Month: May 2015

Sunday Post (May 31)

SissyBear @ Girl of 1000 Wonders6 Comments

Sunday PostThe Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news, a post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things received, and share news about what is coming up on the blog for the week ahead. To get in on the Sunday funday, see the rules here: Sunday Post Meme.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It’s the last day of May! Whoo!

Unfortunately, April showers did not bring May flowers to Texas, and as much as we need the rain because we are STILL in a drought, we have had enough. We have had extreme flooding that has had rivers rising to historic levels. You might have seen something like this rolling around on Facebook:

In honesty, it’s accurate in two ways: the massive amounts of water that have flooded areas, as well as our area not being used to (or very prepared for) this type of extreme flooding. Lake Travis rose 7 feet in 12 hours, and 25 feet within 30 days. Interstate Highway 35 (that runs through Austin) was shut down in certain areas further south (Kyle, San Marcos area), roadways were washed out and several towns were evacuated. My college town, San Marcos, was one that was evacuated, as well as the charming Wimberley. There are people still missing and unaccounted for, and the rain keeps falling. Please keep these people in your thoughts and prayers.

This is the exit I would use to get to the Texas State campus. Photo: KABB FOX 29 News, San Antonio
This is where the San Marcos River runs through Rio Vista Park, with The River Pub restaurant in the background, which sits well up off the ground. Photo: Katie Bertelsen
This is Aquarena Springs, that runs along the Texas State campus. I waited here often for the tram. Photo: Kimberly Jones
The River Walk in San Antonio Photo: Clint Kelley

 

~ Last Week  on G1000W ~

 

~ This Week on G1000W ~

  • Monday
    • Review + Giveaway ~ Citadel of the Sky
  • Tuesday
    • Top Ten Tuesday ~ Books I’d Love to See as Movies/Shows
  • Wednesday
    • Review ~ Frankie Dupont & The Lemon Festival Fiasco
    • WWW Wednesday
  • Thursday
    • Thoughts on Thursday: Inside Out Tag
  • Friday
    • Feature Follow Friday

~ Other Giveaways ~

~ Around Town in the Spotlight ~

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Promo + Giveaway: RUN

SissyBear @ Girl of 1000 Wonders6 Comments
I am excited to share Gillian Zane’s first installment in the NOLA Zombie series today! Zombies aren’t so much my thing, but I know a lot of y’all out there are into them, so enjoy!
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Title: Run
Series: NOLA Zombie #1
Author: Gillian Zane
Release Date: May 26, 2015
Find the Book: Goodreads | Amazon
Zombies are on the loose in New Orleans and of all the End of the World scenarios, Alexis Winter wasn’t prepared for this one. But, an apocalypse is an apocalypse and she should have this covered. She has been “prepping” for the last three years. The problem is location and timing. She’s stuck downtown and she has to get to her house on the outskirts of the city so she can get her supplies and bug-in (for the “non-preppers” this means hole up and stay safe).

Agreeing to work on a Saturday is now coming back to bite her on the ass big time. Hopefully, it won’t be a literal bite by the walking dead.

Luck favors the prepared, and as luck would have it, it comes in the form of the ridiculously hot Blake Miller. Former military man, current mercenary, Blake Miller, the man with the plan, his goal: steal a boat and trek up the Mississippi until they find safety. Alexis thinks this is a great plan and she decides to team up with Blake. The two team up in unexpected ways as they find they can’t keep their hands off of each other even when the world is falling down around them.

Can Alexis and Blake survive the end of the world, and if they do make it through the night, find a place that is safe and secure? Can their newfound attraction lead them down the road to love or heartbreak?

Zombies, sex, romance and carnage…you can’t get any better than this.

GIVEAWAY

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Open to U.S. Residents Only
1 – 7” Kindle Fire
1 -eBook Giveaway of Run to one Commenter on the Host Blog

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gillian Zane has been writing fiction stories since she was first able to put pen to paper. She has published a few non-fiction books in her field of study, which is Art, but finally, after all, these years her first fiction novella is being released. Gillian is obsessed with anything that gives her a thrill and feels adding romance to any storyline is a good thing. She was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. She lives with her husband, too many animals in a little house that has way too many books.
Find the Author: Web | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Feature Follow Friday (May 15)

SissyBear @ Girl of 1000 Wonders5 Comments

Alison Can Read Feature & FollowIt is the Friday Feature Follow!

