Book Den

Currently Reading | NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

2013-05-13T08:24:00.000-05:00

My Currently Reading posts are shared as part of Book Journey's It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a beautiful Mother's Day yesterday. It stormed and stormed the days leading up to Mother's Day, and then it was beautiful outside. The charging port is totally shot on my Kindle Fire so hubs and the kids gave me a new Kindle Fire HD for Mother's Day. (They are so sweet! I'm spoiled rotten.) This thing looks amazing. I haven't had a chance to pimp it out yet. I can't stand reading on the normal Kindle app so I'm thankful my copy of NOS4A2 is in print!

Last week I read (and actually reviewed) I Travel by Night by Robert McCammon. I also read Bob Harper's new book Jumpstart to Skinny. I absolutely do not recommend Jumpstart to Skinny. (But I do recommend Bob's The Skinny Rules if you enjoy reading about nutrition and such.)

As I mentioned, I'm currently reading NOS4A2 by Joe Hill which is really, really great so far. It's a chunky monkey so I'll be reading it all week I'm sure.

I hope you guys are also reading something really great this week!! Let me know what you are reading in the comments or leave me a link!

Review | I Travel by Night by Robert McCammon

2013-05-09T09:00:00.002-05:00

I Travel by Night is a new novella from Robert McCammon. Picture me dancing as I say that.

I Travel by Night marks Robert McCammon's triumphant return to the sort of flamboyant, go-for-broke horror fiction that has earned him an international reputation and a legion of devoted fans. The terrors of the Dark Society, the gothic sensibilities of old New Orleans, and the tortured existence of the unforgettable vampire adventurer Trevor Lawson all combine into a heady brew that will thrill McCammon s loyal readers and earn him new ones as well.

For Lawson, the horrors that stalked the Civil War battlefield at Shiloh were more than just those of war. After being forcibly given the gift of undeath by the mysterious vampire queen LaRouge, Lawson chose to cling to what remained of his humanity and fought his way free of the Dark Society's clutches. In the decades since, he has roamed late nineteenth century America, doing what good he can as he travels by night, combating evils mundane and supernatural, and always seeking the key to regaining a mortal life.

That key lies with his maker, and now Lawson hopes to find LaRouge at the heart of a Louisiana swamp with the aid of a haunted priest and an unexpected ally. In the tornado-wracked ghost town of Nocturne, Lawson must face down monstrous enemies, the rising sun, and his own nature. Readers will not want to miss this thrilling new dark novella from a master storyteller.

My feelings regarding I Travel by Night can be summed up with this statement: I need more Trevor Lawson!

I need, need, need more Trevor Lawson. If you didn't read the book description, Trevor Lawson is the gunslinging vampire in I Travel by Night.

Speaking of gunslinging, did you notice I Travel by Night was illustrated by Michael Whelan? I've been a huge fan of Michael Whelan since before even reading Stephen King's The Gunslinger (which he also illustrated).

But I digress. Let's get back to Trevor Lawson. As much as I loved reading I Travel by Night, it felt more like a prequel - only the beginning - to something awesome. OK, I'm off to Google. I can't stand not knowing!

Thank God:

The most recent novella, I Travel by Night: are we going to see some more adventures for Trevor Lawson?

Yes we are. I’ve got the next one on the drawing board, but I’m not sure exactly when I’m going to get to it. We’re going to do some more – two more, I know. The next one is totally different.

And keeping the sidekick?

Yes, we’re going to go with that.

Two more! That's an excerpt from a recent Sci-Fi Bulletin interview with McCammon.

I Travel by Night is a novella weighing in at 152 pages so I can't say much about the actual story without spoiling it. I obviously loved the characters so I'm ecstatic they will be back.

The Louisiana swamp setting was awesome. I think that bears repeating. The vampires were in the swamp.

If you've never read McCammon, please do. I don't care which one. If you like creatures of the night, if you like adventuring gunslingers, if you want a taste of McCammon, pick this one. I can't possibly recommend an author higher than McCammon, and I Travel by Night was a great read.

8/10: Great Read

The Great McCammon Read

If you'd like to read more of my reviews of McCammon's books, you can check out the details of my The Great McCammon Read here. I've been neglecting this challenge, but I plan to revisit and relax with McCammon over the summer.

Currently Reading | Rump and I Travel by Night

2013-04-22T07:11:00.000-05:00

My Currently Reading posts are shared as part of Book Journey's It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I've been on a non-fiction kick lately so things have been pretty quiet around here. Two stand out books I just finished are The Spark: A Mother's Story of Nurturing Genius and Bob Harper's The Skinny Rules. The Spark was excellent. I will be thinking about that book... forever probably.

I'm currently reading Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin which is so cute so far. I'm also reading I Travel by Night by Robert McCammon because it arrived in the mail, and I couldn't resist starting it. It was released super early so hooray for pre-ordering and getting an awesome early surprise!

I hope everyone has a really great week with warm weather and lots of reading! Be sure to let me know what you are reading this week (or leave me a link!).

Book Review | Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

2013-04-11T05:26:00.000-05:00

I wanted to read Ordinary Grace for the atmosphere promised by the book description. Coming of age stories are my absolute favorite, and the vision of growing up in the early 60s with baseball and root beer and family secrets made me really want to read Ordinary Grace. I'm happy to say Ordinary Grace delivered much of what I was hoping for.

In the opening of Ordinary Grace, it was revealed that a young boy had been killed on the railroad tracks outside of town. This immediately called forth Stephen King's The Body (the story on which Stand by Me was based). For me that set a wonderful tone for the rest of Ordinary Grace which follows Frank and his brother Jake through a summer in New Bremen, Minnesota in 1961.

I loved both Frank and Jake as well as most of the people closest to them. The one exception would be their mother. At first, I loved her honesty and her individuality, but I eventually grew to hate her. The more I hated her, though, the more I grew to love their father.

