Chick Lit

Rating: 4/5 Publisher: CreateSpace Publish Date: October 29, 2012 Origins: From Blog Tour for Review Format: Trade Paperback Order Links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kindle / Nook / iTunes Synops...
Rating: 4/5 Publisher: CreateSpace Publish Date: October 29, 2012 Origins: From Blog Tour for Review Format: Trade Paperback Order Links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kindle / Nook / iTunes Synopsis: Archaeologist Dr. Angela Hunter discovers an ancient codex at a Mississippian Indian dig site in the St. Louis area. Knowing the Mississippians, or Mound Builders, had no written language, she is determined to solve the mystery of the 700-year-old, perfectly preserved codex.In the early 1300’s, an Aztec family is torn apart. A judge rebelling against the Aztec tradition of human sacrifice is cursed and escapes his enemies with his 12-year-old son. They travel from the Gulf of Mexico up the Mississippi River to settle in the thriving community of Migaduha, modern-day Cahokia Mounds, Illinois.Angela recognizes the symbols as Aztec pictograms and begins to translate the story. However, other forces also want the codex and will do anything to get it. Can she learn the secrets of the chronicle before the tragic events of the past are repeated today? Review: Angela Hunter is an archaeologist working on a dig in the Cahokia Mounds. When a beautiful jar with a birdman etched on it is found, Angela is given the jar to date and open. When she and her father, fellow archaeologist Peter Hunter, open the jar they find a codex. The codex, as Angela learns when she is translating it, is the story of an Aztec family who had to endure much to stop an evil so great it decimated an entire civilization. Yet, there are forces at work which strive to stop Angela as she gets ever closer to the truth… ‘Chronicle of the Mound Builders’ was a fascinating story told fully in two times – the present, with Angela and Joseph, and the past, with Tototl and Chipahua. I felt the details we learned through Tototl and Chipahua’s struggle against an evil nahualli (or priest), Ichtaca, gave enormous depth and realism to the story. I think if we only had the story as told through the codex as Angela translated it, we wouldn’t have as rich an understanding of the evil which threatens the present day. As the past and present collide, the action picks up and you’re waiting breathlessly to see what happens next! I was instantly caught up in the story which is a testament to the astounding amount of research the author did. ‘Chronicle of the Mound Builders’ is a spellbinding tale! Author Website
29 minutes ago
"She arrives glowing from the effort of running, strands of red hair coming loose from her kerchief (she tucks them in, marks on her neck like bruises on fruit. A few minutes late but not enough for anyone to mention it. Is almost surp...
"She arrives glowing from the effort of running, strands of red hair coming loose from her kerchief (she tucks them in, marks on her neck like bruises on fruit. A few minutes late but not enough for anyone to mention it. Is almost surprised to find herself in the wards once more amid illness and suffering (on an evening such as this). Her mind is elsewhere."Girl Reading ~ by Katie Ward, 2011, fictionHaving posted information about this book when I got it from the library, I know the seven chapters are peopled by girls and women caught in the act of reading, and the book celebrates women in culture over the last seven centuries.This first chapter is about "Simone Martini, Annunciation, 1333," and now I'm curious about why she's late, why she has bruises on her neck, what she's doing amid illness and suffering in the wards, and what on her mind that is "elsewhere." Like Tracy Chevalier's Girl With a Pearl Earring, this novel revolves around art. I've already discovered the cover is a close-up of the artwork above. Each woman in each chapter is, as it were, caught reading. Who are these women, and will we be told what they're reading?Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays. Click here for today's Mister Linky.
about 6 hours ago
My Writing Playlist I’m delighted to be here on Chick Loves Lit with Shanyn, talking about one of my favorite topics – MUSIC! You know, there are so many different elements that you need to keep in balance while writing a series. P...
