Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Authors I Own The Most Books Fron


This weeks Top Ten Tuesday is 
Ten Authors I Own The Most Books From

J.R. Ward
11 Adult Romance

Cassandra Clare
9 YA

J.K. Rowling
7 Harry Potter
1 The Tales of Beedle the Bard

Rachel Harris
3 Adult Romance
4 YA

Trisha Wolfe
2 YA
4 NA

There are many authors that I have 4 books from so I'm not going to list all those.

Strange and Ever After by Susan Dennard Book Blitz #Giveaway

I love this series with all my heart. Make sure to check out the blitz details and enter the giveaway at the bottom.

Strange and Ever After (Something Strange and Deadly #3)
by Susan Dennard 
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: July 22nd

In the conclusion to the trilogy that Publishers Weekly called “a roaring—and addictive—gothic world,” Eleanor Fitt must control her growing power, face her feelings for Daniel, and confront the evil necromancer Marcus...all before it’s too late.

He took her brother, he took her mother, and now, Marcus has taken her good friend Jie. With more determination than ever to bring this sinister man to justice, Eleanor heads to the hot desert streets of nineteenth-century Egypt in hopes of ending this nightmare. But in addition to her increasingly tense relationships with Daniel, Joseph, and her demon, Oliver, Eleanor must also deal with her former friend, Allison, who has curiously entangled herself in Eleanor’s mission.

With the rising dead chomping at her every move and Jie’s life hanging in the balance, Eleanor is convinced that her black magic will see her through to the bitter end. But there will be a price. Though she and the Spirit Hunters have weathered every battle thus far, there will be consequences to suffer this time—the effects of which will be irreversible. And when it’s over, only some will be able to live a strange and ever after.

Susan Dennard will leave readers breathless and forever changed in the concluding pages of this riveting ride


Make Sure to Check Out This Extra Scene from A Darkness Strange and Lovely from Daniel's POV. Make sure you have read the second book though because it is a spoiler!!


There is also some awesome extra content at Epic Reads

READ THE SERIES
  

I am a writer, reader, lover of animals, and eater of cookies. I used to be a marine biologist, but now I write novels. And not novels about fish either, but novels about kick-butt heroines and swoon-worthy rogues (I really like swoon-worthy rogues).

I live in the Midwest with my husband and two dogs (Asimov and Princess Leia), and you can learn more about my crazy thoughts and crippling cookie-addiction on my blog or twitter.

My debut, SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY is now available from HarperTeen along with the prequel, A DAWN MOST WICKED, and the sequel A DARKNESS STRANGE & LOVELY.

Look for STRANGE & EVER AFTER in summer 2014 and TRUTHWITCH in fall 2015!

Note: I am on Goodreads to READ. So, if you want to discuss books and the joys of literature, add me as a friend

   

Sunday Post: Book Haul

Hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer

So another busy weekend for me. Even though I work 4 10hr days there seems to be no rest on my 3 days off. Mostly because I have to entertain my crazy children. I did go a couple of my favorite places. One is Cantigny Park. It has extensive gardens and a couple of Museums. One is a Mansion the other is a war museum. It was the summer house of the Chicago man who started the Tribune and WGN. Here are some of the pretties you see in the gardens.

Honestly the grounds are a writers dream. I used to go there when I was younger and fill journals with stories and ideas.

I also went to one of my other favorite places the Morton Arboretum. One of the things my kids love there is the hedge maze. Reminds me of Alice in Wonderland.

They also have extensive grounds. I mean it takes a half an hour to an hour just to do the driving tour. It's a cool place and so relaxing. They also have lots of fun events.

Next weekend I will be off the grid because I will be at 
music fest. So I have a lot of reading I need to get done during the week since I won't be reading on the weekend. Luckily this year we have 3 day bracelets which means we can go in and out. One year I think I almost sweat to death. Chicago has pretty unpredictable weather but it looks like it's be in the low 80s. Phew.

I also was messing with the graphic that I have no idea what I'm going to do with it more. That's a long sentence but really I don't know what I'm going to do with it. I've changed it about 15 times and the only reason the trees and fence are in it, is because I was getting frustrated. lol This is definitely not the final version yet.
Well enough of my crazy adventures. The blog has been slower because I've been so busy but here is what you might have missed last week.

  

One day left to enter the This Summer Giveaway





Just a couple books. 

Have a Fun Rest of the Weekend!!











Swimming to Tokyo by Brenda St John Brown #BlogTour #BookReview #GuestPost

Title: Swimming to Tokyo
Author: Brenda St John Brown
Releases: July 28, 2014 from Spencer Hill Contemporary

The rules for swimming are simple:

Rule #1: There is no lifeguard on duty.

Since her mom died three years ago, nineteen-year-old Zosia Easton’s been treading water. Living at home. Community college. Same old Saturday nights. So when her father breaks the news he’s taken a job transfer—and by the way, it means renting out the house that’s been her refuge—a summer in Tokyo feels like it just might be a chance to start swimming again.

Rule #2: Beware of unexpected currents.