If you prefer there be no religion in your fiction, this is not the book for you. Frank and Jake's father is a preacher and religion is interwoven throughout Ordinary Grace. I thought the religious aspect was handled very well and there were several moving spiritual moments in Ordinary Grace.

All in all, I enjoyed reading Ordinary Grace. Along with the wonderment that is inherent in a coming of age story, Ordinary Grace is about loss and tragedy and how a family holds itself together. It was a refreshingly well rounded story. It's been a long time since I've read something that felt as developed as Ordinary Grace.

If you enjoy contemporary mysteries and coming of age stories, Ordinary Grace might be a great pick for you. The mystery wasn't shocking, but the journey through the summer of 1961 was a good one.

6/10: Good Read

Review copy provided by publisher

Waiting on Wednesday | The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

2013-04-03T05:28:00.000-05:00

This post is being shared as part of Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday.

I'm embarrassed to admit how much Neil Gaiman I have not yet read. So I won't. But I will admit to being very excited about his upcoming release: The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane
by Neil Gaiman
Expected publication: June 18th 2013

THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE is a fable that reshapes modern fantasy: moving, terrifying and elegiac - as pure as a dream, as delicate as a butterfly's wing, as dangerous as a knife in the dark, from storytelling genius Neil Gaiman.

It began for our narrator forty years ago when the family lodger stole their car and committed suicide in it, stirring up ancient powers best left undisturbed. Dark creatures from beyond the world are on the loose, and it will take everything our narrator has just to stay alive: there is primal horror here, and menace unleashed - within his family and from the forces that have gathered to destroy it.

His only defense is three women, on a farm at the end of the lane. The youngest of them claims that her duckpond is an ocean. The oldest can remember the Big Bang.

Someone is having a serious love affair with the simile, no? But I digress...

Dark creatures, other worlds, mysterious and possibly magical women... I'm so there. I'm dying to know all about the ocean that is in her duckpond.

Discussion:
Are you a Neil Gaiman fan? Is The Ocean at the End of the Lane on your wishlist? What are you anxiously awaiting this week? Be sure to let me know in the comments or leave me a link!

Book Review | The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente

2013-04-02T05:39:00.000-05:00

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making is the first book in Catherynne M. Valente's Fairyland series.

Twelve-year-old September lives in Omaha, and used to have an ordinary life, until her father went to war and her mother went to work. One day, September is met at her kitchen window by a Green Wind (taking the form of a gentleman in a green jacket), who invites her on an adventure, implying that her help is needed in Fairyland. The new Marquess is unpredictable and fickle, and also not much older than September. Only September can retrieve a talisman the Marquess wants from the enchanted woods, and if she doesn’t . . . then the Marquess will make life impossible for the inhabitants of Fairyland. September is already making new friends, including a book-loving Wyvern and a mysterious boy named Saturday.

With exquisite illustrations by acclaimed artist Ana Juan, Fairyland lives up to the sensation it created when the author first posted it online. For readers of all ages who love the charm of Alice in Wonderland and the soul of The Golden Compass, here is a reading experience unto itself: unforgettable, and so very beautiful.

I just went six months without a single 5-star read and then suddenly I read two in a row!

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland was a beautiful read. The writing was so brilliant and so imaginative. I absolutely loved it.

There was a lot of this:

One ought not to judge her: all children are Heartless. They have not grown a heart yet, which is why they can climb high trees and say shocking things and leap so very high grown-up hearts flutter in terror. Hearts weigh quite a lot. That is why it takes so long to grow one. But, as in their reading and arithmetic and drawing, different children proceed at different speeds. (It is well known that reading quickens the growth of a heart like nothing else.) Some small ones are terrible and fey, Utterly Heartless. Some are dear and sweet and Hardly Heartless At All. September stood very generally in the middle on the day the Green Wind took her, Somewhat Heartless, and Somewhat Grown.

And it made me feel just like this:

There is a place, September, oh, very far from Pandemonium. A place where it is always autumn, where there is always cider and pumpkin pie, where leaves are always orange and fresh-cut wood is always burning and it is always, just always Halloween.

That's one of the best feelings in the world right there, and The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland was simply a joy to read.

There was a whole host of imaginative characters in The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland, and I loved every single one of them. Even the evil Marquess. September was an awesome little girl to follow on an adventure. I totally fell in love with her, and I cannot wait to start another adventure with her in the second book.

I have to say, the ending to The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland is exactly how I wish all books in a series would end. There was enough closure to feel like I was given the entire story, but also a spark of excitement for what's to come.

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making is an imaginative coming-of-age fairy tale that I highly recommend to anyone who is young at heart. It is one I am certain to revisit again and again.

10/10: Awesome

Waiting on Wednesday | The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

2013-03-27T06:54:00.000-05:00

This post is being shared as part of Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday.

I am on a roll with fantasy reads right now so I'm really looking forward to reading The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker.

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
Expected publication: April 23rd 2013 by Harper

Helene Wecker's dazzling debut novel tells the story of two supernatural creatures who appear mysteriously in 1899 New York. Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a strange man who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic. When her master dies at sea on the voyage from Poland, she is unmoored and adrift as the ship arrives in New York Harbor. Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire, born in the ancient Syrian Desert. Trapped in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard centuries ago, he is released accidentally by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop.

Struggling to make their way in this strange new place, the Golem and the Jinni try to fit in with their neighbors while masking their true natures. Surrounding them is a community of immigrants: the coffeehouse owner Maryam Faddoul, a pillar of wisdom and support for her Syrian neighbors; the solitary ice cream maker Saleh, a damaged man cursed by tragedy; the kind and caring Rabbi Meyer and his beleaguered nephew, Michael, whose Sheltering House receives newly arrived Jewish men; the adventurous young socialite Sophia Winston; and the enigmatic Joseph Schall, a dangerous man driven by ferocious ambition and esoteric wisdom.

