Dark is the Night by Mirriam Neal: Tour/Review!

(image credit: Morgan Farris)

GUYS. A NEW MIRRIAM NEAL NOVEL IS RELEASING THIS WEEK AND I. CAN’T. STOP. SCREAMING! 😀 I’m super excited to be sharing my review for it as part of the blog tour! (Also, is it not GORGEOUS?)

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Title: Dark is the Night

Author: Mirriam Neal

• Date read: October 12, 2019
• Rating: 5 stars
• Genre: Urban Fantasy / Southern Gothic / Christian Fiction
• Age: Adult
• Year pub: 2019
• Series: Salvation, #1
• Fave character: Skata and Angel!
• Source: the author
• Notes: I received a free e-ARC of this book from the author as part of the blog tour. I was not required to write a positive review. (No vampires, werewolves, hunters, or shifters threatened me into saying nice things about them. XD) All opinions are my own.

Attention, world! Author Mirriam Neal has a new book out and it. is. spectacular. (Of COURSE.) I love this author’s writing so much (Paper Crowns being one of my top-ten favorite books ever), so I was ecstatic when I heard she had a new book releasing! *muffled screaming*

I don’t exactly read vampire books so imagine my surprise when I read this one and genuinely enjoyed it. I actually beta-read an earlier version of it several years ago, so I’m DOUBLY excited about this book being released to the world, because now I get to shriek about some of my favorite characters and y’all get to read about them—finally! 😀

So, this one is what you might call a Christian vampire-novel.

(I just reeeally wanted to use this gif. XD)

That may seem odd, but this author did a stellar job weaving themes and deep discussions through a paranormal adventure/mystery set against the Southern Gothic setting of modern-day South Carolina. And it’s delightful Urban Fantasy (small town . . . rural fantasy?), too. It features the small town called Salvation, inhabited by vampires, werewolves, shifters, and other people/creatures, fantastical or otherwise.

This is a story about PEOPLE. The multi-faceted characters totally make this book. I LOVE THEM SO. It features a fairly large cast, and every one of them has their own story, some merely hinted at but all totally real. Trying to wrestle out everyone’s motives and secrets and relationships was the best.

For the main characters, we have Skata (vampire-hunter), Angel (vampire house-mate; ooh, awkward), Colton (epic-est preacher of all time), and Easton (who I can’t really describe but she’s the best, okay). They are MY FAVORITE, especially all their interactions/relationships/banter/pasts.

Okay, but ANGEL AND SKATA, THOUGH. Skata is a tough, no-nonsense vampire-hunter on the path of revenge, who ends up stuck in this little dead-end town. Enter Angel, who is the sassiest, snarkiest vampire ever, and happens to have a huge mansion that Skata ends up staying at.

THEY ARE HILARIOUS TOGETHER. I love buddy stories so much, and this is like the ULTIMATE one. (No, I will not stop screaming in caps about them. You can’t make me.) Their snark-offs are my absolute favorite. Angel is so full of himself and his favorite thing is baiting Skata or simply Not Caring. It’s so hilarious.

Meanwhile, Skata is Totally Done with Angel and it’s a miracle neither of them kills each other the minute they meet, let along through the plot. XD I JUST LOVE THEM, OKAY. They are the best thing in this book. 😀

(Skata being Totally Done with Angel 110% of the time)

I love how Easton is sometimes confused about stuff, sometimes tolerates their shenanigans, and at other times is Total No-Nonsense. Simultaneously sweet and also watch-out. Everyone needs an Easton. And a Colton! He’s the most fascinating preacher character ever and I love how he has words of wisdom one moment and a shotgun or a stake to help out with, the next, and he’s not afraid to tell it like it is. He’s unassuming and helpful, but can snark alongside Skata with the best of them, and may have a bit of an anger problem occasionally, but he’s the solid one in the middle of the uncertainty, and let’s just say the bad guys better watch out for this man of God.

There are also FASCINATING side characters, who you spend some of the book not knowing whose side they’re on or if they even have a side, which makes it terribly interesting. But they’re all such vivid characters! A certain… erm… well, Skinner, who’s spoilery but OH BOY; Gideon and Jackson (hothead), vampire brothers (Gideon being the Most Refined But Can Totally Snap Your Neck If He Feels Like It gentleman-vampire of all time); Rukiel, who is mysterious; Cassis, gentle part-vampire who is Too Precious For This Earth; Shannon, the sheriff’s shotgun-wielding daughter; Spencer, techno-genius kid and energy-drink-aholic (energolic)… The list goes on. Seriously though, I love these characters so much! I mean, even the scary ones are fascinating. They are SO ALIVE. (Even the dead ones. *cough*)

Angel and Skata and their banter are my number one favorite thing about this book. (Shhh, I know that’s three things.)

