Fantastic Beth Revis Giveaway

I've just stumbled upon this brilliant giveaway over at Beth Revis' Blog.  It is awesome!!!  There is a chance to win 19 signed books and the best thing is it's open to International entrants.  Fantastic :D
So click HERE to see details of the giveaway.

To make it fun Beth talks about the books that she is most thankful for and asks that you do the same.

So here is the book I am most thankful for:

Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman

This is one of the first ever Dragonlance novels I ever read.  I started reading these books in my teens and it opened up a love for fantasy books.  I love the world of Dragonlance and one day I want to sit down and read them all again.  I believe these books started my love of reading, therefore I am so grateful.

International Book Giveaway - November

The Autumn months are rolling in, what a great excuse to hibernate and read a book.  For November's giveaway the winner will be able to choose a book from those listed below.  I just want to say a quick thank you to all my followers!!

So here are the details:

• There will be 1 winner - The winner will choose a book from those I've listed

• Open to International Followers
• You must fill out the rafflecopter form below to enter
• The more entries you put in, the more likely you are to win
• Giveaway will end November 30th

 Dearly Departed by Lia Habel.

Goodreads Synopsis:
Love can never die.

Love conquers all, so they say. But can Cupid’s arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead—or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie?

The year is 2195. The place is New Victoria—a high-tech nation modeled on the manners, mores, and fashions of an antique era. A teenager in high society, Nora Dearly is far more interested in military history and her country’s political unrest than in tea parties and debutante balls. But after her beloved parents die, Nora is left at the mercy of her domineering aunt, a social-climbing spendthrift who has squandered the family fortune and now plans to marry her niece off for money. For Nora, no fate could be more horrible—until she’s nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses.

But fate is just getting started with Nora. Catapulted from her world of drawing-room civility, she’s suddenly gunning down ravenous zombies alongside mysterious black-clad commandos and confronting “The Laz,” a fatal virus that raises the dead—and hell along with them. Hardly ideal circumstances. Then Nora meets Bram Griswold, a young soldier who is brave, handsome, noble . . . and dead. But as is the case with the rest of his special undead unit, luck and modern science have enabled Bram to hold on to his mind, his manners, and his body parts. And when his bond of trust with Nora turns to tenderness, there’s no turning back. Eventually, they know, the disease will win, separating the star-crossed lovers forever. But until then, beating or not, their hearts will have what they desire.

In Dearly, Departed, romance meets walking-dead thriller, spawning a madly imaginative novel of rip-roaring adventure, spine-tingling suspense, and macabre comedy that forever redefines the concept of undying love.

 A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan


Goodreads Synopsis:

It should have been a short suspended-animation sleep. But this time Rose wakes up to find her past is long gone— and her future full of peril.
Rosalinda Fitzroy has been asleep for sixty-two years when she is woken by a kiss. Locked away in the chemically induced slumber of a stasis tube in a forgotten subbasement, sixteen-year-old Rose slept straight through the Dark Times that killed millions and utterly changed the world she knew. Now, her parents and her first love are long gone, and Rose— hailed upon her awakening as the long-lost heir to an interplanetary empire— is thrust alone into a future in which she is viewed as either a freak or a threat. Desperate to put the past behind her and adapt to her new world, Rose finds herself drawn to the boy who kissed her awake, hoping that he can help her to start fresh. But when a deadly danger jeopardizes her fragile new existence, Rose must face the ghosts of her past with open eyes— or be left without any future at all.

 Arizona (Beautiful Dead #2) by Eden Maguire

Goodreads Synopsis:

There's been no sign of the Beautiful Dead for weeks. Darina achingly misses Phoenix all over again. But surely he will return with the rest of the Beautiful Dead as so much still remains unresolved. It's been ten months since Arizona drowned in Hartmann Lake. Suicide, it would seem. But something doesn't add up.
Drowning herself in a hidden - away lake does not sound like strong, confident, Arizona: Ellerton High School's high-maintenance drama queen. Darina needs to help Arizona the way she helped Jonas. But time is running out...

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Goodreads Synopsis:

It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line.

Some riders live.
Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn't given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.

Grab my giveaway button:

<br /> <a href="http://chocolatechunkymunkie.blogspot.com/2011/10/international-book-giveaway-november.html "><img src="http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/ab349/Tidnor/Novemberblogbuttonnewer.png " border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br /> 

Mail Box Sunday (IMM) - Weekly Round Up #6

  A few weeks ago I discovered  a feature called In My Mailbox -IMM - this is hosted by The Story Siren . So I'm going to participate in this from now on :D  Yay!  How exciting to be able to have a peek at what everyone has had in the mail!!!

