The Resurrectionist: The Lost Work of Dr. Spencer Black

by E. B. Hudspeth

Release Date: 2013-05-21

Philadelphia, the late 1870s. A city of gas lamps, cobblestone streets, and horse-drawn carriages—and home to the controversial surgeon Dr. Spencer Black. The son of a grave robber, young Dr. Black studies at Philadelphia’s esteemed Academy of Medicine, where he develops an unconventional hypothesis: What if the world’s most celebrated mythological beasts—mermaids, minotaurs, and satyrs—were in fact the evolutionary ancestors of humankind?   The Resurrectionist offers two extraordinary books in one. The first is a fictional biography of Dr. Spencer Black, from a childhood spent exhuming corpses through his medical training, his travels with carnivals, and the mysterious disappearance at the end of his life. The second book is Black’s magnum opus: The Codex Extinct Animalia, a Gray’s Anatomy for mythological beasts—dragons, centaurs, Pegasus, Cerberus—all rendered in meticulously detailed anatomical illustrations. You need only look at these images to realize they are the work of a madman. The Resurrectionist tells his story.

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Big Thanks to Quirk Books for sending me a copy of this book!!

AND as always, big thanks to you for popping by to see what I was rambling on about. LOL

Hope you have a great weekend.

Just a reminder, I usually post pics of the books I get right as I get them on to my facebook page so make sure to click over and LIKE the page – then you’ll see what books I get as I get them instead of waiting till I do a “book haul” video. I’ll still do haul videos every couple of weeks, too. So… yeah. All righty then.

The Caged Graves

by Dianne K. Salerni

Release Date: 2013-05-14

The year is 1867, and seventeen-year-old Verity Boone is excited to return from Worcester, Massachusetts, to Catawissa, Pennsylvania, the hometown she left when she was just a baby. Now she will finally meet the fiancé she knows only through letters! Soon, however, she discovers two strangely caged graves . . . and learns that one of them is her own mother’s. Verity swears she’ll get to the bottom of why her mother was buried in “unhallowed ground” in this suspenseful teen mystery that swirls with rumors of witchcraft, buried gold from the days of the War of Independence, and even more shocking family secrets.

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Big Thanks to Clarion Books  for sending me a copy of this book!!

AND as always, big thanks to you for popping by to see what I was rambling on about. LOL

Hope you have a great weekend.

Just a reminder, I usually post pics of the books I get right as I get them on to my facebook page so make sure to click over and LIKE the page – then you’ll see what books I get as I get them instead of waiting till I do a “book haul” video. I’ll still do haul videos every couple of weeks, too. So… yeah. All righty then.

Big Daddy’s Rules: Raising Daughters Is Tougher Than I Look

by Steve Schirripa

Release Date: 2013-05-07

What happens when a world-famous tough guy takes on the toughest job of all— becoming a father? Welcome to the world of the Big Daddy. Steve Schirripa is known for his star turns on The Sopranos and The Secret Life of the American Teenager, but in his own life he’s the father of two daughters of his own—and a self-confessed human volcano. In Big Daddy’s Rules, Schirripa tells all and brings a welcome dose of old-school advice (and new-school humor) to the parenting wars. “You’re not there to be a friend,” Schirripa says bluntly. “You’re there to be a dad.” Schirripa serves up the heartwarming and hilarious stories of how he and his wife navigated the wild waters of parenthood: from the moment the tough guy’s heart melted when he held his first-born in his arms to what he felt (and did) the time he caught someone looking at his teenage daughter’s butt. He lays out all the rules for being a Big Daddy— someone who is strong, devoted, and always looking out for his kids’ best interests, even when that means not being the coolest dad on the block. Overprotective? Maybe. Willing to tone it down? Absolutely not. Big Daddy’s Rules is filled with tales of his over-the-top yet heartfelt parenting style—confronting bad teachers, staring down boyfriends, and explaining just how crazy you’re allowed to get if you catch your kid drinking (hint: really, really crazy). With a mixture of street-smart bravado and selfeffacing humor, Schirripa pulls no punches as he delivers his no-bull stance on what it takes to raise kids today. He’s uproariously funny, but Schirripa isn’t just cracking jokes here; this is also a call to action for dads to return to common-sense parenting and reclaim their role as protector and holder of values to be passed down.