There is so much snark and banter in this thing (I’m pretty sure I highlighted half of the book in my Kindle app because it is SO QUOTABLE) and if there’s one thing I love, it’s hilarious books. XD The snark and sarcasm in this book is A+ and MAKES MY DAY. Everyone just has the best lines and it’s great. 😀

The plot itself is full of twists and mysteries (including murder-mysteries) and totally keeps you on your toes. The shadowy, mysterious “feel” of the book, just a bit gothic and spooky, but not too over-the-top, is pretty cool. Also, the different classifications/levels of vampire was really interesting. Things get kind of gruesome occasionally and there’s a very real, gritty feel, but it never gets to be too much, because of the humor balancing it out, and all intertwined with themes of faith or redemption that fit together perfectly.

I never would have thought that a book could be so dark but funny but inspiring all at once, with a good dose of feels thrown in on top. Even if I wasn’t sure about a thing or two, and want to know what happens with some loose threads, I still absolutely loved it! It left me with a feeling of “I just read a really good book” and that’s all I can ask of any story—aside from laugh-aloud humor, and characters I just want to HUG. Which this book definitely delivered!

Content warning: lots of blood/violence, a smattering of recent-Marvel-movie-level language, and general scariness.

Conclusion: This is a dark book (I mean, it has it in the title. ;)) but there’s humor and redemption and other good stuff to set that off. Nothing felt there “just” to be creepy—it all fit well into the plot and the feel and the impact. And, I mean, SKATA AND ANGEL. I had a total blast reading this and couldn’t put it down. Even if you’re not into vampire stories, this is a genuinely good, if gritty, book, which is tons of fun. Now WHERE is the next one? I have some suspiciously loose strings that need to be explored and I NEED more with these characters! *grabby hands*

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About Dark is the Night

Skata only has one goal in life—to seek out the vampire who turned his wife and kill it. When he finally tracks the vampire to the small nowhere town of Salvation, South Carolina, he realizes he has stepped foot into something bigger than himself.

He’s going to need help—and that help may come in many forms. Between the vampires, werewolves, shape-shifters, and an unusual preacher, Skata may be in over his head.

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Book Links

• Amazon
• Goodreads

Don’t forget to head on by Mirriam’s blog for all the tour stops!

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About the Author

MIRRIAM NEAL is an author frequently masquerading as an artist. When she’s not scrubbing paint off her hands, she’s thinking about writing (actually, if she’s being honest, she’s always thinking about writing). A discovery writer, she tends to start novels and figure them out as she goes along and likes to work on several books at the same time—while drinking black coffee. She’s a sucker for monsters, unlikely friendships, redemption arcs, and underdog protagonists. When not painting fantasy art or writing genre-bending novels, she likes to argue the existence of Bigfoot, rave about Guillermo del Toro, and write passionate defenses of misunderstood characters.

To learn more about her fiction and art, visit her website: https://mirriamneal.com/, where you can find a full list of all her social medias, or join the Citadel Fiction newsletter: https://www.subscribepage.com/b1h5v9

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Well, what do you think? Let me know in a comment below! Thanks for reading! 🙂

Fall Books & 12 Princesses! Book Ishness (October 2019)

Time for bookish news and ishness! Since, you know, I haven’t had one of these in AGES.

I won’t attempt to catch up on all the releases and reading at the moment, and will just hop in with NEW THINGS for October. 😀

(Did I ever mention I’m a perfectionist? I keep not doing Book Ishness posts because I know I haven’t been keeping track of EVERYTHING and what if I miss something and ack I must recap all the months I missed and–! No. Breathe, Deborah. Goodness. Ahem.)

SO. This is not exhaustive (and hopefully not exhausting) but here are some bookish releases and fun things and stuff I’m up to!

First . . .

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How about some releases for this month-ish?

• Jenelle Schmidt’s first children’s picture book just released! It’s a Christmas book and looks totally adorbz.
• I can’t wait to dive into reading Strayborn (E.E. Rawls), Sword of Soter (Ralene Burke), Mardan’s Anointed (Kathrese McKee), and Strange Waters (by all the Phoenix Fiction Writers)! I’ll be reviewing them once I’ve read them so watch for info on those!
• Mistaken Divinity is the latest short story on Kyle Robert Shultz’s Patreon, featuring Nick and Cordelia running into Thor and Loki and other Norse people and it’s great. XD (For those not on Patreon, stay tuned because the next Beaumont and Beasley book is in the works, and I hear there’s a Crockett and Crane novella coming soon… As the Editor of the Afterverse, I Know Stuff. ;))
• E.B. Dawson’s Lost Empire trilogy will be wrapping up soon with the upcoming release of The Guardian!
• I haven’t kept up with the Lost Castle books but I hear there’s another one and it sounds delightful!
• Uncommon Universes is releasing its first anthology, and while the subject matter doesn’t sound like my cup of tea I’m definitely curious about it since many authors I know are being published in it!
• Selina J. Eckert is releasing a series of fairytale retelling novellas (I loved her Mesoamerican-inspired Rapunzel story!) and the next one is going to be Hansel and Gretel-related and sounds so interesting!

