Reading Links…5/29/18

May 29th, 2018

woman, fantasy setting

Reading Links…5/29/18

Traci Kenworth

Fantasy/Dystopian/UF/Paranormal/SF:

https://coldhandboyack.wordpress.com/2018/05/20/the-yak-guy-project-our-review-originalfiction-distopian-virgilante/ When you’re rescued by a talking yak, the situation gets exponentially worse. You have obviously lost your mind. The immediate needs of a ride off the salt pan and searing heat, along with a drink of water, outweigh the concerns about your mental state.
http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2018/05/the-leaning-pile-of-books-317/
https://coldhandboyack.wordpress.com/2018/05/24/the-fireborn-on-lisaburtonradio/ In the shadowy area where myth and history collide, an unlikely hero is forced to save the world from an ancient Celtic curse. Dr. Elliot Everett-Jones knows that shadowy area well, having spent most of his life exploring its dimensions as given by a host of unreliable sources and imaginative speculation. Some would say he daydreams over the improbable plots of second-rate Romantic era authors. These fantasies, however, come to life after the discovery of the Cauldron of the Dead.
https://mightythorjrs.com/2018/05/23/a-quick-book-review-dust-of-dreams-malazan-book-9-by-steven-erikson/ All I have been hearing since I started reading Fantasy again in 2011 is “you have to read Malazan!” So I finally listened and started. I think I have a new obsession. I can now see what everyone has been going on and on about for all this time. I am hooked and I now need more! So yes I will be continuing this series, and I can’t wait! I know more greatness awaits and I am highly anticipating the journey to come.
https://teripolen.com/2018/05/23/www-wednesdays-what-am-i-reading-amreading-2/ Each year, the North American Confederation of Mages assesses every sixteen-year-old novice. Some will be chosen. The rest must undergo a procedure to destroy their magical ability unless they prove themselves in the mysterious and brutal Mages’ Exam.
https://teripolen.com/2018/05/25/the-writers-reading-corner-michael-l-wolff-scifi-fantasy-indieauthor/ My latest work is a bit of a tangle to describe. Chased By Flame and Warwere originally two acts in a much bigger book called Smoke & Mirrors. My publisher Reagan Rothe suggested to break the book down into smaller chunks and essentially make each individual act into its very own book. Hence Chased By Flame and Chased By War. There are four other acts left in the original book, and the plan is to treat each act as its own individual book (though I have been toying with the idea to fuse Flame and War together).
https://coldhandboyack.wordpress.com/2018/05/22/a-writing-lesson-from-c-s-boyack/ When you’re rescued by a talking yak, the situation gets exponentially worse. You’ve obviously lost your mind. The immediate needs of a ride off the salt pan and searing heat, along with a drink of water, outweigh the concerns about your mental state.
https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/2018/05/20/rosies-bookreview-team-rbrt-urbanfantasy-shrouds-of-darkness-by-brockdeskins/ Leo Malone is a private investigator, a knight in dubiously-rusty armor who is ten times as antisocial and unfriendly as his hardboiled detective models—and a lot more dead, or at least undead. Told mostly in the first person from Leo’s POV, we soon realize his private eye monologue about how detached he is and how little he cares about people doesn’t exactly match up to his actions. When we meet him, in fact, the first two items on his to-do list are to stop an abusive father and a rapist. But just in case we miss that point, Leo muses, “It’s possible, and this is a stretch, the pretense is me not giving a shit. Maybe I am pretending to be a heartless bastard so I can go on doing what I do without becoming a complete basket case.”
https://libraryoferana.wordpress.com/2018/05/16/swift-six-author-interview-simon-williams-sci-fi-fantasy-specfic/ The Light From Far Below is the sequel to my YA fantasy / sci-fi adventure Summer’s Dark Waters. It’s set a year and a half after the events in the first book and things have moved on for the two central characters, Joe and Amber. So has the world itself. It’s difficult to go into detail without giving too much away but this sequel is more epic and darker in tone and deals with some of the uncomfortable truths about humanity – all seen from the eyes of two young teens.
https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/2018/05/17/rosies-bookreview-team-rbrt-scifi-intraterrestrial-by-nicholasconley1-2/ Intraterrestrialis about Adam Helios, a bullied teenager who hears a voice claiming to come from the stars and fears he’s going mad. Following a terrible car crash, Adam is left seriously injured and his consciousness is abducted by the alien presence contacting him for months.