Every Sunday I do a weekly round-up of all the fun and exciting things that have come into my house over the past week. They can be book related items or anything of interest.


I've had a fairly quiet week on the book front, but I did manage to get some for my kindle.  Just as well they're e-books as my shelves are groaning!


This week I have:

From Amazon (paperback):

Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Their love was meant to be.
When Megan Rosenberg moves to Ireland, everything in her life seems to fall into place. After growing up in America, she's surprised to find herself feeling at home in her new school. She connects with a group of friends, and she is instantly drawn to darkly handsome Adam DeRÍs.
But Megan is about to discover that her feelings for Adam are tied to a fate that was sealed long ago—and that the passion and power that brought them together could be their ultimate destruction.

I've seen this on so many blogs over the past few weeks, it really sounded so good that I just had to get it.  The blurb sounds really interesting & the cover is really eye catching.  The picture doesn't do it justice, it looks so much better in real life.

From Amazon (Kindle)

Jenny Pox by J L Bryan

Goodreads Synopsis:

Jenny is a quiet, small-town girl in South Carolina whose touch spreads a deadly supernatural plague. Jenny can't control her power. Her life is friendless and lonely until she meets a boy with the opposite power, a healing touch. Her love for him brings the wrath of his beautiful and immensely popular girlfriend Ashleigh, who secretly wields the most dangerous power of all.Jenny must master her own deadly power in order to free Seth from Ashleigh's control. Then she must defeat Ashleigh before Ashleigh can destroy her.

I have seen this on someone's blog, so when  I was perusing the kindle books on Amazon the name stood out for me. I saw that it was for free.  So I just had to have this one.  I really like the blurb. 

  The Next Thing I Knew by John Corwin

Goodreads Synopsis:

When Lucy Morgan drops dead along with everyone else on Earth she refuses to take death lying down even if, technically, her corpse is.

She drags her ghostly social life back from the grave and enlists her friends to figure out the rules of the afterlife. More importantly, they want to discover who or what killed everyone and why the heck anyone would do such a mean thing.

But what they discover changes everything. And if they can't figure out how to put their newfound ghostly powers to work, humanity will be extinct for good.

This book was reviewed recently by Lainy at So Many Books So Little Time.  I really liked the sound of the book and Lainy's review enticed me into buying a copy of this book for my kindle.  I'm really looking forward to reading this.

The Darling Strumpet by Gillian Bagwell


Goodreads Synopsis:

A thrilling debut novel starring one of history's most famous and beloved courtesans.

From London's slums to its bawdy playhouses, The Darling Strumpet transports the reader to the tumultuous world of seventeenth-century England, charting the meteoric rise of the dazzling Nell Gwynn, who captivates the heart of King Charles II-and becomes one of the century's most famous courtesans.

Witty and beautiful, Nell was born into poverty but is drawn into the enthralling world of the theater, where her saucy humor and sensuous charm earn her a place in the King's Company. As one of the first actresses in the newly-opened playhouses, she catapults to fame, winning the affection of legions of fans-and the heart of the most powerful man in all of England, the King himself. Surrendering herself to Charles, Nell will be forced to maneuver the ruthless and shifting allegiances of the royal court-and discover a world of decadence and passion she never imagined possible.

This one has been on my wishlist for a few months now.  I saw it advertised in a magazine and I really liked the sound of it. 

What books did you get in your mailbox this week?? 

Time Flies Friday #3

 

Time Flies Friday is a weekly feature/blog hop hosted by Gemma at Passion for Novels.  This is where we feature a book that we loved as a child, one that we cherish and remember.  I used to read a lot of books when I was a child, so this feature is like going down memory lane :D

This week I have chosen:

 

 Meg & Mog by Helen Nicoll & Jan Pienkowski

Goodreads Synopsis:

Meg and Mog is the first in the long-standing series about a witch (Meg) and her cat (Mog). Meg is a cute well-meaning witch who lives with Mog and her owl. In Meg and Mog, we are introduced to a witch wardrobe and a witch's breakfast. Later Meg flies off to meet her witch friends for some spell-making at a Halloween Party. Unfortunately the spell does not go exactly to plan...

Well it's nearly Halloween, so I thought I'd choose a Halloween themed book this week.  I used to love the Meg & Mog series.  The illustrations were really appealing to children and I used to love reading these stories.  I especially liked Mog the cat.  I'm sure.... wading through the grey cells.... that they also had an owl character too.  I would definietly recommend these books for younger children because they were fun.  Ahhhh such fond memories!

