Blog Tour (Review & Giveaway): Vienna's Last Jihad by C. Wayne Dawson

Title: Vienna's Last Jihad
Author: C. Wayne Dawson
Publisher: Katy Crossing Press
Acquired Via: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours
Release Date: October 20, 2013
Brash and brilliant, twenty year old Mathis Zieglar, Professor of Languages, faces an agonizing choice: should he fight the Turks who take his family hostage and move to destroy Vienna? Or should he betray his army to save his kin? Vienna’s Last Jihad is an historical novel set against the 1683 siege of Vienna.

Europe is balanced on a knife’s edge while Mathis, the man who holds its fate in his hands, struggles against powerful enemies: Father Sistini, a Jesuit who brands him a heretic and drags Mathis’ fiancée off to the Inquisition; a xenophobic city mob, who wants him dead for protecting a Hungarian soldier; but most dangerous of all, Captain Tyrek, a Muslim chieftain who will kill Mathis’ family unless he spies against his own army. One by one, Tyrek’s agents murder Mathis’ closest associates in an attempt to isolate him. As 138,000 Turks grind down Vienna’s 11,000 defenders with no relief in sight, Mathis’ only chance to save family and country is to use his wits, the ability to speak Tartar and the knack he learned as a child to leap, whirl, and strike.

READ AN EXCERPT

My Review

When I was given the opportunity to review Vienna's Last Jihad, I jumped on it because it is the kind of book that I miss reading. You see, I spent many years studying history, focusing on the conflict between Christianity and Islam, so finding a piece of historical fiction along the lines of my studies was very exciting. Since the majority of what I know about the conflicts between Europe and the Middle East comes from the Crusades, so the history surrounding the events of the story was mostly new to me.

Cover Reveal (Excerpt): The Innocent Assassins by Pema Donyo

Title: The Innocent Assassins
Author: Pema Donyo
Cover Designer: AM Design Studios
Release Date: June 24, 2014
There are three rules to staying an assassin at the corporation of Covert Operatives: (1) your parents must be deceased, (2) your contracts must remain confidential, and (3) you must be under the age of eighteen.

After a murder mission goes awry a month before her eighteenth birthday, Covert Operatives assassin Jane Lu finds herself caught by the federal government and forced to spy for the CIA while remaining in Covert Operatives. Once her spying mission is over, she will be allowed to live a civilian life without facing criminal consequences—a life she’s only dreamed of having.

As Jane leaks information to the CIA, she uncovers secrets with enough power to both destroy Covert Operatives and her own boyfriend, Adrian King, who’s next in line to be CEO of the company. When her identity as a double agent for the CIA is discovered within Covert Operatives, she must decide where her allegiance, and her heart, truly lies.

Excerpt

Rough cloth slid across my face and pulled down against my shoulders. I screamed. Someone yanked my wrists behind my back and tied them together with coarse rope. Another set of hands bound my legs. How many were there?

I struggled to make contact with a body, swerving from side to side with wild abandon in spite of my inability to see anything. What worried me most weren’t the people trapping my body or the sudden needle injected into my neck which slowed my thoughts and faded away my consciousness.

Armchair BEA 2014: Giveaway

Design by Amber of Shelf Notes

To learn more about Armchair BEA, visit HERE.
I'm a little last minute with getting everything together for my giveaway (I warned you), so I'm just doing a giveaway of my ARC of The Quick by Lauren Owen that has been sitting in my car for a month* (US only) and a book of choice for $15 or less from the Book Depository that everybody can enter, as long as the site will ship to you. You can find the Rafflecopter at the end of the post, but I'm going to tell you a little about The Quick first.



Title: The Quick
Author: Lauren Owen
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: June 17, 2014
An astonishing debut, a novel of epic scope and suspense that conjures up all the magic and menace of Victorian London.

