Monday, June 29, 2015

Genre Definition and Recommendation #85



Genre Definition and Recommendation is a feature where I will define a genre and a sub-genre definition and the make some recommendations.  


It's been a while since I have done one of these so I decided to throw one in. 

Suspense/Thriller- Definition found on Wikipedia

Suspense is a feeling of pleasurable fascination and excitement mixed with apprehension, tension, and anxiety developed from an unpredictable, mysterious, and rousing source of entertainment. The term most often refers to an audience's perceptions in a dramatic work.



Mystery Thriller Definition found on Wikipedia 

A mystery thriller climaxes when the hero finally defeats the villain (after reveal), saves his own life and often the lives of others.  There is very little violence, menace and threat in mystery/detective  novels (especially between the villain and other innocent people), whilst the violence is quite intense in thrillers and the villain is more ruthless.
My Recommendations:




The Devil You Know
The Devil You Know by Trish Dollar





Eighteen-year-old Arcadia wants adventure. Living in a tiny Florida town with her dad and four-year-old brother, Cadie spends most of her time working, going to school, and taking care of her family. So when she meets two handsome cousins at a campfire party, she finally has a chance for fun. They invite her and friend to join them on a road trip, and it's just the risk she's been craving-the opportunity to escape. But what starts out as a fun, sexy journey quickly becomes dangerous when she discovers that one of them is not at all who he claims to be. One of them has deadly intentions. 


A road trip fling turns terrifying in this contemporary story that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.










Daughter of Deep Silence
Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan




I’m the daughter of murdered parents.
I’m the friend of a dead girl.
I’m the lover of my enemy.
And I will have my revenge.

In the wake of the devastating destruction of the luxury yacht Persephone, just three souls remain to tell its story—and two of them are lying. Only Frances Mace knows the terrifying truth, and she’ll stop at nothing to avenge the murders of everyone she held dear. Even if it means taking down the boy she loves and possibly losing herself in the process.

Sharp and incisive, Daughter of Deep Silence by bestselling author Carrie Ryan is a deliciously smart revenge thriller that examines perceptions of identity, love, and the lengths to which one girl is willing to go when she thinks she has nothing to lose.



What Do you Recommend?

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Review: The Geek's Guide to Dating by Eric Smith

17568806Title: The Geek's Guide to Dating
Author: Eric Smith
Publisher: Quirk Books
Publishing Date: December 3, 2013
Pages: 208
Genre: Humor, Non-fiction, self help, contemporary
Series: N/A
Source: Hardback

 

You keep your action figures in their original packaging. Your bedsheets are officially licensed Star Wars merchandise. You’re hooked on Elder Scrolls and Metal Gear but now you’ve discovered an even bigger obsession: the new girl who just moved in down the hall. What’s a geek to do? Take some tips from Eric Smith in The Geek’s Guide to Dating. This hilarious primer leads geeks of all ages through the perils and pitfalls of meeting women, going on dates, getting serious, breaking up, and establishing a successful lifelong relationship (hint: it’s time to invest in new bedsheets). Full of whimsical 8-bit illustrations, The Geek’s Guide to Dating will teach fanboys everywhere to love long and prosper.





This is a very funny, very relatable , and quite honestly, very helpful book. It is filled with references that every geek should get, and it makes things easy to understand for those who might be... lacking, in the social area.


What made me pick this book up?


I was actually going to read Geek Wisdom for the Summer Reading Challenge, but I saw this one at Barnes and Noble. And I was single, and I love geek, anything really. So I thought, why not. Combine dating tips and geekiness? Heck yes.

What do I like about the cover?

It is a very cute cover, filled with all the geeky things. I love the eight-bit and how it looks like donky kong. When you take off the paper cover, it has a cute cover as well. (I don't like to read my hardbacks with the cover on them)

What made me read it?
Like I said above, I love just about anything geeky. And I had read a bit of the book and thought that it looked really funny. 