Book Blogger Hop - Friday #4

I thought I'd join in again with this blog hop hosted by Crazy For Books because it was really fun last time.   Not only is it a book blog hop, but you also get to answer a really cool question.  This is the 3rd time I'm participating in this blog hop :)

For more details or to join in the hop Click Here

This weeks question:

“What is your favorite Halloween costume?
Even if you don’t celebrate, what kinds of costumes do you like?”

 

Here in the UK Hallowe'en hasn't really been celebrated until more recently.  We did do the odd bit of trick or treating as kids.  I remember dressing up as a witch and I think that's what I would dress up as now.  I must admit I don't have any reason really for dressing up at Halloween :(   One of my fondest memories of Halloween is when Dad used to carve out a Swede - Yes a Swede! Not a pumpkin,so I could have a lantern.  It used to take him ages to do this, as swedes are pretty firm.  We never had pumpkins as children  they were too expensive and we never would have used the insides anyway.  So at least Dad got to have swede for his tea :D 

 

I make a good Wicked Witch of the West :D

 

The Time Will Come #9

Every Thursday, Jodie at Books For Company hosts The Time Will Come, a weekly meme in which we list a book that we really want to read or keep meaning to get to. These are mostly books that have been on the TBR shelf for awhile now but also they can be books that have just come into my home.  I have a massive to-read pile, it seems to be growing by the day.....

If you'd like to join in?

• Pick a book you have been meaning to read
• Do a post telling us about the book
• Link the post up in the linky on Jodie's blog.
• Visit the other blogs!

  
Here is my choice for this weeks Time Will Come:

Incubus (Fairwick Chronicles #1) by Carol Goodman

Goodreads Synopsis:
Dr. Callie McFay travels to the small college town of Fairwick in New York State for a job interview. Despite it being her second choice she finds herself talked into accepting a job offer from the Folklore Department to teach a class on demons and vampires. She also finds herself drawn to an old house in the woods where Gothic novelist Dahlia LaMotte used to live and buys it on a whim, despite the seeming reluctance of the estate agent to sell it to her.

But on the night of her job interview, she had a very vivid erotic dream about a man made out of shadows and moonlight, and this dream becomes a regular occurrence when she moves into her new home. Callie starts to feel like a heroine in one of the gothic novels she teaches as slowly it dawns on her that things at the college – and in her home – are not what they seem. She learns that her house is supposed to be haunted by LaMotte’s former lover and her new – and rather strange – colleagues tell her an unfamiliar fairy tale about an incubus-demon with a human past who was enchanted by a fairy queen…

 I was given this book to read by Dani at Pen to Paper when we went on our trip to Hay.  She really recommended it and gave it 5 stars, which is excellent.  We have very similar reading tastes - well apart from the Tenderness of Wolves......... anyway  not going there!  I'm really looking forward to getting round to this as the story  sounds interesting and just look at that cover!!  I could just sit there all day and look at it, FAB.  I've got a few review books to get through first and then hopefully I should be able to read it soon.

What books have you got on your to-read pile and really want to read soon?

Wishlist Wednesday #7

Wislist Wednesday

 

Every Wednesday, Dani at Pen To Paper features Wishlist Wednesday, a meme in which you can list a book that you really want to read or keep meaning to get. These are books that you want to add to your wishlist, and believe me there are plenty!  I've decided to use Dani's feature every Wednesday :)

 

So what do you need to do to join in?

• Follow Pen to Paper as host of the meme.
• Pick a book from your wishlist that you are dying to get to put on your shelves.
• Do a post telling your readers about the book and why it's on your wishlist.
• Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of her post.
• Put a link back to pen to paper (http://vogue-pentopaper.blogspot.com) somewhere in your post.
• Visit the other blogs and enjoy!

So here is my book for this weeks Wishlist Wednesday:

 Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Goodreads Synopsis:
Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone - one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship - tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

I spotted this book on someone elses tbr pile.  I loved the sound of the blurb, it's certainly caught my attention.  I want to know what happens to Amy and why someone is trying to kill her.  After reading The Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan I really would like to read another book that is similar to that.  Ok so it doensn't quite sound the same, but it does sound good.  I really do want to get this soon :D

Top Ten Tuesday #4

Every Tuesday The Broke and the Bookish  hosts Top Ten Tuesday, a meme in which a new and different top ten list appears.
This weeks Top Ten list is:

Ten Books Perfect For Reading Around Halloween

Ooooh this list sounds fun to compile. I must admit I don't really read many ghost stories so I will have to pick other spooky books with supernatural creatures.  Ok here are my top ten perfect books for the spooky season :D

1. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan - lovely and spooky with the unconsecrated moaning behind the fences.  A really thrilling read!

