Balderdash (20)

is a weekly meme hosted by Ryan at Wordsmithonia.

This is very easy to do!

If you comment on blogs you can do this too.

• 
  
  Write down all the word verifictions you get while posting comments on other peoples blogs.
• 
  
  You then play Balderdash with them.

In case you don't know how to play:

You take the made up word and come up with an authentic sounding definition for it.

Do this for a week and then post your best or favorite ones every Thursday.

Here are mine for this week:

ventise - the feeling one has when you have had a bad time at some thing or are irritated with someone and in search to find that one friend to let all frustration out on.

ficlaw - the extra claw in which some cats have that is located up higher on their leg that is used in hunting.

extelyo - the moment all your emotions surface and you cry, laugh, and wimper at the same time then have to try to explain the strange feelings that end up being unexplainable.

hyrele - a four legged animal with long legs built for running, in which has a high sounding bark then a sudden intake of breath with a whistling sound.  This animal also has a bit that is electrical ~ inwhich the instant the bottom two fangs break the skin an electrical shock is sent to the prey to paralyze it to become the meal.

For February: New Author Mini-Challenge: The Leauge

I found a Mini-Challenge I really thought was neat.  I really want to do this one.  It is for the month of February, So I am really going to try hard to do this (even though I am a little bit of a slow reader).

This Mini-Challenge is over at Literary Escapism.  This Challenge is:  New Author Mini-Challenge: The League.

This is to try some new authors in this great group call The League of Reluctant Adults.

Here is the list of Authors in the group: (click on the name to go to these sites.)

Mario Acevedo	Stacia Kane	Kat Richardson
Michele Bardsley	Caitlin Kittredge	Michelle Rowen
Dakota Cassidy	Kelly Meding	Diana Rowland
Carolyn Crane	Richelle Mead	Jeanne Stein
Molly Harper	Nicole Peeler	Anton Strout
Mark Henry	Cherie Priest	Jaye Wells
Jackie Kessler	Jennifer Rardin

I have a few of these authors here to read, and have been reading some of them already recently.  And I feel a huge need to let you know I have been VERY, VERY pleased with what I read.


~ The Mini-Challenge runs from February 1, 2010 through February 28, 2010.  All the reviews are to have the February date.
~ The goal is to read up to 5 different authors from the list above.  If you have already read a novel by these authors why not try another book of theirs?  Great opportunity to.


NOW FOR THE BIG NEWS!!!!!


Some of these authors have loved the idea so much they have offered to donate prizes.  If you would like to see what books are going to be up for spoils click here. (To go to Literary Escapism's site to see the list.)

Favorite Fictional Character (17)

Favorite Fictional Character

A weekly meme thanks to the creative mind of Ryan at Wordsmithonia.

This week I have thinking back to the cartoons I had watched when I was younger.  I have also realized I have not seen many of these shows in quite some time.  So one of the characters I enjoyed is on one of those shows.  Although, I have to admit I enjoyed the whole cartoon together.  Now that I think back, I think this was part of the start of me loving science fiction and fantasy.  But I guess that is what the cartoons I watched all really consisted of.  This was what gave me the hopes of an amazing future with flying cars, robots to do that awful cleaning around the house, and skyscraper apartment buildings - living in the sky of blue.   That show was, I am sure you have guessed...  The Jetsons.

I always enjoyed Judy Jetson.  She was a normal future teenage girl.  She always seemed carefree and ready to have fun.  (Good clean fun)  She was always ready to enjoy what life had to share and a positive outlook on everything going on.

I always wanted that when I was younger, as many younger kids looking up to any teenage.  She always seemed popular and well liked.  There was Elroy the youngest child and the family dog Astro.  George Jetson had the job we all would love to have - he worked three hours a day only three days a week.  I remember when I was younger I couldn't figure out why he seemed like he was home so much and not ever spending the time at work as my parents had been spending.  Well, now I know.  I found that out today.

Teaser Tuesday (16)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly event.

Sponsored by MizB of Should be Reading.

(I am rotating from Teaser Tuesday and Where are you? on Tuesdays. This week is the teaser.)

Here's how it works:

Grab the book you are currently reading (anything at all)

Open the book to any random page.

Share 2 "teaser" sentences from anywhere on the page.

Please Make Sure They Are Not Spoilers!