This is a weekly blog meme hosted by Parajunkee’s View and Alison Can Read.

Here are the general rules to Follow Friday:
1. Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts (links above) and any one else you want to follow on the list
2. Follow our Featured Bloggers
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can
6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love…and the followers
7. If you want to show the link list, just follow the link below the entries and copy and paste it within your post!
8. If your new to the follow Friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!
email
bloglovin

The Question:

How many books have you got on your TBR list? via Obsessive Compulsive Reader

My Answer: 

It’s complicated.

According to my Goodreads shelf, I have 400 books on my TBR. I recently culled this list, which I explained here, so this doesn’t include actual books I own that are on my TBR.

On my physical bookshelf at home, there are two double stacked shelves of books I need to read.

I have 5 (6?) current review books for June and July to read.

And I have a black hole of books on my Kindle.

What is your TBR looking like? Leave a comment with your response and your Friday Follow. 

Review: Rainy Day Poems

SissyBear @ Girl of 1000 Wonders1 Comment

Title: Rainy Day Poems
Author: James McDonald
Publisher: House of Lore
Release Date: November 2012
Length: 64 pages
Series?: no
Genre: Children’s Literature, Poetry

Find the book: Goodreads | Amazon

Hold on to your hats,
And get ready to go.
Because the rain’s just begun,
And it’s time for the show.

The adventures of Sami and Thomas Lamb.

Sami and Thomas Lamb will have you laughing in no time with their crazy adventure. Can you find the stuffie on every page?

***** Review *****

This is a compilation of poems for children. It is filled with poems that children can identify or relate to, such as The Internet and The Rodeo.

My favorite was A Snort and A Snore. A little boy keeps hearing this horrible noise in the night. It’s dark and omnious as he goes creeping through his house to discover the source of this “strange and eerie sound.”

The last poem in the collection, An Epic Poem for Kids, is a much longer poem that young readers are used to. It is a story poem that details the winter day that Thomas and Sami have. It’s a rainy day, the power goes out, and mom kicks them out of the house to go play outdoors. They stumble upon a bullfrog, beehive, fall leaves, a tango between the mailman and a skunk, and more.

WWW Wednesdays (May 27)

SissyBear @ Girl of 1000 Wonders1 Comment

WWW_Wednesdays4

This is a weekly meme hosted by MizB @ Should Be Reading. To join in, click on the image above, and answer the following three questions.

I skipped last week’s check in, so here’s what’s been happening in the last two-three weeks. 

What are you currently reading? 

 So, I’ve hosted the cover reveal and release for Juliette Harper’s new book, You Can’t Get Blood Out of Shag Carpet. This is a spin-off mystery series from the “old ladies” in The Lockwood Legacy series (who appear in book #3, Alice’s Portrait). I am assured, based on their behaviors in Alice’s Portait, that there will be plenty of humor and liveliness. I believe this is set before the present-day events in the Lockwood Legacy books, but I’m not too sure of the time frame yet.

I think the old ladies are the perfect bastion of small-town life, and they do indeed keep their town under control and things wrapped up nicely and neatly. Small-town conspiracy at its finest!

 What did you just finish reading?

   

I finally finished up the last two MG books I had on my list from April. This signifies the official end of my reading for Months of Reviews by Genre, which I have more than admitted has been a total flop. 😦 Friends for Life was a second and similar book by an author whom I DNFed a book for in April. After the halfway point in Friends for Life, I was struggling to get through it and did consider DNFing it but I had already read over half the book. A Scaly Tale I began reading with one of my intervention classes, and they loved it. It has a Scooby Doo investigation feel to it, as well as a gang of characters with different strengths working together to complete a mission.

I also just finished another in the Frankie Dupont series by Julie Anne Grasso. I read the first in the series, Frankie Dupont and the Mystery of Enderby Manor in August, and now I’ve finished the second in the series, Frankie Dupont and the Lemon Festival Fiasco. Just as the title suggests, I already know Frankie is going to have a situation on his hands and there will be some hilarity that follows around at the festival.

Alright, I said I was going to read Citadel of the Sky in my post a few weeks ago. For some reason I thought I needed to read it ASAP for the upcoming tour date, but I was completely off in my head. This is why I live for my calendar!