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And two not-pictured:

DARK IS THE NIGHT — A new Mirriam Neal novel!!

Dark is the Night gets its own shoutout spot because it’s not on Goodreads or Amazon yet I’M SO EXCITED FOR IT.

Image and info from Mirriam’s Facebook cover reveal:

“The first day of Autumn is an auspicious day. A day for crunching leaves, apple cider, werewolves, and COVER REVEALS. I’m absolutely stoked to show you the cover for my novel, ‘Dark is the Night,’ and announce a mid-October release date!

That’s right, cryptids—the spooky South Carolina town of Salvation is being brought to you in paperback and kindle formats in less than a month!

Stay tuned for updates, and don’t forget to test strangers before inviting them inside.”

–Mirriam

GUYS I’M SO EXCITED. The last Mirriam novel to release was Paper Crowns (ONLY ONE OF MY TOP FAVORITE BOOKS EVER) and I beta-read Dark is the Night ages ago and I’M SO STOKED THAT IT’S RELEASING IN TWO WEEKS. Stay tuned. I’ll definitely be reading/reviewing it soon. 😀 I can’t wait for Skata and Angel to be released on the world!

Hollow

And aaahh! Just look at this epic-looking novella coming soon from Kyle Robert Shultz! It’s a novella about Ichabod Crane and I. can’t. wait. 😀 (Image from his Facebook.)

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Um. So. Both of those are spooky-looking because October, but anyway, they look epic and I am THE EXCITED.

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Other fun bookish things happening:

Twelve Dancing Princesses month

It’s Twelve Dancing Princesses month over at The Fairy Tale Central AND I COULD NOT BE MORE EXCITED. *screaming*

It’s only my most favorite fairy tale of all, and I can’t wait to see all the 12DP goodness being featured over there!

I might even see if I can do a post about this fairy tale myself this month, if I have time…

And now I want to read (and re-read!) more retellings. *shakes fist at calendar which says I have zero time* (But I might steal some of that time anyway. Maybe if I put on an invisible cloak I can evade Time. Hey, it worked for the Soldier following those princesses!)

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Instagram and #SeriesthatIsnt

I have still been posting on my Instagram daily.

And I started a new hashtag! #Seriesthatisnt is all about book titles that sound like they should be in the same series but aren’t. XD

I’ve been having wayyy too much fun with this! You can check some of them out if you like, and it would be really fun if more people joined in on this! There have already been a few others doing it and it makes me happy. 😀

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My Reading Life

So… I mostly read re-reads and picture books and beta/edits during September?? Which means I don’t have a lot of new exciting books to share about. Heh. But I have a few ARCs I need to read soon so I’ll hopefully be sharing some reviews in the next few weeks. Stay tuned!

October

I don’t have an official TBR/nightstand to share this month, since most of my have-to-reads are ebooks and don’t photograph well, and all the things in my physical stack I don’t know if I’ll get around to… BUT WE’LL SEE.

I don’t know how much time I’ll have to read later this month, but we’re only 4 days into October and I’ve already beta-read a delightful H.L. Burke short story, done one read-through on the Beaumont and Beasley book I’m editing (GUYS! :O), read a new Jayden and Dana story (aaahh!!!), and binge-read the Fellowship of Fantasy bookclub book of the month (Ghostlight by Rabia Gale; spookier than I usually read but otherwise AMAZING because Regency fantasyyyy) which has left me with a slight book hangover. So the month is off to an amazing start!

Here’s to a bookish October, friends! (While I freak out over needing to prep for NaNoWriMo. XD)

What are you reading? Thanks for dropping by, and have a great weekend!

Top 12 Books I Read in 2016!

*comes in singing* Happy blogoversary to meeee!

That’s right, one year ago today, I posted my Foreword first post on this blog!

The Page Dreamer has officially existed for a whole year! *cue excitement* *and Gandalf fireworks* *because naturally*

Today I’m going to look back at this year of books—the reading, the reviewing, and, most importantly, my top favorite reads of the year! Let’s get to it. 🙂

Reading Stats

I read 78 books this year—huzzah!

I was planning for 60 (according to Goodreads) and overshot that a bit because I’m addicted an overachiever.

Check out my Year in Books on Goodreads to see them all listed! 🙂

9 of those were rereads, 6 were nonfiction (*cue gasps from a shocked audience*), and 63 were new fiction reads.

Of those 63, I rated 40 of them 5 stars.

…

*crickets*

I know, I have a problem with being very agreeable to most books. Moving on, then!

10 books were 4 stars.

7  books were 3 stars.

6 books were 2 stars. (We do not speak of 3 of these, For Reasons Of Bad Endings, and one of them I just didn’t believe the romance most of the book [which never happens], and two were just all right.)