(Don't Give Too Much Away)

Just enough to pique our interests.

List the book and author so other participants can get their hand on it if they choose to read it as well.

This week:

He hated keeping secrets from Hadrian and it weighed heavily on his conscience, which was amazing because he never knew he had one. Royce defined right and wrong by the moment. Right was what was best for him-wrong was everything else. He stole, lied, and even killed when necessary. This was his craft and he was good at it.

Nyphron Rising

By Michael J. Sullivan

Monday's Beginnings (22)

So, here we are again... Monday...

How are you faring in reading your books? Are you starting a new book for the week or are you still caught up with one? It seems for me the beginning of the week is when I get to start anew. I have noticed at times Mondays set the pace for the week for me too. So, have you got much reading done and think the week will go easy for the reading or are you going to be chasing the clock all week for reading time?

I think I have picked up four books this past week from the other blogs I have visited. These are all books that I really want to read. Now, I am starting to get worried over my list here. It is a little out of hand. I think I need to visit the bookaholics anonymous. lol. There are just soooo many wonderful authors out there with amazing stories to tell. Thank you all!

Okay, as for last week I did get one book done - Brain Thief. Which the review is here on the blog. Please stop by and read what I thought. Now, for this week I have plans... I am working on story 2 from Inked, which will be done here this evening. I am planning to get into Nyphron Rising by Michael Sullivan tomorrow. I have enjoyed the first two books and really looking forward to this one. If you would like to read these reviews click here for Book 1 and Book 2.

So... Let me know how your Monday is going... How are you faring with your reading int he beginning of this new week?

Book Review: Brain Thief

Brain Thief


By: Alexander Jablokov

Publisher: Tor


Publish Date: January 2010


Format: Hardcover, 383 pages


Genre: Science Fiction


Series: Stand alone (I believe)


Recommendation: If you like mystery and science fiction, read this. There is lots of mystery solving in this one.


Book Synopsis:
Bernal Haydon-Rumi, executive assistant to a funder of eccentric projects, drops by his boss's house on the way home from a business trip. By the next morning, he's been knocked out, his wealthy socialite boss, Muriel, has stolen a car and vanished, and the AI designed for planetary exploration that she's been funding turns out to be odder than it should be. In figuring out what's going on, Bernal has to deal with an anti-AI activist toting a hand-made electronic arsenal, a local serial killer, a drug dealer with a business problem, a cryonic therapist stalked by past mistakes - and someone who specifically wants Bernal dead.


First Sentence:
For Bernal, the message in the cowboy boot finally confirmed that something was wrong.


My Review and Summary:
The mystery starts right away when Bernal is just coming home from a business trip stopping by to see his boss. He gets the feeling something's not right. You start to see, as well, something is askew. Chasing his boss as she runs away and steals a car to get away. What is going on? Muriel, Bernals boss, leaves hints and messages to help steer him on the right path to help him with the mystery of Hesketh. Hesketh is an artificial intelligence that is on a sample run through the hillsides before it is actually sent into space.

I have to say I understood what was going on at the beginning of the book. Then there were a lot of strange things mentioned in which I got confused on. There was talk of Hesketh, Hess Corp - who worked on Hesketh before Madeline and Muriel took on the project with Muriels money, and Long Voyage - a cryobank for people wanting to wake up in the future. The confusion was not that I didn't completely understand what I was reading but mostly that I didn't believe what I was reading. I couldn't figure out if I was reading and comprehending it properly. (This being part of the mystery stuff.) I started to tally all the information I was getting separately in my head then piecing it together to see where the book was going. I was just a little ahead of the author, as just as I was doing this he then started to do it in the book. At around 150 pages into the book Bernal started to piece the puzzle together as well. Which when I hit this point I was so proud of myself as I was coming right up at the same lines as the main character. Hurray for me to understand and put it together! Then there was new information added nicely from this point to include in solving the mystery.

Part of the best part of the book that kept me going was wondering who was leaving the messages and who was dead or alive, who was the serial killer, and what was going on with Hesketh (if it really worked). In the end I got the answers I was looking for. The mystery element was what kept me going in the book.

The characters unfold nicely as the book goes. There are a few characters you really don't truly meet and follow through but they feel as they are main characters by the way they are talked about, described, and messages passed on. I liked this angle as I really felt I got to know these characters and they really came through. In the end I really enjoyed most of the characters.