Romance/Women’s Fiction:

https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/2018/05/24/rosies-review-team-rbrt-romance-that-summer-at-the-seahorse-hotel-by-adrienneauthor-2/ Mia is a dresser on film sets (I thoroughly enjoyed the attention given to the detail of her work) and is the favourite of an aging film star, Archie Fitz, who has been great friends with Mia’s mother, Fenella, another film star, for many years. Sadly, Archie is dying and as friends and family gather around him at Galty House, once known as The Seahorse Hotel, the dynamics in the relationships come to light along with the truth as secrets from the past are at long last revealed.
https://vivdrewa.me/2018/05/25/this-is-little-bens-story-leader-book-3-of-the-princes-of-prophecy/
https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/2018/05/26/romance-the-captain-and-the-cavalry-trooper-by-madamegilflurt-and-e_harkstead/ Trooper Jack Woodvine is sent to Chateau de Desgravier where he will be Captain Thorne’s latest groom. Both the Captain and his horse Apollo share fierce reputations; several previous grooms have been kicked by the horse and yelled at by the Captain. But Jack grew up on a farm and with gypsy blood running through him; he has a talent for calming horses with just a whisper.
https://libraryoferana.wordpress.com/2018/05/22/swift-six-author-interview-kristal-mckerrington-romance/ An unwanted triangle that refuses to go away.
http://teripolen.com/2018/05/17/love-and-squalor-by-jessica-a-scott-bookreview-contemporaryfiction-romance/ While most of the population hides behind ragged curtains and chipped concrete walls, one woman dares to venture out into the streets. As the leader of an after school care program at the local YMCA, she strives to teach the children of this embattled city that there is more to life than violence and hate.
https://libraryoferana.wordpress.com/2018/05/15/book-spotlight-maries-world-contemporary-romance/ Exposed secrets with nowhere to turn.

Marie must face the world in the aftermath of what her sister has done.

The lies, the betrayals, dance, and everything from her past are about to collide.

Will Marie find a way to survive?

Christian:

http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/2018/05/a-book-review-of-green-by-ted-dekker.html As foretold by ancient prophets, an apocalypse destroyed Earth during the twenty-first century. But two thousand years later Elyon set upon the earth a new Adam. This time, however, he gave humanity an advantage. What was once unseen became seen. It was good and it was called…Green.

Historical:

https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/2018/05/15/histfic-my-bookreview-of-early-aviation-tale-wild-air-by-rebeccamascull-tuesdaybookblog/ Della Dobbes has always enjoyed working with her hands and fixing things. A great aunt returns from Kitty Hawk, the beach in North Carolina where the Wright brothers tested their flying machines. She fills Della’s head with dreams of flight, then supports Della to make them come true. Faced with ridicule, sabotage and refusals to allow women to fly, Della perseveres and makes her way as a pioneering aviatrix.

Scary:

http://www.thisishorror.co.uk/look-out-for-baby-teeth-by-zoje-stage/ “With early buzz calling this book a cross between The Other, Gone Girl, and The Omen, we can’t wait to sink our teeth into it. “
http://www.thisishorror.co.uk/look-out-for-the-book-of-m-by-peng-shepherd/ “The concepts of this story; the shadowless and the cult that worships them, loss of memory and strange powers that come with a heavy price, are epic and universal, with horrific implications.”
http://www.thisishorror.co.uk/book-review-corpsepaint-by-david-peak/ “Bleak is a word used to describe so many releases within the horror and dark fiction worlds… With Corpsepaint, David Peak seeks to raise the bar in the reader’s understanding of what bleak really means.”
http://www.thisishorror.co.uk/book-review-dark-moon-digest-issue-31/ “Issue 31 proves that Dark Moon Digestcontinues to go from strength to strength and must surely be considered one of the leading horror fiction magazines available today.”
http://thewarriormuse.blogspot.com/2018/05/horror-list-book-review-drive-in.html From what I can tell, the primary reason I didn’t enjoy it all that much was the fact that I didn’t care about the characters. It didn’t matter to me. The narrator lost me because he goes into shock and zones out during a portion of the story, and everyone goes off their rockers. In fact, the friend that takes care of the narrator during his shock is the closest I come to caring about anyone. He’s a good guy, keeps his head, controls the situation where he can, and lets things go if he can’t control them. So I guess I cared about one character.
http://www.thisishorror.co.uk/book-review-the-three-books-by-paul-stjohn-mackintosh/ “The first in Black Shuck’s Signature Novella series, it’s a fine start to the run. And as an introduction to Mackintosh’s work, it’s an excellent showcase for his obvious talents.”
http://www.thisishorror.co.uk/searchlight-mothman/ If there’s one cryptid throughout American history that can even come close to Sasquatch, Mothman ranks high on the list. Though not as well-known as the Jersey Devil, Mothman has a long and strange history, spanning several years of sightings with a consistent legendary curse attached for an extra creepy factor. Popularized by the Richard Gere film, The Mothman Prophecies, which is loosely based on the book by John A. Keel, that particular story is the over dramatized Hollywood version of the events, weakened by a ghostly love interest, though its moments of horror are quite effective and intensely weird. The film merely scratches the surface of the events that have happened in and around Point Pleasant, West Virginia over the years.
http://horrornovelreviews.com/2018/05/23/terry-m-west-gruesome-a-gathering-of-nightmares-review/ Terry M West’s Gruesome: A Gathering of Nightmaresshould be subtitled The Best of Terry M West! This is a hefty tome containing some of West’s best stories to date! Some of the stories have been re-edited and expanded upon and we find one tale that is exclusive to this book. These tales range from down-right gruesome to comedic horror. There is enough variety in the tellings that I don’t think anyone will walk away disappointed.
http://tinafrisco.com/2018/05/22/vote-for-my-book-in-authorsdb-firstlines-contest/ “Where in the blazes am I?” Phoebe mumbled under her breath, afraid someone might be listening. “And how in the world did I get here?” She crept along the cold stone wall, carefully placing one foot in front of the other.

Pets:

Mental Health:

MG/YA:

https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/2018/05/19/bookreview-tallis-steelyard-and-the-sedan-chair-caper/ Rather than his usual collection of anecdotes, this time Tallis presents us with one gripping adventure. A tale of adventure, duplicity and gentility. Why does an otherwise respectable lady have a pair of sedan chair bearers hidden in her spare bedroom? Why was the middle aged usurer brandishing an axe? Can a gangster’s moll be accepted into polite society? Answer these questions and more as Tallis Steelyard ventures unwillingly into the seedy world of respectable ladies who love of sedan chair.
http://www.fromthemixedupfiles.com/2018/05/interview-character-brightwood-tania-unsworth/ I love my home. It’s filled with treasures and secret passageways and enough supplies to last us just about forever. Sometimes I go down the driveway and look through the gates at the outside world, and wonder what other people’s houses are like. I was born in this house, and I’ve never been out, not even once. As for my rat, he’s called Tar, and he’s not really mine. He appears when he wants food, which is most of the time because he is obsessed with eating. Tar is very chatty. I know he can’t really talk, but he seems to. It’s hard to explain. As for the ‘explorer ghost’, her name is Frank, and she’s not really a ghost at all . . .
http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/2018/05/new-releases-this-week-0521-0527-plus.html
http://www.laurenspieller.com/2018/05/21/pre-order-giveaway-for-your-destination-is-on-the-left/
http://www.parajunkee.com/blog/2018/05/25/bite-me-blog-tour/ Thank you for interviewing me! I grew up in San Diego which is why all of my books take place in Southern California. In BITE ME, Morgan lives in La Jolla and goes to La Jolla Cove High. I never lived in La Jolla, which is an incredibly wealthy beach community, but I did attend public school there.
http://www.fromthemixedupfiles.com/2018/05/interview-wendy-mcleod-macknight-author-frame-up/ When Sargent Singer discovers that the paintings in his father’s gallery are alive, he is pulled into a captivating world behind the frame that he never knew existed.
http://www.talesoftheravenousreader.com/2018/05/exclusive-coverreveal-even-if-i-fall-by.html A year ago, Brooke Covington lost everything when her beloved older brother, Jason, confessed to the murder of his best friend, Calvin. Brooke and her family became social pariahs, broken and unable to console one another. Brooke’s only solace remains the ice-skating rink, where she works but no longer lets herself dream about a future skating professionally.
http://middlegrademafia.com/2018/05/25/free-books-for-summer-reading/ “Regardless of ethnicity, socioeconomic level or previous achievement, children who read four or more books over the summer fare better on reading comprehension tests in the fall than their peers who read one or no books over the summer.”
https://teripolen.com/2018/05/24/aftermath-by-kelley-armstrong-bookreview-ya-contemporary/ Three years after losing her brother Luka in a school shooting, Skye Gilchrist is moving home. But there’s no sympathy for Skye and her family because Luka wasn’t a victim; he was a shooter.
http://teripolen.com/2018/05/21/bookrelease-thecrossing-and-vacation-pics-not-mine/
https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/rosies-bookreview-team-rbrt-ya-fantasy-refugees-by-r-a-denny/ “An epic journey of a lifetime.” That’s what three young individuals from three different corners of the world have dreamed about. They were destined for greatness since the moment they were born. But what if they don’t want it? What if they’re not ready? What if their desires no longer align with the prophecy?
https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/2018/05/16/rosies-bookreview-team-rbrt-childrensfiction-the-yellow-bills-by-michellemckenna/ Mya wants to be a pilot when she grows up. So when she comes across a school of talking ducklings that are learning to fly, she decides to join in. Only it is not as simple as she had thought it might be, what with an instructor that doesn’t want her there and the small problem of her not being a duck…
http://teripolen.com/2018/05/15/l1felik3-by-jay-kristoff-bookreview-ya-scifi-tuesdaybookblog/ On a floating junkyard beneath a radiation sky, a deadly secret lies buried in the scrap.

Mystery/Thriller/Suspense:

http://lizlovesbooks.com/lizlovesbooks/bluethroat-morning-jacqui-lofthouse-blog-tour-review/ Alison Bliss, celebrity model and critically acclaimed writer, walks into the sea one ‘bluethroat morning’. In death she becomes a greater icon than in life, and the Norfolk village where she lived is soon a place of pilgrimage. Six years later her husband Harry, a schoolteacher, is still haunted by her suicide and faithful to her memory. Until he meets Helen and they fall in love.
https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/2018/05/25/rosies-bookreview-team-rbrt-an-artifact-mystery-rituals-of-the-dead-by-jsaauthor/ Zelda Richardson is an adventurous heroine who loves to solve mysteries. She needs to succeed in her placement as an intern at the Tropen museum in Amsterdam but the work involves Asmat Bis poles from Papua New Guinea, totems made for the spirits of the dead, whose evil looking faces seem to be leading her into danger.
https://mytrainofthoughtson.wordpress.com/2018/05/23/the-bad-ones-the-bad-ones-1-by-rachel-barker-bookreview/ When Jenna is forced to become a murderer and is sent to prison, she finds that this prison has a secret. With escape on her mind and boys after her heart, can she escape the tangle of danger she’s gotten into? Or will the supernatural world she’s intruded in kill her?
http://lizlovesbooks.com/lizlovesbooks/the-old-you-louise-voss-blog-tour-review/ Lynn Naismith gave up the job she loved when she married Ed, the love of her life, but it was worth it for the happy years they enjoyed together. Now, ten years on, Ed has been diagnosed with early-onset dementia, and things start to happen; things more sinister than missing keys and lost words. As some memories are forgotten, others, long buried, begin to surface… and Lynn’s perfect world begins to crumble.
But is it Ed s mind playing tricks, or hers…?
http://lizlovesbooks.com/lizlovesbooks/review-catch-up-smoke-and-ashes-abir-mukherjee/ Haunted by his memories of the Great War, Captain Sam Wyndham is battling a serious addiction to opium that he must keep secret from his superiors in the Calcutta police force.
https://vivdrewa.me/2018/05/22/in-the-spotlight-abir-mukherjees-a-rising-man/ Welcome to another edition of In The Spotlight. The post-World War I years were a time of great change and transition. One of those changes was the increasing challenge to the British Empire. We see this clearly in the history of India, during the last years of the British Raj. Let’s take a look at that era today, and turn the spotlight on Abir Mukherjee’s A Rising Man.
https://owlnpussycatbookpromo.blog/2018/05/22/new-release-murder-my-darling-carson-reno-mystery-series-book-17-by-award-winning-author-gerald-w-darnell-mysterythrillersuspense-mystery-hard-boiled/ A famous author is murdered, Carson is at the scene of the crime and considered a prime suspect – but he doesn’t remember anything!
https://teripolen.com/2018/05/22/gamble-nightforce-security-series-2-by-staci-troilo-bookreview-novella-suspense-tuesdaybookblog/ Sometimes stakes are too high to gamble. Other times they’re too high not to.
http://mysterysuspence.blogspot.com/2018/05/review-murder-in-g-major.html As some publishers, like Berkeley, have cut back on their mystery books they are offering, others are picking up the pace. I have become more aware of Henery Press and their line of mysteries. Somewhere in my internet wanderings or on a newsletter somewhere, I came across mention of this series featuring a young woman classical musician. I had to read it, so I purchased it and kept moving it closer to the top of my To-Be-Read pile. I am so glad I discovered this series. See if this might be a new series for you too.
http://lizlovesbooks.com/lizlovesbooks/latest-reads-the-puppet-show-m-w-craven/ A serial killer is burning people alive in the Lake District’s prehistoric stone circles. He leaves no clues and the police are helpless.
http://lizlovesbooks.com/lizlovesbooks/extinct-rr-haywood-blog-tour-extract/ Very happy to offer an extract from “Extinct” the third in the Extracted trilogy from RR Haywood…
http://lizlovesbooks.com/lizlovesbooks/kismet-luke-tredget-blog-tour-review/ Anna is in love.
Or maybe not.
She’s a free spirit: definitely happy.
Or is it more panicked?
In any case, she is living life to the full. Or maybe to the edge.
And having a glass of wine.
http://lizlovesbooks.com/lizlovesbooks/wrong-way-home-isabelle-grey-blog-tour-review/ Everyone in Southend remembers the night of the fire. Two lives were saved from the burning Marineland resort, while metres down the beach another was lost when a young woman was raped and murdered. The killer was never found. Now, twenty-five years on, DI Grace Fisher is handed new DNA evidence that could blow the cold case wide open. But what are the chances of really getting to the truth after all this time?
http://lizlovesbooks.com/lizlovesbooks/latest-reads-cross-her-heart-sarah-pinborough/ ‘Cross my heart and hope to die…’

Promises only last if you trust each other, but what if one of you is hiding something?

A secret no one could ever guess.

Someone is living a lie.

http://lizlovesbooks.com/lizlovesbooks/fault-lines-doug-johnstone-blog-tour-review/ In a reimagined contemporary Edinburgh, in which a tectonic fault has opened up to produce a new volcano in the Firth of Forth, and where tremors are an everyday occurrence, volcanologist Surtsey makes a shocking discovery. On a clandestine trip to The Inch – the new volcanic island – to meet Tom, her lover and her boss, she finds his lifeless body. Surtsey’s life quickly spirals into a nightmare when someone makes contact – someone who claims to know what she’s done..