According to my visible stats, I had no 1-stars, but that’s ignoring the fact that one story in a collection is totally a 1-star, even if I chickened out in my review and gave it a medium rating for being good most of the time until the ending WHICH WAS NOT OKAY. So 1 book was 1 star.

(Seeing a trend here…? I literally rated two-thirds of the books I read in 2016 five-stars.)

Fun fact: I read 12 books by Diana Wynne Jones this year. Yes, that averages to one every month. Half of those were new reads, and half were rereading aloud, because OH THE FUN. (Hence this being a fun-fact instead of just a fact. Ahem.)

I also seem to have read 20,000 pages this year??? Um. What is up with that? O.o That’s like the same amount of WORDS I wrote this year (if you ignore the 50K during NaNo).

Okay, enough stats, I can tell I’m boring you. 😉

Without more further ado, I give you (in no particular order because I’m an indecisive otter, except my very favorites are in a special category at the top)…

My Top 12 (more or less) Reads of 2016

(All titles link to their Goodreads pages; I also link to my reviews if one was written.)

BEST OF THE BEST

1. Paper Crowns – Mirriam Neal

{My Review}

A favorite up there with The Lord of the Rings and Howl’s Moving Castle, I was SO ecstatic when Paper Crowns was published this year! It has literally everything to make it a fantabulous book, including witty writing and banter, characters who are simply my FAVORITE (Hal! Azrael! And Salazar, Asterope, Astryn, Ginger… Just everybody) and Fey and a talking cat and adorable romance on the side and adventure and JUST READ THIS BOOK BECAUSE IT’S PERFECT. ❤ Favorite of the year. 🙂

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2. The Bone House / The Spirit Well / The Shadow Lamp – Stephen R. Lawhead

{My Review of The Bone House} {My Review of The Spirit Well} [review of The Shadow Lamp to come]

THIS SERIES. I haven’t finished it yet (The Fatal Tree was, however, a Christmas present, so that will be read very soon!) but the ones I’ve read so far are simply fabulous. Different eras and settings and cultures, lovable characters, adventure, stunning writing, and all deliciously complex. I can’t wait to finish! Book 4, The Shadow Lamp, may be my favorite of the series yet! Just so much is HAPPENING. (Plus Kit and Wilhelmina and Cass and Giles and even Haven, etc. <3)

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3. Blood Ties / An Earthly King – Hazel B. West

{My Review of Blood Ties} {My Review of An Earthly King}

I’ve done my share of flailing over this series, but REALLY, I just love these modern-Ireland-mixed-with-alternate-history-and-Faerie books! The friendships and adventure and humor and characters and WORLD are just so fabulous! ❤

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4. Fire and Hemlock – Diana Wynne Jones

{My Review}

Yeah, no surprise this is here… there has to be a DWJ book in my top few! 😉 I rambled enough about it in my review, but it was just AMAZING and I can’t wait to reread it this year. 😀 Tam Lin retelling, just brilliant, not to mention bookish things and writer things and modern Faerie things and Tom Lynn and his cello and amazingness. ❤

THE REST OF THE BEST

5. Deep Secret – Diana Wynne Jones

This one was somehow way darker than any other DWJ book I’ve read before, with some more mature-audience elements, but it just sucked me in so completely and was so original and amazing and the characters and and and… Diana Wynne Jones!!! ❤ I really need to review this one. o.o (The sequel-of-sorts, The Merlin Conspiracy, is amazing too.)

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6. The Rose and the Balloon – Kirsten Fichter

{My Review}

Once again, all my thoughts are in my review (apparently I reviewed most of these?), but this was just a delightful Beauty and the Beast retelling novella and I adored it! ^_^ (Also Dmitri. And the bickering.)

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7. Jackaby / The Map: A Jackaby Story – William Ritter

{Series Review}

Because Jackaby. Jackaby himself is basically all that needs saying here. Also historical fantasy is something I apparently like? And references! Like having banshees and redcaps and allusions to the song Whiskey in the Jar — these things make me happy. 😀

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8. Yorien’s Hand – Jenelle Leanne Schmidt

{My Review}

Ohhh my goodness, this book! Dragons and fantasy and Brant the epic warrior and Kiernan Kane (the mysterious minstrel!) and all of the things! ❤ Just… really really good. I’m kicking myself for not having read the rest of the series yet… but that will happen SOON. ❤

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9. Defying Shadows – Ashley Townsend

{My Review}

Flailing is available in the full review, but TIME TRAVEL + ROBIN HOOD RETELLING + WILL + PLOT TWISTS + ADORABLE ROMANCE/CHARACTERS = Yes. ❤

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10. The Beautiful Pretender – Melanie Dickerson

{My Review}

Another Beauty and the Beast retelling, crossed with The Princess and the Pea, this was just an enjoyable book. ^_^ Really well-written with likeable characters; one of Melanie Dickerson’s best, so far!