There were just a few minor unfavored points: There were a few spots that when things were brought up or thought, it almost felt like it didn't really flow or blend with what was going on. Almost like the information was needed and had to be told somewhere, but there were only a small few of these. Then there was the main character Bernal. I felt like I really didn't get to know him as well as the other characters. I mean I did get to know him but for some reason I didn't feel the connection as much with him as all the other characters. I liked him but that was all. He did do a great job of solving the mystery at hand and sticking to his guns on his ideas.

This has been a wonderful mystery with the science fiction element added in. Many of the characters have parallel characteristics which could point to them as the possible killer behind all of this. But there is one that fits all the pieces very well. Can you figure it out?

This book qualifies for my reads in the challenge of Speculative Fiction at Book Chick City.

Balderdash (19)

is a weekly meme hosted by Ryan at Wordsmithonia.

This is very easy to do!

If you comment on blogs you can do this too.

• Write down all the word verifictions you get while posting comments on other peoples blogs.
• You then play Balderdash with them.

In case you don't know how to play:

You take the made up word and come up with an authentic sounding definition for it.

Do this for a week and then post your best or favorite ones every Thursday.

Here are mine for this week:

drarbes - evil little creatures sometimes mistaken for dwarves as there are some resemblences BUT they are not the same. They have teeth that come to a point and are short like dwarves. The scrounge for meat... of any taste, and are very visious toward other beings - even other drarbes. They are very territorial and will fight any sized creature to the death for their land and property.

bionetec - life given to a technological being (anything composed of synapsis and wires) these things usually are in the form of animals to be used as pets in homes which have learned and now function on its own with out being controlled or instructed by humans. There are people out there now trying to create human form beings, which we are hoping to not happen.

monserpe - a unique and rare fish very thin and long in shape almost an arrow shape that darts through the water extremely fast. They only reproduce one time in their lives, this is why they are so rare in nature.

parkspie - A whole day spent at the park in which you take lunch, drinks, and snacks along with toys to have a wonderful day with the family playing outside.

Favorite Fictional Character (16)

Favorite Fictional Character

A weekly meme Thanks to the creative mind of Ryan at Wordsmithonia.

My character this week comes from a show I watched when I was younger. Since I had seen the pilot of this series I have always wondered and had daydreams on what it would be like to be able to stop time at any time. The character is Evie from Out of This World TV series. This show was aired from 1987 through 1991, in the US.

I believe the series start with Evie's thirteenth birthday. As a huge mile stone in every childs life is turning into a teenager. This is a big birthday for Evie. Evie learns her father is an alien, named Troy. Evie receives a diamond shaped crystal, which looks to be about 2 hands tall and wide. Through this crystal she is able to speak to her father. Evie learns that she may receive some superhuman powers on this day, being turning thirteen and to age of her powers coming in.

The one power I remember rather well of her getting is when she stopped time. Without any warning as she was talking, her hands come up with her first fingers sticking out and the rest closed in and touch together in front of her. Not aware of what this had done she keeps talking until she realizes no one is responding or even moving. Then as if her body knows exactly what to do her hands come up infront of her, fingers open and pointing up, and her palms come together to start the world back on time.

Evie always seemed to be amazed with the powers she receives and experiments with them. In experimenting with them she ends up with some sort of troubles and has to figure out how to fix what she had done. In the end of every show Evie would talk with her father through the crystal and he would give her some great fatherly-alien advice.

Throughout the series Evie receives other powers to add to the mischief she gets into. Some of these powers are: having objects appear using her mind, her face changing colors in reference to her mood, teleportation of herself, and being able to stand temperatures up to 200 degrees Celsius.

Here is a short video of the opening song and the characters in the show. Notice the man who is her father, you never really see all of his face.

Award: Over the Top

I am sorry it has taken me so long to get back to doing the awards I have received. I have been a little crazy with the holidays and trying to get caught back up with everything.

I have received this award by Ryan at Wordsmithonia and Larissa at Welcome to Larissa's Life. Thank you for thinking I am Over the Top!

The rules are pretty simple. Answer the following questions with Single Word answers then pass this along to 5 other bloggers. Make sure you let them know about it though.

