Cover Reveal: The Undead Road by David Powers King & Zombify Me! Contest

Have you ever wanted to be a zombie? Well here's your chance.

To celebrate the cover reveal of his upcoming book, My Zombie Summer: Part One: The Undead Road (which looks absolutely fantastic, FYI), David Powers King is offering up a once-in-a-lifetime-chance to fulfill those flesh-eating dreams go down in history as a zombie for all the world to see in the pages of his next novel, My Zombie Summer: Part Two.

 

Title: The Undead Road: My Zombie Summer: Part 1

Publisher: CreateSpace / Dashboard Books

Ebook Release: January 1st, 2016

Paperback: January 26th, 2016

Cover by Steven Novak

Nothing brings the family together like a zombie apocalypse …

Fifteen-year-old Jeremy Barnes would rather watch a zombie movie than shoot a real one, but he has no choice if his family wants to survive the end of the world. Their plan? Drive across the infected United States to a cabin in the Colorado Rockies without a scratch, but their trip takes a complicated detour in the middle of Nebraska when they find Kaylynn, a girl who can handle a baseball bat better than Jeremy can hold a .45 Berretta. And when they stumble into a sanctuary, Jeremy soon learns that Kaylynn is stronger than she looks—a deadly secret lies inside her.

After the radio picks up a distress call from Kansas City about a possible cure, Jeremy’s parents go with a team to investigate. They never return. The only way to find their parents is for Jeremy and his sister Jewel to rely on a dangerous girl who might just turn on them at any moment.

A while ago, David invited the blogosphere to let him turn one unfortunate lucky contestant into a zombie for The Undead Road. The winner was Ilima Todd, who is now the awesome author of Remake. The next installment of My Zombie Summer is underway, and David wants to do this contest again. Want to be in a zombie book? Not only is this your chance, but it is your choice!

Between now and next Wednesday, send an email to dpowersking [at] gmail [dot] com, with the subject line: Zombify Me! Contest. In your email, David wants you to tell him three things:

1: The name you will be identified as (example: your first name).
2: A description of yourself—the more detailed you are, the better.
3: How would you like the survivors to put you out of your misery?

Four casualties contestants will be chosen on Wednesday, November 25th. The most inventive or interesting entry will be zombified! The other three who are unlucky fortunate enough to survive will be given special honors. Winners will be announced on December 2nd on David’s blog.

Prizes? The winner will be zombified in the pages of My Zombie Summer: Part Two, receive a signed proof of the novel (when it’s ready), and a $20 Barnes and Noble gift card. The runner ups will receive a free ebook of The Undead Road for their Kindle (other platforms TBA).

Thank you for participating, and good luck!

About the Author:

David Powers King was born in beautiful downtown Burbank, California where his love for film inspired him to be a writer. He is the co-author of the YA fantasy novel WOVEN, published by Scholastic. An avid fan of science fiction and fantasy, David also has a soft spot for zombies and the paranormal. He currently lives deep in the mountain West with his wife and three children.

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DAYBREAK by Cheree Alsop Promo & Giveaway + NaNo Update

For me, NaNoWriMo is in full swing. I'll get to an update in a minute but first I've promised to help Cheree Alsop promote her brand new sci-fi series with a book giveaway. Yay! *cue dramatic cover*

Girl From the Stars, book 1:

Daybreak

Liora Day, half-human, half-mess with her and you’ll die Damaclan, had been thrown onto a rough path at a very early age. But when she is broken out of a cage by Devren, the young captain of the SS Kratos, she is shown that perhaps humanity does have a heart. The Kratos is set on a mission to rescue fallen surveyors from the Revolutionaries, and Liora is given the choice to follow her Damaclan instincts, or trust Devren’s dark eyes and captivating smile that promise an adventure unlike any she has ever experienced.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
So sign up! Enter! You know you want to...
 
NaNo Update
I mentioned this on my Facebook page, but I've joined the Rebels this NaNo.

Ohhhhhh yeeeeaaaahhhh

1. Fix the ending of my novel

I'll have to rewrite the last four chapters, figure out a more characteristic way to end everything, all in keeping with some good sibling development between the characters, and still finding a way to add in some good foreshadowing. *phew!*

2. Rewrite the subplot

Due to some changes I made to the series timeline when I started to outline in-depth in the last few months, I'll have to do a rewrite of the intrigue subplot, to make sure all those pesky threads line up.

3. Consistency changes

>self explanatory<

And then, if I have some free time...

4. Study Character Development and work on my unfinished project, Glass and Cinders

Forget Word Count

Initially, I entered my project as 'My Novel' at the NaNo website, but I knew that even if I could count all written, revised, and edited words I'd still never reach 50k. (I'm only revamping the last four chapters of a 60k children's book.)

