreciate the weaving together of mythology, occult, and religion, while younger readers and fans of HBO dramas (True Blood, Carnivàle) or urban fantasy (Laurell K. Hamilton, Kim Harrison, Jim Butcher) will be drawn to the twisted imagination, graphic action, and romantic tension.

About The Darkening Dream Even as the modern world pushes the supernatural aside in favor of science and steel, the old ways remain. God, demon, monster, and sorcerer alike plot to regain what was theirs. 1913, Salem, Massachusetts – Sarah Engelmann’s life is full of friends, books, and avoiding the pressure to choose a husband, until an ominous vision and the haunting call of an otherworldly trumpet shake her. When she stumbles across a gruesome corpse, she fears that her vision was more of a premonition. And when she sees the murdered boy moving through the crowd at an amusement park, Sarah is thrust into a dark battle she does not understand. With the help of Alex, an attractive Greek immigrant who knows a startling amount about the undead, Sarah sets out to uncover the truth. Their quest takes them to the factory mills of Salem, on a midnight boat ride to spy on an eerie coastal lair, and back, unexpectedly, to their own homes. What can Alex’s elderly, vampire-hunting grandfather and Sarah’s own rabbi father tell them? And what do Sarah’s continuing visions reveal? No less than Gabriel’s Trumpet, the tool that will announce the End of Days, is at stake, and the forces that have banded to recover it include a 900 year-old vampire, a trio of disgruntled Egyptian gods, and a demon-loving Puritan minister. At the center of this swirling cast is Sarah, who must fight a millennia-old battle against unspeakable forces, knowing the ultimate prize might be her very soul.

The Reviews Are In "A vampire novel with actual bite." ~The Kirkus Reviews "A gorgeously creepy, strangely humorous, and sincerely terrifying tale." ~Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) "Mr. Gavin has brought something refreshingly new to a genre now suffused with poorly-concealed bodice-rippers which have more in common with Fabio than Bram Stoker: depth. His big baddies are scary, not romantic interests, and the added religious lore is complex and engaging. Don't expect another Twilight -- the story can get downright creepy, so be prepared for a return to the old horror sensibilities of supernatural fiction." ~Amazon Review "With Mr. Gavin's video-game pedigree, I was expecting something aimed squarely at the 18-25 year old fanboy contingent; what I got in The Darkening Dream was something wholly unexpected: A period novel with a female protagonist, a crash-course on Judaism in the colonial years, and multi-layered series of plot arcs featuring a crazy cast of natural and supernatural characters populating turn of the century America." ~Amazon Review "…A perfect blend of mystery, magic and myth. A grown-up Grimm's fairy tale... emphasis on grim." ~Amazon Review

Read the first two sample chapters here.

Get your 99 cent copy of The Darkening Dream today on Amazon only.

About the Author

Andy Gavin is an unstoppable storyteller who studied for his Ph.D. at M.I.T. and founded video game developer Naughty Dog, Inc. at the age of fifteen, serving as co-president for two decades. There he created, produced, and directed over a dozen video games, including the award winning and best selling Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter franchises, selling over 40 million units worldwide. He sleeps little, reads novels and histories, watches media obsessively, travels, and of course, writes. Find out more here. Pin It

Day 11 – A book you hated

Day 11- A book You Hated

Well, I already wrote about my disdain for Wuthering Heights in another post. BTW WUTHERING ISN'T EVEN A WORD! Gah, I really do hate that book.

Another book I hate, is Waiting for Godot. I'm pretty sure I talked about that in the same post though.... But I'll talk about it again.

Here's the Goodreads' description: The story line revolves around two seemingly homeless men waiting for someone or something named Godot. Vladimir and Estragon wait near a tree on a barren stretch of road, inhabiting a drama spun from their own consciousness. The result is a comical wordplay of poetry, dreamscapes, and nonsense, which has been interpreted as a somber summation of mankind's inexhaustible search for meaning. Beckett's language pioneered an expressionistic minimalism that captured the existentialism of post-World War II Europe.


Here's what that description just told you: This book (play) is about nothing. NOTHING. Nothing happens, ever. It's supposed to be existential and deep and meaningful but it really isn't. It's a stupid book and I will never get the 20 minutes of my life back that I spent reading this drivel. I had to read it for some ridiculous English class in college and I hated every second of it. I told the professor that too but she wasn't happy about that. I also wrote my paper on how stupid it was and how wrong Beckett was. I got an A on that because my evidence was irrefutable. That's the key to college kids. You can say whatever you want, you just need to have the evidence to back it up.  Pin It

Day 10 - Favorite Classic Book

I'd almost forgotten about my 30 Day Book Challenge. Here is number 10 - Favorite Classic book

This is a toughie since classics are my favorite genre next to historical fiction. I already used Gone with the Wind and The Three Musketeers. So for this I'm going to go with Charles Dickens' Great Expectations. I've always felt like I could relate to Pip. He comes from nothing, has a rough childhood. No one really believes in him, so he has no choice but to believe in himself.