What did I like the most?
There really wasn't anything at all I didn't like about it. I got all the geeky references, I learned what to, and what not, to do, when trying to get a date. It made me laugh a lot, and I think I learned just a bit of everyhing as well. My absolute favorite parts are most definitely the geeky references though, which made me realize what a true geek I really am. I am almost proud that I was able to get almost all the references. The way the chapters are laid out, are really great. It helps you see just what kind of geek you are, and what each geeks "super power" is. The book is mainly aimed towards males, but there is a section where the author explains it can be used as a females book as well, except the chapter about shaving. 

The least?
I honestly cannot think of a single thing that I did not like. 

Would you read the rest of the series/Other books by this author?
I actually really do want to read another book by this author, Inked



Overall, this was a very funny, very helpful, and very geeky book. Everyone at my job was laughing at me and curious as to what it was. Also, I had posted a photo on my instagram and the author replied, which is really super cool.












Eric Smith is the author of THE GEEK'S GUIDE TO DATING, out now via Quirk Books, and INKED, a YA novel out with Bloomsbury Spark.

His writing has appeared locally in the Philly Weekly, The Inquirer, and on Philly.com. He's written for the Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, Boing Boing, and is a regular contributor to BookRiot and Geekosystem.

His essays have appeared in the Bygone Bureau and The Apiary, and his first published piece will appear in THE ASTEROID BELT ALMANAC with the Hand & the Hand Press in April 2014.

He's the co-founder of Geekadelphia, a popular hyperlocal geek blog in Philly, and the Philly Geek Awards, a ceremony honoring local geeks in his city.

Eric holds a BA in English from Kean University and an MA in English from Arcadia University. He currently lives in Philly. You can find him on Twitter at @ericsmithrocks and @geekadelphia.


Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Delightful Discoveries #104



Delightful Discoveries are books that I have discovered recently... old, new, just released... from blogs, Goodreads, libraries, friends, or bookstores. 






I Heart Robot
I Heart Robot by Suzanne Van Rooyen

  


Sixteen-year-old Tyri wants to be a musician and wants to be with someone who won't belittle her musical aspirations.

Q-I-99 aka 'Quinn' lives in a scrap metal sanctuary with other rogue droids. While some use violence to make their voices heard, demanding equal rights for AI enhanced robots, Quinn just wants a moment on stage with his violin to show the humans that androids like him have more to offer than their processing power.

Tyri and Quinn's worlds collide when they're accepted by the Baldur Junior Philharmonic Orchestra. As the rift between robots and humans deepens, Tyri and Quinn's love of music brings them closer together, making Tyri question where her loyalties lie and Quinn question his place in the world. With the city on the brink of civil war, Tyri and Quinn make a shocking discovery that turns their world inside out. Will their passion for music be enough to hold them together while everything else crumbles down around them, or will the truth of who they are tear them apart?




Not If I See You First
A Curious Beginning by  Deanna Rayburn




London, 1887. As the city prepares to celebrate Queen Victoria’s golden jubilee, Veronica Speedwell is marking a milestone of her own. After burying her spinster aunt, the orphaned Veronica is free to resume her world travels in pursuit of scientific inquiry—and the occasional romantic dalliance. As familiar with hunting butterflies as she is fending off admirers, Veronica wields her butterfly net and a sharpened hatpin with equal aplomb, and with her last connection to England now gone, she intends to embark upon the journey of a lifetime.

But fate has other plans, as Veronica discovers when she thwarts her own abduction with the help of an enigmatic German baron with ties to her mysterious past. Promising to reveal in time what he knows of the plot against her, the baron offers her temporary sanctuary in the care of his friend Stoker—a reclusive natural historian as intriguing as he is bad-tempered. But before the baron can deliver on his tantalizing vow to reveal the secrets he has concealed for decades, he is found murdered. Suddenly Veronica and Stoker are forced to go on the run from an elusive assailant, wary partners in search of the villainous truth.