Meeting by chance, the two creatures become unlikely friends whose tenuous attachment challenges their opposing natures, until the night a terrifying incident drives them back into their separate worlds. But a powerful menace will soon bring the Golem and the Jinni together again, threatening their existence and forcing them to make a fateful choice.

Marvelous and compulsively readable, The Golem and the Jinni weaves strands of folk mythology, historical fiction, and magical fable into a wondrously inventive and unforgettable tale.

Do you have the Golem and the Jinni on your wishlist? What are you anxiously awaiting this week? Be sure to let me know in the comments or leave me a link!

Currently Reading | Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

2013-03-25T05:36:00.000-05:00

My Currently Reading posts are shared as part of Book Journey's It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Last week I gave up on The Lords of Salem. After about 70% or so I decided I just couldn't take it any longer. I didn't care about the characters nor what was happening to them, but mostly I was ticked because every time something interesting would happen, it would end with "It was only a dream" or "She woke up suddenly" and I had had enough of all that.

I finally finished reading The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. I can't wait to pick up the next book in the series.

I just started reading William Kent Krueger's Ordinary Grace. I'm not far enough in to have an opinion yet, but I'm hoping the novel lives up to the feeling of wonder and tragedy I get from reading the book's description.

From New York Times bestselling author William Kent Krueger comes a brilliant new novel about a young man, a small town, and murder in the summer of 1961.

New Bremen, Minnesota, 1961. The Twins were playing their debut season, ice-cold root beers were at the ready at Halderson’s Drug Store soda counter, and Hot Stuff comic books were a mainstay on every barbershop magazine rack. It was a time of innocence and hope for a country with a new, young president. But for thirteen-year-old Frank Drum it was a summer in which death assumed many forms.

When tragedy unexpectedly comes to call on his family, which includes his Methodist minister father, his passionate, artistic mother, Juilliard-bound older sister, and wise-beyond-his years kid brother, Frank finds himself thrust into an adult world full of secrets, lies, adultery, and betrayal.

On the surface, Ordinary Grace is the story of the murder of a beautiful young woman, a beloved daughter and sister. At heart, it’s the story of what that tragedy does to a boy, his family, and ultimately the fabric of the small town in which he lives. Told from Frank’s perspective forty years after that fateful summer, it is a moving account of a boy standing at the door of his young manhood, trying to understand a world that seems to be falling apart around him. It is an unforgettable novel about discovering the terrible price of wisdom and the enduring grace of God.

I'm in one of those reading moods where I panic every time I think about what I want to read next. There are so many amazing books I want to read right now. Does that ever happen to you? Do you panic when you realize you simply won't have time to read them all?

Notable New Book Releases | March 17 - March 23

2013-03-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

I hope you guys had an excellent week. This week's new release post is a small one but a great one. Don't forget to enter the giveaway for Lee Thompson's Gossamer!

These are the books that caught my eye this past week:

Six Years by Harlan Coben
March 19th 2013

Six years have passed since Jake Sanders watched Natalie, the love of his life, marry another man. Six years of hiding a broken heart by throwing himself into his career as a college professor. Six years of keeping his promise to leave Natalie alone, and six years of tortured dreams of her life with her new husband, Todd.

But six years haven’t come close to extinguishing his feelings, and when Jake comes across Todd’s obituary, he can’t keep himself away from the funeral. There he gets the glimpse of Todd’s wife he’s hoping for . . . but she is not Natalie. Whoever the mourning widow is, she’s been married to Todd for more than a decade, and with that fact everything Jake thought he knew about the best time of his life—a time he has never gotten over—is turned completely inside out.

As Jake searches for the truth, his picture-perfect memories of Natalie begin to unravel. Mutual friends of the couple either can’t be found or don’t remember Jake. No one has seen Natalie in years. Jake’s search for the woman who broke his heart—and who lied to him—soon puts his very life at risk as it dawns on him that the man he has become may be based on carefully constructed fiction.

Harlan Coben once again delivers a shocking page-turner that deftly explores the power of past love and the secrets and lies that such love can hide.

Gossamer: A Story of Love and Tragedy
March 19th 2013

An ancient witch, Dorothy Good, has lost everything to the vampire who has blown in on the hot desert wind and lain waste to her soul and her town. When a young family arrives at the end of a two week battle, she sees a chance to end the bloodshed and possibly regain a portion of what was stolen.

But they're heavily outnumbered and night is falling...

Did either of these books make it on to your shelf or your wishlist? What books were you excited about past week?

Giveaway | Gossamer by Lee Thompson

2013-03-21T05:32:00.000-05:00

If you don't know this by now, I'm a huge fan of Lee Thompson. He's a master at all of that dark, imaginative stuff I rave about around here. I'll post a list of review links at the bottom of this post in case you need to witness an obscene amount of fangirling.

But for today - I have an awesome giveaway.

Gossamer: A Story of Love and Tragedy was released this week, and Lee has offered to give away an ecopy to FIVE of you. Be sure to enter the rafflecopter below!

Gossamer by Lee Thompson
Publication Date: March 19, 2013
Amazon | Smashwords | Goodreads

An ancient witch, Dorothy Good, has lost everything to the vampire who has blown in on the hot desert wind and lain waste to her soul and her town. When a young family arrives at the end of a two week battle, she sees a chance to end the bloodshed and possibly regain a portion of what was stolen.