Finn O’Leary has spent God knows how many years trying to drown out his past. Juvenile detention. Bad decisions. Worse choices. He’s managed to turn it around – MIT, Dean’s List, a sexier-than-thou body with a smile to match – at least on the surface. When his mom asks him to spend the summer with her, Tokyo seems as good a place as any to float through the summer.

Rule #3: Swim at your own risk.



Swimming to Tokyo by Brenda St John Brown really blew me away. I fell in love with it from the very beginning and found it to be a very addicting read. It’s definitely one of my favorite contemporary novels. The writing is fantastic and the plot is terrific. The characters in this book are not perfect and they are not trying to be perfect. I felt like so many things that are normally glossed over are not and it gives it a gritty real feel. At the same time it’s fun, swoony and sexy.

I have always had a fascination with Japan. I was a huge Manga/Anime nerd from middle school until, well I don’t think I’ve ever stopped. Just ebbed a bit. So I absolutely loved the setting. There were lots of places that I recognized and have heard of from my own dive into the culture, even though I’ve never been there. (my cousin has so jealous). It was so fun to read, I love reading books that happen in a different country. It’s hard not to be interesting. Plus Brenda did such a wonderful job of making you feel like you are really there.

Zo is such a great character and completely makes me laugh most of the time. I love that she asks a million questions because I’ve been accused of that myself. I’m not alone in this world! I just like how she was so no nonsense about the things she thought and said. Zosia isn’t going to be the one that pities you. Nope, she’s gone through her own crap and she might be sympathetic to your situation but she is no means going to sugar coat something. She has learned that sometimes something really sucks and people telling you it will get better isn’t going to make it suck any less in that moment. She isn't going to fix you but she will be there to hold you up while you try to fix yourself. It made me want to reach into the book and high five her then ask if she wants to hang out. She is also a swimmer which I think is cool. I love girls who are athletic but still have that flirty cute girl in them.

Finn is such a sweet and swoony guy but the poor boy is so damaged. He has been hurt in ways that breaks your heart and not just physically. It’s also not just from the things that have gone on between him and his dad but also the fact that he felt like his mom failed him too. I want to cuddle him and his sexy tattoo.

The romance is swoony, intense and filled with chemistry. The thing I like about Zosia and Finn is they are who they are. They don’t expect to change one another either. They are only there to support and love. They see that love is not all flowers and rainbows. It also progresses slowly for them. They start out as sort of strangers (classmates), to best friends and finally to a relationship. We see them go through all the normal stages. I also like how when they get in a fight Zosia doesn’t mope, okay maybe a little, she always picks herself back up quickly though. She decides she won’t go quietly and goes after what she wants. I love the banter between the two of them too. It was such fun dialogue to read.

I’m completely fangirling over Brenda St John Brown now and can not wait to read more of her work. Swimming to Tokyo was well written, interesting and fun. Plus it had the right amount of angst and reality mixed in. Definitely run, flail your arms in excitement and pick up this book!

 
10 Things Readers Don’t Know About Me

1.       I could make a meal out of any kind of bread and sauce. My favourite is naan and tikka masala sauce.
2.      I could also make a meal out of Doritos and coffee, water or wine, depending on the time of day.
3.      I had lasik but sadly wear glasses again. However, those 11 glasses-free years were totally worth it!
4.      I used to hide under my bed during thunderstorms when I was a kid. I’m still tempted to do exactly that today.
5.      I booked a holiday once for the wrong YEAR, which I found out when we arrived at the place to check in. Cue crying. Mine and The Boy’s! Everyone I’ve ever mentioned this to tells me that they now always double check the year when they’re booking, so it’s like my public service to the world to mention it.
6.      I have pages of a dystopian written and a pretty solid idea, but I’m so terrible at the world building, I doubt it will ever see the light of day.
7.      I obsess about climate change and the impact it will have on The Boy’s generation.
8.     I’d rather spend my money on travel and books than anything else.
9.      I played the trumpet all through middle school and high school.
10.  Even after several years of driving in the UK, I still have to remind myself to drive on the LEFT!
Brenda St John Brown is a displaced New Yorker living in the English countryside. She hasn't quite adapted to the idea of fireworks in November (despite now being a dual US/UK citizen), but she knows not to call trousers pants & often finds herself saying things are lovely...a word that never crossed her lips until she passed through UK immigration. She writes YA & NA fiction. When she's not writing, Brenda loves running, reading and traveling, & talking about Greek mythology with her son.

   



Blog Tour Schedule

7/21: Lisa @ Fic Talk - Guest Post 
7/22: Kim @ Kimberly Faye Reads - Guest Post 
7/23: Liza @ Who R U - Excerpt 
7/24: Jen @ Library of a Book Witch - Guest Post 
7/25: Kristine @ Kristine Wyllys - Guest Post 
7/28: Brooke @ The Cover Contessa - Interview & Review 
7/29: Fidah @ Met In Eleven - Review & Interview 
7/30: Meredith @ Pandora's Books - Excerpt 
7/31: Jaime @ Fic Fare - Review & Interview 
8/1: Lola @ Lola's Reviews - Review