2017 in Review - Music

I bought about about the same amount of music as last year including the albums Native Invader by Tori Amos and Wonderful, Wonderful by The Killers. 

2017 songs on heavy rotation (* indicates top 7)

*Machine - MisterWives
*Hot Thoughts - Spoon
*I Dare You - the xx (+ On Hold)
*Sorry - Nothing but Thieves
*Guilty Party - The National (+Day I Die)
Everything Now - Arcade Fire
Sugar for the Pill - Slowdive
In Undertow - Alvvays
Only a Child - Gracie and Rachel
Particle - Hundred Waters
*Los Ageless - St. Vincent
SGL - Now, Now
*Bang - Tori Amos (+Wildwood +Climb)
Someone to You - BANNERS
Hurt Like Hell - The Heydaze
Now and Then - Sjowgren
Broken - lovelytheband
Edge of Town - Middle Kids
It's a Trip! - Joywave
Something Just Like This - Coldplay
Shape of You - Ed Sheeran
Feel it Still - Portugal, The Man
Tummy Ache - Diet Cig
Run for Cover - The Killers
Roots - Alice Merton
The Gold - Manchester Orchestra
In Cold Blood - Alt-J
Don't Take the Money - Bleachers
Up All Night - Beck
Two High - Moon Taxi
There's A Honey - Pale Waves

Favorite finds from previous years 

Cleopatra - The Lumineers (2016)
Favorite Liar - The Wrecks (2016)

The Night We Met - Lord Huron (2015)
The Two of Us - Sophie Park (2013)
Can't be Broken - Twin Forks (2013)
Illumination - Secret Garden (1997)

Live Music in 2017

+ Agnes Obel (March 7) in DC

+ Coldplay (August 7) in D.C.

+ Tori Amos (Nov 3) in D.C.

+ Tori Amos (Nov 4) in Philadelphia, PA

+ Tori Amos (Nov. 11) in Durham, NC


I'd love to hear about your favorite music of the year - share with me!! 

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Release Week Blitz: Breaking the Ice by Julie Cross

Welcome to the Release Week Blitz for

Breaking the Ice (Juniper Falls #2) by Julie Cross

presented by Entangled Teen!

Grab your copy today!

Congratulations Julie!

Breaking the Ice (Juniper Falls #2) by Julie Cross

Publication Date: December 26, 2017 

Publisher: Entangled Teen

The second book in the Juniper Falls series from NY Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Julie Cross, perfect for fans of Miranda Kenneally and Abbi Glines. Haley Stevenson seems like she’s got it all together: cheer captain, “Princess” of Juniper Falls, and voted Most Likely to Get Things Done. But below the surface, she’s struggling with a less-than-stellar GPA and still reeling from the loss of her first love. Repeating her Civics class during summer school is her chance to Get Things Done, not angst over boys. In fact, she’s sworn them off completely until college. Fletcher Scott is happy to keep a low profile around Juniper Falls. He’s always been the invisible guy, warming the bench on the hockey team and moonlighting at a job that would make his grandma blush. Suddenly, though, he’s finding he wants more: more time on the ice, and more time with his infuriatingly perfect summer-school study partner. But leave it to a girl who requires perfection to shake up a boy who’s ready to break all the rules.

Purchase at:

Amazon | Amazon Australia | Amazon UK | Amazon Canada

B&N | Kobo | iBooks

   

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

   

All is fair in love and hockey…

Claire O’Connor is back in Juniper Falls, but that doesn’t mean she wants to be. One semester off, that’s what she promised herself. Just long enough to take care of her father and keep the family business—a hockey bar beside the ice rink—afloat. After that, she’s getting the hell out. Again.

Enter Tate Tanley. What happened between them the night before she left town resurfaces the second they lay eyes on each other. But the guy she remembers has been replaced by a total hottie. When Tate is unexpectedly called in to take over for the hockey team’s star goalie, suddenly he’s in the spotlight and on his way to becoming just another egotistical varsity hockey player. And Claire’s sworn off Juniper Falls hockey players for good.

