Friday, May 29, 2015

Armchair BEA 2015 ~ Character Chatter


Today's topics are Character Chatter and Blogging 101.
I fall more into the basic blogger category so nothing really to give in the way of advise. My thing lately is if it's becoming a chore then take a break or cut back. I've only been doing about 3 posts a week this year and with all the real life problems this month I've been lucky to get 1 posted. I do use NetGalley for e arcs when something catches my eye. Just be sure not to get click happy. They add up quick.

Characters: Favorites Love or Hate
I've always loved the quirky side characters. Sometimes even more than the main character/s. The first to come to mind is Nick from Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series. He eventually got his own YA series The Chronicles of Nick. I'm still waiting to see how the two series are going to meet up and make sense, and hoping that it works.












She doesn't really fall under quirky or maybe a different type of quirk is Meg from Anne Bishop's The Others series. I love this series and all the characters but Meg is what keeps me reading them.












I can't really think of any one character that I hate enough to remember but I'm sure they will all come to me tomorrow when I see everyone's posts.

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Armchair BEA 2015 ~ Visual Expressions

 

Today's topics are Visual Expressions and Social Media. I am horrible at the social media thing so I'm focusing on the visuals.
Graphic Novels
I'm still exploring and finding my way around the world of graphic novels but am enjoying the search.
Fables by Bill Willingham is still a favorite. It is ending/has ended this year but there are so many offshoots that I'll be reading for a while.










Not sure how new this is but my local library has started stocking a bunch of autobiographies in graphic form. I don't normally read this genre but I find them more enjoyable in this format. Currently reading Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel. I've also read The Complete Persepolis by  Marjane Satrapi (review)







WebComics
I came across this list(website) that has at least 40 webcomics (that they feel everyone should read). I liked the breakdown they used; finished, rarely updated, etc. I will say I found more plus other opinions in the many many comments of this article. Girl Genius is one that I would recommend (Webcomic)
Fan Art/ Cover Art
I love art of most kinds. Even though we shouldn't, I know I always look at the cover first when deciding on what to read.
One of my favorite cover artists is Tony Mauro (website). He has done many covers for many UF series. These are some of my favorites.
Nalini Singh's
Guild Hunter series
Yasmine Galenorn's
Indigo Court series
Jennifer Estep's
Elemental Assassin series














I also love when I come across great fan art for a book/series I love. DeviantArt is a time suck for me.
A Darker Shade of Magic fan art
by ECALA (deviantArt)
Harry Dresden
by  thegryph (deviantArt)

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Armchair BEA 2015 ~ Introductions


Tell us a bit about yourself: How long have you been blogging? Where are you from? How did you get into blogging?
**Hi, Kristina here. I've been here sorta blogging for about  5 yrs. This started and sometimes is still a place where I could vent about a book. Also, since I love series, it helps me keep track of my thoughts on the old books so I don't have to do a reread when the new one comes out.

Why do you loving reading and blogging?
**Reading has always been an escape for me. Which is why you won't see many if any contemporary books on here. I have enough real life in my life don't need to read more.

What is your theme song?
Don't know that it's a theme song but I'm really enjoying Carrie Underwood's newest song "Little Toy Guns". I also love the fantasy aspect of the video.


What is your favorite genre and why?
This depends on my mood. The main ones are Fantasy, UF (Urban Fantasy), and PNR (Paranormal Romance). It doesn't matter if it is adult, YA, or MG as long as it's a good book I'll read it.

What book are you reading right now?
Many. I was having trouble settling on one and started many. I seem to be going more with The Grendel Affair but trying to finish Fun Home by the end of the week. The last is Gris Grimly's Frankenstein. There may be a few more that I looked at when trying to decide :)