Your Cell Phone? Silent

Your Hair? Brown

Your Mother? Around

Your Father? Stroke

Your Favorite Food? Steak

Your Dream Last Night? Ideas

Your Favorite Drink? Tea

Your Dream/Goal? Succeed

What Room Are You In? Living

Your Hobby? Fishing

Your Fear? Worry

Where Do You Want To Be In Six Years? Vacation

Where Were You Last Night? Home

Something That You Aren't? Lier

Muffins? Banananut

Wish List Item? Books

Where Did You Grow Up? Greensburg

Last Thing You Did? Read

What Are You Wearing? Workclothes

Your TV? on

Your Pets? Two

Friends? Yeah

Your Life? Loner

Your Mood? Pleasant

Missing Someone? Sometimes

Vehicle? Saturn

Something You Aren't Wearing? Shoes

Your Favorite Store? Kohl's

Your Favorite Color? Blue

When Was The Last Time You Laughed? Saturday

Last Time You Cried? Don't

Your Best Friend? talk

One Place You Go To Over And Over Again? Borders

Facebook? Yeah...

Favorite Place To Eat? ShowGun

I'm going to pass this on to the following blogs:

Simcha at SciFi Chat

Laura at Calico Critic

Jessica at Book Bound

Melissa at Books and Things

Brizmus at Brizmus Blogs Books

Please stop by and say hello to these wonderful blogs!

It's Tuesday... Where are you? (9)

This is hosted by

An Adventure in Reading

I am currently with Bernal and Yolanda, hiding in a tree house. She is spying on Mr. Spillvagens, whom she is always following and tormenting. Yolanda blames Mr. Spillvagens for the death of her Uncle when he was in the cyrobank (Mr. Spillvagens worked there). Bernal is grateful Yolanda found him in that dark wine cellar where these two women locked him in there by pulling out the pin in the opening mechanism. Who were those two women? They are up to no good with the wrong people... I would like to get more information from them. I am a little suspicious of Yolanda but Bernal seems to be trying to get as much information as he can from her. Maybe he is suspicious as well, just hiding it well to get more information on Spillvagen, the cyrobank, and the connection with Hesketh (the space machine running around town) along with Muriel's death. I have my ideas of solving the mystery an tying all the pieces together. I will have to see what Bernal finds out to know if I am right or not.

Brain Thief

By Alexander Jablokov

Monday Beginnings (21)

Well... It's Monday, again...

How are you faring in reading your books? Are you starting a new book for the week or are you still caught up with one? The beginning of the week usually seems to be a great time to start anew. I have seen at times Monday sets the pace for the week for me. So... Have you been able to get much reading time in or are you going to be chasing the week to just catch up with life and reading in the short 24 hour days we have?

I have picked up seven books for on my to read list. These are all books I seriously want to read. Although I am starting to wonder if I am ever going to get to them all. As much as I really want to read them all it is just so hard to get to them all. I just keep shuffling the stack to get to what I need at the time. This is always amazing in helping to keep me out of trouble and keeping this wonderful authors doing what we love so much. Thank you all!

Okay, as for the last week. I was chasing the clock last week. We had a few parties to go to over the weekend which cut back on my reading time. Weekends are usually when I can get most of the book digested, but we were busy almost all weekend with birthdays, graduations, and such. So, I have not finished any books last week. I am still reading Brain Thief by Alexander Jablokov, currently at page 205 out of 383. I am hoping to finish this book this week. I may then have to switch gears to get Cry Wolf in. It's Monday and so many books to read...

So far today, I have been reading this evening for about two hours. I will have to get back to reading here in a few so I can get moving on the books I have here. But I have blogs to visit as well.... Oh well.

So... Let me know how your Monday is going... How are you faring with your reading in the beginning of this new week?

Balderdash (18)

Word Verification Balderdash

is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through a World of Books.

This is very easy to do.

If you comment on blogs you can do this too.

Write down all the word verifictions you get while posting comments on other peoples blogs.

You then play Balderdash with them.

In case you don't know how to play, you take the made up word and come up with an authentic sounding definition for it.

Do this for a week and then post your best or favorite ones every Thursday.