It’s the absolute worst time to fall in love.

For Tate and Claire, hockey isn’t just a game. And they both might not survive a body check to the heart. 

Julie Cross is a NYT and USA Today bestselling author of New Adult and Young Adult fiction, including the Tempest series, a young adult science fiction trilogy which includes Tempest, Vortex, Timestorm (St. Martin's Press). She's also the author of Letters to Nowhere series, Whatever Life Throws at You, Third Degree, Halfway Perfect, Chasing Truth, Off the Ice and many more to come! Julie Cross was a longtime resident of central Illinois but has recently moved her entire family across the country to continue her academic studies at Stanford University.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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Well hello there...long time no see | Long Over-due Explanation + Question

*peeks around corner* Well hello there everyone! Remember me? No? Yes? Ah, okay so I've been MIA since October. I know, I know, bad Beckie! *scolds self* 

So this is going to be kind of a long post since there's a lot I have to say so please bear with me because it's important to me and hopefully is to my wonderful loyal readers. 

For the past few months, my life has changed immensely. First of all, I recently adopted a new kitten. His name is Toby and he's quite a handful. My life has had so much love and joy from being a mom to two wonderful cats. 

Here are a few pics of him and of both my kitties together. 

These two cuties have been keeping me busy. If you have ever owned a kitten then you understand. ;)  I've also been doing a lot of volunteer work for a local company that works with Christain artists. I work at the merch tables for many different singers and bands. To name a few, Newsong, Kari Jobe, For King and Country, and so many more. Its so much fun and I get to meet some awesome talent! 

Anyway, so I want to be honest with you all and tell you I've not really had the motivation to blog for the past few months. I haven't been reading much either. I kind of lost my mojo for my blog and I know a lot of this is because I have had other interests taking up my time but also I feel like no one really cares much for my content. When I put my heart and soul into my posts and reviews I would very rarely get comments. The only time anyone would comment was if they had to to enter a giveaway. I'm not singling anyone out and I'm not mad or anything but it's nice to hear a "great review" or "I enjoyed this post". These types of comments make a blogger feel that he or she is doing good and should keep putting out content. Does that make sense? Hopefully, no one takes this the wrong way. 

So with that out of the way I have a question for everyone.

Would anybody be interested or care if I reviewed or talked about video games on my blog as well occasionally? I have a real passion for video games and to be completely honest it’s been something that I’ve been doing a lot of lately. I’ve always been a big gamer but I don’t often share that side of myself with you guys on my blog because I figure it’s a book blog but would anybody be interested in me doing a few posts here in there about video games?

Give me a comment and let me know.

Overall my goal is to start working on cleaning up some stuff for my blog. There’s a lot of imaging problems because the photo bucket recently adding the payment for a third party hosting so I’m going to have to try to find another free image hosting site if anybody knows of one please let me know in the comments as well. I would also absolutely love to have a new blog layout but unfortunately, I’m not made of money so I might just have to stick with the one I have unless anyone knows someone that could do it cheap or would be nice enough to do it for me for free. Just send me a message or email me if you know of someone that would be willing to do that for me.

Ideally, I would love to start blogging again and really getting it back to where it was. I’ve missed blogging a lot last several months but I’ve just been so busy and preoccupied with other stuff. Once I get things clean up some here I'm really going to try and start blogging again. So be on the lookout for new posts coming soon. Thank you for reading this long post and I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas or Hanukkah or whatever happy holidays that you celebrate. 

Would anyone be interested in reading video game reviews or content occasionally on my blog?

Yes.

No

Oh yeah, I love video games!

Nah, but more book content would be great!

Doesn't matter

DoRiddles

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Blog Tour: BERSERKER by Emmy Laybourne | Top Ten List + Giveaway!

Hello everyone!