I could feel that word count bar between my shoulder blades, irking me with its incessant '0'. There was an insane pressure building in me to just write, write, write to appease the virtual word count gods and to show off to the world that I've 'still got it'. (I'm ridiculously competitive during NaNo.) But I'm not here for the word count.

So I deleted it.


The Update 

So far, I've written about 10,000 words.

Now this may not sound like much in the scheme of NaNo. It isn't. But the
thing about these 10,000 words is that they're working.

Just taking the time this month to concentrate on my project -not being
distracted by, sorry, this blog and my vlog- has been a huge help. I
may have to take annual Internet sabbaticals from now on.

I've rewritten three of the four chapters. They're still only drafts, but I'm very happy with them so far.

And that's it for now. Wish me luck, everybody! 

Guest Post: Let the Reader Do the Work | September C. Fawkes

Today I'm honored to have a guest post from September C. Fawkes. She has some fantastic stuff over on her blog -like Writer's Tips and analyses of popular shows on why they work- so definitely check it out.

As a warning, this post does contain some Harry Potter spoilers. So if I'm not the only one in the universe who has neither read all the books or seen all the movies, beware!

Now, without further ado, September C. Fawkes, ladies and gentlemen! 

If you are like me, there are a couple (or ten) books you've cried in. There may be a couple (or ten) books you've wanted to throw across the room because you where so mad at the villians. And then there may be a couple (or twenty) books that left you feeling empty, bittersweet, and satisfied all at once.

As a reader, I love and yearn for books that make me feel powerful emotions. Sometimes I'm surprised how one book can deal with big conflicts but leave me feeling apathetic, while others deal with small conflicts but make my heart ache or my spirits soar.

In books, a lot of the emotion we feel has to do with how the writer handles that emotion. I'm a writer myself, and I have the opportunity to read a lot of unpublished fiction. Today I'm going to talk a little bit about why some books hit us in the feels and others . . . don't.

There is a writing rule I heard that states that "If your character is crying, then you reader doesn't have to." When I first heard that, I wasn't sure I agreed with it, but I thought about the books I'd read, and I talked to a few other readers and realized there was some truth to that statement.

I'm a huge Harry Potter fan, went to midnight releases and everything. In the books, Harry is on the verge of crying several times, but he never actually does. Fact: I cried more in those books than any other book I've ever read! And loads of other people cried too. In Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, Jean Valjean weeps several times just in the first 200 pages. I never cried once. (And anyone who knows the story, knows how heart wrenching it is.)

If Harry ever broke down and bawled, I don't know that I would have. I may have still gotten teary-eyed, but I don't think I would have sobbed like I did. There is something about having ther character cry that takes the tension out of us, the readers. The character is doing the emotional work, so we don't have to.

I soon realized this applied to more than crying. In one unpublished story I read, one of the characters was often worrying about a mystery. She asked all the questions, did all the wondering, the worrying, and I found that I, as a reader, didn't have to. And you know what? I wasn't as engaged. The author didn't let me do that part. So instead of participating in the story, I was merely "watching" it.

I Open at the Close by Yume Dust

I'm not saying authors can never have their characters cry etc. (there is a time and place), but it's best if kept minimal. As a writer, you want to build up those feelings in your reader so that they experience the story, not just read about it. Just because you didn't write that your characters were crying, or worried, or angry doesn't mean they weren't.

In fact, I've come to accept that those passages where I was bawling my eyes out were moments where I was vicariously crying as Harry. And frankly, that's what readers want. As a reader, I want to be in the character, in the story, because only then can I reach that deep, emotional plane where the story leaves an indelible mark on me.

So for writers, when their characters are sad, anxious, fearful, embarrassed, or angry, instead of focusing on how the character feels and reacts emotionally to it, they should focus on how to elicit those emotions in the readers, so that we become part of the story. This is often done by focusing on the event that caused those emotions and rendering it in a way that amplifies those emotions. For example, how much emotion do these sentences conjure?

Harry watched Sirius fall through the archway to his death. Harry couldn't believe it. He was upset and started crying.

How much more emotion does this passage conjure?

It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall. His body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backward through the ragged veil hanging from the arch. . . .

And Harry saw the look of mingled fear and surprise on his godfather's, wasted, once-handsome face as he fell through the ancient doorway and disappeared behind the veil, which fluttered for a moment. . .

Harry heard Bellatrix Lestrange's triumphant scream, but knew it meant nothing--Sirius had only just fallen thought the archway, he would reappear from the other side any second. . . .

But Sirius did not reappear.

"SIRIUS!" Harry yelled, "SIRIUS!"