Miss Havisham is an awesome character. She is an old lady who was left at the altar by her fiance. She never changed out of her wedding dress or even took down the decorations. Her wedding cake is still sitting in the middle of the table she eats off of. I always get an awesome visual when I imagine her. She has an adopted daughter named Estella who Pip is madly in love with. Since she was raised by Miss Havisham, she has been taught not to love and to just use and abuse men. Pip knows this but can't resist her.

The book, like most of Dickens' works, has all manner of unsavory characters. There's an escaped convict that sets Pip's life on the path it eventually goes on. It's a really good book, and I highly recommend. Hence it being my favorite classic. Pin It

Review: Baby Shower Fun Book

My cousin Amanda, who is like a sister to me, is 20 weeks pregnant with her first baby. I couldn't be more excited. So when I saw that Baby Shower Fun Book by Darecki Daniels-Youman was a choice for a book to review, I definitely had to get it to see if it would work for her. I'm hosting her baby shower. This book is perfect. 

Each of the first 50 pages has questions on it for each guest to fill in. The guest makes their best guess on the baby's birthdate, height, weight, hair and eye color. They even guess how long the mom will be in labor! 

After that are the pages for the guests to fill in their motherly advice. Since my cousin has no clue when it comes to babies, this will be really helpful. I'm trying to come up with the perfect advice for her. Any ideas? 

Then finally there are pages to put pictures from the baby shower. Pictures of the mom-to-be, tables, groups, and the hostess. There's also blank pages for the shower invitation and registry cards. 

I only found a few negatives with this book. First, the book is huge in itself. Second, the pages to be filled in by the guest take up a whole page with really big font. It looks like the font size used with books for people who have a hard time reading. That's it though. Otherwise an awesome book.

This will be a great keepsake for my cousin and her baby. I highly recommend it. Go here to purchase this book from Dorrance Publishing.

 I received a complimentary copy of (Book Title) as a member of the    

    Dorrance Publishing Book Review Team.  Visit dorrancebookstore.com

    to learn how you can become a member of the Book Review Team.

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Top 100 YA List

My favorite genre of books is historical fiction, but I find myself going to the YA books a lot of the time too. I found this list of the top 100 YA books over at Hooked to Books. I'm going to strike through all the ones I've read.