London, 1892: James Norbury, a shy would-be poet newly down from Oxford, finds lodging with a charming young aristocrat. Through this new friendship, he is introduced to the drawing-rooms of high society, and finds love in an unexpected quarter. Then, suddenly, he vanishes without a trace. Unnerved, his sister, Charlotte, sets out from their crumbling country estate determined to find him. In the sinister, labyrinthine city that greets her, she uncovers a secret world at the margins populated by unforgettable characters: a female rope walker turned vigilante, a street urchin with a deadly secret, and the chilling “Doctor Knife.” But the answer to her brother’s disappearance ultimately lies within the doors of one of the country’s preeminent and mysterious institutions: The Aegolius Club, whose members include the most ambitious, and most dangerous, men in England.

In her first novel, Lauren Owen has created a fantastical world that is both beguiling and terrifying. The Quick will establish her as one of fiction’s most dazzling talents.

You can read my review of The Quick HERE, but don't let the DNF lead you astray. It really was a good book, but I didn't have time to read it. (It's huge.)

Giveaway

Review: The Lost by Sarah Beth Durst

Title: The Lost (The Lost #1)
Author: Sarah Beth Durst
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Acquired Via: NetGalley
Release Date: May 27, 2014
Award-winning author Sarah Beth Durst has been praised for her captivating novels that merge the darkly imagined with very real themes of self-discovery and destiny. In The Lost, we'll discover just what it means to lose one's way…

It was only meant to be a brief detour. But then Lauren finds herself trapped in a town called Lost on the edge of a desert, filled with things abandoned, broken and thrown away. And when she tries to escape, impassible dust storms and something unexplainable lead her back to Lost again and again. The residents she meets there tell her she's going to have to figure out just what she's missing—and what she's running from—before she can leave. So now Lauren's on a new search for a purpose and a destiny. And maybe, just maybe, she'll be found…

Against the backdrop of this desolate and mystical town, Sarah Beth Durst writes an arresting, fantastical novel of one woman's impossible journey…and her quest to find her fate.

My Review

The Lost has been my most surprising read of 2014 so far. The story was not at all what I was expecting from the synopsis. In fact, I almost put the book down after a few pages. I don’t read anything sad that has someone suffering from cancer. But, by the time I had read that, I had already fallen in the love with Durst’s writing style. There were multiple times that the main character’s inner thoughts made me laugh out loud. And I connected completely Lauren from the beginning. It was one of the few books that I’ve read that the writing itself could have made me read the entire book, not the plot, not the characters, not the mystery. Just the writing. Good thing that the plot, mystery and characters were also spectacular.

Armchair BEA 2014: Novellas/Short Stories

Design by Amber of Shelf Notes

To learn more about Armchair BEA, visit HERE.
You guys, I think this may be my favorite topic of the week. I LOVE novellas, novelettes, and short stories. When they were required reading in school, I was a happy, happy girl. Even if I didn't like them, I loved them. (Don't ask how that works.) There's just something about reading something short and sweet, with so much squeezed into one little morsel. Oh, and you know how some of them have open endings? I love those, too. That's a lot of love, huh? We should hug it out.

When I'm looking to read short stories when I'm just farting around on the computer, I go to Tor.com's story section. I have found many quality stories (and fabulous artwork for them!) on the site, and I usually end up buying them for my Kindle, too, so I can read them wherever. The very best one that I've ever come across is Burning Girls by Veronica Schanoes. My review from Goodreads is as follows:

I'm typing sentences, deleting them, and attempting to write more. I don't know what to really say except that Burning Girls left me speechless. I started reading the story without reading any reviews or the words italicized at the start. It was on Tor.Com - what else did I need to know?

What I found in Burning Girls was a striking mixture of witchcraft, Judaic mythology, fairy tale, history, and feminism. The more I read, the more I was sucked in by the writing of Veronica Schanoes. She weaved the above-mentioned elements into her world flawlessly and held me helplessly ensnared in it. By the time I reached the end, my skin crawled and was covered with chill bumps.

Veronica Schanoes' Burning Girls is a story you should put aside an hour for, and she is definitely a writer whose future works I will be impatiently waiting to read.

Trust me when I say it's good stuff.

What is your favorite short story?

Waiting on Wednesday (56): Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.