[Harry] sprinted to the dias, Lupin grabbed Harry around the chest, holding him back.

"There's nothing you can do Harry--"

"Get him, save him, he's only just gone though!" . . .

Harry struggled hard and viciously, but Lupin wouldn't let go.


The second example is more likely to give the reader that vicarious feeling, the sense that they are experiencing the story firsthand. That's the kind of writing I like to read.

So as readers, what books made you feel a lot of emotion?

Giveaway!

September is also hosting a fan-tastic giveaway on her blog! The prizes include a Fullmetal Alchemist pocket watch, a Time Turner necklace from Harry Potter, and a key to 221B Baker Street.

To enter, just click here!

About September

Sometimes September C. Fawkes scares people with her enthusiasm for writing and reading. People may say she needs to get a social life. It'd be easier if her fictional one wasn't so interesting. September C. Fawkes graduated with an English degree with honors from Dixie State University, where she was the managing editor of The Southern Quill literary journal and had the pleasure of writing her thesis on Harry Potter. Today she works for a New York Times best-selling author, is penning a novel, and sharing writing tips on her blog, which you can find at www.SeptemberCFawkes.com

ARC REVIEW: Anya and the Secrets of Cupola by N.A. Cauldron (The Cupolian Series, #1)

Anya and the Secrets of Cupola
by N.A. Caldron
Wiggling Pen Publishing
Release Date: November 14, 2015
Childrens/Fantasy
3/5 stars

I'd like to thank the author for sending me an ARC in return for an honest review.

I was a little leery about this book because I wasn't crazy about the cover art. On occasion, I may have mentioned I do judge books by their covers. Give me a gorgeous cover and I'll jump at a book. Granted, some books with good covers turn out to be terrible, and some books with not-so-great covers turn out to be pretty good. That's what happened with Anya.

This is a fun story about three friends -Anya, Gevin, and Taika- who discover their kingdom's 200-year-old secret. And magic. They also get into their share of trouble and adventure along the way, including a troll, some lava lizards, and getting on their monarch's bad side.

The characters are fun: Taika, the bookworm and master planner; Anya, who hasn't quite decided what she wants out of life; Gevin, who is such a boy.

"And to think I was concerned with your feelings."
"What feelings? I don't have any feelings!"

Told mostly from Anya's perspective, we get a lot of detail on her family's poor life and her tough job in the royal kitchen. It was surprising how much we get to see of Anya's work throughout the entire story, instead of just the expected introductory bit, since it's not directly related to adventure/secret side. On the one hand, it was refreshing to see life go on as normal for the kids, since these are the only three people in the kingdom aware of what's really going on, but there are times that the extent of detail felt a little out of place, just because of its lack of impact on the bigger story or the characters.


In addition to investigating this 200-year-old secret, we get to see Anya deal with average kid problems, like the bully Canis, her annoying older brother, and getting into trouble with her mother. We also get to see her deal with not-so-average kid responsibilities. In the beginning of the story, Anya gets a better-paying job than the rest of her family and readers will watch her handle this with maturity. I loved seeing this kind of responsibility handed to a young protagonist, because it will translate well for kids to see someone their own age taking on such an important if unexciting role in the family. Any book can hand a kid a grand, life-changing destiny, but it's nice to see that same kid cleaning house and cooking dinner on her days off, too. Maybe it will give readers an idea. ;)

The story ends in a good spot, giving you most of the answers you want, but leaving just enough to explore so you want to see what happens next. Now that I'm finished with this book, I think I'm going to pass it along to some of my niblings.

The writing quality is on the average side but on a good level for blossoming readers. While the writing quality is not quite as stellar as I enjoy, I feel the need to remind myself that it's also intended for middle graders, who won't be as picky as me.

This will be a good book for younger readers who love fantasy or are just getting into it. It has flavors of both Sorcerer's Stone and Spiderwick Chronicles, while the characters themselves remind me a lot of the Ever Afters' Triumverate, especially with the dancing lessons Anya gets, which was probably one of my favorite scenes. (Gawsh, I'm such a girl.)

Anya and the Secrets of Cupola will be released November 14, 2015. It's available for pre-order in ebook at Amazon.com and in paperback at www.nacauldron.com/.

REVIEW: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

So. It finally happened.

I actually read a Harry Potter book.

I kind of loved it. ^_^

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

by J.K Rowling
MG Fantasy
4/5 stars

To be honest, I anticipated that this book would be plagued by overhype, but I was pleasantly surprised. The story is interesting, well-placed, and all around a fantastic middle grade. I wouldn't say it's 'action-packed' until near the end. It reminded me of the slower paced Voyage of the Dawn Treader, with the kids exploring school instead of islands.