Short Stories/Anthologies/Novella:

Poetry:

Indie:

Craft:

Other:

https://themilitantnegro.com/2018/05/24/the-gravity-of-love-by-noelle-harrison/
https://colleenchesebro.com/2018/05/24/the-impact-of-narcissistic-parents/ My dear friend, and Sister of the Fey, D. G. Kaye, has been quoted in this article, with the reading link below. What an honor! D.G. Kaye has written memoirs about her experiences. Check out her books here: https://www.amazon.com/D.G.-Kaye/e/B00HE028FO
https://owlnpussycatbookpromo.blog/2018/05/24/a-man-a-manuscript-and-a-fictional-town-falling-waters-second-edition-gary-d-henry/ Preston Rhodes was an extraordinary writer. However his actress wife, Carly, didn’t want him to over-shadow her talents so she set out to squash every opportunity that came his way. His father died and left Preston an extraordinary gift. It was his memoirs and Preston immediately saw that the book was literary genius. He set out to write a script and it was immediately touted as the next Gone With the Wind. He set out to sell the movie around the country until an errant bullet to his head sent him to a magical town where all the old Hollywood actors dwelled long after their starlight had been extinguished. Falling Waters was the town where spirits thrived and he was sure it was real. He was accepted and spent a lifetime amid the old stars of Hollywood. He met and interacted with all the greats. When he came out of…
https://colleenchesebro.com/2018/05/26/smorgasbord-posts-from-my-archives-odd-jobs-and-characters-odd-jobs-and-characters-the-steak-house-counting-peas-and-a-ghost-story-by-sally-cronin/ This series shares some of the jobs I have turned my hand to over that fifty years, and some were very odd. Not many have sat at a table between two teams of champion dairy cows, selling bull semen! Over the years I have accumulated a massive dossier of characters and events that now take centre stage in my short stories.
https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/2018/05/25/interestingliterature-lord-of-the-flies-or-the-coral-island-which-one/ There are a number of thoughts out there about the differences between Lord of the Flies by William Golding and The Coral Island by RM Ballantyne. Some of the analyses even include Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. I personally don’t believe that Robinson Crusoe belongs with the other two books because the differing circumstances. Robinson Crusoe’s is one man’s journey to survive, alone, on a forsaken island. Both Lord of the Flies and The Coral Island involve more than one person and, as a result, include the social interaction that goes with that.
https://ravereviewsbynonniejules.wordpress.com/2018/05/25/maretha-botha-in-whos-on-the-shelf-w-nonnie-jules-rrbc-marethmbotha/ Trails and Trials: An African Adventure is book four in the Fauna Park Tales Series. Writing Flame and Hope taught me much and assisted in making me a better writer by the time I finished the fourth book.
https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2018/05/26/sallys-cafe-and-bookstore-meet-the-book-reviewers-barb-taub-for-judith-barrow-m-j-mallon-for-annette-rochelle-aben-linda-hill-for-katherine-clements-and-liz-lloyd-rbrt-for-rachel-walkley/
https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/2018/05/23/rosies-bookreview-team-rbrt-memoir-living-in-italy-by-stef-smulders-by-italie_verhalen/ I have long harboured a dream to move to France, though Brexit may well scupper that. Italy or Portugal are next on the list, even though my own experience of driving in Italy was utterly terrifying (they literally have no rules – at least not any that anyone follows). So I was very interested to read the story of a couple relocating to Italy, especially as they bought a house that needed renovation and which has now been turned into a holiday rental (I am so tempted to book!).
http://colleenchesebro.com/2018/05/23/colleens-2018-book-reviews-ellis-by-andrew-joyce/ Ellis Hodgkins caught his first bluefin tuna at the tender age of fourteen, using only a hand line. It weighed 750 pounds. He did it by himself, fishing out of a ten-foot skiff. That feat earned him the title of Boy Wonder in and around Gloucester.
https://coldhandboyack.wordpress.com/2018/05/17/scrotus-on-lisaburtonradio/ “Fish” Fishbein and his girlfriend, Shawna Kretschman, have a nice, quiet life. He’s L.A.’s repo man and bounty hunter to the stars, and she runs the police force on a South Dakota Sioux reservation.
https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/2018/05/15/raw-literature-writing-with-mother/ About mid last year, my Mother and I decided we should write the story of her growing up during the Second World War in the small town of Bungay in East Anglia, Britain.