My Writing Playlist I’m delighted to be here on Chick Loves Lit with Shanyn, talking about one of my favorite topics – MUSIC! You know, there are so many different elements that you need to keep in balance while writing a series. Plot, dialogue, character development, overall story arc, individual character arc… and all of those elements must be seeped in the TONE of your series, if it’s going to work. What’s the key to tone? For me, it’s music. I have a station on Pandora and an ITunes playlist that I’ve used every day while writing this series. As soon as I hear one of these songs, my brain switches over to Dean or Alex or Josie (the three narrators of the series). Here are some of the songs I most identify with the kids from Monument, CO in the year 2024. Miss Her When I’m Gone – Sean Hayes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_POc5QhT58) The scattershot lyrics of this soulful tune really catch in my ear. If Dean grew up and became a rock star – this is the song his adult self would write. There’s so much love running through this song, even whenr the lyrics stray. I put this on when I need to give myself a jump start. There’s somethng about the Wah-waah that the horns croon (I think those are horns – maybe it’s an accordion!) that both soothes me and gives my characters the strength to perservere. Remembering – Avishai Cohen (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4kc0Aby2vA) Listen to how conversational the melody line of this song is. I can almost envision a scene within this song – I hear Dean telling a story, retelling the story of something that has happened. And as the scene unfolds, he shares something that’s painful to him. Some secret outs itself right around 2:05, doesn’t it? Something urgent, that must be shared. Oh, I just love it! Avishai Cohen is an Israeli Jazz bassist. His work is both rhythmic and addictively melodic. Try it, you’ll see what I mean. Modul 46 from Nik Bartsch’s Ronin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qSeYCj8PP8) Here’s the song I think of when I’m writing a long, tense scene. A scene with lots of action, where your heart’s in your mouth. This song is taut and has a high vibrating frequency to it that makes me feel, ell… tense and anxious. Just as Alex might feel when he’s describing the dark march that he and the other kids must take in the second half of Sky On Fire. (Is that a spoiler? Maybe just a wee titch of a spoiler – I’m hoping it will function more as an apertif, whetting your appetite to find out what happens to those dear, lost kids…) Talk Show Host – Christopher O’Riley Plays Radiohead (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gy2uSLy5K_g) This is the aftermath song – the song I’d play when I wrote a scene where the characters look around and see what they’ve done. After the shooting scene in Monument 14. Or the moment with Dean and the chainsaw in SKY ON FIRE – this song expresses heaviness, shock and horror, to me. Try putting this song on and writing to it. Just see what feeling it brings up for you… Film theme from Road To Perdition – Thomas Newman (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XN3ogbTuDSE) Soundtracks are wonderful for setting a mood. Why? Because they’re written to set a mood! This theme from Road To Perdition summons in me a feeling of hopefullness – I used it to key into the light of optimism that Dean sees shining through the darkness at the end of SKY ON FIRE. Everything In Its Right Place – Radiohead (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjRjwwXhPzE) Oh, this song slices right through the heart. There’s a threat of violence in this song. Rising tension and a scary build – this song feels like it’s about to careen out of control. More than any other song, this is the song I think of when I think of Dean, the narrator (and co-narrator) of the MONUMENT 14 Series. It’s a paradox of a song – the melody line builds towards a joyful emotional crecendo, but is shot through with this cree
about 9 hours ago
WELCOME TO BOOKIN' WITH BINGO'S" ARE YOU LISTENING? DAY" I AM EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE TODAY'S AUDIO BOOK CHOICE.... INFERNORead by Paul Michael BY DAN BROWNABOUT THE BOOK:In his international blockbusters The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons...