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11. Moominsummer Madness – Tove Jansson

Standing in mostly for the entire Moomin series, I almost put Finn Family Moomintroll here but decided Moominsummer Madness is probably my favorite, if only because of Snufkin and the woodies and the park keeper. Just. YES. 😀 The Moomin books are DELIGHTFUL, Snufkin is a kindred soul of mine (seriously though. <3) and I just love these books! ^_^ This one has a flood and an abandoned theater stage and all sorts of fun, whimsical, fantastical shenanigans.

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12. The Castle Corona – Sharon Creech

I don’t even know why, but I simply adored this little tale in a vaguely-Italian fairytale kingdom, with a mystery and a Storyteller and all sorts of questions and intrigue and delightful characters! I even started out thinking I wouldn’t really like it but it totally surprised me, and now here it is on my top-reads-of-the-year post! Who would’ve thought! Simply utterly charming and delightful. ^_^

Honorable Mentions go to the following

(because they’re not my “usual” genre — being two Regency Romances and a Contemporary Superpower book — but they were really good)

1. Devil’s Cub – Georgette Heyer (BECAUSE GEORGETTE HEYER.)
2. Emma – Jane Austen (This was unexpectedly extremely well done. Also Mr. Knightley.)
3. Twinepathy – C. B. Cook (Blaze and Anvil! That is all.) {Read my review}

Bonus Categories

FAVORITE STORY IN A COLLECTION

• With Blossoms Gold – Hayden Wand (in ONCE: Six Historically Inspired Fairytales) — A retelling of Rapunzel, I simply ADORED it! It was fun, funny, exciting, and clever, and the banter and humor and character interactions, not to mention Prince Benedict (and Prince Orlando too) were just MARVELOUS. ❤
• (Runner-up: Death Be Not Proud – Suzannah Rowntree in the same collection, because it was just so so brilliant and clever and this author is apparently amazing.)
• Read my review for this collection

FAVORITE NONFICTION

 

1. Make Good Art – Neil Gaiman — Brilliant and inspiring and original. Loved it enough to read it 3 or 4 times AND listen to the speech a couple of times. {My review}
2. If You Want to Write: A Book About Art, Independence and Spirit – Brenda Ueland — Finally, somebody (even if the book was from 1938) talking about writing the way I think of it, and about writing the way you want, and speaking out against criticism. This book inspired me SO much. ❤

FAVORITE PICTURE BOOK

• The Water of Life – Brothers Grimm, retold by Barbara Rogasky, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman — I hadn’t read this tale of Grimm’s before, but it was great and I positively adore Trina Schart Hyman’s illustrations!

Blog Stats

Because it’s my blogoversary, so of course I want to look at my stats! 😉

Most popular posts:

(I find it slightly amusing that, for a book-review blog, my most-read posts are mostly non-review posts. XD)

1. Cover Love: Some 2016 Releases
2. Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag {2016}
3. Bookish Book Lover Tag
4. 25 Bookish Facts About Me
5. By the Book Tag
6. The Skin Map by Stephen R. Lawhead
7. Fantasy Fan-Art
8. My Diana Wynne Jones Journey (So Far)

By the Numbers:

• 61 posts (woohoo!)
• 120 followers (you are all awesome! <3)
• 720 comments (half of these being me replying. XD)
• 1343 visitors
• 3549 hits

Top Commenters:

1. Christine
2. Madeline J. Rose
3. Skye
4. Sarahtps
5. Jenelle
6. Savannah Grace

Thanks SO much, all of you awesome people, and just everyone who reads and/or comments — I so appreciate you all! ^_^ ❤

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Whew. Now you know all about my year of 2016 — at least the bookish part… but that’s the most important, yes?? 😉

Have you read any of my top 12? (Or… a little more like top 24 if you look at categories and series… BUT STILL.) How was your year of reading in 2016? Tell me all! And I wish you all a fabulous reading year of 2017! Happy New Year!

Thanks for reading!

Dream away in those pages . . .

~ The Page Dreamer

Books I’m Thankful For + Sale! (Indie Christian Books)

(Sale details at the end of the post!)

Like most other bookworms, great books make their way onto my “things I’m thankful for” list every year. It’s hard to choose favorites, but I went ahead and picked…

5 books (more or less) which I read in 2016 and am thankful for:

 

• Paper Crowns by Mirriam Neal — This is one of my top favorite books of ever, up there near The Lord of the Rings and Howl’s Moving Castle! (THIS IS A BIG DEAL, GUYS.) I was SO ecstatic when it published this year and just… everyone needs this shape-shifting blue Fae cat and snarky Wysling and company in their lives!