But they're heavily outnumbered and night is falling...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Reviews of Lee Thompson's Books:
Review: Crooked Stick Figures by Lee Thompson

Review: Before Leonora Wakes by Lee Thompson
Book Review: Nursery Rhymes 4 Dead Children by Lee Thompson
Review: Iron Butterflies Rust by Lee Thompson
Book Review: The Dampness of Mourning by Lee Thompson
Review | Down Here in the Dark by Lee Thompson
Review | When We Join Jesus in Hell by Lee Thompson

Waiting on Wednesday | Sky Jumpers by Peggy Eddleman

2013-03-20T05:04:00.001-05:00

This post is being shared as part of Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday.

Sweet merciful heavens I want to be a Sky Jumper! I cannot get past this cover and how awesome it would be to cliff dive into the Bomb's Breath like these badass cover kids are doing.

Sky Jumpers (Sky Jumpers #1)
by Peggy Eddleman
September 24th 2013 by Random House Books for Young Readers

12 year old Hope lives in White Rock, a town struggling to recover from the green bombs of World War III. The bombs destroyed almost everything that came before, so the skill that matters most in White Rock—sometimes it feels like the only thing that matters—is the ability to invent so that the world can regain some of what it’s lost.

But Hope is terrible at inventing and would much rather sneak off to cliff dive into the Bomb's Breath— the deadly band of air that covers the crater the town lives in— than fail at yet another invention.

When bandits discover that White Rock has invented priceless antibiotics, they invade. The town must choose whether to hand over the medicine and die from disease in the coming months or to die fighting the bandits now. Hope and her friends, Aaren and Brock, might be the only ones who can escape through the Bomb’s Breath and make the dangerous trek over the snow-covered mountain to get help. For once, inventing isn't the answer, but the daring and risk-taking that usually gets Hope into trouble might just save them all.

OK, so the dying from disease or at the hands of bandits doesn't sound as insanely awesome as the cliff diving, but I am totally joining Hope, Aaren, and Brock on their trek for help!!

What about you? Would you jump into a deadly band of air like these kids are doing? I cannot wait to read all about it.

Discussion:
Do you read Middle Grade books? What are you anxiously awaiting this week? Be sure to let me know in the comments or leave me a link!

Book Review | Dreams and Shadows by C. Robert Cargill

2013-03-19T05:41:00.000-05:00

Dreams and Shadows is the debut novel of C. Robert Cargill.

Book Description

There is another world than our own, as close and intimate as a kiss, as terrifying and haunting as nightmares, a realm where fairies and djinns, changelings and angels, all the stuff of which dreams are made is real...and where magic awaits in the shadows, just a hidden step away. Between this realm and that other lies a veil, a gossamer web that muddles the vision of mortal man and keeps him from seeing what is all around him. Sometimes, someone pierces that protective veil. But one glimpse of this world can forever transform lives. Just ask Ewan and Colby...

Once upon the time, the pair were once bold explorers and youthful denizens of this magical realm, until they left that world behind them. Now, Ewan is a musician living in Austin, and has just met the girl he wants to marry. Colby is still coping with the consequences of an innocent childhood wish that haunts him all these years later. While their time in the Limestone Kingdom is little more than a distant memory, this supernatural world has never forgotten them. And in a world where angels relax on rooftops, whiskey-swilling genies and foul-mouthed wizards argue metaphysics, and monsters in the dark feed on fear, both will learn that fate can never be outrun.

The many fans of Neil Gaiman, Lev Grossman, Erin Morgenstern, and Kim Harrison will love this fabulous debut tale of the magic and monsters in our world...and in ourselves.

I loved Dreams and Shadows. I need to start reading more fantasy. It is always the imaginative reads that blow me away. I must have highlighted and wrote things down about a bajillion times while reading Dreams and Shadows, but I'm still having trouble finding the right words to describe all of my emotions toward this book.

Dreams and Shadows had a beautiful beginning that turned very dark very fast. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt when I laid my head down to sleep that first night I was going to have nightmares about my children. And I did.

There were beautiful moments of childhood innocence, friendship, and what it's like to grow older, but most of Dreams and Shadows remained a pretty dark read. There were a lot of supernatural creatures in this book: fairies, goblins, djinn, angels, tricksters, but you don't need to be a regular reader of folklore to love Dreams and Shadows. A lot of the fairy creatures were new to me, and it was the story of Colby and Ewan - the two human boys who visited the Limestone Kingdom - that had me glued to the pages.

If you love dark, imaginative reads, I highly, highly recommend Dreams and Shadows. It will easily be one of my favorite reads of the year.

10/10: Awesome

Currently Reading and My Return to Work

2013-03-18T12:54:00.000-05:00

My Currently Reading posts are shared as part of Book Journey's It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I had big plans to write this post yesterday and schedule it, but I ran out of time. Today is my first day back at work after my maternity leave! (Thus the quick post on my lunch hour.) Thankfully I'm not a complete mess today, but I am super swamped. There is no such thing as easing back into things around here.*le sigh*

Let's talk books!

Last week I finished reading:

Requiem by Lauren Oliver - Review

Dreams and Shadows by C. Robert Cargill - So Good!

What I'm currently in the middle of reading:

My goal is to finish all three this week so you won't have to keep seeing them in my updates!

I do have a couple of Blu-ray/DVD giveaways going on right now if you are interested. One is for Return to Nim's Island and the other is for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

Discussion:
What are you reading this week? Be sure to let me know in the comments or leave me a link!

Giveaway | The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Blu-ray Combo Pack

2013-03-17T07:54:00.000-05:00

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is being released on Blu-ray & DVD March 19th 2013, and I have excellent news!

Warner Bros. has offered to give one lucky Book Den reader a copy of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Blu-ray Combo Pack!

J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic adventure follows the journey of Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an amazing quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Sorcerers.

From Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” the first of a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien.

I do hope you will invite me over for a viewing.

If you'd like to enter to win a Blu-ray Combo Pack of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, fill out the Rafflecopter at the bottom of the post.

Be sure to check out the fun links in the interactive The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey app below. (They are worth extra entries!)