Welcome to the blog tour for 

BERSERKER by Emmy Laybourne! 

Today you can learn all about this fabulous new novel, find out what authors Emmy Laybourne would love to be able to work with and enter to win a giveaway for a copy of the book!

Enjoy!

Berserker by Emmy Laybourne 
Series: Berserker (Book 1) 
Hardcover: 352 pages 
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (October 10, 2017) Language: English 
ISBN-10: 1250055202 
ISBN-13: 978-1250055200

Are Hanne's powers a gift from the old Norse gods, or a curse?

Her brother Stieg swears their powers are a gift from the old gods, but Hanne Hemstad knows she is truly cursed. It's not Stieg's fault that their father is dead, their mother has left, and their brother Knut has been accused of a crime he didn't commit.

No, the fault lies with Hanne and her inability to control her murderous "gift"--she is a Berserker. When someone she loves is threatened, she flies into a killing state. The siblings must leave Norway for the American frontier or risk being brought to justice.

Aided by a young cowboy who agrees to be their guide, Hanne and her siblings use their powers to survive the perilous trail, where blizzards, wild animals, and vicious bounty hunters await.

Will they be able to reach their uncle, the one man Hanne believes may be able to teach her how to control her drive to kill? With Berserker, Emmy Laybourne, the author of Monument 14, presents her vision of an American west studded with Viking glory.

You can purchase Berserker at the following Retailers:

        

Praise for BERSERKER

"Emmy Labourne deftly melds Viking lore with the American West and creates something wholly new, a journey filled with heart-pounding suspense and surprising tenderness. Loved!"―Danielle Paige New York Times-bestselling author the Dorothy Must Die series

"Berserker combines the magic of Norse mythology with the thrill of the American West with staggering results. Startlingly original, unputdownable, and electrifying." ―Kass Morgan, author of New York Times bestseller The 100

"A completely winning, romantic, and heart-wrenching historical fantasy. Your pulse will race from page one of this rich, rugged adventure of a book."―Alyson Noel, New York Times-bestselling author of The Immortals series

"Berserker embraces the beautiful brutality of both Viking lore and Frontier tales, and it does so without resorting to tired tropes or toxic masculinity. This is a brilliantly unexpected fusion of cowboys and old gods―intense and gritty and yet surprisingly tender―but the real strength of Emmy Laybourne's writing is that, for all their superhuman abilities, her characters are so very human."―William Ritter, author of the New York Times-bestselling Jackaby series

Praise for EMMY LAYBOURNE

“Simultaneously terrifying, hilarious, and action-packed, Sweet is a wild ride that holds up a warped mirror to our society. I loved it from the first line to the last.” ―Marie Lu, author of Legend and The Young Elites on Sweet

“Frighteningly real . . . Riveting.” ―The New York Times Book Review on Monument 14

“A tense, claustrophobic, and fast-paced thriller.” ―Publishers Weekly, starred review of Monument 14

“Pretty darn breathless.” ―Booklist on Sky on Fire

Top Ten authors I’d like to work with by Emmy Laybourne

1. David Levinthan.  I love his premises.  They're so clever and inventive and yet you never feel for a minute like you're reading a high concept book. They never feel gimmicky in the slightest bit. His books are always so deep and moving. I’m a huge fan.

2. Jason Reynolds. I’m blown away by the heart in his books and the language! Reynolds writes and you hear the characters talking and (this is important)  you love them. I read Ghost in one sitting, in my car, in the parking lot of the bookstore. That’s how good this guy is.

3. I'd love to work with Kristin Cashore.  Heck, I would just like to have lunch with Kristin Cashore.  I would even just like to be on line for the bathroom with Kristin Cashore! Her world building, her characters, her sense of drama -- she is the master. I admire the Graceling series endlessly.

4. Joe Abercrombie.  Man, oh man, have you read Joe Abercrombie?  He writes adult fantasy set in a Viking inspired world. Wow, this guy can write a battle scene.  I read ALL his books this summer. He’s got 5 or 6 and they’re each 400+ pages long.