Title: Magic Breaks (Kate Daniels #7)
Author: Ilona Andrews
Publisher: Ace Hardcover
Release Date: July 29, 2014
No matter how much the paranormal politics of Atlanta change, one thing always remains the same: if there’s trouble, Kate Daniels will be in the middle of it…

As the mate of the Beast Lord, Curran, former mercenary Kate Daniels has more responsibilities than it seems possible to juggle. Not only is she still struggling to keep her investigative business afloat, she must now deal with the affairs of the pack, including preparing her people for attack from Roland, a cruel ancient being with god-like powers. Since Kate’s connection to Roland has come out into the open, no one is safe—especially those closest to Kate.

As Roland’s long shadow looms ever nearer, Kate is called to attend the Conclave, a gathering of the leaders from the various supernatural factions in Atlanta. When one of the Masters of the Dead is found murdered there, apparently at the hands of a shapeshifter, Kate is given only twenty-four hours to hunt down the killer. And this time, if she fails, she’ll find herself embroiled in a war which could destroy everything she holds dear…


In almost two months, I get to hold this in my hands! Plus this one is going to be in hardcover! (I'm excited but didn't like the almost $20 price tag, which I paid, of course). The Kate Daniels series is my favorite urban fantasy series, and I'm dying to read the next installment. What shenanigans will Kate get up to? How are Andrea and Raphael after book 6? Will we finally get the showdown with Roland? Plus, I want to see more Julie; I liked her solo story in the anthology, An Apple for the Creature.

What are you waiting on this week?

Armchair BEA 2014: Author Interaction

Design by Amber of Shelf Notes

To learn more about Armchair BEA, visit HERE.
As promised, I'm not only last minute but late on today's post. I spent the morning at the dentist and the rest of the day recuperating, so this is the first time I've felt like getting anything done. I'd tell you more, but I'm sure you're not interested in the details. (And I'd ramble too long.)

ANYWHO.

Review: The Girl with the Windup Heart by Kady Cross

Title: The Girl with the Windup Heart (Steampunk Chronicles #4)
Author: Kady Cross
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Acquired Via: NetGalley
Release Date: May 27, 2014
In 1897 London, a final showdown is about to begin.

London's underworld is no place for a young woman, even one who is strong, smart and part-automaton like Mila. But when master criminal Jack Dandy inadvertently breaks her heart, she takes off, determined to find an independent life, one entirely her own. Her search takes her to the spangled shadows of the West End's most dazzling circus.

Meanwhile, taken captive in the Aether, Griffin King is trapped in an inescapable prison, and at the mercy of his archenemy, The Machinist. If he breaks under the hellish torment, The Machinist will claim his powers and control of the Aether itself, and no one in either world will be safe-especially not Finley Jayne and her misfit band of friends.

Finley plunges headlong into the Aether the only way she knows how, by temporarily dying. But she cannot parry The Machinist's maneuvers for long. To defeat him for good, Griffin will have to confront his greatest fear and finally come face-to-face with the destructive power he wields.

My Review

I really loved the first book in the series, The Girl in the Steel Corset, and its The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen feel. But each book has gotten progressively less enjoyable to me. It took me a long time to read The Girl with the Windup Heart, a lot longer than any other book has taken in the past few years other than the Song of Ice and Fire series (and those books are at least twice as long as this one). Partly because life has gone crazy and I barely have time to do anything just for me, but partly because I wasn’t compelled to read it. I didn’t have that urge to pick up the book, needing to know what happened. Which is strange because a lot of situations in this book should have been suspenseful.

Top Ten Tuesday: Series I Need to Finish

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten Series I Need to Finish


1. Jessica Darling series by Megan McCafferty
I'm on book 4, Fourth Comings, and I actually have the rest of the books on my shelf. I'm just waiting until I'm in a book slump to use these as my rescues because I know they will be good.