WELCOME TO BOOKIN' WITH BINGO'S" ARE YOU LISTENING? DAY" I AM EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE TODAY'S AUDIO BOOK CHOICE.... INFERNORead by Paul Michael BY DAN BROWNABOUT THE BOOK:In his international blockbusters The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, and The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown masterfully fused history, art, codes, and symbols. In this riveting new thriller, Brown returns to his element and has crafted his highest-stakes novel to date.In the heart of Italy, Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon is drawn into a harrowing world centered on one of history’s most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces . . . Dante’s Inferno.Against this backdrop, Langdon battles a chilling adversary and grapples with an ingenious riddle that pulls him into a landscape of classic art, secret passageways, and futuristic science. Drawing from Dante’s dark epic poem, Langdon races to find answers and decide whom to trust . . . before the world is irrevocably altered.ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Dan Brown is the author of numerous #1 bestselling novels, including the recent record-breaking The Lost Symbol, which had the biggest one-week sale in Random House history for a single title. His previous title, The Da Vinci Code, has sold more than 80 million copies worldwide, making it one of the bestselling novels of all time. In addition to numerous appearances on The Today Show, Mr. Brown was named one of the World's 100 Most Influential People by Time Magazine. He has appeared in the pages of Newsweek, Forbes, People, GQ, The New Yorker, and others. His novels are published in over 50 languages around the world. To read more about this fascinating author, visit his website "Bio" HERE. HAVE YOU READ ANY OTHER DAN BROWN BOOKS? PRAISE FOR INFERNO:"Jampacked with tricks...A BOOK-LENGTH SCAVENGER HUNT that Mr. Brown creates so energetically."--Janet Maslin, The New York Times"AS CLOSE AS A BOOK CAN COME TO A SUMMERTIME CINEMATIC BLOCKBUSTER…Brown builds up Langdon's supporting cast, which is the strongest yet."--USA Today"FAST, CLEVER, WELL-INFORMED…DAN BROWN IS THE MASTER OF THE INTELLECTUAL CLIFFHANGER."--The Wall Street Journal"BROWN IS AT HIS BEST when he makes readers believe that dusty books and musty passageways are just covers for ancient global conspiracies."--The Washington Post"A DIVERTING THRILLER…Brown stocks his latest book with all the familiar elements: puzzles, a beautiful female companion, and hints of secret conspiratorial agendas."--EW.com"HARROWING FUN threaded with coded messages, art history, science, and imminent doom."--Daily News (New York) MY THOUGHTS/REVIEW:Like so many of you, I have waited for Dan Brown's latest book, INFERNO, for so long. In that this book is kept under lock and key until the release date on May 21, I only received my book and audio book after that date. I am taking my time reading it so that I can enjoy it to the fullest. It is so amazing and I am very wrapped up in it. I save my INFERNO reading time for the quiet part of my day, late when all my other work is done so I can just enjoy it to the fullest. With that, I want you to know that I will be posting my review soon and you will be able to get BONUS ENTRIES when you comment on it there as well. Yes, you need to comment here but you also should watch for the review and comment there as well as it increases your chances so much. Many followers forget to do this second part so I will try and have it posted at least two days before the deadline. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I am and watch for my review!GIVEAWAYTHANKS TO RICHARD AND THE GOOD PEOPLE AT RANDOM HOUSE AUDIO BOOKS, I HAVE ONE COPY OF DAN BROWN'S AUDIO BOOK INFERNO, TO GIVE AWAY TO ONE VERY LUCKY FOLLOWER! --U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY --NO P. O. BOXES, PLEASE --INCLUDE EMAIL ADDRESS IN COMMENT --ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE IN ORDER TO COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE ENTRY HOW TO ENTER:+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FOUND INTERESTING A
about 9 hours ago
"A religion is as much a progressive unlearning of false ideas concerning God as it is the learning of the true ideas concerning God."— Rabbi Mordecai M. Kaplan (1881-1983), founder of the Reconstructionist movement of Judaism
"A religion is as much a progressive unlearning of false ideas concerning God as it is the learning of the true ideas concerning God."— Rabbi Mordecai M. Kaplan (1881-1983), founder of the Reconstructionist movement of Judaism
about 14 hours ago
First off my apologies for taking so long to pick the winners of the Spring Blog Carnival. Life cane be distracting sometimes! Anywho you don't care about that you just want to know who won....so without further ado the winners ar...
