Readers' Favorite

November 28, 2014

Holiday Buying Guide 2014


Do you have a book lover on your shopping list this year? Or perhaps you want to stock up on some reads for yourself. Claire and Donna are offering up some of their favorite reads to help you find something for ever reader in your life.

For the Youngest Readers


Little Moose

Read Donna's review
Buy The Little Moose Who Couldn't go to Sleep at Amazon


Ericka the Puppy

Buy Ericka the Puppy Learns About Safety Rules at Amazon


For Middle Grades/Young Adult Readers


Peter and vampires

Buy Peter and the Vampires at Amazon


Night Watchman Express

Read Donna's review
Buy Night Watchman Express at Amazon
(the ebook is free at all retailers)


The Bone Whistle

Read Donna's review
Buy The Bone Whistle at Amazon


For Always

Read Claire's review
Buy For Always at Amazon


For Adult Readers


Lexicon

Read Donna's review
Buy Lexicon at Amazon


The Tin Man

Read Claire's review
Buy The Tin Man at Amazon


Elven Jewel

Read Claire's review of the series
Buy Elven Jewel at Amazon


The Book of Life

Read Donna's review
Buy The Book of Life at Amazon


Zombie Fallout

Buy Zombie Fallout at Amazon



Read Claire's review of book 1
Buy Dead Hunger box set at Amazon


Must Love Pets

Read Donna's review
Buy Must Love Pets box set at Amazon


Soul Awakening

Buy Soul Awakening at Amazon


Fangirl

Read Donna's review
Buy Fangirl at Amazon

Need more recommendations? Check out the 2011, 2012, and 2013 buying guides

Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small fee is earned when purchases are made through the above links.


November 27, 2014

Giving Thanks and Help Wanted

by Donna Huber
Public Domain image created by Linnaea Mallette


Giving Thanks
Here in the U.S. it is Thanksgiving Day . A day for giving thanks and getting way too much food. Instead of doing a traditional Thursday tips post, I wanted to take a minute to thank the regular contributors at Girl Who Reads - Claire, Alison, and Heather.

I am so very grateful for the continued contributions of these 3 ladies. They have made maintaining Girl Who Reads easier. I can count on them each and every month for great content.

Claire, Alison, and Heather - THANK YOU! I hope you know you are appreciated.

Blogging is not an easy task. It is often a thankless job (and payless job). It takes courage to post your thoughts where the world can see them, judge them. As of late, it can also be a scary endeavor.

If you follow a blogger or are an author who has had their work featured, please consider taking a moment this weekend to say thank you. Plus if you are shopping Amazon this holiday season, consider visiting your favorite blogger first. Many (including Girl Who Reads) are Amazon affiliates and a small fee is earned when purchases are made. What a great way to show support!

To the authors I have worked with and those I've read - Thank You! You have given me hours of entertainment and support I appreciate the professional and friendly relationships we have cultivated. In a time when blogger/author relationships have been publicly contentious, you will never know the depth of my appreciation for the gracious attitudes.

To the many bloggers I have met over the years Even if we don't talk as much as we once did I still remember you. Without your unfailing support, Girl Who Reads probably wouldn't be here and definitely wouldn't be flourishing - Thank You!

Help Wanted
Do you want to join a great team who loves books? I'm looking to add two more book lovers to Girl Who Reads.

Featured Writer/Interviewer: I'm looking for another monthly contributor to start in January. This is an excellent opportunity for writers and authors. As a Top 50 Book Blog, Girl Who Reads will give exposure to your name and writing style and be added material for your resume or media kit. As a monthly contributor you can choose the topic of your posts, though I would prefer someone who is interested in focusing on bookish news. The column would run on the 4th Friday of every month. At this time, there is no pay for this position.

Staff Reviewer: I'm also looking for a staff reviewer to join Girl Who Reads in January. The reviewer would be responsible for submitting at least 2 reviews per month. Girl Who Reads reviews all genres, except for erotica. I would like a reviewer that has a preference for the romance and/or fantasy genres. At this time pay is in the form of free books (mostly ebooks).

If you are interested in either position, please contact me via email donna @ girl-who-reads.com, In the email, please tell me a little about yourself and your reading/writing interests.


November 26, 2014

My Thanksgiving Reading List

by Donna Huber


WWW Wednesday
W...W...W...Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading. It is easy to join in. Just answer 3 questions: What are you currently reading, What did you just finish, What do you think you will read next?

What I'm currently reading?
I'm in the middle of an audio book, ebook, and a print book.