2. In Death series by J.D. Robb
I'm on book 27, Salvation in Death. I like to take a break every few books, because while Nora Roberts is amazing, she does get a little repetitive. One of the best parts of this series is the relationship between Roarke and Eve, of course, but Eve's relationships with her fellow cops and friends are just as great. Because of this series, Susan Ericksen is currently my favorite narrator. She just does a stellar job on this series, and I can't imagine reading these books any other way. I would get so sad to not hear her inflections if I actually read the print version.

Book Blast: The Lost Duchess by Jenny Barden

Title: The Lost Duchess
Author: Jenny Barden
Publisher: Ebury Press
Genre: Historical Fiction
Paperback Release Date: June 5, 2014
An epic Elizabethan adventure with a thriller pace and a high tension love story that moves from the palaces of England to the savage wilderness of the New World.

Emme Fifield has fallen about as far as a gentlewoman can.

Once a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth, her only hope of surviving the scandal that threatens to engulf her is to escape England for a fresh start in the new America where nobody has ever heard of the Duchess of Somerset.

Emme joins Kit Doonan’s rag-tag band of idealists, desperados and misfits bound for Virginia. But such a voyage will be far from easy and Emme finds her attraction to the mysterious Doonan inconvenient to say the least.

As for Kit, the handsome mariner has spent years imprisoned by the Spanish, and living as an outlaw with a band of escaped slaves; he has his own inner demons to confront, and his own dark secrets to keep…

Ever since Sir Walter Raleigh’s settlement in Virginia was abandoned in 1587 its fate has remained a mystery; The Lost Duchess explores what might have happened to the ill-starred "Lost Colony" of Roanoke.

Buy Links
Amazon (AUS) | Amazon (UK) | Book Depository


About Jenny Barden

Armchair BEA 2014: Introduction

Design by Amber of Shelf Notes

To learn more about Armchair BEA, visit HERE.
This is the third year that I've participated in Armchair BEA, and my decision to participate was pretty last minute. I've been super behind on All The Things because of a silly little distraction called "life", but hopefully I can finish out the week like a good girl. (I intend to schedule all of my posts, but you guys should be putting bets on me doing these posts last minute on the night before.)

1. Describe your blog in just one sentence. Then, list your social details -- Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. -- so we can connect more online.

In west Philadelphia born and rai... Wait, that one is taken. *ponders* How about:

"Bibliophile wandering around the blogosphere aimlessly, looking for more books to read."
Okay, that's my pitch. You can find my social networking stuff on the right sidebar at the top.

2.What genre do you read the most?

Waiting on Wednesday (55): The Dark World by Cara Lynn Shultz

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.



Title: The Dark World (The Dark World #1)
Author: Cara Lynn Shultz
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: May 27, 2014
Paige Kelly is used to weird--in fact, she probably corners the market on weird, considering that her best friend, Dottie, has been dead since the 1950s. But when a fire demon attacks Paige in detention, she has to admit that things have gotten out of her league. Luckily, the cute new boy in school, Logan Bradley, is a practiced demon slayer-and he isn't fazed by Paige's propensity to chat with the dead. Suddenly, Paige is smack in the middle of a centuries-old battle between warlocks and demons, learning to fight with a magic sword so that she can defend herself. And if she makes one wrong move, she'll be pulled into the Dark World, an alternate version of our world that's overrun by demons-and she might never make it home.


This comes out next week! I just adore that cover. And, of course, the synopsis had me at warlocks and magic sword. Plus, I've been meaning to read Shultz's Spellbound series, anyway. Maybe I'll start with this one instead.

What are you waiting on this week?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books About Friendship

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten Books About Friendship


1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter #1) by J.K. Rowling


2. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
Who could forget the friendship between Charlotte and Wilbur?

Book Trailer & Twitter Chat: #NowandForever with @susanecolasanti & @PenguinTeen on 5/19

Hello, fellow bibliophiles! I have a fantastic book trailer to share with you today, and I'd like to give you guys a heads up about tonight's Twitter chat (7pm EST) with Susane Colasanti in celebration of her new book that releases tomorrow, Now and Forever. Penguin Teen is hosting, and there will be an opportunity to ask Susane some questions, as well as a giveaway! Who doesn't love that?!