Open to US and Canada only
Contest Policy

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Notable New Book Releases | March 10 - March 16

2013-03-16T09:06:00.000-05:00

Today's post is huge. There were a lot of great releases this past week. As much as my new releases posts excite me, they also depress me. I want to read all the books. The new releases that caught my eye this week are:

Rage Against the Dying by Becky Masterman
March 12th 2013

You have never met an (ex) FBI agent like Brigid Quinn

“Keeping secrets, telling lies, they require the same skill. Both become a habit, almost an addiction, that’s hard to break even with the people closest to you, out of the business. For example, they say never trust a woman who tells you her age; if she can’t keep that secret, she can’t keep yours. I’m fifty-nine.”

Brigid Quinn's experiences in hunting sexual predators for the FBI have left her with memories she wishes she didn’t have and lethal skills she hopes never to need again. Having been pushed into early retirement by events she thinks she's put firmly behind her, Brigid keeps telling herself she is settling down nicely in Tucson with a wonderful new husband, Carlo, and their dogs.

But the past intervenes when a man named Floyd Lynch confesses to the worst unsolved case of Brigid’s career—the disappearance and presumed murder of her young protégée, Jessica. Floyd knows things about that terrible night that were never made public, and offers to lead the cops to Jessica's body in return for a plea bargain.

It should finally be the end of a dark chapter in Brigid’s life. Except…the new FBI agent on the case, Laura Coleman, thinks the confession is fake, and Brigid finds she cannot walk away from violence and retribution after all, no matter what the cost.

With a fiercely original and compelling voice, Becky Masterman's Rage Against the Dying marks the heart-stopping debut of a brilliant new thriller writer.

Poison by Bridget Zinn
March 12th 2013

Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she’s the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom’s future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.

But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart…misses.

Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king’s army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she’s not alone. She’s armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can’t stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?

Kyra is not your typical murderer, and she’s certainly no damsel-in-distress—she's the lovable and quick-witted hero of this romantic novel that has all the right ingredients to make teen girls swoon.

Chasing the Prophecy (Beyonders #3)
by Brandon Mull
March 12th 2013

The #1 New York Times bestselling Beyonders fantasy trilogy comes to a stunning and epic conclusion.

Jason and Rachel were not born in Lyrian. They did not grow up in Lyrian. But after all of the battles and losses, the triumphs and adventures, and most of all, the friendships forged in this fantastical world, Lyrian has become home to them in a way they never could have imagined.

And so, armed now with the prophecy of a dying oracle, they have gone on their separate quests—each surrounded by brave and powerful allies—knowing that the chance for success is slim. But Jason and Rachel are ready at last to become the heroes Lyrian needs, no matter the cost.

The Menagerie
by Tui T. Sutherland, Kari Sutherland
Expected publication: March 12th 2013

Logan Wilde is accidentally drawn into the mysterious, dangerous world of the Menagerie when he discovers a griffin hiding under his bed . . . and it leads him straight to the weirdest girl in seventh grade, Zoe Kahn.

Zoe is panicking. Her family has been guarding the Menagerie for centuries. If they don't get the cubs back fast, the whole place will be shut down. To save the griffins' lives, she's willing to break all the rules, even if it means letting an outsider like Logan help. But the real mystery remains: Is someone trying to sabotage the Menagerie?

Who let the griffins out . . .and why?

Seven Kinds of Hell (Fangborn #1)
by Dana Cameron
March 12th 2013

Archaeologist Zoe Miller has been running from a haunting secret her whole life. But when her cousin is abducted by a vicious Russian kidnapper, Zoe is left with only one option: to reveal herself.

Unknown to even her closest friends, Zoe is not entirely human. She’s a werewolf and a daughter of the “Fangborn,” a secretive race of werewolves, vampires, and oracles embroiled in an ancient war against evil.

To rescue her cousin, Zoe will be forced to renew family ties and pit her own supernatural abilities against the dark and nefarious foe. The hunt brings Zoe to the edge of her limits, and with the fate of humanity and the Fangborn in the balance, life will be decided by an artifact of world-ending power.

Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead
by Sheryl Sandberg
March 11, 2013

Thirty years after women became 50 percent of the college graduates in the United States, men still hold the vast majority of leadership positions in government and industry. This means that women’s voices are still not heard equally in the decisions that most affect our lives. In Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg examines why women’s progress in achieving leadership roles has stalled, explains the root causes, and offers compelling, commonsense solutions that can empower women to achieve their full potential.

Sandberg is the chief operating officer of Facebook and is ranked on Fortune’s list of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business and as one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. In 2010, she gave an electrifying TEDTalk in which she described how women unintentionally hold themselves back in their careers. Her talk, which became a phenomenon and has been viewed more than two million times, encouraged women to “sit at the table,” seek challenges, take risks, and pursue their goals with gusto.

In Lean In, Sandberg digs deeper into these issues, combining personal anecdotes, hard data, and compelling research to cut through the layers of ambiguity and bias surrounding the lives and choices of working women. She recounts her own decisions, mistakes, and daily struggles to make the right choices for herself, her career, and her family. She provides practical advice on negotiation techniques, mentorship, and building a satisfying career, urging women to set boundaries and to abandon the myth of “having it all.” She describes specific steps women can take to combine professional achievement with personal fulfillment and demonstrates how men can benefit by supporting women in the workplace and at home.

Written with both humor and wisdom, Sandberg’s book is an inspiring call to action and a blueprint for individual growth. Lean In is destined to change the conversation from what women can’t do to what they can.

The Lords of Salem
by Rob Zombie and B. K. Evenson
March 12, 2013

From the singular mind of horror maestro Rob Zombie comes a chilling plunge into a nightmare world where evil runs in the blood...