1. Alex Finn – Beastly
2. Alice Sebold – The Lovely Bones
3. Ally Carter – Callagher Girls
4. Ally Condie – Matched
5. Alyson Noel – The Immortals
6. Anastasia Hopcus – Shadow Hills
7. Angie Sage – Septimus Heap
8. Ann Brashares – The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 
9. Anna Godbersen – Luxe (only the first, the rest are on my to-read list)
10. Anthony Horowitz – Alex Rider
11. Aprilynne Pike – Wings (1, 2, 3)
12. Becca Fitzpatrick – Hush, Hush (1, 2)
13. Brandon Mull – Fablehaven (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
14. Brian Selznick – The Invention of Hugo Cabret
15. Cassandra Clare – The Mortal Instruments (1, 2, 3, 4)
16. Carrie Jones – Need (1, 2, 3)
17. Carrie Ryan – The Forest of Hands and Teeth (1, 2, 3)
18. Christopher Paolini - Inheritance (1, 2, 3, 4)
19. Cinda Williams Chima – The Heir Chronicles (1, 2, 3)
20. Colleen Houck – Tigers Saga (1, 2)
21. Cornelia Funke – Inkheart (I just read the first and I didn't like it enough to want to continue with the series)
22. Ellen Hopkins – Impulse
23. Eoin Colfer – Artemis Fowl (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
24. Faraaz Kazi – Truly, Madly, Deeply
25. Frank Beddor – The Looking Glass Wars (1, 2, 3)
26. Gabrielle Zevin – Elsewhere
27. Gail Carson Levine – Fairest
28. Holly Black – Tithe (1, 2, 3)
29. J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
30. James Dashner – The Maze Runner (1, 2)
31. James Patterson – Maximum Ride (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
32. Jay Asher – Thirteen Reasons Why
33. Jeanne DuPrau – Books of Ember (1, 2, 3, 4)
34. Jeff Kinney – Diary of a Wimpy Kid (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
35. John Boyne – The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
36. John Green – An Abundance of Katherines
37. John Green – Looking for Alaska
38. John Green – Paper Towns
39. Jonathan Stroud – Bartimaeus (1, 2, 3, 4)
40. Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl – Caster Chronicles (1, 2)
41. Kelley Armstrong – Darkest Powers (1, 2, 3)
42. Kristin Cashore – The Seven Kingdoms (1, 2)
43. Lauren Kate – Fallen (1, 2, 3)
44. Lemony Snicket - Series of Unfortunate Events I've read two or three of them, and I'm collecting the set for CJ.
45. Libba Bray – Gemma Doyle (1, 2, 3)
46. Lisa McMann – Dream Catcher (1, 2, 3)
47. Louise Rennison – Confessions of Georgia Nicolson (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
48. M.T. Anderson – Feed
49. Maggie Stiefvater – The Wolves of Mercy Falls (1, 2, 3)
50. Margaret Peterson Haddix – Shadow Children (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
51. Maria V. Snyder – Study (1, 2, 3)
52. Markus Zusak - The Book Thief
53. Markus Zusak – I am the Messenger
54. Mark Haddon – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
55. Mary Ting – Crossroads
56. Maureen Johnson – Little Blue Envelope (1, 2)
57. Meg Cabot – All-American Girl (1, 2)
58. Meg Cabot – The Mediator (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
59. Meg Cabot – The Princess Diaries I read two of these and just didn't have time to continue the series.
60. Meg Rosoff – How I live now
61. Megan McCafferty – Jessica Darling (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
62. Megan Whalen Turner – The Queen’s Thief (1, 2, 3, 4)
63. Melina Marchetta – On the Jellicoe Road
64. Melissa de la Cruz – Blue Bloods (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
65. Melissa Marr – Wicked Lovely (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
66. Michael Grant – Gone (1, 2, 3, 4)
67. Nancy Farmer – The House of the Scorpion
68. Neal Shusterman – Unwind
69. Neil Gaiman – Coraline
70. Neil Gaiman – Stardust
71. Neil Gaiman – The Graveyard Book
72. P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast – House of Night I read the first on audibook and couldn't get into the second.
73. Philip Pullman – His Dark Materials (1, 2, 3)
74. Rachel Caine – The Morganville Vampires I read the first 2, I had no idea there were more...
75. Rachel Cohn & David Levithan – Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist
76. Richelle Mead – Vampire Academy (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
77. Rick Riordan – Percy Jackson and the Olympians I read the first one, again just too many books in the world to continue the series.
78. Rom LcO’Feer – Somewhere carnal over 40 winks
79. S.L. Naeole – Grace (1, 2, 3, 4)
80. Sabrina Bryan & Julia DeVillers – Princess of Gossip
81. Sarah Dessen – Along for the Ride
82. Sarah Dessen – Lock and Key
83. Sarah Dessen – The Truth about Forever
84. Sara Shepard – Pretty Little Liars (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
85. Scott Westerfeld - Leviathan (1, 2)
86. Scott Westerfeld - Uglies (1, 2, 3)
87. Shannon Hale – Books of a Thousand Days
88. Shannon Hale – Princess Academy
89. Shannon Hale – The Books of Bayern (1, 2, 3, 4)
90. Sherman Alexie & Ellen Forney – The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
91. Simone Elkeles – Perfect Chemistry (1, 2, 3)
92. Stephanie Meyer – The Host
93. Stephanie Meyer – Twilight Saga (1, 2, 3, 4)
94. Sue Monk Kidd – The Secret Life of Bees
95. Susan Beth Pfeffer – Last Survivors (1, 2, 3)
96. Suzanne Collins – Hunger Games (1, 2, 3)
97. Suzanne Collins – Underland Chronicles (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
98. Terry Pratchett – Tiffany Aching (1, 2, 3, 4)
99. Tonya Hurley – Ghost Girl (1, 2, 3)
100. Wendelin Van Draanen – Flipped


So I've read 24 (if I counted correctly). That's not too shabby. I guess if I'm going to teach English to 5th-12th graders, I better get with it and read some more. 


So which have you read? Which did you like? Which did you hate? Which do you recommend that I absolutely must read? Pin It

Weekly Reading Round-Up

So this week, the only thing I've read is Storm of Swords. I've actually managed to get quite a bit of reading done. Since the book is over 1000 pages though, it's only been the one book.