Here are mine for this week:

warrej - S state of mind that seems to take over all mental thinking processes during war in the medival times, using swords, bow & arrows, spears, and staffs. It's the sense of when another opponent is running up behind you and you turn just in time to eliminate that person before they get you. Only the greatest warriors possess this ability in great strength.

earphyg - the foggy hearing you get when you are sick or have sinus issues. This symptom causes you to start talking louder and others are telling you, you are talking to loud.

ingulufr - the sudden inhail while eating or drinking that causes the food or drink to go down the wrong pipe and choking.

solerst - an instrument, made with metal that can withstand the heat of the sun, used to measure the heat and reactions on the surface of the sun.

Favorite Fictional Character (15)

Favorite Fictional Character

Thanks to the creative mind of Ryan at Wordsmithonia.

This week I have picked a character that is just amazing with his mind. This man always has a creative solution to every problem. His television series ran from 1985 to 1992. The series was named after him... MacGyver.

Angus MacGyver was always ingenious secret agent. He had an eductated background as a scientist with bomb disposal before he started working with the US government.

As I remember back to the show he never carried a gun and from what I remember prefered to solve all problems with out violence. (Which maybe we could use again on tv.)

The one thing I remember most of this amazing character was wondering what kind of sticky situation he would end up in and what he would do to get out of it. See, if there is anyone out there who doesn't remember or know who MacGyver is, he was well known to me because he could use the most common tools combine together to make a very powerful tool to help stop the bomb or get out of the locked room.

I was always amazed at how he could use a paperclip, rubber band, and gum for the most dangerous of situations and come up with an unbelievable tool to solve all. Okay, so that may be a little exaggeration, but he did use some crazy things together to make many great tools. I even learned so science with electric and wires and combining some things together. He was always quite handy and I really liked that.

I think this is another one of those shows that ran in the 80's and we could use another show like it now! Less violence, solving situations peacefully with out killing everyone, and USING your Brain! Wonderful things to teach the children of the world again. I miss this show along with others from this time.

Tuesday Teaser (15)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly event.

Sponsored by MizB of Should be Reading.

(I am rotating from Teaser Tuesday and Where are you? on Tuesdays. This week is the teaser.)

Here's how it works:

Grab the book you are currently reading (anything at all)

Open the book to any random page.

Share 2 "teaser" sentences from anywhere on the page.

Please Make Sure They Are Not Spoilers!

(Don't Give Too Much Away)

Just enough to pique our interests.

List the book and author so other participants can get their hand on it if they choose to read it as well.

This week:

The gigantic insectoid figure hung in the air. Hesketh had jumped. Without aiming, Charis fired. Instead of a bang, all Bernal heard was a loud sizzle, not much different from the sound of the power lines.

Brain Thief

By Alexander Jablokov

Monday Beginnings (20)

So it is Monday, again...

How are you faring in reading your books or are you starting a new book for the week? The beginning of the week usually seems to be a great time to start anew. I have even found most of the time Monday sets the pace of the way of the week. Have you been able to get much reaading time in or are you going to be rushed this week to just catch up with life and reading in the short 24 hour days we have?

I am still working to try to get back on track with life here. Trying to find that balance between blogging, book clubs, reading, excercising, and life in general.

I have lost track of how many books I have picked up this past week. Which is okay, I have many books on the shelf here to read and so many more on a list to get and read. I am looking forward to all these wonderful books in hopes they will help keep me out of trouble and keep the amazing authors in work - doing what we love best.

I did finish one book this past weekend, Three Days to Dead by Kelly Meding. I have my review up as well. (I think its 2 posts back.) I have started a new book, Inked which is an anthology of four wonderful authors. I have just finished the first short story of the four in the book. So I think I am going to pause on this book to start into Brain Theif by Alexander Jablokov, this is for Barnes and Nobles bookclub discussions.

So far today has gone very well for me in reading. As I got to read during lunch and this evening while cooking dinner and after while my son had the neighbor over and they played.

Let me know how your Monday is going... How are you faring with your reading int he beginning of a new week?

50+ Followers Contest!!!

So now I have hit 60 Followers! This is just amazing! You are all wonderful followers.

Thank you all!



I have been thinking on what to do for a contest for all you amazing people out there. I think I am going to give you a choice. You tell me in your post here which you would like.



Your Choices to pick from:


1. $15 Amazon e-Gift card.