Heidi Hawthorne is a thirty-seven-year-old FM radio DJ and a recovering drug addict. Struggling with her newfound sobriety and creeping depression, Heidi suddenly receives an anonymous gift at the station-a mysteriously shaped wooden box branded with a strange symbol. Inside the box is a promotional record for a band that identifies themselves only as The Lords. There is no other information.

She decides to play it on the radio show as a joke, and the moment she does, horrible things begin to happen. The strange music awakens something evil in the town. Soon enough, terrifying murders begin to happen all around Heidi. Who are The Lords? What do they want?

As old bloodlines are awakened and the bodies start to pile up, only one thing seems certain: all hell is about to break loose.

Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza
March 12, 2013

Mila was living with her mother in a small Minnesota town when she discovered she was also living a lie.

She was never meant to learn the truth about her identity. She was never supposed to remember the past.

Now she has no choice but to run--from the dangerous operatives who want her terminated because she knows too much, and from a mysterious group that wants to capture her alive and unlock her advanced technology.

Evading her enemies won't help Mila escape the cruel reality of what she is and cope with everything she has had to leave behind. However, what she's becoming is beyond anyone's imagination, including her own, and that just might save her life.

A compulsively readable sci-fi thriller, Mila 2.0 is Debra Driza's bold debut and the first book in an action-filled, Bourne Identity-style trilogy.

Discussion:
Where you excited about any new releases this week? Which ones? Where you excited about any that didn't make my list? Did you get a chance to start any of your favorite new releases?

Giveaway | Return to Nim's Island Blu-ray Combo Pack

2013-03-15T08:08:00.000-05:00

Did you guys see the 2008 movie adaptation of Nim's Island? It was a cute movie. I remember how excited I was because I love those kind of island/shipwreck adventure stories. It was based on the book Nim's Island by Wendy Orr (which I have not read).

The sequel Return to Nim's Island is premiering tonight (March 15th 2013 at 7/8C) on the Hallmark Channel. It stars Bindi Irwin (Steve Irwin's daughter). She's so grown up!

The reason I am bringing this up is Walden Media & Hallmark Channel have offered to give one lucky Book Den reader a Return to Nim's Island Blu-ray Combo Pack. Pretty sweet.

My kids are the perfect age for Nim's Island so we will be watching.

If you'd like to enter to win a Blu-ray Combo Pack of Return to Nim's Island, fill out the Rafflecopter at the bottom of the post.

Be sure to check out the fun links in the interactive Return to Nim's Island app below. (They are worth extra entries!)

Open to US and Canada only
Contest Policy

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review | Requiem by Lauren Oliver

2013-03-14T05:28:00.000-05:00

If you aren't familiar with the Delirium trilogy, Requiem is the third and final book. In the Delirium series, love is a disease and the folks in the books have a procedure done to be cured from amor deliria nervosa (love).

As I stated in my review of the first book, Delirium, love isn't just about the romantic love between two people. It's the love of friends, the love of hobbies, the love of the small details as well as the large.

Like most dystopian books, there is a lot of suspense, darkness, and conflict in this series. Good times (for the reader). The second book was kind of lackluster for me, but the ending... oh, the ending. I'm not normally a fan of the cliffhanger, but I did love the ending to Pandemonium. I needed Requiem after that ending!

Thus, I've been waiting and waiting to read Requiem which you know if you follow this blog. I hoped Requiem would pick up just seconds after Pandemonium, but I was very pleased with how Requiem began. In fact I was pleased with most of Requiem. I'd seen the low ratings. I'd read some of the spoiler free reviews. I was happy I was loving it so much because my expectations were no longer high.

Once I reached the end of Requiem, however, I understood all too well why this book was not well received. My poor hubby had to hear so much bitching from me last night. My main beef with this book (and the entire series I have devoted so much time toward) was there was no ending. No ending, no resolutions. I'm all for literature that makes me think. I have no problem when things are left up to my imagination, but when you leave the actual story up to my imagination, I feel robbed.

I feel robbed.

4/10: Not My Thing
2 stars - One star because I thought I was going to love it, and one star for Hana.

Waiting on Wednesday | Doctor Sleep by Stephen King

2013-03-13T06:13:00.000-05:00

This post is being shared as part of Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday.

Yesterday I posted my top ten wishlist books being released in the spring. I'm going to skip out to September today and show some love and anticipation for another upcoming Stephen King release. The Shining has a very special place in my heart. It was the first King book I read in my childhood, and I read it many times. It will always be one of my favorite books of all time. I should be nervous about a sequel, but I'm not. I'm excited! I absolutely cannot wait for Doctor Sleep!

Doctor Sleep (The Shining #2)
by Stephen King
September 24th 2013 by Scribner

Stephen King returns to the characters and territory of one of his most popular novels ever, The Shining, in this instantly riveting novel about the now middle-aged Dan Torrance (the boy protagonist of The Shining) and the very special twelve-year-old girl he must save from a tribe of murderous paranormals.On highways across America, a tribe of people called The True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless—mostly old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs. But as Dan Torrance knows, and spunky twelve-year-old Abra Stone learns, The True Knot are quasi-immortal, living off the “steam” that children with the “shining” produce when they are slowly tortured to death.

Haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel where he spent one horrific childhood year, Dan has been drifting for decades, desperate to shed his father’s legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence. Finally, he settles in a New Hampshire town, an AA community that sustains him, and a job at a nursing home where his remnant “shining” power provides the crucial final comfort to the dying. Aided by a prescient cat, he becomes “Doctor Sleep.”

Then Dan meets the evanescent Abra Stone, and it is her spectacular gift, the brightest shining ever seen, that reignites Dan’s own demons and summons him to a battle for Abra’s soul and survival. This is an epic war between good and evil, a gory, glorious story that will thrill the millions of devoted readers of The Shining and satisfy anyone new to the territory of this icon in the King canon.