You'd almost expect from the slow pace that this could be a boring book, but it isn't. There is so much interesting worldbuilding at play and we're being teased with evil Professor Snape and what he's up to so things never get boring. There's enough mystery and magic to keep you entertained and the story possesses an irrefutable charm that's hard to resist. It's one of those stories that has such an ease about it, like Rowling just sat down one day and there it was.

Another thing that struck me were the strong and vivid personalities of the characters, practically bursting alive from the page. (I loved the inflections in Hermione's dialogue, because you could just hear the know-it-all in her voice.) And it isn't just the main characters, either; Fred, George, Neville, Hagrid, the Dursleys, and other minor characters have just as much depth and distinction. Harry, Ron, and Hermione experience some development along the lines of friendship and self-confidence, but I'll be excited to see them development deeper over the rest of the series. Because of course now I have to read the rest.


One harsh truth I enjoyed seeing is Ron being constantly teased by Malfoy about his family's poverty. I liked that this was so vivid in the story because it's very realistic. Of course a nasty boy from a well-off family is going to degrade the poor kid that Harry Potter chose to befriend over him, and it's quite obvious all his ammo toward the Weasleys came from dear old Dad. (Obviously the Malfoys are a happy bunch.) But what I really liked is seeing how Harry deals with this and how he sticks up for Ron. A favorite moment was on the train to Hogwarts.

   [Malfoy] turned back to Harry. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."
   He held out his hand to shake Harry's, but Harry didn't take it.
   "I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," he said coolly.

I would love to see Malfoy grow out of this behavior over the series, but we'll see.

The tone of the narration has such a classic children's book flavor to it -like Lewis, Nesbit, Eager, MacDonald. It made me incredibly nostalgic for those years when I first discovered the joys of reading and it brought that joy back tenfold.

I did have a problem with page 93. I almost cried. With Fred and George, I instantly fell in love and I hate it because I've been on the Internet long enough to know what happens to Fred and George, so every funny line makes me want to laugh and cry. Curses. It's like Fili and Kili all over again. *sob*

On the whole, yes, I can see what the craze is about. And while it wasn't quite what I was expecting, I don't think it's suffering from overhype. It's a good, fun story, filled with laughs and daring deeds and friendship and, really, what's wrong with that?

Amanda and the Star Wars Summer | Episode III

Amanda & the Star Wars Summer

Episode I | Episode II | Episode III | Episode IV
The Force Awakens Spoiler-Free Reaction
The Force Awakens Review

Who can't get enough Star Wars? This girl, that's who.

You can watch the video in all it's eccentric and ecstatic glory, but the high points are all covered below as well.





The Dark Force Rising by Timothy Zahn
5/5 stars

The second book in the Thrawn trilogy did not disappoint. I was a little concerned because when I finally got into the first book -Heir to the Empire- it was an audio. With me, some books only interest me on audio, and vice versa.

GOOD NEWS!

I had no problems whatsoever getting into this book, even in spite of its lengthy sections of prose. (I'm totally a dialogue girl.) It's a fantastic continuation and I'm excited to see how Zahn wraps everything up.


The Phantom Menace by Terry Brooks
3.5/5 stars

This, to me, was fascinating. It's been long enough since I've watched this movie that parts of it felt new -and I'm not just talking about the extra content added to the book.

This novelization gives us a chance to better understand characters, backstory, and the events that unfold. I particularly like seeing more things from Anakin's point of view and the relationship between Qui Gon and Obi Wan.

[Warning: JarJar Binks is still annoying.]



Disney is kind of brilliant with their merchandising...

R2-D2 Bop-It! and Millennium Falcon-shaped Star Wars Catch Phrase.

Seriously.

Disney has assigned some kind of Jedi Master to their merchandising team.

Plus, a STAR WARS THEME PARK
If you haven't heard about this, read the announcement here because it sounds freaking fantastic! I fangirl way more in the video but what you need to know is:

• Designed to look like an alien world
• Interaction with droids and aliens
• YOU CAN FLY THE MILLENNIUM FALCON

Proceed to freak out.

Before I let you go, two questions:

• How do you feel about Disney's involvement? Have their fantastic Marvel movies granted you my same outrageous optimism or are you worried they'll screw it up?
• Summer is over and 'Amanda and the Star Wars Fall' just doesn't have the same ring, but I love using my Dramatic Title Voice. New title suggestions?

Tune in next time to hear my opinions on the 'Journey to The Force Awakens' series, the new canon for the Star Wars Universe.

As always

There's more where this came from!