First off my apologies for taking so long to pick the winners of the Spring Blog Carnival. Life cane be distracting sometimes! Anywho you don't care about that you just want to know who won....so without further ado the winners are as follows: First Place (5 books): Vivien Second Place (3 books): FakeSteph Third Place (2 books): Clarissa To recap the books up for grabs are: Clarity by Kim Harrington* Obsidian by Jennifer Armentrout* Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor* Rise of Renegade X by Chelsea Campbell Devils Kiss by Sarwat Chadda* Unnatural Creatures by Neil Gaiman Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey * Transparent by Natalie Whipple Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers (Can substitute this for a pre-order of What Goes Around which is Some Girls Are and Cracked up to Be in one volume.) Hourglass by Myra McEntire* *Can substitute out for another book in series if you already have this book Congratulations to all the winners and thanks everyone else for entering. I'll be contacting the winners shortly. Vivien will get first pick of the books on the list followed by FakeSteph and Clarissa will get the remainder.
about 19 hours ago
“For the first time in my life, I didn’t feel envy…” Tess is the exact opposite of her beautiful, athletic sister. And that’s okay. Kristina is the sporty one, Tess is the smart one, and they each have their place. Until Kristina is diag...
“For the first time in my life, I didn’t feel envy…” Tess is the exact opposite of her beautiful, athletic sister. And that’s okay. Kristina is the sporty one, Tess is the smart one, and they each have their place. Until Kristina is diagnosed with cancer. Suddenly Tess is the center of the popular crowd, everyone eager for updates. There are senior boys flirting with her. Yet the smiles of her picture-perfect family are cracking and her sister could be dying. Now Tess has to fill a new role: the strong one. Because if she doesn’t hold it together, who will? This book is the iBookstore Book of the Week! That means you can get it for FREE in the iBookstore! A crowd gathers for the funeral. The church walls seem to strain to accommodate the bodies, but there isn’t enough space for everyone. People cram together, squished thigh to thigh in the pews, shoulder to shoulder in aisles. The back is standing room only. Not surprisingly, I don’t hear anyone complain. I hardly hear any sound at all except the occasional whisper, cough, or sniffle. Everyone wears dark colors, even kids who don’t usually follow rules or social customs. I guess it’s like that when someone young is snatched from the earth. It’s wrong on so many levels that thinking about it makes my already sad heart ache even harder. Dad says parents shouldn’t have to bury their children. He says a lost child leaves a hole in the heart of the parents, a hole hacked out with a dull knife. The heart can function with the wound, but it never entirely heals. chapter one No matter how much I don’t want to care, it’s not easy being stranded all alone in the middle of a crowded room, like the ugliest dog at the animal shelter. Kristina shoved me into her shiny red Toyota like she’s my fairy godmother, insisting I do the party “for my own good.” But other than a few heys and disinterested stares, no one notices that I’m there. Before long, even Kristina forgets about me. Swept up by her friends and admirers, Kristina leaves me bathing in my own flop sweat. I begin plotting my escape just as a drunk guy plunks down on the couch beside me and leans against me for support. Smoke and alcohol fumes waft off him and he blocks me, pinning me in place. Wrinkling my nose, I elbow him in the side, trying to move him. He hacks up the equivalent of a human fur ball, focuses his eyes on me, and then grins the carefree smile of the intoxicated. He leans closer, giving me an up-close view of the angry red pimples on his shiny skin. “Hey, Freshie. You’re Kristina’s little sister aren’t you?” He whistles through his teeth. “She’s seriously hot.” He’s implying that I’m not and, honestly, I’d be okay with his observation if he’d get out of my way. I take a deep breath, but no words form in my mouth. I glare at him but he doesn’t notice. His long blondish hair curls up at the edges and in the middle of his face is a big crooked nose that looks like it’s been broken or something, but the imperfection kind of works on him. His eyes look like they might have been a great shade of blue before the alcohol consumption hit, but they’re pretty much pinkish now. Folding my arms across my chest, I push hard with my shoulder, but he doesn’t budge. Other than the brief pant over my sister, there’s no indication he even notices I’m not part of the furniture. I wiggle and push and finally make progress, when he snaps his arm out and grabs mine, pulling me back down. The strength in his arm is deceptive for such a skinny guy. “What’s she like?” Drunk Pimple Guy stares at her, his voice dripping with the kind of reverence people save for the very famous or very beautiful. Far as I know, Kristina isn’t famous outside of Great Heights, but even I can’t deny she has the beauty part down. Breathing deep, I try to shake him off but he doesn’t let go. Propelled by growing humiliation, I decide to give him some truths. “She burps. Red meat gives her gas and she won’t eat anything that contains a carbohydrate. Oh, and she ta
about 21 hours ago
Title: Renfred's Masquerade Author: Hayden Thorne Publisher: Queerteen Press (imprint of JMS Books) Series: None Other Reviews for This Author: A crap ton, and rightly so! Hayden Thorne is a dear friend and will the...