5. Robin McKinley.  Oh, I would just like to sit at her feet and massage her ankles and maybe I would learn something from writing just by massaging her ankles.  Wait. That's really weird.  If she reads this she's going to be really uncomfortable.  Okay, forget the ankle thing. Maybe I could be her assistant. I feel like I could soak up a lot of wisdom from her.

6. Margaret Atwood.  Margaret Atwood is to me just one of the most brilliant writers of all times -- and that she’s writing now? It’s so exciting.  Atwood sees our world so keenly and can convey the complexity of what she perceives.  Her word-smithing is electrifying.  Each sentence in her books feels like poetry but not kind of froufrou overwritten poetry that makes you feel like you've been put at an arm's distance -- the kind of poetry that makes you remember you are alive.  

7. Stephen King.  Oh my God.  Stephen King.  The maestro.  I feel like if you were collaborating with Stephen King it would be like being a passenger in a car with the brake lines cut.  You would just careen along smashing down signposts and taking corners on two wheels.  That would be a hell of a joyride.  

8. Who else?  Elmore Leonard.  Oh my God.  It would so cool to work with Elmore Leonard.  I'm not worthy at all but man he knows so much about character and his writing is so lean and delicious.

9. A combo -- I met Dave Barry and Ridly Pearson on a panel at Yallwest a few years ago and we really hit it off.  I would like to collaborate with those guys.  I think we could have a lot of fun together.  They were really outrageously funny but also very kind, respectful and professional at the same time.  

10. Marie Lu.  Marie Lu.  The thing you have to know about Marie Lu is that she is absolutely the nicest person working in Young Adult literature bar none.  She is kind and thoughtful, funny, gracious, generous, and don’t even get me started on her talent, which appears to be limitless! She has terrific ideas and executes them flawlessly. We’d have quite a bit of fun, me and Marie.

Emmy Laybourne is a novelist, screenwriter and former character actress. She is the author of the upcoming release BERSERKER ("You will love Emmy Laybourne's vision of an American west studded with Viking glory." - Hypable.com), as well as the MONUMENT 14 trilogy ("Frighteningly real… riveting" - NYT Book Review, Editor’s Choice) and the novel SWEET (“A gripping action-adventure survival story” – VOYA, rated Perfect Ten). 

Before her life as a novelist, Emmy performed original comedy on Comedy Central, MTV and VH1; and acted in the movies "Superstar," "The In-Laws" and "Nancy Drew," among others. Emmy lives outside New York City with her husband, two kids and a flock of 9 nifty chickens.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram

--Giveaway is open to International. | Must be 13+ to Enter

- 4 Winners will receive a Copy of BERSERKER by Emmy Laybourne.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Blog Tour: Review of The Last Namsara by by Kristen Ciccarelli

Hi everyone! Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Last Namsara. The Last Namsara is a debut fantasy novel by Kristen Ciccarelli and it's about - wait for it - dragons. If you know me at all, you know I love dragons, and The Last Namsara did not disappoint. Please see my review below.

---

The Last Namsara (Iskari #1) by Kristen Ciccarelli

Publisher: Gollancz

Released: 12th October 2017

My Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Find on Goodreads

In the beginning, there was the Namsara: the child of sky and spirit, who carried love and laughter wherever he went. But where there is light, there must be dark—and so there was also the Iskari. The child of blood and moonlight. The destroyer. The death bringer.

These are the legends that Asha, daughter of the king of Firgaard, has grown up hearing in hushed whispers, drawn to the forbidden figures of the past. But it isn’t until she becomes the fiercest, most feared dragon slayer in the land that she takes on the role of the next Iskari—a lonely destiny that leaves her feeling more like a weapon than a girl.