OR

2. The Iron Hunt by Marjorie M. Liu



I thought I would send Iron Hunt to a winner (if they choose) as I read this book along with the second in the series, Darkness Calls, last year and really enjoyed them. If you would like to read my reviews again here is Iron Hunt and here is Darkness Calls.



So, I wanted to share this with someone. Also, I am currently reading Inked. Inked is an anthology with four authors; Karen Chance, Marjorie M. Liu, Yasmine Galenorn, and Eileen Wilks. The story in this book by Marjorie M. Liu is also about Maxine Kiss and the boys. Then I have just found out Marjorie has a new book of Maxine and the boys coming out in August 2010.



So, to celebrate my good news of 50+ followers and Marjories new books I thought she would be a great author to share with you.






Now, time for the rules:


~ This contest is to anyone where Amazon.com can ship to. (I am trying to include everyone here.)


~ I am going to try to keep this simple... Just leave me a comment here with any thoughts you have on tattoos... Do you have one? Do you like them? Do you want one but just never got one? (I happen to fall in this last category.) Or just any comment will do.


~ Please leave your email address so I can contact you when the winner is picked.



~ Of course, you must be a follower by way of Google Friend Connect.

Contest will end: February 7, 2010!

Book Review: Three Days to Dead

Three Days to Dead

By: Kelly Meding

Publisher: Bantam and Dell

Publish Date: December 2009

Format: Paperback, 405 pages

Genre: Paranormal Fiction

Series: The First book in the Adventures of Evangeline Stone.

Recommendation: YES!! Do you like action and mystery and paranormal? READ THIS!

Book Synopsis:

She's young, deadly, and hunted - with only three days to solve her own murder...

When Evangeline Stone wakes up naked and brused on a cold slab in the morgue - in a stranger's body, with no memory of who she is and how she got there - her troubles are only just beginning. Before that night she and the two other members of her Triad were star bounty hunters, mercilessly cleansing the city of the murderous creatures living in the shadows, from vampires to shape-shiftersto trolls. Then something terrible happenedthat not only cost all three of them their lives but also convinced the city's other Hunters that Evy was a traitor - and she can't even remember what it was.

Now she's a fugitive, piecing together her memory, trying to deal some serious justice - and dicovering that she has only three days to solve her own murder before the reincarnation spell wears off. Because in three days Evy will die again - but this time there's no second chance...

First Sentence:

I don't recall the first time I died, but I do remember the second time I was born. Vividly.

My Review and Summary:

I am going to try not to give to much of the story away in this review. The synopsis on the back of the book is a great starting discription of what the story is about. I am glad I worked hard to win this book (Thanks to SciFiGuy.ca), although I would have paid for this book as I really wanted it. I am always a sucker for a paranormal mystery action book.

This book constantly moves forward with a lot happening. There is always some action going on or mystery detail being given, and the good guys are not always in the lead. I enjoy trying to figure out how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together - who is doing this, why are they, and what are all the connections to figure out what the plan is.

Evy wakes up on a morgue table not knowing; where she is, what happened, or even any phone numbers to make a call for help. Let alone realizing she is not in her own body anymore. You meet Evy right on page one and start the story right with her. The memory loss is handled wonderfully! The memory loss is only for a particular time frame and you learn what is lost with Evy. You feel the emotions right with Evy as she learns the wonderful and horrific things with her. As you meet other characters (human and paranormal) you learn what Evy knows as you come to them - either right before or as you meet them. You learn of how they live and what they believe right before she goes to visit them or right with the visit. I really liked how this is added in with what is going on.

I felt Evy's character was well built. She has a strong personality. (She is definitely someone I would not want to get on the bad side of.) You see Evy stay true to her self yet still confused thinking part of Chalice, the girls body she is borrowing, is what is adding to her confusion. Evy wonders off and on through the book as to why Chalice was dead and why she choose this body to come back in. Even though Evy is true to her attitude and comments, you watch as she slowly starts to grow.

Evy knows many things of the paranormal world being she is a hunter looking for rogue dregs (paranormal creatures). Yet she learns many great things of the different creatures as well. I liked the mixture of the paranormal with the "real" world in this book. I think the paranormal was just right here, there was no over-kill on the creatures, and the story stays focused on Evy. I do have a few curiousities of just a few small things in this world Kelly Meding has created, but I think these will come up in book two and be clearified a little more.