Out of the three Song of Fire and Ice books I've read so far, this one is my least favorite. I don't necessarily think it is the worst of the three, just so many bad things happen! Everyone I like is dead or missing and everyone I hate is alive and well. Save one nasty little business who finally gets what is coming for him.

I've promised the hubby that I'll stop reading the series after this one, just so it gives him time to catch up. He's only on book 1. We'll be reading together in bed and I'll be like "YES! He's dead!" and my hubby says "DON'T TELL ME!!" So it'll be much easier if we are reading it at the same time. No more accidental spoilers.

Speaking of "Spoilers". How about last week's Doctor Who huh? I freaking love Melody Pond. LOVE! And Rory, I could just carry Rory around in my pocket all day and be happy. Pin It

Back to Books Giveaway Hop!!

I'm super excited to participate in the Back to Books Giveaway Hop!

Over 300 blogs are participating, so there are many chances to win tons of great books. If you find a blog you love, don't forget to follow it. It makes us bloggers feel like people are actually listening!


So what am I giving away? Why, a Barefoot Book of course! You can choose from any of the wonderful books over at Barefoot Books valued at $19.99 and under. If you have a particular child in mind, I can even help you pick out the best book for them. Open to residents of the US and UK.

If for some reason, you would rather not have a book from Barefoot Books, I will send you a book from my home. My hubby will be very happy to see at least one of my books leaving the premises. I have over 500 books, both fiction and non-fiction. I'm going to make a list on goodreads and post it here. This will be for residents of the US only.

In order to win, simply leave a comment below with your e-mail address! That's it. Pretty simple huh? The winner will be announced on September 8th! Extra entry if you are a follower (just let me know in the comment).

Here's a list of the other blogs participating. It's a long one!
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What I'm Reading...

I'm about halfway through A Storm of Swords, which is the fourth book in the Song of Fire and Ice (aka Game of Thrones) series. I like it, although not as much as the first two. There's so many characters to keep track of that I find myself having to google character's names to make sure I'm remembering their storyline correctly. I also feel like George is trying to make me dislike one of my favorite characters, and I refuse. I've been realizing it is more and more treacherous to become attached to a character. He will kill any of them. Hopefully I'll like the last half a bit more than the first.

I just finished reading The Luxe by Anna Godbersen. It is set in 1890's NYC when the elite were still written up in the gossip columns of legitimate newspapers. It stars the Holland sisters, the elder Elizabeth who is prim, proper and perfect and the younger Diana who is rambunctious, troublemaking, and feisty. The story begins with Elizabeth's funeral, then back to when she was alive, all the way to her death. The book portrays the disparages between the elite and the lower classes. You can see how at that time, the differences began to dissolve. I did enjoy this book but I thought it could have been much better written. There are three more books in the series. I'll probably read them eventually but they aren't at the top of my to-read list.

I'm not going to lie, I read this book based on the cover. I am totally guilty of judging books by their cover. It usually works out in my favor. But seriously, take a look at that dress. Gorgeous. Pin It

Favorite book of your favorite series - Seduction of the Crimson Rose

Day 04 - Favorite book of your favorite series...

I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to give you my favorite book from the series I mentioned in day three (the Gemma Doyle trilogy), but since this is my blog and I can write what I want, I'm not going to. I'm going to give you my favorite book from the Pink Carnation series by Lauren Willig.

There are currently nine books in the series (one is yet to be published). The books concern spies during the Napoleonic wars a la The Scarlet Pimpernel. They go back and forth between present day with Eloise Kelly to the past. Eloise is a Harvard grad student determined to write her final thesis on a series of spies related to the Selwick family. She gets access to their secret archives and meets a mysterious heir to the Selwick family, Colin (yum!). At the archives, she settles in to read a little bit from letters and miscellany, and all of a sudden.... we are in London 1803.

In London, we follow the exploits of the mysterious Pink Carnation, Scarlet Pimpernel and Purple Gentian. The stories manage to combine history with mystery and romance. They are all really good.

My favorite however, is The Seduction of the Crimson Rose. This is the fourth book in the series. I think perhaps this is my favorite because who doesn't love a rake? I mean really. The rake in this book is the devilish spy Lord Vaughn (again, yum!) and Mary Alsworthy, whose sister just accidentally stole her suitor. (In her sister's defense, it was an accident AND Mary deserved it.) Lord Vaughn uses Mary to trick the mysterious Black Tulip, who prefers raven-haired petals to his tulip. Another reason I liked this one the most is that Mary has a lot of spunk for a girl in Victorian times. I definitely recommend this series. I'd start with the first one, but I think they could be read out of order if you are so inclined. Pin It