Asha conquers each dragon and brings its head to the king, but no kill can free her from the shackles that await at home: her betrothal to the cruel commandant, a man who holds the truth about her nature in his palm. When she’s offered the chance to gain her freedom in exchange for the life of the most powerful dragon in Firgaard, she finds that there may be more truth to the ancient stories than she ever could have expected. With the help of a secret friend—a slave boy from her betrothed’s household—Asha must shed the layers of her Iskari bondage and open her heart to love, light, and a truth that has been kept from her. (from Goodreads)

I knew I was going to like this book from the very first chapter. The book opened right in the middle of an action scene – I thought I would have to wait a while to see any dragons, but nope, they were there from the very beginning, and I was so grateful there was no faffing around with long introductions. I wanted dragons and I got dragons – but also so much more.

Asha, daughter of the Dragon King, was the Iskari, a title named after a goddess of old, known mostly for her destruction and chaos. As a young girl, Asha was responsible for an incident which caused the death and collapse of an entire town, and has been trying to pay penance ever since. Tasked with killing every dragon until none remained, Asha was a fierce hunter. But no matter how many dragons she killed or how many people she saved, she was still feared and reviled by her people. To start with, Asha was incredibly stubborn and narrow-minded, unwilling to think outside of the teachings she had followed her entire life. She was, however, incredibly focused and determined – once she set her mind upon a task, she would carry it out at all costs. I really enjoyed seeing from Asha’s perspective; her relationships with other characters were very interesting and very telling of what she prioritised in life. I especially liked seeing how she got on with her brother and the way their relationship changed throughout the book. Asha’s connection with the dragons was another one of my favourite parts, and I only wish we could have found out more about the dragons and where they came from.

Torwin was the slave of Asha’s betrothed and he started off quite a mysterious character. He seemed to know Asha somehow, or was at least more familiar with her than he should have been, and he was strangely important to several people with stations far above his own. I liked Torwin; I liked the way he seemed to be able to get people on his side and I’m really interested to find out more about him. To be honest, however, I didn’t fully buy the romance. This was mostly because Asha and Torwin barely spent any time together and it just seemed a bit rushed – some bits were pretty cliché and I couldn’t really believe how fast their feelings developed. I absolutely hated Jarek, Asha’s fiancé, though – he was one of the most awful people I’ve read about in a while. He was just sadistic the worst thing was there was really nothing else to him other than his love of making people suffer – I spent half the book hoping he’d fall off a cliff.

Plot-wise, I loved the dragon mythology in this book, especially the stories which drew dragons out and made them stronger. I do wish we had learnt more about the stories and how it was that they had such an effect on dragons, but I loved reading them and learning more about the histories of the Namsara. I also loved all the scenes where dragons appeared (can you tell that I really like dragons) and the tasks Asha had to carry out. I did find some parts of this book to be a bit predictable and saw some of the twists coming, but overall, it didn’t really affect my enjoyment of the story. I think some parts could also have been developed more – e.g. Asha’s feelings on dragons after learning more about them and how she now viewed her past actions.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. A promising start to a new fantasy series – highly recommended (especially if you like dragons!).

---

Kristen Ciccarelli hails from Ontario’s Niagara Peninsula where she grew up on her grandfather’s grape farm. She spent her childhood running wild with her cousins, adventuring in the woods, building forts in the barn, and obsessing over books, dragons, and girls wielding really cool weapons. She wrote The Last Namsara for the girl she used to be (and sometimes still is).

Website: https://www.kristenciccarelli.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SheLuresDragons
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristenciccarelli/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKristenCiccarelli/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15428577.Kristen_Ciccarelli


Many thanks to Stevie and Gollancz for letting me take part in this blog tour! Make sure to visit the next stops at A City of Books and YA Under My Skin tomorrow.

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Blog Tour: Summoner by S.D. Grimm + Giveaway!

Hello, everyone! 

Welcome to the Summoner by S.D. Grimm BLOG TOUR!