Amanda & the Star Wars Summer

Episode I | Episode II | Episode III | Episode IV
The Force Awakens Spoiler-Free Reaction
The Force Awakens Review

Comic Book Wrap Up

I've read a lot of comic books over the last month or so. Instead of individual reviews, I decided to tackle them all in one fell swoop. I give you, the mini-reviews!

The Reviews:

Thor: God of Thunder, Vol. 4: The Last Days of Midgard by Jason Aaron
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This started off with an almost shove-down-your-throat 'save the planet!' spiel that almost put me off, but once you realize Thor's battle with Roxxon will involve a CEO nicknamed 'the Minotaur' it took a much better Marvel turn. The second half of the story is an epic battle between King Thor and Galactus over a dead Midgard, the effects of which I cannot wait to witness.

As the end of Aaron's God of Thunder run, I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The best part of this last volume is that it leads right up to his new Goddess of Thunder series and actually made me intrigued to read it. I've been ducking it ever since I heard they were going to replace Thor, but finding out it's apparently a temporary thing, I'm much more eager to give it a gander.

View all my reviews


Nightwing, Vol. 1: Traps and Trapezes by Kyle Higgins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Dick Grayson rejoins the circus he grew up in -at least long enough to figure out why Mr. Haley wants him to have it and the dark secret that seems to lurk in the big top.

This was a fun story, though some of the issues did feel a bit like anime filler episodes. They detracted from the overall story -what's going on with Haley's Circus?- and were just underdeveloped enough they felt jarring.

The volume does appear to play into a bigger story line in the DC arsenal, which I'm not familiar with, so DC regulars probably won't want to miss this.


 
Gotham Academy, Vol. 1: Welcome to Gotham Academy by Becky Cloonan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

LOVE THIS! This story is like candy and there isn't enough in the bowl to satisfy my craving. When can I get my hands on the next volume?!

Gotham Academy is a private school -whose alumni boasts no other than Bruce Wayne- but a group of students is beginning to realize it's embroiled in a mystery of Gotham's sordid past. And what about Olive Silverlock? She used to be a normal girl, but something happened over the summer, something changed her. Something she can't quite remember. It had something to do with her mother. And Batman.

She hates Batman.

This has everything from ghosts and dark rituals, to secret passages, to boarding school shenanigans and the ever-lingering question of what happened to Olive and why is Bruce Wayne keeping such a close eye on her?



Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor, Vol. 1: Revolutions of Terror by Nick Abadzis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fantastic job keeping Ten believable and in-character. The stories feel like they've escaped from missing episode scripts and the Doctor's new companion doesn't feel like a repeat of any of his counterparts from the show. Wholly original stories, completely in-tune with the show's feel and quality.



Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor, Vol. 1: After Life by Al Ewing
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fantastic job keeping Eleven believable and in-character. The stories feel like they've escaped from missing episode scripts and the Doctor's new companion doesn't feel like a repeat of any of his counterparts from the show. She has some of Donna's spunk, which I love.
Wholly original stories, completely in-tune with the show's feel and quality.



Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor, Vol. 1 by Robbie Morrison
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was enjoying this comic just as much as the Ten and Eleven ones, especially since they gave us a story line involving one of the Doctor's old (old, old) friends, wrapped up in Indian culture and mythology (!!!), but I was put off by the addition of several homosexual characters, which ruined the story for me.

They still did a good job keeping Twelve believable and in-character. Wholly original stories, completely in-tune with the show's feel and quality.



Ant-Man, Vol. 1: Second-Chance Man by Nick Spencer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you liked the movie, you'll like this.

I love Scott Lang. He's funny and clever and so sincere. The only thing he wants in the whole world is to be a good father and that's the one thing that never seems to work out. He tries so hard, again and again, and that's another thing I love about his character.

It amuses me that characters in the Marvel universe tend to mock or tease Ant-Man. He's considered a low-grade super. Appropriately, he tends to run in to other low-grade characters, like Grizzly, a (cough-reformed-cough) villain.

While this is by no means the beginning of Scott Lang's story (recently back form the dead? Teenage Cassie?) but Spencer does great feeding you enough back story info that you get the gist.

View all my reviews

Have you read any great comic books lately? Share in the comments!

Disney Songs Book Tag + Story Publication!!!

Today's the day! You can finally read my short story, The Curious Concoctions of Thornton Thoreau, in this month's issue of Bards & Sages Quarterly. You can buy a copy here. Woohoo! This is one of my favorite stories and I'm so excited that I can share it with you.

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Being the Disney fan that I am, I could not resist doing this tag video over on YouTube.