Title: Now and Forever
Author: Susane Colasanti
Publisher: Viking Juvenile (Penguin)
Release Date: May 20, 2012
What if your boyfriend was the world’s biggest rockstar?

Sterling is crazy in love with Ethan. Not only is he the sweetest boy she’s ever met, but he's an incredibly talented guitarist, singer, and songwriter. And since forever, he’s believed he has what it takes to be a star.

When Ethan becomes an overnight sensation, he’s thrown head-first into the glam world of celebrity—and so is Sterling. Before she knows it, she’s attending red-carpet premieres, getting free designer clothes, and flying around the country to attend Ethan’s monumental sold-out concerts.

It’s a dream come true…but whose dream is Sterling living? And what do you do when “forever” comes to an end?


Book Trailer

Blog Tour (Interview & Giveaway): Blackness Awaits by Norma Jeanne Karlsson

Tour Schedule



Title: Blackness Awaits (The Blackness Series #2)
Author: Norma Jeanne Karlsson
Publisher: It's Publishing
Release Date: April 11, 2014
As he enters the room looking like death personified, lifeless and haunting, she knows…blackness awaits.

Aaron Kavanagh is not to be trifled with. He’s powerful, commanding, fierce and currently homicidal. The only thing that matters in Kavanagh’s world is Shannon Kelly. She’s the beat of his heart (yes he has one) and the peace to the fury that constantly simmers within him. Without her, his life is empty and barren. Someone took what is his and he’ll stop at nothing to get her back.

Dylan Kellerman is lost. The love of his life has been ripped from him, leaving a tattered tortured shell of a man. On the brink of murderous insanity he must battle to find Shannon, even if she hates him. Dylan has betrayed her and he knows she won’t forgive his indiscretions. None of that matters now. All that matters is finding her. As long as she’s safe Dylan can continue to live a sad wasted existence without her by his side. Shannon brought Dylan back to life, without her in the world he’ll cease to exist.

Shannon Kelly is gone. Stolen from her home and loved ones, she must now fight. Fighting has never been an issue for her, but this is a new opponent that she isn’t prepared for…her past. When every reality she thought she knew is called into question, Shannon learns her life isn’t what she thought it was. With the promise of a future with Dylan stolen from her before her world implodes, Shannon must rely on the family that has protected her for the last thirteen years to come for her. She won’t win this fight on her own…Shannon is going to lose.

Interview

Welcome to Bibliophilia, Please, Mrs. Karlsson! Please tell us a little bit about Blackness Awaits in your own words but with a Twitter twist – 140 characters or less.

I’m absolutely crap at this, but here’s my attempt:

If Shannon Kelly can't be found and she can’t save herself…a blackness awaits her and her family that none of them will survive. #beguiling

Do we have to read Blackness Takes Over before reading Blackness Awaits?

Audiobook Review: Scarlet by A. C. Gaughen

Title: Scarlet (Scarlet #1)
Author: A. C. Gaughen
Narrator: Helen Stern
Publisher: Walker Childrens (Bloomsbury)
Acquired Via: Purchase
Release Date: February 14, 2012
Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance.

Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in.

It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for.

My Review

Scarlet is the best book I’ve read so far this year! It’s sad that I almost didn't even read it. The first time I tried to read this, I put it down probably without finishing the first chapter. I think I’ve figured out that I don’t like books written in dialect. It's the same reason that I couldn't get through Blood Red Road (maybe I'll get that on Audible now, too), even though I know that a lot of people love it. So I decided to try it on Audible, because I wouldn't have to read the dialect, just listen to it. Best. Decision. Ever.

SYNC YA Literature: Free Audiobooks May 15 - August 14

Okay, if there is one thing that I love most about summertime, it is the free audiobooks that I get during AudioFile Magazine's SYNC promotion. Yes, you read that right - FREE. This will be my third year downloading audiobooks through the program, and my second year promoting it at my library. It's only fair that I share this stuff with you guys, too, right? So, starting today, there are two free audiobooks each week until August 14th. Here's some of the fancy talk from the SYNC website that will explain things better than me.