So, if you woke up in another body knowing all the crazy things that happen in the world regarding the paranormal creatures and thought there was something you knew and was afraid to say it on your death bed yet can't remember what happened and who did it.... Who or what would you trust?

(This qualifies for my Speculative Fiction Challenge of 2010.)

Balderdash (17)

Word Verification Balderdash

is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through a World of Books.

This is very easy to do.

If you comment on blogs you can do this too.

Write down all the word verifictions you get while posting comments on other peoples blogs.

You then play Balderdash with them.

In case you don't know how to play, you take the made up word and come up with an authentic sounding definition for it.

Do this for a week and then post your best or favorite ones every Thursday.

Here are mine for this week:

coutize - remember as a young child the cooties that the boys or girls had? Well, this is the cooties of the cute boy or girl you had a crush on and always made a bigger deal out of these when this person touched something of yours or you.

chinest - the chin rest created to hold your head up when your head feels heavy and you just want to lay it down, but have to get lots of work done at your desk.

calitert - a form of measurement, not quite as big as a liter and in a container easily carried for sports activities.

santede - the stampede of centipedes when you move that rock that many of them where living under, usually cases the person lifting the rock to jump from surprise at the sight of all the little insects running frantic to get away from you.

(Okay, so the words are a little weak this week. Thats what I get for lapsing in my meme here for a few weeks. Sorry, I will try to get some better words and definitions for next week.)

2010 Challenge

Okay, so this challenge grew on me. I really liked the idea of this challenge from the first time I saw it but I was scared to take up challenges. I am still learning how these all work. Once I found out I can blend my challenges with my reads I was even more convinced to pick up more than one challenge. So here I go...

This challenge is from J Kaye Book Blog. I am looking forward to this challenge as well.

Anyone can join!

There are four levels:

~ The Mini YA Reading Challenge - Read 12 Young Adult novels.

~Just My Size YA Reading Challenge - Read 25 Young Adult novels.

~Stepping It Up YA Reading Challenge - Read 50 Young Adult novels.

~Super Size Me YA Reading Challenge - Read 75 Young Adult novels.

Audio, eBooks, and re-reads all count.

Challenge begins January 1st thru December, 2010.

Now, I am not going to pick how many books ahead of time or what reads I am going to do. I have some here that fall in this challenge but I know there are others I will pick up as the year goes too.

It's Tuesday... Where are you? (8)

This is hosted by

An Adventure in Reading

I am with Evy Stone and Alex as she cleans up his wounds. They just got attacked by other hunters who tracked Evy to Alexs' apartment. They broke through the window and surprised Evy and Alex as she just got done explaining to Alex she was Evy a dreg hunter in the body of his recently deceased room mate and girl friend. It took some work but Alex believes her, also with the attack. They are going to get cleaned up and leave to save Wyatt, we are sure the police will be showing up soon - some neighbor had to hear the fight and gun shots.

Three Days to Dead

By Kelly Meding

Monday Beginnings (19)

Okay, so it is Monday again! Now we are past the holidays and trying to get back to the normal schedule of work, reading, blogging, exercising, and many other things that happen in our everyday lives.

I once again want to thank you all for following as now I have 60 followers! You guys are all the BEST! I have been pondering on what to do as a show of my gratitude. I really enjoyed the book Iron Hunt by Marjorie M. Liu, so I was thinking of doing a contest for it to where Amazon.com will ship to or would you like a $10 gift card for Amazon.com? Also, Marjorie M. Liu has a new novella that just came out, Inked - there are 4 stories in this book along with Marjorie's that has the presence of Maxine Kiss and the boys - so thought it would be a way to celebrate the new book. (which I did pick up over the weekend and will be reading here this month or next.)

Okay, so I am really starting to babble on tonight. I am having a really good day. I feel rested after having a long weekend and was happy to get back to work today. I did get reading done on lunch hour and was reading tonight before I got on here. I am currently reading Three Days to Dead by Kelly Meding, and I have to say I AM LOVING IT! I just stopped on page 115 out of 405. I am hoping with the way today started that I will be done with this book by the end of the week. This is the way I like Mondays to go.

I have added 4 books to my list of to reads. Not many but I have SUCH a list to get through and there are so many awesome new books coming out. I am going to be so stuck on the shelf here for a while. lol.

