12 Days of Pixy Christmas by Kim Harrison

The 12 Days of Christmas (Kim Harrison style)

On the 12 days of Christmas, my true love gave to me . . .

12 Humans Hiding,

11 Tinks a Tinkling

10 Porno flicks

9 Pole Dancers

8 Pixies Partying

7 Karma Sutras

6 Fairies Farting

5 Trolls in Drag

4 Purple Condoms
3 French Ticklers

2 Horny Vamps

And a Sucubus in the Snow

–Kim Harrison Dec 15, 2009

I found this on Kim's blog and though it was cute so I had to share it.  Besides that, Kim Harrison ROCKS!  Black Magic Sanction comes out February 23, 2010!

Review: Small-Minded Giants by Oisin McGann

'If you mess with the Machine, the Clockworkers will come for you."

The Clockworkers are a rumour, a myth; but after he and his class witness a major crane accident, and his life takes a dramatic turn for the worse, Solomon Wheat begins to see a new side to the city of Ash Harbour. His father, Gregor, has gone missing, and is accused of murder. As Sol begins to search for his father, he finds himself pursued by mobsters trying to collect on Gregor's gambling debts. The police are watching him, and so are the Clockworkers; a shadowy organisation founded to protect the operation of the Machine. For some reason, they have decided that his father is a threat... and that makes him one too. Sol enlists the help of Cleo, a girl from his class, and his teacher, Ana, in deciphering the mystery of his father's disappearance.
(summary from the webiste of Oisin McGann)

Small-Minded Giants is published by Harper Collins in the United States as Daylight Runner.

Click here to read an exerpt from the book. 

My thoughts...This was a thought provoking novel that had me thinking "what if" the whole time I read it.  With all the environmental issues we are faced with on a daily basis, "what if" the worst case scenario happened and we were forced to live in a domed city beneath a frozen world?  Those are the living conditions that make up the setting of this story.  The author, Oisin McGann does a brilliant job of setting the scene.  I found myself shuddering on several occasions imagining the living conditions, the recycled air and the constraints these people experienced daily. 

The story is told from several characters point of view.  First, Sol is a young boy who lost his mother and sister in an accident and is now dealing with the mysterious disappearance of his father.  He is a quiet, observant teen who likes to take out his frustrations in the boxing ring.  I liked his character and could see significant growth by the end of the book.  The other two characters were his friend Chloe and his teacher Anna.  Their POV's keep the story flowing and made it more interesting. 

Overall I enjoyed the story line.  I think this would be a good book for any age, but I think it would especially appeal to an adolescent boy.  There is a fair amount of violence with some minor gore, there is very little romance-not too girly and it is full of action scenes.  There are several mysteries to figure out as you try to decide who  can be trusted and who not.

As for cons, it took me a while to get into the book.  The last 100 pages were great and I read the end quickly.  The beginning did a great job of setting up the story, but the middle just didn't grab me like I thought it would.  For me, it picked up when the main character Sol had more interactions with the other characters.  However I am glad I read it and I would recommend it to young readers who enjoy Science Fiction novels. 

For more information on Oisin McGann and his books, please visit his website. 

If you enjoyed this book, you may also like...
1. The House of the Scorpoin by Nancy Farmer
2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
3. The Wisdom of Dead Men by Oisin McGann

Disclaimer: This book was provided by the publisher for my review. 

Interview and Giveaway-Rachel Vincent

Today, I am SO excited to welcome one of my favorite authors, Rachel Vincent.  Rachel is the author of the fantastic Shifters series and an exciting YA Soul Screamers series as well as a short story or two. 

1. For any new readers, could you start by telling us a bit about your Soul Screamers series?
RV: My Soul Screamers series is about a teenage bean sidhe (banshee) trying to balance a normal high school experience with the terrifying, hidden world she’s just discovered. It has reapers and all kinds of other monsters, as well as the Netherworld, a warped mirror image of our own world, where everything wants to eat you! Seriously. ;-)

2. My Soul To Save comes out Jan 1, 2010. What sort of adventures is Kaylee in for in the second book?
RV: In My Soul to Save, an old friend of Tod’s has sold her soul for fame and fortune. When Tod finds out that she’s going to die in a few days, he asks Kaylee and Nash to help him get her soul back, to save her from eternal torment in the Netherworld.