What is SYNC?
• SYNC is the audiobook publishers’ and AudioFile Magazine’s commitment to introducing the listening experience to your young adult audience.
• SYNC gives away FREE audiobook downloads. The program has been offered since Summer 2010 and will begin in 2014 with a pair of free downloads May 15th.
• SYNC audiobook titles are given away in pairs. A Young Adult title is paired with a related Classic, thematically paired Young Adult title or Required Summer Reading title.
• SYNC hooks readers by introducing a free download of a Young Adult “first in series” or prolific author.
• SYNC demonstrates that Required Reading can be completed by listening.
• Titles are delivered through the OverDrive Media Console.

Get Alerts about Featured Titles
• Text syncya to 25827 to receive text alerts about all the featured titles.
•Sign-up to “Join the SYNC Newsletter” at www.audiobooksync.com in the right column.

Download Details
• Downloads are in MP3 format and are Mac and Windows compatible.
• Downloads will operate through OverDrive Media Console.
• Most listening devices are supported.
• Each SYNC audiobook will be available for download for a period of 7 days (only).

Questions
For issues or questions about the download process please contact the SYNC Help Desk at synchelp@audiofilemagazine.com

2014 Title List

May 15 – May 21

Warp: The Reluctant Assassin
by Eoin Colfer, Narrated by Maxwell Caulfield
(Listening Library)

The Time Machine
by H.G. Wells, Narrated by Derek Jacobi
(Listening Library)

May 22 – May 28

Cruel Beauty
by Rosamund Hodge, Narrated by Elizabeth Knowelden
(Harper Audio)

Oedipus the King
by Sophocles, Performed by Michael Sheen and a full cast
(Naxos AudioBooks)

May 29 – June 4

Confessions of a Murder Suspect
by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, Narrated by Emma Galvin
(Hachette Audio)

The Murder at the Vicarage
by Agatha Christie, Narrated by Richard E. Grant
(Harper Audio)

June 5 – June 11

All Our Yesterdays
by Cristin Terrill, Narrated by Meredith Mitchell
(Tantor Audio)

Julius Caesar
by William Shakespeare, Performed by Richard Dreyfuss, JoBeth Williams, Stacy Keach, Kelsey Grammer, and a full cast
(L.A. Theatre Works)

June 12 – June 18

Code Name Verity
by Elizabeth Wein, Narrated by Morven Christie and Lucy Gaskell
(Bolinda Audio)

The Hiding Place
by Corrie Ten Boom, John Sherrill, Elizabeth Sherrill, Narrated by Bernadette Dunne
(christianaudio)

June 19 – June 25

I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You
by Ally Carter, Narrated by Renée Raudman
(Brilliance Audio)

Anne of Green Gables
by L.M. Montgomery, Narrated by Colleen Winton
(Post Hypnotic Press)

June 26 – July 2

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock
by Matthew Quick, Narrated by Noah Galvin
(Hachette Audio)

October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard
by Lesléa Newman, Narrated by Emily Beresford, Luke Daniels, Tom Parks, Nick Podehl, Kate Rudd, Christina Traister
(Brilliance Audio)

July 3 – July 9

Torn From Troy
by Patrick Bowman, Narrated by Gerard Doyle
(Post Hypnotic Press)

Peter and the Starcatchers
by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, Narrated by Jim Dale
(Brilliance Audio)

July 10 – July 16

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice
by Philip Hoose, Narrated by Channie Waites
(Brilliance Audio)

While The World Watched
by Carolyn Maull McKinstry with Denis George, Narrated by Felicia Bullock
(Oasis Audio)

July 17 – July 23

The Case Of The Cryptic Crinoline
by Nancy Springer, Narrated by Katherine Kellgren
(Recorded Books)

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes II
by Arthur Conan Doyle, Narrated by David Timson
(Naxos AudioBooks)

July 24 – July 30

Headstrong
by Patrick Link, Performed by Deidrie Henry, Ernie Hudson, Ntare Guma Mbaho
Mwine and Scott Wolf
(L.A. Theatre Works)