That cover! I love that cover. Who is on that cover? I ordered my copy of Doctor Sleep... now I just need September to get here!

Discussion:
Have you read The Shining? Will you be reading Doctor Sleep? What books are you anxious for this week? Let me know in the comments or leave me a link!

Top Ten Spring 2013 Book Release Wishlist

2013-03-12T08:09:00.000-05:00

Spring is almost here and it is putting me in the best mood! The weather is still chilly, but I have high hopes for warmth soon! I have plans, baby. I also some really great reading plans for this spring. These are my top ten wishlisted books for Spring 2013.

10. Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff
9. Six Years by Harlan Coben
8. The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

7. The Menagerie by Tui T. Sutherland, Kari Sutherland
6. Red Moon by Benjamin Percy
5. The 5th Wave (The Fifth Wave #1) by Rick Yancey

4. Poison by Bridget Zinn
3. House of Rain by Greg F. Gifune
2. NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

1. I Travel by Night by Robert R. McCammon

Discussion:
Are any of these books on your spring wishlist? What book are you looking forward to the most this spring?

This post is shared as part of Top Ten Tuesday at The Broke and The Bookish.

Currently Reading | Requiem by Lauren Oliver

2013-03-11T06:16:00.000-05:00

My Currently Reading posts are shared as part of Book Journey's It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Teach Mentor Text's It's Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA

I thought my main read this week was going to be The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (which I did get a copy of by the way!), but I got completely sucked into Requiem. Thank you negative reviewers for lowering my expectations to the point where Requiem is now exceeding my expectations. It is quite a lovely read so far.

I will say, though, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland is an awesome read so far. I'm going to do the slow savor on that one. I want to hang on to every word.

I finished the third Jack Reacher book (Tripwire) last week. I enjoyed it a lot so I'm back on a good reading streak! I'm also reading and loving Jillian Michael's Slim for Life if anyone enjoys reading health related books.

Discussion:
What are you reading this week? I'm curious as to whether you guys like to read non-fiction reviews. Do you prefer to only see fiction reviews?

Notable New Book Releases | March 3 - March 9

2013-03-09T12:27:00.000-06:00

These are the new book releases that caught my eye this week:

Requiem (Delirium #3) by Lauren Oliver
March 5th 2013 by HarperTeen

Spoiler Alert if you have not read the first two books in the Delirium series

This exciting finale to Lauren Oliver's New York Times bestselling Delirium trilogy is a riveting blend of nonstop action and forbidden romance in a dystopian United States.

Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has transformed. The nascent rebellion that was underway in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.

After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven. Pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels.

As Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain of the Wilds, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor. Requiem is told from both Lena and Hana's points of view. They live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.

With lyrical writing, Lauren Oliver seamlessly interweaves the peril that Lena faces with the inner tumult she experiences after the reappearance of her first love, Alex, the boy she thought was dead. Sophisticated and wide-ranging, Requiem brings the Delirium trilogy to a thrilling conclusion.

The Nightmare Affair (The Arkwell Academy #1)
by Mindee Arnett
March 5th 2013 by Tor Teen

Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare.

Literally.

Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder.

Then Eli's dream comes true.

Now Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.

Orleans by Sherri L. Smith
March 7th 2013 by Putnam Juvenile

First came the storms.
Then came the Fever.
And the Wall.

After a string of devastating hurricanes and a severe outbreak of Delta Fever, the Gulf Coast has been quarantined. Years later, residents of the Outer States are under the assumption that life in the Delta is all but extinct…but in reality, a new primitive society has been born.

Fen de la Guerre is living with the O-Positive blood tribe in the Delta when they are ambushed. Left with her tribe leader’s newborn, Fen is determined to get the baby to a better life over the wall before her blood becomes tainted. Fen meets Daniel, a scientist from the Outer States who has snuck into the Delta illegally. Brought together by chance, kept together by danger, Fen and Daniel navigate the wasteland of Orleans. In the end, they are each other’s last hope for survival.

Sherri L. Smith delivers an expertly crafted story about a fierce heroine whose powerful voice and firm determination will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page.

The Culling (The Torch Keeper #1)
by Steven dos Santos
March 8th 2013 by Flux

Recruitment Day is here...if you fail, a loved one will die

For Lucian “Lucky” Spark, Recruitment Day means the Establishment, a totalitarian government, will force him to become one of five Recruits competing to join the ruthless Imposer task force. Each Recruit participates in increasingly difficult and violent military training for a chance to advance to the next level. Those who fail must choose an “Incentive”—a family member—to be brutally killed. If Lucky fails, he’ll have to choose death for his only living relative: Cole, his four-year-old brother.

Lucky will do everything he can to keep his brother alive, even if it means sacrificing the lives of other Recruits’ loved ones. What Lucky isn’t prepared for is his undeniable attraction to the handsome, rebellious Digory Tycho. While Lucky and Digory train together, their relationship grows. But daring to care for another Recruit in a world where love is used as the ultimate weapon is extremely dangerous. As Lucky soon learns, the consequences can be deadly...

The Murmurings by Carly Anne West
Published March 5th 2013 by Simon Pulse

Everyone thinks Sophie’s sister, Nell, went crazy. After all, she heard strange voices that drove her to commit suicide. But Sophie doesn’t believe that Nell would take her own life, and she’s convinced that Nell’s doctor knows more than he’s letting on.

As Sophie starts to piece together Nell’s last days, every lead ends in a web of lies. And the deeper Sophie digs, the more danger she’s in—because now she’s hearing the same haunting whispers. Sophie’s starting to think she’s going crazy too. Or worse, that maybe she’s not….

Discussion:
Where you excited about any new releases this week? Which ones? Where you excited about any that didn't make my list? Did you get a chance to start any of your favorite new releases?