Support and Defend
Dominic Caruso. Nephew of President Jack Ryan.  FBI agent and operator for The Campus, a top secret intelligence agency that works off the books for the U.S. government.  Already scarred by the death of his brother, Caruso is devastated when he can’t save a friend and his family from a terrorist attack


Ethan Ross was a mid-level staffer for the National Security Council. Now he’s a wanted fugitive on the run with a microdrive that contains enough information to wreck American intelligence efforts around the world.  The CIA is desperate to get the drive back, but so are the Russians and various terrorist groups all of whom are closer to catching the fugitive. Only Caruso stands in their way, but can he succeed without the aid of his Campus colleagues?

Buy Support and Defend at Amazon

The Hitwoman and the Poisoned Apple
How do you solve a murder when the victim is still alive? 

Maggie Lee’s murder mentor (and almost lover) Patrick Mulligan wants her to find out who poisoned him before it’s too late. Keeping the man she loves alive would be hard enough if all she had to worry about was not getting caught, but nothing’s ever that simple. 

In between dealing with her strung out cat, searching for Patrick’s poisoner, meeting a deadline to deliver a mysterious gift for her mobster boss and keeping a curious reporter on his toes, she finds herself entangled in the complicated (and potentially dangerous) romantic affairs of her Aunt Susan and her semi-psychic friend Armani. 

Hearts and lives are in peril. 

Can the kooky, klutzy assassin save them?

Buy The Hitwoman and the Poisoned Apple at Amazon


Spark
Waverly and Kieran are finally reunited on the Empyrean. Kieran has led the boys safely up to this point, and now that the girls are back, their mission seems slightly less impossible: to chase down the New Horizon, and save their parents from the enemy ship. But nothing is truly as it seems…Kieran’s leadership methods have raised Seth’s hackles— and Waverly’s suspicions. Is this really her fiancé? The handsome, loving boy she was torn from just a short time before? More and more, she finds her thoughts aligned with Seth’s. But if Seth is Kieran’s Enemy No. 1, what does that make her?

In one night, a strange explosion rocks the Empyrean—shooting them off course and delaying their pursuit of the New Horizon—and Seth is mysteriously released from the brig. Seth is the most obvious suspect for the explosion, and Waverly the most obvious suspect for releasing him. As the tension reaches a boiling point, will Seth be able to find the true culprit before Kieran locks them both away—or worse? Will Waverly follow her heart, even if it puts lives at risk? With the balance of power precarious and the clock ticking, every decision counts… every step brings them closer to a new beginning, or a sudden end...

Buy Spark at Amazon

What I just finished:
I finished up the audio book of Enclave. I'm not sure if I will listen to the rest of the series and this one worked well as a stand alone and I don't feel compelled to find out what really happens to the characters.

Enclave
New York City has been decimated by war and plague, and most of civilization has migrated to underground enclaves, where life expectancy is no more than the early 20's. When Deuce turns 15, she takes on her role as a Huntress, and is paired with Fade, a teenage Hunter who lived Topside as a young boy. When she and Fade discover that the neighboring enclave has been decimated by the tunnel monsters - or Freaks - who seem to be growing more organized, the elders refuse to listen to warnings. And when Deuce and Fade are exiled from the enclave, the girl born in darkness must survive in daylight - guided by Fade's long-ago memories - in the ruins of a city whose population has dwindled to a few dangerous gangs.

Ann Aguirre's thrilling young adult novel is the story of two young people in an apocalyptic world- - facing dangers, and feelings, unlike any they've ever known.

Buy Enclave at Amazon


What will I read next?
I haven't really thought about what I will read next. The next book in JB Lynn's Matchmaker series it out so I might pick it up. At this point I'm not sure if I will finish the Sky Chaser series. There is one more book but only a few libraries in my state have a copy and I'm not liking it enough to buy it. I also set aside The Last Winter of Dani Lancing to read Spark, so that will be going back to it when I finish Spark.


The Last Winter of Dani Lancing
Twenty years ago, college student Dani Lancing was kidnapped and brutally murdered. The killer was never found, and the case has long gone cold. Her parents, Patty and Jim, were utterly devastated, their marriage destroyed. While Jim fell apart, Patty was consumed by the unsolved case. She abandoned her journalism career and her marriage to spend every waking hour searching and plotting. She keeps contact with Tom, Dani's childhood sweetheart, who has become a detective intent on solving murders like Dani's. When he finds a lead that seems ironclad, he brings Patty in on it. After years of dead ends, her obsession is rekindled, and she will do anything for revenge, even become a killer herself-dragging her whole family into the nightmare once again, as lies and secrets are uncovered.

Buy The Last Winter of Dani Lancing at Amazon




What's keeping you entertained this week?


Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small fee is earned when purchases are made at Amazon through the above links.

November 25, 2014

Teaser: The Hitwoman and the Poisoned Apple by @JB_Lynn_author

First Chapter
First Chapter, First Paragraph Tuesday Intros is a weekly meme hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea. Today's intro comes from my current read, The Hitwoman and the Poisoned Apple by JB Lynn.



Rook Allie's War

You know it's going to be a bad day when your To Do list contains: Go to the Cemetery.
And when you get out of bed with your bare feet and step into a pile of puke your drugged out cat regurgitated in the middle of the night, and you dry heave, your hopes for the day fall even further.

Buy The Hitwoman and the Poisoned Apple at Amazon 





I love JB Lynn's Hitwoman series. Though this is book 8 in the series, you don't really have to have read the series to enjoy this one. They are quick funny reads that usually also have me shedding a poignant tear or two. I was reading this the other day while waiting for the computer tech to back up my data from my busted laptop and I couldn't help giggling out loud. The series is a cross between a cozy mystery and a chicklit novel. It would definitely make for great holiday reading.

Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small fee is earned when purchases are made at Amazon through the above link. 

November 24, 2014

Q&A with Author @AllenWyler

Q:  How did you come up with the idea of the story?

A:  The first novel I ever wrote was based on this story’s kernel: a geek who develops a strategy to successfully gamble draws unwanted attention to himself. But that novel turned out to be disaster and was rejected by every agent I queried. However, the idea of being able to beat the odds remained intriguing yet elusive. Then one day I read about Nate Silver and his uncannily ability to accurately predict various phenomenon based on statistics. After all, this was what the 2011 Brad Pitt movie Moneyball was based on. Once I read about Silver, I knew the plot was much more believable.
        
Q: What influenced you to create a computer hacker protagonist than the usual medical professional?

A: There are several reasons. First, I don’t like being pigeonholed into the subgenre of “medical thriller.” In addition, it’s unbelievable to believe that a healthcare professional would have the computer expertise—or time—to pull off something like Arnold Gold does. More importantly, in doing my research for this story, I became fascinated with the Darknet and Internet security. I really wanted a way to weave this interesting information into a compelling story. So... a likeable computer hacker seemed to be a much more interesting character to develop than another neurosurgeon. I love Arnold Gold’s character and a really glad I settled on him.

Deadly Odds
Q:  Why Vegas? Have you always wanted to write a book with Sin City as the setting?

A:  When first developing the story I didn’t have any city in mind other than I knew Arnold lived in Seattle. (I love the city as a backdrop to stories.) I also knew Arnold wanted to get laid but was so uneasy about seeing an “escort” for this purpose, that it made sense for him to go someplace far from home where he’d be unlikely to run into anyone he knew. Given the reputation of Sin City, it just felt right to send him there.

Q:  Do you plan on writing more thriller books outside of the medical thriller genre?

A:  You bet. I like exploring topics dealing with computers and the Internet. I’m especially intrigued with hacking and the Darknet. My next book, Cutter’s Trial, however, is not a thriller and lands me right back in the medical arena because it explores the issue of physician assisted suicide. Having been involved in a couple start-up companies, I’m also toying with using that subject as a basis for a book, but I have nothing in development along these lines at the present time. We’ll see what happens.

Q:  Would you ever consider a sequel to this book?

A:  Glad you asked the question. Both Arnold Gold and Palmer Davidson are such wonderfully rich characters that Robert Astle (my agent) and I agree they are well-suited for a sequel. At the moment I’m busy writing Deadly Odds 2.0.

Q:  Do you think this book could be a movie? Who could you picture playing Arnold?

A:  Of all my prior thrillers, I think this one has the most cinematic potential. I’m lousy at casting, so if it were ever made into a movie (my wildest dream), I’d leave that choice to the producers.

Buy Deadly Odds at Amazon


About the Author

Allen Wyler is a renowned neurosurgeon who earned an international reputation for pioneering surgical techniques to record brain activity.  He has served on the faculties of the University of Washington and the University of Tennessee, as well as the Swedish Medical Center to develop a neuroscience institute.
Allen has since retired and devoted himself to fiction writing full time, and has written five novels, including his latest, Deadly Odds, which is his first in the techno-thriller genre.
Twitter  *  Facebook  *  website


Deadly Odds is also available at the following retailers:
B&N: http://bit.ly/1sZrIy1
Apple:  http://bit.ly/1xU0YiA
Kobo:  http://bit.ly/1vo7n6Y

Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small fee is earned from Amazon when purchase are made through the above link.

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