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Big Thanks to Touchstone for sending me a copy of this book!!

AND as always, big thanks to you for popping by to see what I was rambling on about. LOL

Hope you have a great weekend.

Just a reminder, I usually post pics of the books I get right as I get them on to my facebook page so make sure to click over and LIKE the page – then you’ll see what books I get as I get them instead of waiting till I do a “book haul” video. I’ll still do haul videos every couple of weeks, too. So… yeah. All righty then.

The Pact by CN Bring

Release Date: 2013-04-25

Commander Celia Kelly is a perceptive Naval Intelligence Officer rebuilding her life after the tragic loss of her husband. Newly assigned a mission planning Intel for a SEAL Team…The suspicious suicide of a fellow Officer has Kelly questioning everything. Kelly discovers she’s been set up. Digging relentlessly, nothing is as it seems. Someone is after twenty million dollars that disappeared when Kelly’s husband went MIA and now that someone is after her! With surprises at the turn of every page, the original characters and three dimensional plot lines keep the suspense going until the very end.

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Available in:
HARDCOVER
PAPERBACK
KINDLE

Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin Trilogy)

By: Robin LaFevers

Published by: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Released On: 2013-04-02

ISBN: 0547628382
Pages: 400

Genre: Fantasy / YA

Author’s Website:
http://www.robinlafevers.com/
Author’s Social:   Twitter  |  Facebook

Format of Review Copy: Hardback
Source: ARC

Recommendable for people who enjoy: action adventure, historical fiction, and/or strong female characters

Synopsis (from Amazon):

Sybella arrives at the convent’s doorstep half mad with grief and despair. Those that serve Death are only too happy to offer her refuge—but at a price. Naturally skilled in both the arts of death and seduction, the convent views Sybella as one of their most dangerous weapons.

But those assassin’s skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to a life that nearly drove her mad. Her father’s rage and brutality are terrifying, and her brother’s love is equally monstrous. And while Sybella is a weapon of justice wrought by the god of Death himself, He must give her a reason to live. When she discovers an unexpected ally imprisoned in the dungeons, will a daughter of Death find something other than vengeance to live for?

This heart-pounding sequel to Grave Mercy serves betrayal, treachery, and danger in equal measure, bringing readers back to fifteenth century Brittany and will keep them on the edge of their seats.

My Thoughts:

 I’ll start out this by just telling you up front… I LOVED THIS BOOK.

The beginning of DARK TRIUMPH was a little confusing for me, and I had to read it twice before I realized what was happening.  In this book, which is the second book in the series, the beginning is actually like a rewind of the end of book one,  Grave Mercy.  Only, in this version we are getting the scene from an alternate perspective.

DARK TRIUMPH follows Sybella, one of the side characters from the first book.  She is, like Ismae,  a Daughter of Mortain (an assassin for Death).  Just like Ismae, she is a strong female lead.  And just like with Ismae, there is an unexpected love interest. *who, btw, was my favorite character in the first book! OMG!*

I love the “story” of this series.  So much so, that the romance didn’t bother me AT ALL.  Which is odd.  I hate romance. Usually.  In fact, I may have swooned a time or two in this one. haha. OMG, Im such a girl!

This book has historical aspects, action, drama, thrills, romance…  Did I mention action? Unlike the first book,  Grave Mercy, at no point in this story was I wishing it would “get on with it.”  The pacing for me was perfect. Along with the plot.

In Conclusion:

Great series!  I definitely recommend this to you guys!  I was surprised that the second book did not follow the same characters as the first but I think it allowed me to love this “world” more.  You must read the first book, Grave Mercy,  before reading this one though, or you will be completely lost!  Looking forward to book three and yet another set of characters!

Mom Notes:

I think this book would maybe be best for ages  13+.  Contains violence.  The main character is an assassin for Death. Death in this book is a “god”, and I feel this may lead to questions about faith and religion/beliefs for younger readers.

For Parents and Students:
This title is not currently listed.  However book one in the series, GRAVE MERCY, is listed as:

ATOS Book Level:  5.9
Interest Level:    Upper Grades (UG 9-12)
AR Points:  20
Lexile: 850L

Earlier this month, I recieved Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

by April Genevieve Tucholke

Release Date: 2013-08-15

You stop fearing the Devil when you’re holding his hand… Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town…until River West comes along. River rents the guesthouse behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard. Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more? Violet’s grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery…who makes you want to kiss back. Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. And that’s just how River likes it. A gothic thriller romance with shades of Stephen King and F. Scott Fitzgerald, set against a creepy summertime backdrop–a must-read for fans of Beautiful Creatures, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, and Anna Dressed in Blood.