2.  Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel - Sticking to the zombie theme here, but totally different because this one features a zombie boy as the hero and love interest of the main character.  Didn't think it could work but it did.

3.  The Secret Circle by L J Smith
Now moving onto witches.  This was a good read about a girl called Cassie who had no idea she was a witch.  Not until a strange encounter with a boy called Adam who changed her world and opened her eyes to the hertiage her mother was trying to shield her from.

4.  The Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris.
A firm favourite of mine and holds host to a number of supernatural species. 

5.  The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
This one was spooky as it featured ghosts and other supernatural ghoulies.  My first ever book by this author and I loved it.

6.  Soulless by Gail Carriger
This is has a mix of spooky creatures and supernatural creatures.  I loved this series.

7.  Paranormalcy by Kierstin White
A normal girl surrounded by paranormal beings.  This was a good book, I have the second one in the series to read - I can't wait!

8.  Heretic by Sarah Singleton 

Fairies and spookiness.  This one left me spooked.

9.  The Magic Cottage by James Herbert 

This is a spooker!  Dark magic and the poor tenants who endured hell when they rented the Magic Cottage.  I read this one years ago and it has stayed in my mind.

10.   Storm Front (The Dresden Files #1) by Jim Butcher. 

The main character Harry Dresden is a wizard and also a paranormal investigator.  I've only read the first book in the series, I have most of them waiting to be read.

What spooky books would you recommend??

Blog To Blog - Featured Blog Interview #6

Each week I do a feature called Blog to Blog.  Blog to Blog is where I will choose a blog and ask the blog owner questions.  I always choose blogs that I really enjoy.

This week I've chosen Lindsay from 

The Littlereader Library 

First of all I would like to welcome Lindsay and thank her for taking part in this feature.

What is your blog mainly about?

It is about books, and it mainly consists of fiction book reviews I have written, about the books I have recently read. I have an occasional chatty post, and I enjoy taking part in some of the blog hops or memes too from time to time.

How did you come up with your blog name?

My blog name uses the login name that I use for some book related sites e.g. the forum on Read It Swap It, where I am ‘littlereader’. Then I added the library bit because I was lucky enough to be able to build my own little library in our house after we moved last year. It’s very special and I have written a page about it on my blog.

What inspired you to start blogging?

I started reading a few other book blogs and I really enjoyed them. I used to enjoy writing very much when I was younger and I one day decided to give it a try and as I was already reviewing books I thought I could put these book reviews into one place, and get to know some other avid readers too!

What piece of advice would you give to new bloggers?

Have a go and try not to be scared. I signed up to blogspot a while ago before I started this blog, and then got scared, feeling nervous and not confident that I could write anything good so I didn’t do it. I’m so glad I’ve had another go at it, as I’m enjoying now. So make sure you write what you want to write, enjoy it, and people will start visiting and following.

What book would you recommend?

Ooh that’s a tricky one. One of my top books this year is Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes. A terrific psychological thriller that I couldn’t put down. That’s the one I’ll recommend.

Name three of your favorite authors.

Hard to pick just three, but I do like Sadie Jones, Katharine McMahon, and Mary Lawson (I wish she would write another book!) :)

What is your favorite book genre?

I like literary/contemporary fiction, that is what I read in the main. But I do enjoy crime/thriller novels more and more these days, and have read the occasion sci-fi/fantasy type read, and enjoy some young adult reads very much too.

Which three blogs would you recommend. 
Again hard to pick just three! I have so many that I like to read and visit regularly.

Three of those are:

Story Book Love Affair

Lovely Treez Reads

Dizzy C’s Little Book Blog -

Have you got anything exciting  coming up on your blog?
I am hoping to get myself in gear and organized to do a giveaway so watch this space!

Once again thank you Lindsay for taking the time to answer my questions :D  Some really good answers there!!

If you would like your blog to feature on my weekly Blog to Blog just let me know!  Just drop me a line at jen.juckes@virgin.net

Spooktacular Giveaway - Hop - International

This Spooktacular Giveaway Hop is co-hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer & The Diary of a Bookworm

To find details of the hop and the links click Here

This is the first time I have ever taken part in a giveaway hop.  So I wondered what is a giveaway hop?
Well it's dead easy - Each participating blog hosts a giveaway and then they link up together.  This then  allows our followers to hop easily from one giveaway to another.  You can see all the details and links to the hop if you click above.