Othergirl

Othergirl by Nicole Burstein





Louise and Erica have been best friends since forever. They're closer than sisters and depend on each other for almost everything. Just one problem: Erica has superpowers.

When Erica isn't doing loop-the-loops in the sky or burning things with her heat pulse powers, she needs Louise to hold her non-super life together. After all, the girls still have homework, parents and boys to figure out. But being a superhero's BFF is not easy, especially as trouble has a way of seeking them out. Soon Louise discovers that Erica might be able to survive explosions and fly faster than a speeding bullet, but she can't win every fight by herself.

Life isn't a comic book - it's even crazier than that.




Vermilion
Vermilion by Molly Tanzer and Rose E. Lockhart



The Adventures of Lou Merriwether, Psychopomp
Gunslinging, chain smoking, Stetson-wearing Taoist psychopomp, Elouise “Lou” Merriwether might not be a normal 19-year-old, but she’s too busy keeping San Francisco safe from ghosts, shades, and geung si to care much about that. It’s an important job, though most folks consider it downright spooky. Some have even accused Lou of being more comfortable with the dead than the living, and, well… they’re not wrong.
When Lou hears that a bunch of Chinatown boys have gone missing somewhere deep in the Colorado Rockies she decides to saddle up and head into the wilderness to investigate. Lou fears her particular talents make her better suited to help placate their spirits than ensure they get home alive, but it’s the right thing to do, and she’s the only one willing to do it.
On the road to a mysterious sanatorium known as Fountain of Youth, Lou will encounter bears, desperate men, a very undead villain, and even stranger challenges. Lou will need every one of her talents and a whole lot of luck to make it home alive…
From British Fantasy Award nominee Molly Tanzer comes debut novel Vermilion, a spirited weird Western adventure that puts the punk back into steampunk.



25266817
The Heartbreakers by Ali Novak





"When I met Oliver Perry, I had no clue he was the lead singer for The Heartbreakers. And he had no idea that I was the only girl in the world who hated his music."

Stella will do anything for her sick sister, Cara—even stand in line for an autographed Heartbreakers CD...for four hours. She's totally winning best birthday gift this year. At least she met a cute boy with soft brown hair and gorgeous blue eyes while getting her caffeine fix. Too bad she'll never see him again.

Except, Stella's life has suddenly turned into a cheesy love song. Because Starbucks Boy is Oliver Perry – lead singer for the Heartbreakers. And even after she calls his music crap, Oliver still gives Stella his phone number. And whispers quotes from her favorite Disney movie in her ear. OMG, what is her life?

But how can Stella even think about being with Oliver — dating and laughing and pulling pranks with the band — when her sister could be dying of cancer?

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Tracked by Jenny Martin


TrackedTitle: Tracked 
Author: Jenny Martin
Publisher: Dial Books
Publishing Date: May 5th 2015
Pages: 400
Genre: YA Sci Fi Thriller
Series:  Tracked #1??
Source: Hardcover

 
On corporately controlled Castra, rally racing is a high-stakes game that seventeen-year-old Phoebe Van Zant knows all too well. Phee’s legendary racer father disappeared mysteriously, but that hasn't stopped her from speeding headlong into trouble. When she and her best friend, Bear, attract the attention of Charles Benroyal, they are blackmailed into racing for Benroyal Corp, a company that represents everything Phee detests. Worse, Phee risks losing Bear as she falls for Cash, her charming new teammate. But when she discovers that Benroyal is controlling more than a corporation, Phee realizes she has a much bigger role in Castra’s future than she could ever have imagined. It's up to Phee to take Benroyal down. But even with the help of her team, can a street-rat destroy an empire?



This book wasn't on my radar until I was contacted by the publisher for a review. I am glad I chose to read it. The book was a good read. It was pretty fast paced and had a very interesting story line and pretty cool characters. I was quite thrilled by the read.