Questions:
1. A whole new world - Pick a book that made you see the world differently.
2. Cruella De Vil - Pick your favorite villain.
3. I won't say I'm in love - Pick a book you didn't want to admit you loved.
4. Gaston - Pick a character that you couldn't stand.
5. Part of your world - Pick a book set in a universe you wish you could live in.
6. A dream is a wish your heart makes - describe what the book of your dreams would be like
7. Someday my prince will come - What book character would you marry if you could
8. I see the light - Pick a book that changed your life.
9. When you wish upon a star - Pick a book you wish you could reread for the first time.
10. I just can't wait to be king - Pick a book with some kind of monarchy in it.
11. Colors of the wind - Pick a book with a beautiful colorful cover.

It looks like this tag was started by Aria's Books. Fantastic job, Aria!

And hey, this tag doesn't have to exist on YouTube alone. It will be easily adapted for a blog post, so I'll tag you too, you blogger dying to do this!

TTT: Ten Books to Read If You Like Narnia/Artemis Fowl

Top Ten Tuesday, a lovely book meme put together

by the ladies at The Broke and the Bookish.

Trying to settle on only one title proved quite difficult, so I wound up giving suggestions on two separate titles, because once I got going I didn't want to stop. Since the goal is to try pointing out new books for people, I've stayed away (mostly) from the series everybody's heard of and focused on some really great, but sadly lesser known, titles.

If you like The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis...

The Dream Keeper by Mikey Brooks
This is about two kids who are tasked to save the land of Dreams. With how often they jumped from our world to another, it had a strong sense of The Wood Between the Worlds from The Magician's Nephew.

Half Magic by Edward Eager
This is such a clever, clever story. It has the same distinct English nostalgia in its telling as Narnia and playing with the magic is so fun.

The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews Edwards
Yes. That Julie Andrews. Again, this has the same distinct feel as a Narnia book -kids being pulled into a magical place and having fantastic adventures.

Five Children and It by E. Nesbit
Seriously, it's that feeling again. There's just this quintessentially English essence oozing from certain books, especially great children's fantasies, that inextricably link them across time and space.

The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald
This is considered a classic, but it's also old enough I'm not certain many people read it. I adore this book. I discovered the audio version when I was about twelve and listened to it probably a dozen times before I was fourteen.

Larklight by Phillip Reeve
This series doesn't have tons in common with Narnia -except the whole quintessential English thing and kids going off on adventures- but I think readers will still like it. Plus it has space ships. Like, ships with masts and sails and riggings in space. Think Treasure Planet in Victorian England. So maybe some parallels with the Dawn Treader after all...

Goblin Secrets by William Alexander
This is another great fantasy to introduce kids to the genre and to good stories in general. It has goblins and sentient rivers and magic in the form of acting, along with child-size bites of love, loss, and the powerful bonds of family.

If you like the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer...

The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathon Stroud
This possess the same kind of snark in the narration, an equally rich and incredibly developed magical parallel to the real world, and a too-smart-for-his-own-good child anti-hero who must invariably rely on his own captive for assistance and winds up butting heads with a stubborn and strong-willed young woman from an underground organization.
Okay, I didn't actually realize how many similarities it had until I wrote that paragraph. Weird.
(They're totally different though, I promise.)

Simon Bloom, Gravity Keeper by Michael Reisman
Science. Is. MAGIC.

Last, but certainly not least,
The Crystal Bridge by Charlie Pulsipher
Much like Colfer does, Pulsipher has a fantastic and fascinating way of interweaving magic and science. It's hard to pinpoint this as either a fantasy or a sci-fi, because it is literally both. It has dragons and an AI, elves and wormholes.

Thanks for stopping by this week! Do you have any suggestions to add?

TTT: Top Ten Books on My Fall TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme by those fabulous bookworms over at The Broke and the Bookish.

1. The Forever Man (W.A.R.P. #3) by Eoin Colfer
2. Vicious by V.E. Schwab
These two I currently have on my shelf (along with a few others) and hope to get them read by the end of the month.

3. Finnegan Zwake series by Michael Dahl
4. Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy
These two series will make up the bulk of my October reading, hopefully. They're both mysteries, which I annually inhale during this spooky month, and Skulduggery has a living, flame-throwing, skeleton sorcerer detective, so bonus.

5. Shadowed Glass (The Lost Shards #3) by Charlie Pulsipher
6. The Afterlife Academy by Frank L. Cole
These are both new releases that I need to get my hands on.

7. The Island of Dr. Libris by Chris Grabenstein
My sister just told me about this book and it sounds AWESOME so I have to squeeze it in somewhere.
 
8. Winter (The Lunar Chronicles #4) by Marissa Meyer (released November 10)
This one, I obviously can't read until November. Sooo faaaar aaawwwaaaayyy...