• The Bright Empires Series by Stephen R. Lawhead — (shh, this can totally count as one book…) I read the first book, The Skin Map, last year, and I’m verrry much looking forward to diving into reading the last book as soon as I finish NaNoWriMo, but the middle three books which I’ve read this year have been FABULOUS. I just love this series! ^_^

• Blood Ties & An Earthly King by Hazel B. West — I’m sorry, I can’t pick JUST ONE of these! I can’t decide which one I love more, because they were both so fabulous! Modern/medieval Irish warriors with a Faerie twist and generous helpings of snark and brotherly friendships. What is not to love?

• Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones — As you may gather from my review, this book was just… I LOVED IT. But I always love DWJ’s books, so that’s no surprise. 😉

• The Rose and the Balloon by Kirsten Fichter — This simply scrumptious Beauty and the Beast retelling (with air balloons and a steampunk twist) was a perfect bite-sized read which I just loved. ^_^

I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to another great year of reading! Speaking of more reading, here’s one more thing to be grateful for.

Books on sale!

(Go on over there! Shoo!)

In honor of Thanksgiving and Black Friday, a group of independent Christian authors banded together to offer over seventy discounted books on Nov 25-28. There’s literally something for everyone.

Every single book listed on Indie Christian Books is on sale in one or more ways. Find discounted paperbacks, dozens of books offered with free shipping, $0.99 ebooks, package deals and more. Even if you have a budget of $0, new reading material awaits you.

Don’t know what to pick? The fearless Indie Christian Books team created a quiz that will generate a book list perfect for you! Check it out!

What awesome reads of 2016 are you grateful for? What books are you looking forward to reading in 2017?

A note on the Ebooks Only page. All books are listed as “Sold Out.” This only refers to paperback copies of these titles. Please click onto the product pages to find descriptions and links to discounted or free ebooks. Also, some of the authors this year chose to not sell their paperbacks directly through the site. Those books are also marked “Sold Out” but if you click them open, you’ll find a link to the site where they are on sale and a discount code for you to use at check out.

Acknowledgements: Thanks to Leah E. Good and Kendra E. Ardnek for their work organizing this sale, and Hannah Mills for her fantastic design work on the website graphics. Hannah can be contacted at hmills(at)omorecollege(dot)edu for more information about her design services.

By the Book Tag

I was tagged by the lovely Shantelle @ A Writer’s Heart for the By The Book Tag! Thanks Shantelle! ^_^ I’m not tagging anyone specific, but if the questions look fun, feel free to snag ’em and let me know if you do it so I can see your answers! 😀

1. What book is on your nightstand now?

Ashburn by Julia Erickson. It’s fun so far! I don’t usually read contemporaries or thriller/suspense books, but I’m enjoying it. 🙂

2. What was the last truly great book you read?

I just reread Archer’s Goon by Diana Wynne Jones, which was BRILLIANT. I love it to smithereens. ❤

3. If you could meet any writer – dead or alive – who would it be? And what would you want to know?

Off the top of my head… J.R.R. Tolkien, Diana Wynne Jones, Lloyd Alexander, Stephen R. Lawhead, and Mirriam Neal. And so so SO many writer friends I know online, because that would be INCREDIBLE. Time would fail me to list them all here. ❤ And I’d want to know everything. XD And/or just chat. Because that would be fantastic.

4. What books might we be surprised to find on your shelves?

Um… nonfiction books? XD *surprise!* I don’t really know, though. I have a weird collection of books because my taste is odd and varied. 🙂 Lots of people would probably be surprised at different books I own but it would depend on the person, probably. *shrug*

5. How do you organize your personal library?

The books I’ve read are (usually) organized alphabetically by author. But that changes if I feel like rearranging them by genre. My unread books are usually organized by which I want to read next and by genre.

6. What book have you always meant to read and haven’t gotten around yet?

OH SO MANY. So, so many. *points to ginormous TBR list*

A few off the top of my head: The Healer’s Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson, The Moorchild by Eloise Jarvis McGraw, and The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen.

7. Anything you feel embarrassed never to have read?

Hum. Not… really? Mostly I don’t feel like I HAVE to read books, or if I do, I’m not really embarrassed that I haven’t, because it just means I haven’t gotten around to them or don’t want to read them? I guess it’s a little sad that I haven’t read Emma by Jane Austen yet, Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, or The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle.

8. Disappointing, overrated, just not good: what book did you feel you are supposed to like but didn’t?

Off the top of my head… The Little Prince, some of Hans Christian Anderson’s stories, and some of the stories in Five Enchanted Roses.