I did get done with Scorched here over the past weekend. My review is just a scroll down if you would like to check it out. (please feel free to!)

Okay, I could probably keep going on and on here tonight but I must put a stop to my ramblings.

Please let me know how your Monday is going... How are you faring with your reading in the beginning of this week?

$25 Giveaway!

My Own Little Corner of the World is having a contest for $25 Amazon Gift Card!

Now there is a small catch, its nothing big so don't worry. She needs to get to 200 followers by Jan 31, 2010. I think we can help her with that!

Here is the great thing to hear along with the contest information... If she gets to 300 followers she will throw in ANOTHER winner of a $25 Amazon Gift Card!!! How about that! Can we do it?? I think we can. Jump over and follow her blog here.

Book Review: Scorched

Scorched

By: Sharon Ashwood

Publisher: Signet Eclipse

Publish Date: December 2009

Format: Paperback, 4 1/8" x 6 3/4", 366pages

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Series: Second book in The Dark Forgotten series. First book is Ravenous.

Recommendation: Yeah.

Book Synopsis:
Welcome to the Castle. The price of admission is your soul.

Ex-detective Conall Macmillan has always had a taste for bad girls, but his last lover really took the cake - and his humanity. Now half demon, Mac has lost his friends, his family, and his job.

But Constance, a strangely innocent vampire trapped in the Castle prison, needs his help. Her son has been kidnapped, so suddenly Mac has a case to work - one that embroils him with a mad sorcerer, and even madder city council, and a winged love god. The trail leads deep into the supernatural prison, and Mac soon learns that cracking the case will cost him his last scrap of humanity.

Fiery, vulnerable Constance will do anything for those she loves, including Mac. He'll be damned if he turns his back on her... and a demon forever if he doesn't.

First Sentence:
"Good evening to all you fanged and furry listeners out there in radio land. This is Errata, your hostess from CSUP, the FM station that denies and defies the normal in paranormal."

My Review and Summary:
I read Ravenous before I started blogging here, so I don't have a review for it. Do you need to read it before this book? No, I don't think you do. You could if you would like to get just a little bit more idea of the background but I don't think it is needed to get into this story.

Mac returns to Fairview a year after the big show-down, which killed the female demon who made him the demon he is now - or what is left after Holly Carvers' spell that left him strong as his demon and very hungry but not able to eat human souls. Alessandro Caravelli has been waiting Macs return... to kill him, as punishment for his involvement with the demons against all other supernatural creatures trying to live peacefully with the humans and against the humans as well.

Alessandro seems to have softened some with living off his love with Holly now as apposed to feeding on blood, and puts Mac in the Castle - a supernatural prison. In the Castle Mac learns more of the Castle and its inhabitants along with finding a case that calls to his human nature. The Castle itself is in danger of failing. I start to feel for Mac in this book. He is just an innocent man who got mixed up with the wrong girl in the last book and now has to suffer as an unwanted demon. But Mac starts to find his way.

There is not as much in this book with Holly and Alessandro. These two are a wonderful couple (witch and vampire) and I really started loving them in Ravenous. You do get to meet Ashe, Hollys' sister. Now, you thought you had it bad with the in-laws? Try being Alessandro, living with probably the most powerful witch to live from a family of witches and her sister... being a vampire slayer.

I really enjoyed the tremendous amount of possible angles to the storyline here in the beginning. There was a good bit thought to happen with five great characters storylines. I really enjoyed getting all the different views in the beginning. Then, getting into the book it seemed to slow down in the storyline for me. It seemed that Holly, Alessandro, and Ashe got put on the back burner with Mac and Constance being the front line of the story. Which I loved learning about this couple, but I would have liked more from the others.

It was also given that the Castle is a very dangerous place, but I was expecting more from the Castle than I got. Then I got to the last seventy to eighty pages and the story picked up wonderfully again. I got here what I wanted from the Castle and got to have my favorite characters in the action as well.

The couple Mac and Constance was hard for me to accept at first with the way they got together. It seemed a little rushed or pushed, but by the end of the book they were perfect together.

In the end of the book I loved all the characters and all seems great... for a time. There is an opening to go into a book three. I will pick up book three because I have liked these characters again and the author has left me with hope for book three to have great possibilities.