Title: Renfred's Masquerade Author: Hayden Thorne Publisher: Queerteen Press (imprint of JMS Books) Series: None Other Reviews for This Author: A crap ton, and rightly so! Hayden Thorne is a dear friend and will therefore not be getting officially "rated" in this review. That's partially because I love all of her books to bits, and partially because my reviews have bias, especially now that I've gone long past casual acquaintanceship stage with her. That being said: read this damn book. Seriously. You shouldn't even bother reading this review - just go out and buy or borrow the book, because it's wonderful and one of the best examples of an amazing writer of LGBTQ genre fiction that should be getting a bigger marketing push at a big publisher somewhere. Renfred's Masquerade is part fable, part fantasy, and part history. It's Thorne's most personal book to-date and has a sense of timeless storytelling about it that will make it perfect for readers across a broad range of genres and ages. Renfred's Masquerade is a fairy tale. Nicola Gregori's father is a craftsman, a maker of clocks that astound and amaze with their gothic brilliance. They are works of art as much as they are functioning timepieces. Nicola has always wanted to follow in his father's footsteps in making such brilliant things. Nicola's father has other desires for his son. He sends Nicola off to a boarding school to learn about things that are non-magical and non-creative; the hope that practicality will prevent Nicola from attempting to live the life of a starving artist. Going away to school doesn't help Nicola. His love of his father's artistry doesn't diminish. Home feels a million miles away, a paradise, as Nicola gets teased for his right leg. It was deformed due to infantile paralysis, a constant reminder that Nicola is different from the privileged boys around him at school. To go back to Papa and the clocks - that is what Nicola desires, just as he desires the ability to craft them. Tragedy doesn't take this childish longing into account, though, as Nicola eventually loses his father and finds himself alone in the world. A friend of Nicola's father takes him on and boats him away to an islet of deserted mansions and nightly masquerade balls filled with noise and light, a place of ghosts that cannot be shaken. Gustav Renfred, the family friend, lives on the island with his twin, the lady Costanza. The Renfred twins find Nicola a welcome addition to their spectral island, even as he begins to explore the nightly masquerades, uncovering a boy that attends the balls and has connections to the Renfred's. Nicola befriends this boy, Davide, and slowly becomes aware of the reasons behind Davide's presence at the masquerades - and why Davide can never leave them. A fairytale that blends the light and the dark with an Italian twist, Renfred's Masquerade is a tender story about love and recovery that goes far beyond a simple boy to boy romance. I loved everything about this book - Hayden Thorne has outdone herself with Renfred's Masquerade. Her books show a consistent growth in authorial voice and writing ability, and this piece is probably struck the strongest in terms of emotional connectivity with me as a reader and as a writer. Thorne's writing has always taken great inspiration from fairy tales, whether they are the ones of a dark, sadistic medieval Europe or the comic book stories that have grown popular in the past century. Each of her books has had a level of timelessness to it - even the contemporary stories have that feeling, which is something very special - and that timelessness also seems to effect how well I respond to the book. While I've loved all of her books, Renfred's Masquerade just has this particularly astounding tone to it that feels like it could work for any age of reader. There's a lightness to the story that prevents it from being bogged down with angst or extraneous characters, bu
about 23 hours ago
Rating: 5/5 Publisher: Mulholland Books Publish Date: May 7, 2013 Origins: From Publisher for Review Format: Hardcover Order From: Amazon / Barnes & Noble Synopsis: GASLIT LONDON IS BROUGHT TO ...