Additional Topics of Interest:
Notable New Book Releases | Feb. 24 - March 2
Waiting on Wednesday | Requiem by Lauren Oliver
Notable New Book Releases | Feb. 10 - Feb. 16

Waiting on Wednesday | Viral Nation by Shaunta Grimes

2013-03-06T05:55:00.000-06:00

This post is being shared as part of Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday.

This week I am pining for Viral Nation by Shaunta Grimes. Expected publication: July 2nd 2013 by Berkley Trade.

After a virus claimed nearly the entire global population, the world changed. The United States splintered into fifty walled cities where the surviving citizens clustered to start over. The Company, which ended the plague by bringing a life-saving vaccine back from the future, controls everything. They ration the scant food and supplies through a lottery system, mandate daily doses of virus suppressant, and even monitor future timelines to stop crimes before they can be committed.

Brilliant but autistic, sixteen-year-old Clover Donovan has always dreamed of studying at the Waverly-Stead Academy. Her brother and caretaker, West, has done everything in his power to make her dream a reality. But Clover’s refusal to part with her beloved service dog denies her entry into the school. Instead, she is drafted into the Time Mariners, a team of Company operatives who travel through time to gather news about the future.

When one of Clover’s missions reveals that West’s life is in danger, the Donovans are shattered. To change West’s fate, they’ll have to take on the mysterious Company. But as its secrets are revealed, they realize that the Company’s rule may not be as benevolent as it seems. In saving her brother, Clover will face a more powerful force than she ever imagined and will team up with a band of fellow misfits and outsiders to incite a revolution that will change their destinies forever.

I love the premise of bringing a vaccine back from the future. If a virus completely decimated the globe, it seems plausible that The Company would take total control after bringing back the vaccine. Viral Nation could be an awesome read. (And a dog!)

Are you dying to read any books that aren't out yet? What books are you pining for this week? Let me know in the comments (or leave me a link!).

Book Review | Ex-Heroes by Peter Clines

2013-03-05T05:20:00.000-06:00

Ex-Heroes is the first book in Peter Clines's Ex-Heroes series.

Stealth. Gorgon. Regenerator. Cerberus. Zzzap. The Mighty Dragon. They were heroes, using their superhuman abilities to make Los Angeles a better place.

Then the plague of living death spread around the globe. Billions died, civilization fell, and the city of angels was left a desolate zombie wasteland.

Now, a year later, the Mighty Dragon and his companions protect a last few thousand survivors in their film-studio-turned-fortress, the Mount. Scarred and traumatized by the horrors they’ve endured, the heroes fight the armies of ravenous ex-humans at their citadel’s gates, lead teams out to scavenge for supplies—and struggle to be the symbols of strength and hope the survivors so desperately need.

But the hungry ex-humans aren’t the only threats the heroes face. Former allies, their powers and psyches hideously twisted, lurk in the city’s ruins. And just a few miles away, another group is slowly amassing power . . . led by an enemy with the most terrifying ability of all.

Peter Clines's books are damn fun. After reading 14, I knew I had to see what Clines would do with superheroes and zombies. I was not disappointed.

I'm starting to find I enjoy superhero books. I read Raymond Rose's The Fire Inside a couple of years ago, and I really enjoyed it. I've been wanting some more superhero action. I didn't dream they would be fighting zombies. Win!

There are two things I want when I'm reading a zombie book: science and something new. Ex-Heroes has both. I was surprised and so pleased to find an adequate connection between the superheroes and the zombies. There was also a lot of just plain zombie fun, too.

If you aren't sick of zombies yet and you want something fun to read, Ex-Heroes will provide you with some good entertainment.

7/10: Recommended Read

Discussion:
So let me hear it - are you still loving the zombies or have you had enough? As for superheroes, if you've read a superhero book you loved, I'd love to have some recommendations.

Currently Reading | Tripwire by Lee Child

2013-03-04T06:19:00.000-06:00

My Currently Reading posts are shared as part of Book Journey's It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I finished reading Peter Clines's Ex-Heroes last week. It was a superhero vs. zombie book and a whole lot of fun. I also read Stalking You Now by Jeff Strand which was a miss for me, but my Goodreads friends loved it.

Then I entered into the dreaded reading funk! Oh, how I hate those. I've been pulling books off my shelf and going through my Kindle files and nothing feels right. I finally decided I would read The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making only to find out I don't actually own it.

Thank goodness for the Jack Reacher series. Until I pull myself out of this funk, I'm reading book 3 (Tripwire) of the series.

One more thing about The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland..., my library only has the sequel. Why would they do that? You would think they would have ordered the first one as well if they were going to order the series. Unfortunately I don't have access to very good libraries here. I actually pay to use a library in a nearby town. How sad is that? I pay to use a library.

So I hope all is well with you! I look forward to hearing what you are reading this week. Either let me know in the comments or link me to a post.

Discussion:
What are you reading this week? Do you have an awesome library in your town? I get so jealous when I see great library loot posts.

Storybook Sunday | Dr. Seuss Edition

2013-03-03T06:27:00.000-06:00

Storybook Sunday is where I talk about what I'm reading with my kids. It's the lighter side of Book Den.

Yesterday was Dr. Seuss's birthday. We are big fans of Dr. Seuss at our house, and it has become a tradition to read all of our Dr. Seuss books during the week of his birthday. Our old daycare provider used to do this each year and it stuck!

We have several books that are not written by Dr. Seuss but are part of the Dr. Seuss library. We make sure to read those books as well.

These are the books we read during the week:

There are quite a few Dr. Seuss books we don't own. My three year old has fallen in love with The Lorax movie so I was pretty bummed this week that we don't own a copy of The Lorax book. I definitely need to remedy that!

Discussion:
Are you a fan of Dr. Seuss? What are your favorite Dr. Seuss books?