Phee is a racer, an illegal racer. She gets caught and then blackmailed into racing for a big wig company that has many secrets. Secrets that are dangerous. Secrets that will change Phee' life forever. There is racing, there is romance, there is betrayal. There is oppressed government. There is thrills and chases and kisses and such to enjoy.

So this was a very interesting book. I can honestly say that it was a new kind of read for me. I really didn't know what to expect. I thought it sounded good but all I could think was speed racer. Honestly I still think speed racer but its much more than the racing. I was surprised by that fact. I though the book was mainly about racing and really its not. There is bad government bad money makers and bad guys in general and it is not limited to a country or even a planet it's pretty much universal. Everyone controlled by evil corporations, The racing is kind of on the forefront but in the background. The real story is what lies in between. That story I loved.

The characters were pretty amazing too. I really liked Phee. I didn't connect with her right away. She grew slowly on me. I felt she was a bit selfish and whiny at the very beginning and I didn't like the way she dismissed her best friends feelings for her.

(side rant) Speaking of her best friend. He has feelings for her but their relationship was hard for me to get. I didn't feel it. (side rant over)

 But... In the end I liked her. I got her. I was happy to know her. She quickly became a heroine in my eyes and a real fighter. I got her and I connected.

My favorite character...Cash. I loved Cash. He was charming and genuine and had a few tricks up his sleeve. He came off as laid back but he was quite the fighter. Just a sly and sneaky fighter that jumps out at ya, screams, and beats you up. He had a great personality and the relationship he has with Phee I felt. I got it.

So the romance.... Not a huge strong presence but it as pretty explosive and passionate and needy and greedy. It was just like I liked it. SO the romance was good. There was a bit of a love triangle but not a bad one. One that made sense. There was Bear (the best friend) and Cash (The hot bad boy) There was feelings of loyalty and desire to stay close to one you know and then there was the my body is on fire with attraction to you and I don't know what to do with it. The love triangle never went anywhere. It was put to an end pretty quickly. so it fit and made sense and didn't linger. Didn't mind it at all.

So the only issue I had with this book was the pacing. For the most part it was paced pretty good. But.... It had some slow moments and the actual story line seemed to progress slowly. It really picked up to ultra speed close to the end. That is where it all happened. I could see where it was all leading it was just a tad slow getting to the point. There was racing and although it was exciting I felt the racing scenes were a bit drawn out. That being said the story did capture me. I feel like the issues were just the first book in a series issues, It was a builder and I can't wait to read more.



A very good read. A great start to what I think will be an awesome series. 












Jenny  Martin
Jenny Martin is an author, librarian, and Beatle-maniac. Her first novel, Tracked, is available now, from Dial, an imprint of Penguin Random-House.

She lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, with her husband and son, where she hoards books and writes fiction, and hangs out with people who like those things, too.

And yes, she’s still on a quest for the perfect pancake. (Maybe you can recommend the perfect short stack?)


Waiting on Wednesday-Reawakened by Colleen Houck





Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


Jenn's Pick :I Can't wait for:


Reawakened (Reawakened, #1)
Reawakened by Colleen Houck  
August 11yh 2015  


                 
When seventeen-year-old Lilliana Young enters the Metropolitan Museum of Art one morning during spring break, the last thing she expects to find is a live Egyptian prince with godlike powers, who has been reawakened after a thousand years of mummification.

And she really can't imagine being chosen to aid him in an epic quest that will lead them across the globe to find his brothers and complete a grand ceremony that will save mankind.

But fate has taken hold of Lily, and she, along with her sun prince, Amon, must travel to the Valley of the Kings, raise his brothers, and stop an evil, shape-shifting god named Seth from taking over the world.

From New York Times bestselling author Colleen Houck comes an epic adventure about two star-crossed teens who must battle mythical forces and ancient curses on a journey with more twists and turns than the Nile itself.

I loved loved loved her Tiger Saga so  I am very excited to see another book...series by this author and Egyptian... yes...
 
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