This was my first chance to show Kaylee in the Netherworld, and I had so much fun writing those scenes!

3. How many books do you anticipate for the Soul Screamers series?
RV: Right now I’m contracted for five books in the series. MY SOUL TO SAVE comes out Dec. 29, and MY SOUL TO KEEP comes out June 1, 2010. I don’t have dates or titles for the next two yet.

4. You write incredibly smart, brave heroines. Faythe is one of my all time favorites. Which comes first, the heroine or the plot?
RV: For me, the characters come first. Once I’ve gotten to know my shiny new character (someone with a special gift or problem), then I start building a world and a plot around her. At least for the first book in the series. Future plots grow from there.

5. Is it hard to transition between writing YA and writing adult books?
RV: It wasn’t at first, but this time, it’s been really hard. I just spent several months in the Shifters world, doing revisions, copy edits, and page proofs for SHIFT, then finishing up the first three drafts of ALPHA. Then I had to jump immediately into revisions for MY SOUL TO KEEP without a single day off. This was especially difficult because I turned in the manuscript for MSTKeep almost a year ago and hadn’t really looked at it since, so the story wasn’t fresh on my mind. And I wrote it before I did revisions on the previous two Soul Screamers novels, which taught me a lot about writing YA, so when I opened up the manuscript, I was kind of horrified surprised by how much work it needed. But digging into it has been a lot of fun, and it’s reminded me how much I love the concepts in this book.

6. The Shifters series is coming to a close. Are you finding it difficult to end Faythe's story?
RV: I just finished ALPHA (the 6th and final Shifters book) a couple of weeks ago, and yeah, it was hard. Faythe’s been a part of my life since mid-2005, so it’s like saying goodbye to a friend. A friend you want to smack around sometimes, but a good friend nonetheless. ;-)

7. Rachel, I read your blog and I know how busy you are. When you have time, what do you like to read? Any genre jumping?
RV: I read urban fantasy and horror, for the most part, in both adult and YA. Though I have enjoyed some non-paranormal YAs recently too, and have several more of those on my when-I-finally-get-a-break list.

8. Are you currently working on any other projects you would like to share with us?
RV: Actually no, not at the moment. I’m buried in revisions for MY SOUL TO KEEP at the moment. Buried up to my hairline, in fact. After that, I’m taking a two week holiday/reading/television break for the first time in more than a year. (I did spend a week in D.C. after RWA this past summer, but didn’t get to read or watch anything while I was there!) Then I’m jumping into a couple of short stories due in January. After that, I’ll be writing the fourth and fifth Soul Screamers novels. Later in the year, I’m scheduled to start a new series, but I can’t say anything else about that yet. ;-)

9. Lastly, what is your favorite way to unwind after a hard day of writing? Any guilty pleasures?
RV: If I haven’t stayed up past midnight working (which I have, every day this week), I like to watch an episode of something on DVD in bed, before I go to sleep. This year I’ve gone through all seven seasons of Buffy, the first four seasons of Angel, two seasons of Carnivale, the second season of Big Love, and the first eight episodes of 30 Rock. Not all at night, though. If I get a day off between projects, I’ll spend it reading and binge DVD watching. ;-)

Rachel, Thank you for taking time out of your hectic schedule to visit with us.  Congratulations on My Soul To Save, I know it will be a huge success!
 
For more information on Rachel and books, please visit her website, follow her on twitter or check out her facebook site. 
My Soul To Save does not come out until December 29th, but you can preorder it here from Amazon or Barnes & Noble. 
 

CONTEST TIME:
I am giving away one brand new copy of Immortal to one lucky winner.  This book contains Rachel's short story Binge. 
 