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Big Thanks to Dial for sending me a copy of this book!!

AND as always, big thanks to you for popping by to see what I was rambling on about. LOL

Hope you have a great weekend.

Just a reminder, I usually post pics of the books I get right as I get them on to my facebook page so make sure to click over and LIKE the page – then you’ll see what books I get as I get them instead of waiting till I do a “book haul” video. I’ll still do haul videos every couple of weeks, too. So… yeah. All righty then.

This weekend, I’ll be reading Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

Release Date: 2012-12-11

The New York Times bestseller In a land where magic has been forgotten but peace has reigned for centuries, a deadly unrest is simmering. Three kingdoms grapple for power—brutally transforming their subjects’ lives in the process. Amidst betrayals, bargains, and battles, four young people find their fates forever intertwined: Cleo: A princess raised in luxury must embark on a rough and treacherous journey into enemy territory in search of a magic long thought extinct. Jonas: Enraged at injustice, a rebel lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country impoverished—and finds himself the leader of a people’s revolution centuries in the making. Lucia: A girl adopted at birth into a royal family discovers the truth about her past—and the supernatural legacy she is destined to wield. Magnus: Bred for aggression and trained to conquer, a firstborn son begins to realize that the heart can be more lethal than the sword. . . . The only outcome that’s certain is that kingdoms will fall. Who will emerge triumphant when all they know has collapsed?

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So how bout it, what are YOU reading this weekend?

For more videos for #FridayReads – Make sure you check out all of this weeks video responses over on youtube!

Books mentioned in this haul-

Thats it from me this week!  What d’you get?!!

Tales from Lovecraft Middle School #3: Teacher’s Pest

by Charles Gilman

Release Date: 2013-05-07

“Two-headed monsters, giant tentacles, angry demons—Lovecraft Middle School is great creepy fun!” —Ransom Riggs, author of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children   DON’T BE FOOLED by his friendly smile, his perfect manners, or his shiny red apple. Student council president Howard Mergler is actually a sinister bug-monster in disguise—and he’s summoning swarms of roaches, wasps, fleas, and head lice into the corridors of Lovecraft Middle School!  Twelve-year-old Robert Arthur is the only student who can stop him–but he’ll need help from his best friends: the school bully, the school ghost, and an extremely courageous two-headed rat.   This third novel in the Lovecraft Middle School series begins right where Professor Gargoyle and The Slither Sisters ended—with more action, more adventure, and more outrageous monsters!

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Big Thanks to Quirk Books for sending me a copy of this book!!

AND as always, big thanks to you for popping by to see what I was rambling on about. LOL

Hope you have a great weekend.

Just a reminder, I usually post pics of the books I get right as I get them on to my facebook page so make sure to click over and LIKE the page – then you’ll see what books I get as I get them instead of waiting till I do a “book haul” video. I’ll still do haul videos every couple of weeks, too. So… yeah. All righty then.

Nothing but Blue

by Lisa Jahn-Clough

Release Date: 2013-05-07

All dead. No one survived. All dead. This morbid chant haunts seventeen-year-old Blue as she trudges through the countryside with just the clothes on her back, heading to her childhood home on the ocean. Something absolutely awful has happened, she knows it, but she doesn’t know what. She can’t even remember her name, so she calls herself Blue. This gripping survival story—peppered with flashbacks to bittersweet times with her boyfriend, Jake—strips life down to its bare bones. Blue learns, with the help of a seemingly magical stray dog and kind people along the road, that the important thing is to live.

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Big Thanks to Houghton Mifflon for sending me a copy of this book!!

AND as always, big thanks to you for popping by to see what I was rambling on about. LOL

Hope you have a great weekend.

Just a reminder, I usually post pics of the books I get right as I get them on to my facebook page so make sure to click over and LIKE the page – then you’ll see what books I get as I get them instead of waiting till I do a “book haul” video. I’ll still do haul videos every couple of weeks, too. So… yeah. All righty then.