And of course, I haven't quite hit the goal for my Star Wars books this year. I can't get distracted now.

9. STAR WARS The Final Command by Timothy Zahn
10. STAR WARS Dark Empire by Tom Veitch
11. STAR WARS The New Jedi Order: Vector Prime by R.A. Salvatore

There's my Top Ten for fall. Thanks for stopping by?

What's on your Fall TBR?

TTT: Top Ten Audiobooks

Top Ten Tuesday is a book blog meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's Top Ten topic is a freebie and, since half the time with these lists 
I'm gushing about which are fantastic audiobooks, my choice was a no-brainer. And so, in no particular order:

1. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, narrated by Rob Inglis
Inglis has a deep, resonating English voice absolutely perfect for Tolkien's Middle Earth. And he sings so well.

  

2. The Redwall series by Brian Jacques, featuring full cast narrations
It's not only full cast. Brian Jacques himself acts as the narrator on these versions. THE AUTHOR IS LITERALLY READING HIS BOOK TO YOU.

3. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle, narrated by the author.
Speaking of authors reading their books to you... She also narrated versions of A Wind in the Door and A Swiftly Tilting Planet.

4. The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede, narrated by Bruce Coville's WORDS TAKE WING full cast narration
I'm pretty sure I've mentioned these once or a dozen times.

5. Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer, narrated by Nathaniel Parker
My introduction to this series were the audios for The Arctic Incident and The Eternity Code. I'd already fallen in love with Parker's narration, and Colfer's brilliant story just made it a hundred times better.

6. Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz, narrated by Nathaniel Parker
If you're wondering, yes, this is where I fell in love with Parker's narration. My sister and I stumbled on this audiotape (yes, cassette tapes) at the library and listened to it obsessively for two or three years, always wishing in vain for more books in the series. Until, of course, we had the sense to Google it and realized there were already four more books in the series. Alas, the rest of them are narrated by Simon Prebble who, while good, simply isn't Nathaniel Parker.

  "This is my favorite book in all the world, though I have never read it." -The Princess Bride by William Goldman


These next four books are among those that I have never literally *read.* They're some of my favorites but part of their perfection remains in the audio versions.

7. Flushed by Carl Hiaasen, narrated by Michael Welch
Okay. You got me. I think the only reason I even picked up this audio oh so many years ago was because the narrator was in an episode of Stargate SG-1, as a young Jack O'Neill.

Luckily, it turned out to be an excellent book. I've read a few other Hiassen's since, but this is my favorite by far. It has a much less political/environmentalist/shoving-my-agenda-down-your-throat feel than the others, it's hilarious, and it has an awesome older brother/younger sister relationship.

8. Saffy's Angel by Hilary McKay, narrated by Julia Sawalha

9. Holes by Lois Sachar, narrated by Kerry Beyer

10. The Dark Hills Divide by Patrick Carmen, narrated by 
This was another chance discovery made by my sister and I one day hunting through the library shelves. It's a fantastic book, one of the first who presented me with an utterly unlikable character who actually grew into one of my favorites. It was fun, interesting, and something we listened to so often we practically had it memorized. The next two books unfortunately were not as enjoyable, and I haven't listened to any past that. Despite that, it remains a favorite.

There's more than 10. I'm really into audiobooks. Tomorrow I'll probably think of a dozen more I *should* have put on the list.

11. Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry, narrated by John McDonough
This might actually be the first audiobook I ever fell in love with, if not listened to.
This was later re-done by Edward Hermann (that's Richard Gilmore in Gilmore Girls) and, while I love his voice and he did a good job, I will always favor John McDonough's version over his.

12. Simon Bloom, The Gravity Keeper by Michael Reisman, narrated by Nicholas Hormann
Hormann's voice not only has a great accent, but a spectacular quality. It's whimsical; like the twinkle of a joke in someone's eye that's actually a secret. Don't believe me? Give it a listen. And trust me. It's a perfect fit with the tone of the story.

And there's twelve of my favorite audiobooks! What are some of yours?

Thanks for stopping by!

The Bookshelf Tour

First of all, a huge thank you to all of my followers, because I just hit 400 subscribers on YouTube. Woohoo!

Today I have for you my very first Bookshelf Tour. I'm excited for this. I've always wanted to do one but, to be honest, I was embarrassed by my bookshelves before. Now that I have three new beauties for all of my books, embarrassment no more! ^_^

A lot of content had to be cut, including the bottom three shelves and several behind-the-knick-knacks stories. Let me know if you're interested in seeing these and I can cobble together another video.

Being Holly Short

Thanks for watching, everyone! Have a fantastic weekend.