9. Do you remember the last book you put down without finishing?

Ummm. I hardly ever don’t finish books. I can only remember like… 2. So I guess the last one was A Mighty Fortress by Faith Blum. It just wasn’t for me. *shrug*

10. What kind of stories are you drawn to? Any you stay clear of?

SO MANY! But mostly fantasy books, fairytale retellings, and I’m increasingly drawn to odder things like steampunk or heist books, just because they’re fun. Really though, I’m drawn to any kind of book that sounds interesting. 🙂 IF IT’S GOOD, I’LL READ IT. (I know that’s vague. Shush. Don’t judge me. XD)

Stay clear of… Well, I try to avoid dystopians. They are not enjoyed by me… I also don’t like icky content in my books either, so I prefer clean books. I also don’t like really creepy stories, so thus far I mainly steer clear of paranormal or horror books, and I don’t do zombies in any form. XD

11. If you could require the president to read one book, what would it be?

Hmm. Previous answers were the Bible, which is a good choice. I’d say the American Constitution would be a good start too. 😉

12. What do you plan to read next?

The Rose and the Balloon by Kirstin Fichter (a.k.a. KiriLiz), which is a steampunk Beauty and the Beast retelling novella, coming out August 1st! I’m very excited. 😀 I’d share the cover but it’s not out yet… however I hear that there may be a cover reveal next week, so I can’t wait for that! ^_^ Here’s a collage the author made from pinterest pictures instead:

How about you? What would your answers be to any of these questions?

Thanks for reading! 🙂

Dream away in those pages . . .

~ The Page Dreamer

Bookish Book Lover Tag

I was tagged by the lovely bookish (and author in her own right!) Shantelle Hannu @ A Writer’s Heart for a new fun tag which she created, the Bookish Book Lover Tag. Thanks ever so much, Shantelle! 🙂

So let’s get to it! (I think I took all the covers from Goodreads… and I didn’t feel like linking to them all but if you want to look any of these up — which you totally should — you can find them on my Goodreads.)

Rules

• Use the Banner
• Answer the Questions
• Use Lots of Book Covers *smiles*
• Tag Your Bookish Friends!

Questions

1) What Book Are You Currently Reading?

Defying Shadows by Ashley Townsend, which I’m beta-reading (it’s releasing soon!). It’s excellent so far. 😀

2) What’s The Last Book You Finished?

The Golden Braid by Melanie Dickerson. I loved it!

3) Favorite Book You Read This Year?

Let’s see if I can keep it down to a handful…

Paper Crowns by Mirriam Neal, Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones, Blood Ties by Hazel B. West, The Beautiful Pretender by Melanie Dickerson, The Map: A Jackaby Story by William Ritter, and The Castle Corona by Sharon Creech. That’s a start. 😉

4) What Genre Have You Read Most This Year?

Definitely fantasy, of all shapes and sizes.

5) What Genre Have You Read Least This Year?

Hmm. Either non-fiction or mystery.

6) What Genre Do You Want To Read More Of?

I’m going to go with Shantelle’s answer and say fairy tale retellings. 🙂

7) How Many Books Have You Read This Year, And What’s Your Goal?

I’ve read 45, and my goal is 60, so… it looks like I’ll make it, yay! 😉

8) What’s The Last Book You Bought?

Just did a post about this. 🙂

9) What Book Are You Saving Up To Buy Next?

Briette by Anita Valle. (Yes, this is one of the few ebook series I’ve gotten addicted enough to that I actually BUY ebooks. *gasp*)

10) How Many Books Did You Check Out Last Library Visit?

Just the one… *sadface* But it was The Golden Braid, which I mentioned, and I really enjoyed it! (I wanted to check out a bunch more, but I’m so busy so I exercised restraint. *gasp*)

11) What’s A Book You Can’t Wait To Read?

Mist of Midnight by Sandra Byrd, which has been waiting on my To-Read-Soon pile for a long time…

12) What’s A Series You’d Recommend to Everyone?

Goodness, I apparently don’t read many series since I’m having a hard time thinking of one! O_O (I start lots but don’t always get around to finishing them… yet.) Umm… I’m going to cheat and just say a book instead of a series. Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (you knew it was coming. ;)).

13) Who’s An Author You’re Hoping Writes More?

Heather Dixon! She’s only got two books out (Entwined and Illusionarium) both of which I loved. (Also, gotta be some of THE best covers in the universe. ❤ Amazing how the stories inside are even BETTER — can you believe it??)

14) A Few Books Your Heart Adores?

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, Paper Crowns by Mirriam Neal, The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall, Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede, The Gammage Cup by Carol Kendall, The Ordinary Princess by M. M. Kaye… and so many more!

15) What Series’s Coming Conclusion Makes You Sad?

Hmm, I don’t usually get sad at series endings because I don’t usually make it there and/or the series are often all published already by the time I read them. But… I think I’ll be a little sad when the Six of Crows series by Leigh Bardugo is over because there’s only two books… There should be more than two. XD (Also because I’m worried to death about Kaz and company. >.> So much worry. Eek.)

16) What Books Are On Your Wish-List?

Oh, so many (particularly some Diana Wynne Jones books…)! But I do keep a wishlist shelf on Goodreads. (There are some I’ve read that I want to own that I haven’t added on there, but still.) At the moment (it seems to change), a few near the top of my wishlist (some of which have yet to be published!) are: Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter, Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo, The Silent Songbird by Melanie Dickerson, King’s Blood by Jill Williamson, Briette by Anita Valle, Finn Family Moomintroll by Tove Jansson, the third Skulduggery Pleasant book, and Very British Problems by Rob Temple.