To enter, please complete the form.  You must follow my blog to participate and you can gain an extra entry by spreading the word.  Please leave me a link for verification. 
 
The contest begins today and will end on December 23rd.  Due to the high cost of shipping this one is only open to the US/Canada.  (Don't worry my international friends, I have something coming for you!)
 
Please leave some LOVE in the comments section for Rachel!
 
Good luck and Happy Reading! 

Tenner Talk

Here is the cover for the Spring debut of

Change of Heart by Shari Maurer!

In a world where the most stressful thing seems to be winning a soccer game or what to wear in the morning, you take some really basic things for granted. 

Like the love of your parents.

Or hanging with your friends.

Or the beating of your heart.

When you’re 16 years old, it never occurs to you that you might die. Emmi Miller’s got a fabulous life. She has tons of friends, does great in school and is an all-star soccer player who played in Europe last summer. It even looks like Sam Hunter, a totally cute baseball player, might be interested in her. And then she gets a virus. No biggy, right? Until the virus goes to her heart and weakens it so much that, without a transplant, Emmi will die.

Will Emmi get a heart in time? Is Sam too good to be true? What about her new friend Abe, who has also had a transplant and guides her through these scary times — is he just being supportive or is there more going on between them? And will Emmi realize it before it’s too late?

For more infomation about this book, visit Shari's website. 

Dear Santa...

Dear Santa, I have been a good girl this year so PLEASE, please deliver me this box of books from Ramblings of A Teenaged Bookworm!

The inside box:

* The Morganville Vampires(bk 1&2)(PB)

* The Naughty List(ARC)

* Boys, Girls and Other Hazardous Materials(ARC)

* The Seven Rays(HB)

*The Mark(ARC)

*Give Up Ghost(HB)

* Immortal(PB)

* Incarceron(PB- Uk version)

*Fallen(ARC)

*Demon Princess bk1(PB)

*Bleeding Violet(ARC)

That covers a HUGE chunk of my wish list.  How about yours?

In My Mailbox (13)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren, who was inspired by Pop Culture Junkie. I am adding a few more to the stack this week.  I have a feeling this is only the beginning.


For Review:
Come Hell or High Water by Michelle Bardsley (digital copy-I am going to attemp to read this on my netbook-we'll see how it goes)

Bought:
Nothing for myself

PBS:
Mark of The Demon by Diana Rowland

Won: (hugs)
NIght World Volume One and Ultimate Fan Guide by LJ Smith from Lost in Ink
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins from Misty at Book Rat

Is your TBR stack about to topple over?  Please check out my Bottoms Up Challenge. 

What book is on the bottom of your TBR stack?

The 12 Blogs of Christmas-Day 2

On the second day of the Holiday, Literary Escapism gave to you...

three of Judi Fennell’s Mer trilogy – In Over Her Head, Wild Blue Under and an ARC of Catch of a Lifetime as well as the anthology Four Dukes and a Devil, Stray by Rachel Vincent and an ARC of Annette McCleave’s Drawn Into Darkness  to two lucky readers.
Go to her site to find out how to enter!

In case you are just tuning in, the 12 Blogs of Christmas is a chance for you to win some great prizes, discover some new blogs and feel some Holiday cheer. 

Yesterday The Neverending Shelf started us off by offering a great list of prizes.  Follow the link to enter. 

Today, Literary Escapism is giving away two great prize packs.  Go visit her site to find out how to enter. 

The fun will continue for the next 10 days.  Here is the rest of the participating blogs...

Day 3 Library Lounge Lizard

Day 4 Bites

Day 5 Ellz Readz

Day 6 The Page Flipper

Day 7 Luxury Reading

Day 8 Princess Bookie

Day 9 Shooting Stars Mag

Day 10 Book Rat

Day 11 The Shady Glade

Day 12 vv32Reads

Visit the 12 Blogs of Christmas site for all the updates!

Good luck and happy reading!