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
by Robert Louis Stevenson, Narrated by Scott Brick
(Tantor Audio)

July 31 – August 6

Divided We Fall
by Trent Reedy, Narrated by Andrew Eiden
(Scholastic Audio)

The Red Badge of Courage
by Stephen Crane, Narrated by Frank Muller
(Recorded Books)

August 7 – August 13
Living a Life That Matters
by Ben Lesser, Narrated by Jonathan Silverman and Ben Lesser
(Remembrance Publishing)

The Shawl
by Cynthia Ozick, Narrated by Yelena Shmulenson
(HighBridge Audio)

I encourage you to double-check anything that I have here on AudiobookSync.Com in case of any errors on my part.
To satisfy FTC guidelines, I am disclosing that I am posting this promotion of SYNC YA Literature on my own and received nothing from AudioFile Magazine, publisher, author, or any entity related to them. This post serves only to share a program that I use myself and have been sharing with my library patrons.

Blog Tour (Excerpt & Giveaway): Miss Darcy Decides by Reina M. Williams

Title: Miss Darcy Decides (Love at Pemberley #2)
Author: Reina M. Williams
Release Date: January 22, 2014
Miss Darcy Decides is a light, sweet Pride and Prejudice novella, book two in the Love at Pemberley series.

While visiting a young woman—who was not so fortunate as Miss Georgiana Darcy in escaping the persuasions of a rogue—Georgiana meets Sir Camden Sutton, whose reputation causes Georgiana to wonder as to his motives. Her wondering soon turns to a different feeling when Sir Camden comes to stay at Pemberley, showing himself to be a very different man than was rumored. While Sir Camden struggles with his past and his commitment to his future, as well as the ill intentions of haughty Caroline Bingley, Miss Darcy must decide whether to listen to others, or the words written on her heart.

Buy Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo


About the Author

Waiting on Wednesday (54): Sisters' Fate by Jessica Spotswood

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.



Title: Sister's Fate (The Cahill Witch Chronicles #3)
Author: Jessica Spotswood
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (Penguin)
Release Date: August 14, 2014
THE SYNOPSIS CONTAINS SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T READ BOOKS 1 AND 2!

A fever ravages New London, but with the Brotherhood sending suspected witches straight to the gallows, the Sisters are powerless against the disease. They can’t help without revealing their powers—as Cate learns when a potent display of magic turns her into the most wanted witch in all of New England.

To make matters worse, Cate has been erased from the memory of her beloved Finn. While she’s torn between protecting him from further attacks and encouraging him to fall for her all over again, she’s certain she can never forgive Maura’s betrayal. And now that Tess’s visions have taken a deadly turn, the prophecy that one Cahill sister will murder another looms ever closer to its fulfillment.


I have been wanting to read this since I finished the second book with its cliffhanger ending. It feels as if I've been waiting for years, but apparently, the second book came out last year. I love these books with their mix of paranormal and alternate history. Hopefully the ending to the trilogy is just as great as its predecessors.

What are you waiting on this week?

Blog Tour (Interview & Giveaway): The Paradox of Vertical Flight by Emil Ostrovski

Title: The Paradox of Vertical Flight
Author: Emil Ostrovski
Publisher: Greenwillow Books (HarperCollins)
Release Date: September 24, 2013
What happens when you put a suicidal eighteen-year-old philosophy student, his ex-girlfriend, his best friend, and his newborn baby in a truck and send them to Grandma's house? This debut novel by Emil Ostrovski will appeal to fans of John Green, Chris Crutcher, and Jay Asher.

On the morning of his eighteenth birthday, philosophy student and high school senior Jack Polovsky is somewhat seriously thinking of suicide when his cell phone rings. Jack's ex-girlfriend, Jess, has given birth, and Jack is the father. Jack hasn't spoken with Jess in about nine months—and she wants him to see the baby before he is adopted. The new teenage father kidnaps the baby, names him Socrates, stocks up on baby supplies at Wal-Mart, and hits the road with his best friend, Tommy, and the ex-girlfriend. As they head to Grandma's house (eluding the police at every turn), Jack tells baby Socrates about Homer, Troy, Aristotle, the real Socrates, and the Greek myths—because all stories spring from those stories, really. Even this one.