Tuesday, May 26, 2015

New Releases ~ week of 05/25/2015


A Leopard's Path by Lia Davis (#5 Ashwood Falls)
A Match for Marcus Cynster by Stephanie Laurens (#23 The Cynster Series)
Against the Tide by Kat Martin (#3 Brodies of Alaska)
All of Me by Jennifer Bernard (#1 Love Between the Bases)
Back to You by Lauren Dane (#3 Hurley Boys)
Brokedown Cowboy by Maisey Yates (#2 Copper Ridge)
Cherry Lane by Rochelle Alers (#5 Cavanaugh Island)
Cold Fear by Toni Anderson (#4 Cold Justice)
Conspiracy of Princes by Justin Somper (#2 Enemies of the Prince)
Dearest Rogue by Elizabeth Hoyt (#8 Maiden Lane)
Death By Coffee by Alex Erickson (#1 Death By Coffee)
Death of a Cupcake Queen by Lee Hollis (#6 Hayley Powell Food & Cocktails Mysteries)
Disintegration by Richard Thomas (#1 Windy City Dark Mystery)
Falling Hard by HelenKay Dimon (#3 Bad Boys Undercover)
Farmed and Dangerous by Edith Maxwell (#3 Local Foods Mysteries)
Finding Glory by Sara Arden (#3 Home to Glory)
Give Up The Ghost by Kelly Moran (#2 Phantoms Trilogy)
Gray Vengeance by Alan McDermott (#5 Tom Gray)
Hades by Larissa Ione (#11.5 Demonica #6.5 Lords of Deliverance)
Hidden Devotion by Lila Dubois, Mari Carr (#6 Trinity Masters)
Independence Day by Ben Coes (#5 Dewey Andreas)
Just One Taste by Kimberly Kincaid (#4.5 Pine Mountain)
Love in the Time of Scandal by Caroline Linden (#3 Scandals)
Murder at Beechwood by Alyssa Maxwell (#3 Gilded Newport Mystery)
Only The Brave by Mel Sherratt (#2 DS Allie Shenton)
People of the Songtrail by W Michael Gear, Kathleen O'Neal Gear (#22 First North American)
Piranha by Clive Cussler (#10 The Oregon Files)
Radiant Angel by Nelson DeMille (#7 John Corey)
Rebel Ink by Laura Wright (#3 Wicked Ink Chronicles)
Rescuing the Bad Boy by Jessica Lemmon (#2 Second Chance)
Rules of the Game by Lori Wilde (#2 Stardust, Texas)
Sea Glass Sunrise by Donna Kauffman (#4 Bachelors of Blueberry Cove)
Searching for Beautiful by Jennifer Probst (#3 Searching For)
Secret Brother by V. C. Andrews (#3 Christopher's Diary)
Somewhere Along the Way by Ruth Cardello (#4 Andrades)
Survivor by Mike Shepherd (#2 Vicky Peterwald)
Tail Gait by Rita Mae Brown (#24 Mrs Murphy (with Sneaky Pie Brown))
Texas Tough by Janet Dailey (#2 Tylers of Texas)
The Cage by Megan Shepherd (#1 Cage)
The Lady Hellion by Joanna Shupe (#3 Wicked Deceptions)
The Marriage Season by Linda Lael Miller (#3 Brides of Bliss County)
The Resurrection by Julie Plec (#3 Originals)
The Talon of the Hawk by Jeffe Kennedy (#3 Twelve Kingdoms)
UnDefeated by J.C. Valentine (#3 Wayward Fighters)
Under the Lights by Shannon Stacey (#1 Boys of Fall)
Wedding Bells in Christmas by Debbie Mason (#4 Christmas, Colorado)
What Lies Behind by J. T. Ellison (#4 Samantha Owens)
When Darkness Ends by Alexandra Ivy (#12 The Guardians of Eternity)

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

New Releases ~ week of 05/18/2015


A School for Unusual Girls by Kathleen Baldwin (#1 Stranje House)
Alien Sky by Daniel Arenson (#2 Alien Hunters)
Bone to Be Wild by Carolyn Haines (#15 Sarah Booth Delaney)
Chantress Fury by Amy Butler Greenfield (#3 Chantress)
Cornered by HelenKay Dimon (#6 Corcoran Team)
Dangerous Deception by Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl (#3 Dangerous Creatures)
Death Ex Machina by Gary Corby (#5 Athenian Mysteries)
Eighth Grave After Dark by Darynda Jones (#8 Charley Davidson)
Eternity's Wheel by Neil Gaiman (#3 InterWorld)
Ever Night by Gena Showalter (#12 Lords of the Underworld Series)
Flame Out by M P Cooley (#2 June Lyons)
Game Changer by Melissa Cutler (#3 Destiny Falls / Bomb Squad)
Gemini Rising by Ranae Rose (#2 Tempting Signs)
Hold Me Like a Breath by Tiffany Schmidt (#1 Once upon a Crime Family)
In Firefly Valley by Amanda Cabot (#2 Texas Crossroads)
Lion Heart by A. C. Gaughen (#3 Scarlet)
Nothing but Shadows by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan (#4 Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy)
Once Pure by Cecy Robson (#3 Shattered Past)
Protective Instinct by Katie Reus (#6 Moon Shifter)
Radiant State by Peter Higgins (#3 Wolfhound Century)
Robert B. Parker's Kickback by Ace Atkins (#44 Spenser)
Six and a Half Deadly Sins by Colin Cotterill (#10 Dr. Siri Paiboun)
Skies of Ash by Rachel Howzell Hall (#2 Detective Elouise Norton)
Stallion Magic by Deborah Fletcher Mello (#8 Stallion Brothers)
Sugarbaby by Crystal Green (#2 Aidan Falls)
Summer's End by Mary Alice Monroe (#3 Low Country Summer Trilogy)
Talking Dirty by Elliott James (#5 Pax Arcana)
The Bride Fonseca Needs by Abby Green (#2 Billionaire Brothers)
The Case of the Sin City Sister by Lynne Hinton (#2 Divine Private Detective Agency Mystery)
The Choosing by Rachelle Dekker (#1 Seer)
The Hanged Man by P N Elrod (#1 On Her Majesty's Psychic Service)
The Harvest Man by Alex Grecian (#4 Scotland Yard's Murder Squad)
The Neptune Challenge by Polly Holyoke (#2 The Neptune Project)
Tracking Magic by Shannon Mayer (#0.4 Rylee Adamson)
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