So here are the details:

• There will be 1 winner - The winner will choose a book from those I've listed

• Open to International Followers
• You must fill out the rafflecopter form below to enter
• The more entries you put in, the more likely you are to win
• Giveaway will end October 31st 

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

The Forest of Hands & Teeth by Carrie Ryan

A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan

Soulless by Gail Carriger

***Review*** Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel

 

Released : 18th October 2011

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group

Series :Yes #1

Format :Kindle

Source : Digital ARC from Netgalley

Buy at : Amazon - UK 
Authors Site:  Lia Habel

Rating: 5/5

Cover Rating: 5/5

Goodreads Synopsis:
  Love conquers all, so they say. But can Cupid’s arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead—or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie?
The year is 2195. The place is New Victoria—a high-tech nation modeled on the manners, mores, and fashions of an antique era. A teenager in high society, Nora Dearly is far more interested in military history and her country’s political unrest than in tea parties and debutante balls. But after her beloved parents die, Nora is left at the mercy of her domineering aunt, a social-climbing spendthrift who has squandered the family fortune, and now plans to marry her niece off for money. For Nora, no fate could be more horrible—until she’s nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses.
But fate is just getting started with Nora. Catapulted from her world of drawing-room civility, she’s suddenly gunning down ravenous zombies alongside mysterious black-clad commandos and confronting “The Laz,” a fatal disease that raises the dead—and hell along with them. Hardly ideal circumstances. Then Nora meets Bram Griswold, a young soldier who is brave, handsome, noble . . . and dead. But as is the case with the rest of his special undead unit, luck and modern science have enabled Bram to hold on to his mind, his manners, and his body parts. And when his bond of trust with Nora turns to tenderness, there’s no turning back. Eventually, they know, the disease will win, separating the star-crossed lovers forever. But until then, beating or not, their hearts will have what they desire.
In Dearly, Departed, steampunk meets romance meets walking-dead thriller, spawning a madly imaginative novel of rip-roaring adventure, spine-tingling suspense, and macabre comedy that forever redefines the concept of undying love.

 My Review:

I was given a copy of this book to review by Netgalley.

This book is set in the future the year is 2195.  After a volcano nearly wiped out mankind, the survivors flee to safe areas and a new world is formed.  Nora the main character lives in a region called The New Victorians, this society has be shaped upon the Victorian era but with a modern twist.  There are Victorian values but technology is futuristic.  Nora has been mourning her father after he passed away a year ago.  But a meeting with a stranger on her way home from school turns her world upside down and thrusts her into a world she knew nothing about.

Oh my goodness, I could not get enough of this book and the characters.  This is the second zombie based novel I have ever read and it was amazing.  I was a little bit sceptical of how the story was going to work, but Lia Habel wove a rich mixture of steampunk, romance and zombie apocalypse.  Before I started the book I was thinking, mmmm isn’t it a bit icky to have the main heroine falling in love with a zombie.... how exactly does that work?  But as the story progressed you could see that it was indeed possible and you put aside the doubt.  I was starting to fall for Bram myself, what a gentleman!

From the word go this book had me gripped from the start.  I liked the prologue and then right at the beginning the first few chapters explained the world in which Nora lived. I really liked the way the story told how the new world was formed, it explained how the new futuristic Victorian era was created. I liked the fast paced story and the way the chapters kept jumping from character to character; it was good to get different points of view.  I did have some heart in the mouth moments; it certainly kept me on my toes.  I was really sad to finish this book, as I was left wanting more.

There were several characters that I really liked, but I have to say Bram and Nora totally won me over.  They are very likable – which I have to say is a huge plus point – and you can see their devotion and loyalty to their family and friends.  I love the chemistry between these two characters.  

I can highly recommend this book, I absolutely adored it and I want to read more by this author.

My rating: 5/5 – this doesn’t get any better for me, I loved it!!

Cover Rating: 5/5 – Such a pretty cover, I think it is so eye catching.  The colour scheme is dark and brooding and you can see a Victorian element.

About the Author:

Lia Habel is in her twenties and lives in western New York State. She is fascinated by zombie movies and Victoriana, interests that eventually led her to write Dearly, Departed. When she first got an agent, she was literally opening envelopes for a living. By the time the auction for Dearly, Departed was held, she was considering food stamps. Now that she has a book contract, she is busy working on the follow-up to Dearly, Departed, entitled Dearly, Beloved. Lia Habel can be found on Facebook and Myspace, and she has a blog at liahabel.com.