Rating: 5/5 Publisher: Mulholland Books Publish Date: May 7, 2013 Origins: From Publisher for Review Format: Hardcover Order From: Amazon / Barnes & Noble Synopsis: GASLIT LONDON IS BROUGHT TO ITS KNEES IN DAVID MORRELL'S BRILLIANT HISTORICAL THRILLER.Thomas De Quincey, infamous for his memoir Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, is the major suspect in a series of ferocious mass murders identical to ones that terrorized London forty-three years earlier.The blueprint for the killings seems to be De Quincey's essay "On Murder Considered as One of the Fine Arts." Desperate to clear his name but crippled by opium addiction, De Quincey is aided by his devoted daughter Emily and a pair of determined Scotland Yard detectives.In Murder as a Fine Art, David Morrell plucks De Quincey, Victorian London, and the Ratcliffe Highway murders from history. Fogbound streets become a battleground between a literary star and a brilliant murderer, whose lives are linked by secrets long buried but never forgotten. Author Bio: David Morrell is a Canadian novelist from Kitchener, Ontario, who has been living in the United States for a number of years. He is best known for his debut 1972 novel First Blood, which would later become a successful film franchise starring Sylvester Stallone. More recently, he has been writing the Captain America comic books limited-series The Chosen.For more information on David Morrell and his novels, please visit the official website. You can also follow David on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Review: Thomas De Quincey and his daughter Emily have been brought to London under mysterious circumstances. While they are in London, vicious and brutal murders take place reminiscent of murders from over forty years earlier. As De Quincey’s essay "On Murder Considered as One of the Fine Arts" describes the murders in detail, the Scotland Yard is determined to receive De Quincey’s assistance or secure his arrest. De Quincey and his daughter are in a race to clear his name amidst the growing civil unrest and his laudanum fueled dreams. ‘Murder as a Fine Art’ is an addictive read! It is so easy to get drawn into the world of Victorian London in 1854 through Mr. Morrell’s vivid description, dialogue, and characters. An intensely compelling and exciting book, ‘Murder as a Fine Art’ will capture the senses and the imagination. I don’t want to give anything of the story away – just read this book! Author Website Author Twitter Author Facebook Author Google +
1 day ago
Cat Patrick has some of the most inventive premises in YA, and I love her for that. FORGOTTEN (read my review) and REVIVED (read my review) were both solid reads.THE ORIGINALS gives us three cloned sisters who must share the life of one ...
Cat Patrick has some of the most inventive premises in YA, and I love her for that. FORGOTTEN (read my review) and REVIVED (read my review) were both solid reads.THE ORIGINALS gives us three cloned sisters who must share the life of one girl or risk being "found out" (by whom is never clear, which deflated the tension a bit for me). Lizzie takes mornings and she and her sisters Ella and Betsey are fine with this arrangement. Until the day Lizzie gets switched to afternoons, meets Sean and gets a huge crush on him.Suddenly, it's the most important thing in the world to Lizzie that she be allowed to live her own life and make her own choices -- so she risks everything by telling Sean her family's secret (an aside: what's up with all the "intra-trust" in YA novels lately?).I mean, I guess I get it - because I wanted to trust Sean too. He's incredibly appealing and he and Lizzie have great chemistry. Their fight to be together - and their relationship in general - was the highlight here for me.Another highly original story from Cat Patrick! Find out more about THE ORIGINALS.FTC disclosure: ARC from ALAAnd here's what the other Bookanistas are reading:Elana Johson is enthralled by CROWN OF EMBERS by Rae CarsonStasia Ward Kehoe is mesmerized by GRAVE MERCY by Robin LaFeversChristine Fonseca adores DEAD SILENCE by Kimberly DertingCorrine Jackson revels in ALONG FOR THE RIDE by Sara DessenKaty Upperman is charmed by QUINTANA OF CHARYN by Melina MarchettaKimberly Sabatini is touched by TARNISH by Katherine Longshore
1 day ago