Today is my stop on the tour where I will be sharing with you all a book spotlight and giveaway! There are some really awesome goodies you can win so be sure to check out the end of this post to enter. 
Enjoy!

Summoner by S.D. Grimm

Publication Date: September 4, 2017

Publisher: Entangled TEEN

Genre: YA - Paranormal Romance

When Allie’s best friend dares their group to play a game in a cemetery—something she calls “witching”—Allie never expects what it might mean for her. When she plays, she doesn’t just find bodies, she summons their souls. But one soul wants more than Allie is willing to give.And the boy next door could be the key to saving her.

Cody Burkhart. Straight from Montana, cowboy hat wearing, and smoking hot, he’s just the thing to help Allie become “normal” again after the death of her mother. And as her newly appointed Guardian, he’s also just the thing to help Allie ward off the vengeful spirit who’s after her soul. Except Cody has his own demons to slay that keep him closed off. But as the full moon approaches, so does their only chance to break the curse, and Cody will have to make the biggest sacrifice of all.

Purchase at: 

Amazon | Amazon Australia | Amazon UK | Amazon Canada

B&N | iBooks | Kobo | Entangled

Mandy was right; moonlight made it easier to see, but the uneasy feeling in my stomach intensified as I moved toward that grouping of headstones. They were crooked and uneven. Like the ground beneath them settled a long time ago but never actually stopped settling.

The damp air made it harder to breathe.

“All right, what do I do with these things?” Derek took one of the L-shaped wires from his sister.

An involuntary shiver crept up my back as I recalled how cold those things were.

“Hold it like this.” Nell held the smaller section of the wire in her hand, letting the larger section point straight out in front of her. “One in each hand.” She gave Derek the other one. “Now, loosen your grip so they’re free to move when they want to, and start walking.”

Derek examined his metal rods. “You’re saying they’ll move on their own?”

“Yep.”

“No way.” Derek shook his head and tried to hand the hanger back.

“You scared?” Nell’s smile was evident in her voice.

“No.”

“Good.” Nell pointed toward the graves. “When you’re over an actual body, you’ll see the two points converge.” She held her arms in front of her as if they were the metal coat hangers. Then she folded them and her fingertips nearly touched. “If one side still sways—” she demonstrated by moving her right hand a little, “—then you’ve most likely hit a female.”

“You can’t possibly tell that.” Mandy’s voice was as breathless as I felt.

Nell simply shrugged. “We’ll let the tombstones tell us afterward.”

Did she have any fears? Was I the only one covered in a chill that seemed to cling to my soul? Maybe Mom’s death had altered me in this area, too. Death wasn’t this far-off elusive thing that I never thought about anymore. Death was real. Always present in my thoughts because of the hole it had left in my heart.

Derek tried to hand his sister the rods. “Maybe you should go first and show us.”

Nell made chicken noises.

Derek shifted his shoulders like he was preparing to shoot a free throw. “I just don’t want to mess up.”

Hunter groaned until Derek started walking. At first, nothing happened. Then, as he walked past the headstone, to the other side, the metal rods twitched toward him.

“Whoa.” He stopped.

Imaginary centipedes raced across my skin.

“Keep going,” Nell whispered.

S. D. Grimm’s first love in writing is young adult fantasy and science fiction. She is represented by Julie Gwinn of the Seymour Agency and author of SCARLET MOON. She currently has four books under contract, including the remainder of her YA fantasy series Children of the Blood Moon. When she’s not writing or editing, Sarah enjoys reading (of course!), practicing kickboxing and Brazilian jiu jitsu, training dogs, and binge-watching shows with great characters. Her office is anywhere she can curl up with her laptop and at least one large-sized dog. You can learn more about her upcoming novels at www.sdgrimm.com.

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Giveaway Details:

Summoner Prize Pack including:

* A velvet bookmark

* Keychain

* Charm

* A journal based on the one Allie’s mom gave her

* Allie’s salsa recipe

* A $20 Amazon gift card

(US Only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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