Tagging

I tag… Hmm. I’m so bad at tagging people and I never know who to tag. -_- I have no idea if you’d like to do it or not but I tag the following people and if you want to do it, great; if not, please ignore me. XD

Lauri // Mary // Madeline // Lisa // Abi // Tracey // Jenelle // Cait

I also tag anyone who’s reading this and wants to do it! (Either on your blog or in the comments below!)

BOOK TAG YAY! It’s quick and fun and easy, I promise. 😀

(Here’s the questions readily copy-paste-able for anyone who’d like to do it! :))

1) What Book Are You Currently Reading?
2) What’s The Last Book You Finished?
3) Favorite Book You Read This Year?
4) What Genre Have You Read Most This Year?
5) What Genre Have You Read Least This Year?
6) What Genre Do You Want To Read More Of?
7) How Many Books Have You Read This Year, And What’s Your Goal?
8) What’s The Last Book You Bought?
9) What Book Are You Saving Up To Buy Next?
10) How Many Books Did You Check Out Last Library Visit?
11) What’s A Book You Can’t Wait To Read?
12) What’s A Series You’d Recommend to Everyone?
13) Who’s An Author You’re Hoping Writes More?
14) A Few Books Your Heart Adores?
15) What Series’s Coming Conclusion Makes You Sad?
16) What Books Are On Your Wish-List?

Dream away in those pages . . .

~ The Page Dreamer

Start of Summer #BookHaul

I don’t buy a lot of new books, but lately I’ve splurged a bit because so many friends are coming out with books I NEED… plus I won a book and got one for review and went to a library booksale.

SO! I thought I’d share pics of these books because they are so gorgeous and I’m so excited about them. 🙂 Here’s my April/May/June (so far) book haul.

I’ve mentioned King’s Folly by Jill Williamson (and I reviewed it, whaddayaknow) which was a review copy from Bethany House. But I have to show it again because #gorgeous.

I won The Firethorn Crown by Lea Doué in a giveaway from Clean Indie Reads, and it came all the way from from Nova Scotia/Cape Breton in Canada! How cool is that?? ^_^ It’s a retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, which I mayyy or may not have a gargantuan small obsession with, so I’m very excited to read it! 🙂

Paper Crowns by Mirriam Neal. I’M STILL BOUNCING OFF THE WALLS THAT THIS IS PUBLISHED AND I OWN IT AAAHH. ❤ ❤ ❤ I know I’ve mentioned it several times already but seriously, this book is one of my FAVORITEST of ever, and everyone needs to read it. Highly recommend. *nodnod* (And by “highly recommend,” I of course mean “YOU NEED THIS MARVELOUS BOOK IN YOUR LIFE GO GET A COPY RIGHT NOW YOU NEEEEED IT!”)

Songkeeper by Gillian Bronte Adams, which I read an e-ARC of before it came out, but simply HAD to get a physical copy! EEEP. Isn’t it lovely with its friends (Orphan’s Song and Out of Darkness Rising)? ^_^ (My review of Songkeeper.)

Aaand as I mentioned, the books by E. Kaiser Writes came out in print and I had to get these gorgeous beauties. THEY’RE SO PRETTY. She illustrated them, inside and out, and while I’ve only read Prince of Demargen so far (review here), I’m really excited about all of them. ^_^

THAW, 1-3:
Winter’s Child
Winter Queen
Prince of Demargen

Five Gems, 1-2:
Jeweler’s Apprentice
Traitor’s Knife

So! I’m really excited about my shiny new books. (I hardly ever get new books so this is really exciting. ^_^)

And then here’s my stack from a library booksale. (I’m noticing a green and gold theme…?)

Sabriel – Garth Nix (Really excited to read this one!)
The Thirteenth Tale – Diane Setterfield
The Time Paradox (Artemis Fowl, #6) – Eoin Colfer (Slowly collecting these…)
The Faerie Path – Frewin Jones
A Curse Dark as Gold – Elizabeth C. Bunce
Song of the Sparrow – Lisa Ann Sandel
Tales from Far and Near – Arthur Guy Terry
The Penderwicks – Jeanne Birdsall (I love this book! ❤ )
Conrad’s Fate – Diana Wynne Jones (I love this one too! ❤ )

Also a few picture books (Farmer Giles of Ham by Tolkien with a different illustrator, a Snow White illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman, Oscar Otter illustrated by Arnold Lobel), a pamphlet on Scottish history, and a blank journal. 🙂 (I collect journals… it’s a very bad habit of this particular writer…)

I’m curious if you’ve read any of these or want to? What’s a book you got recently you’re excited about? I’d love to hear! Share all, page-dreamers of mine! 🙂

Dream away in those pages . . .

~ The Page Dreamer