TTT: Ten Finished Series I Have YET to Finish

Look! New pages! I've added a master list of all of the book reviews I have done here and on my YouTube channel. I couldn't decide how best to arrange them, because there are two kinds of review readers. a.) Those looking for reviews of a specific book; b.) Those searching good reviews for something new to read.

Here is my solution:

 Now on with the TTT!

It's been awhile since I've played with one of these book memes from The Broke and the Bookish, but unfinished finished series are kind of my kryptonite.

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
I've read the first two books of this series so far and I love them. Humor, magic, an undead skeleton detective-sorcerer, and a whole magic underworld in Dublin, Ireland. Plus some really cool cars. These are pretty fast reads. My plan is to grab the whole series and have myself a truly themed October TBR.
Then perhaps I can finally make my sister and my all-things-Derek-Landy-and-Skulduggery buddy Georgina over at BritishBiblioholic proud.

Finnegan Zwake by Michael Dahl
This is an out of print middle grade mystery series that I got for Hanukkah last year and -to my everlasting shame- still have not finished. I've read three of the five books. Hopefully this series will be the rest of my October TBR. I have a thing about mysteries in October, since my family never really did Halloween. I also have a thing about overestimating the amount of books I can read in a month. Have you noticed?

Hero's Guide series by Christopher Healy
For how much I completely adored the first book in this series (see review) I haven't read the other two yet.

*shameshameshameshameshame*

Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
I own the first five books of this series and read the first one about six or seven years ago. I really enjoyed it. The primary reason I haven't read more is length. This is a series that needs to be read together, so I'm going to designate a year to read them. At some point. Yeah.

Odd Thomas series by Dean Koontz
I'm getting through this series slowly but surely. It seems like every six months or so I pick up the next one, but the story line is starting to be become interconnected enough that I don't think that will work anymore. I dislike ghost stories and a lot of stuff dealing with the supernatural and books with overly depressing events. Odd Thomas has a mix of all three of these, and somehow Dean Koontz makes it not only palatable, but enjoyable, writing with a quirky sense of humor and a veil of mystery around the supernatural elements that has yet to get old.

The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica by James A. Owen
This is another series best read all at once. I've read the first two books, but so far apart that it was pretty jumbled and confusing. It's a really interesting idea and definitely something I need to finish once I carve out some time to do so.

The Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn
I literally just finished the second book, Dark Force Rising. At 1am this morning. I couldn't sleep until I finished it and WHERE'S THE NEXT BOOK?!

GIVE ME THE LAST BOOOOOOOKKKK!!!

The Missing series by Margaret Peterson Haddix
This series I intentionally haven't finished. I could tell this was one that needed to be read all at once, so I was waiting until it was finished. Well, the final book came out this past year, so... *looks for empty slot on TBR*

The Ink series by Cornelia Funke
I really have no excuse for not having finished this one yet.

The Dream Keepers series by Mikey Brooks
I'm going to read these before Mikey strangles me. I swear. So many friends have recommended this series and I have absolutely no excuse for not finishing it yet. This will be one of my September reads. In fact, let me move it over to my 'Currently Reading' shelf right now...

Thanks for stopping by! To finish this off, may I present you with a photograph of my aforementioned 'Currently Reading' shelf. These are all the titles I (laughably) hope to read this month.

August Wrap Up + Book Haul

First up, just a reminder about my Book Giveaway going on right now! I have three e-copies of Cheree Alsop's Werewolf Academy: Chosen to give out to some lucky winners. This giveaway closes Monday, Sep 9, so get your entries in. This is open internationally, so now you have no excuses. ;)

Now sit back and enjoy my August Wrap Up video! All the links are listed down below.

What I Read:

Secret Avengers vol 1 & 2 by Ales Kot
3 stars | Goodreads review

Thor: God of Thunder vol 1-3 by  Aaron
4 stars

Stolen Magic by Gail Carson Levine

4 stars

Library Wars vol 12 & 13

5 stars

Odd Hours by Dean Koontz

5 stars

Sidekicked by John David Anderson

4 stars | Video | Blog

Powerless by Tera Lynn Childs & Tracy Deebs

4 stars | Video | Blog

Marrow by Preston Norton

4 stars | Blog

The Blog Posts

Worth Watching: Battle Creek

Giveaway + Writing Update



Amanda & the Star Wars Summer
Episode I | Episode II | Video

 
Book Haul: 
Mistborn
The Well of Ascension
Legion & Legion: Skin Deep
Infinity Blade: Redemption & Awakening
The Emperor's Soul
Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell
Firstborn
Perfect State 
all by Brandon Sanderson
 Dungeoneers by John David Anderson 
Vicious by V.E. Schwab
Trixter & Tales of Arilland by Alethea Kontis