Funny, heart-wrenching, and wholly original, this debut novel by Emil Ostrovski explores the nature of family, love, friendship, fate, fatherhood, and myth.

Interview

Hi Emil, thank you so much for stopping by Bibliophilia, Please! Please tell us a little bit about The Paradox of Vertical Flight in your own words but with a Twitter twist – 140 characters or less.

Jack, a semi-suicidal eighteen year old and newly minted father, makes off with his newborn baby on a road trip to visit his dying Grandma before giving the kid up for adoption.

Did you have any road trips like Jack and Jess as a teenager?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Almost Put Down But Did Not

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten Books I Almost Put Down But Did Not


1. Scarlet (Scarlet #1) by A.C. Gaughen
I did put this one down when I first started reading it on Kindle. I just couldn't take the dialect. I read so many great reviews about the heroine that I decided to pick it up on Audible. I ended up loving the book, and immediately buying and also loving the sequel, Lady Thief.



2. The Demon King (Seven Realms #1) by Cinda Williams Chima
This one has a really slow and slightly confusing start, and I almost put it down about a quarter of the way in. By the time that I got to a little over half, though, I was loving it. I then read the rest of the series in quick order.

Early Review: The Vanishing Season by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Title: The Vanishing Season
Author: Jodi Lynn Anderson
Publisher: HarperTeen (HarperCollins)
Acquired Via: Around the World ARC Tours
Release Date: July 1, 2014
Girls started vanishing in the fall, and now winter's come to lay a white sheet over the horror. Door County, it seems, is swallowing the young, right into its very dirt. From beneath the house on Water Street, I've watched the danger swell.

The residents know me as the noises in the house at night, the creaking on the stairs. I'm the reflection behind them in the glass, the feeling of fear in the cellar. I'm tied—it seems—to this house, this street, this town.

I'm tied to Maggie and Pauline, though I don't know why. I think it's because death is coming for one of them, or both.

All I know is that the present and the past are piling up, and I am here to dig. I am looking for the things that are buried.

From bestselling author Jodi Lynn Anderson comes a friendship story bound in snow and starlight, a haunting mystery of love, betrayal, redemption, and the moments that we leave behind.

My Review

The Vanishing Season is a lovely quasi-paranormal novel by Jodi Lynn Anderson that was one of the most surprising young adult novels that I've read. No, it was not surprising because there were epic twists and turns but because of the lovely writing.

Why, do you ask, would lovely writing be surprising? Well, there's not a lot going on in The Vanishing Season and it's not what I expected it to be, yet it was impossible to put down. When I say there's not a going on, I mean that it seemed as if it had a pace equivalent of paint drying. Sometimes, it's nice to look around and take it slow. And enjoy the fumes from the paint.

Book Blast (Giveaway): Curses and Smoke by Vicky Alvear Shecter

Title: Curses and Smoke: A Novel of Pompeii
Author: Vicky Alvear Shecter
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books (Scholastic)
Genre: YA Historical
Release Date: May 27, 2014
When your world blows apart, what will you hold onto?

TAG is a medical slave, doomed to spend his life healing his master’s injured gladiators. But his warrior’s heart yearns to fight in the gladiator ring himself and earn enough money to win his freedom.

LUCIA is the daughter of Tag’s owner, doomed by her father’s greed to marry a much older Roman man. But she loves studying the natural world around her home in Pompeii, and lately she’s been noticing some odd occurrences in the landscape: small lakes disappearing; a sulfurous smell in the air…

When the two childhood friends reconnect, each with their own longings, they fall passionately in love. But as they plot their escape from the city, a patrician fighter reveals his own plans for them — to Lucia’s father, who imprisons Tag as punishment. Then an earthquake shakes Pompeii, in the first sign of the chaos to come. Will they be able to find each other again before the volcano destroys their whole world?

Buy Links
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About the Author