Serene Highness Princess Tiana is living in a time of upheaval: dark lords are ravaging the country and magic in her bloodline makes her family go mad. Even though she is the descendant of a legend, she prefers bringing the myths of old to life in the theatre. Unfortunately for her, there is an outbreak of suspicious deaths of high-ranking officials and close friends of the royal family…and the National Council tries to cover it all up. Tiana is determined to get to the bottom of the strange deaths and the conspiracy in their midst.

I kick off the tour for this book! Look for the review of Citadel of the Sky on June 1!

 What do you think you’ll read next?

 I’m seeing a theme to my recent and upcoming reads….small towns. Hey, I grew up in one, and for all their drawbacks, I kinda like them. 🙂

“Small towns have big stories.” That was a lesson Katie’s father taught her years ago. A lesson she’s taken to heart. And right now, Katie is desperate for a big story. Reeling from the recent loss of her father and with her agent breathing down her neck for the next book, the twenty-one-year-old writer picks a spot on the map and finds herself bound for a middle-of-nowhere town called Bishopville, South Carolina.

 How about you? What are you reading this week?

Leave a comment with your answers! Share the link to your WWW Wednesday post OR leave your answers in the comments if you don’t have a blog. Happy Reading! 🙂

Review: A Scaly Tale

SissyBear @ Girl of 1000 Wonders1 Comment

Title: A Scaly Tale
Author: Kara Wilkins
Publisher: Ripley Publishing
Release Date: May 2010
Length: 125 pages
Series?: Ripley Bureau of Investigation #1
Genre: MG

Find the book: Goodreads | Amazon 

The Florida swamplands are home to hungry gators, wild electrical storms, and a most unusual creature. Sightings of a strange lizard-like animal reach Ripley High and the RBI are sent to investigate. During their search, the RBI agents find themselves in the middle of a high-speed airboat chase, a swarm of rats, a mysterious treasure hunt, and DUL agents in disguise. But then that’s nothing unusual when you’re a member of the RBI!

***** Review *****

This is the first in the Ripley Bureau of Investigation series, also known as RBI: Fact or Fiction?. The RBI team is made up of a group of teenagers with a wide range of abilities and talents that are quite extraordinary. They are members of the elite and top secret RBI team at their school, Ripley High School, which is located in the home of Robert Ripley (creator of Ripley’s Believe It or Not!) on an island off of the East Coast.

The RBI team operates in similar fashion to that of the pals of Scooby Doo, except there’s no dog and only a few investigators are sent on each mission. The selection process for each mission is grounded in the student’s talents and abilities. Those who have the best to offer for each mission are the ones who are sent. Their objective for each mission is to investigate, gather information and determine if it is fact or fiction.

In this first installment, the investigators are sent to the swamplands of Florida to uncover the mystery surrounding the strange reports of a lizard-like man.  Jack, Zia and Kobe are all assigned to comb the Everglades for another sighting of the larger-than-life lizard.

Jack is a 14 year-old from Australia. He grew up on an animal park and has an uncanny bond with animals. He can “talk” with any creature.

Zia is a 13 year-old girl who was the only survivor of a tropical storm that destroyed her village. She was a baby then, and as a result of the storm she now has a white streak of hair among her dark locks. She doesn’t fully understand her abilities, but she can predict (and sometimes control) the weather, as well as having magnetic and electrical powers.

Kobe is a 15 year-old boy who is the product of two African tribes. He has excellent tracking abilities and is an expert on native cultures around the world. His most illustrious talent, though, is his telepathic abilities: he can tell the entire history of a person or object simply by touching it!

Before setting out, the gang is briefed on some high-tech and clever devices designed by their own teacher, Dr. Maxwell, who is the only faculty member who is privy to RBI. Along the way, they run into some devious and dangerous DUL agents who pursue them on airboats through the swampland. The RBI agents get bombarded by a swarm of rats, run into a treasure hunt and at last discover the lizard man.

The book includes a breakdown of all the characters in the book, along with their skills and special notes. There is a map of Ripley High School and other cool graphics relating to the investigation throughout the book. The author has set up the book in such a way that it could easily be transitioned into a TV show, with much of the technology-based devices and messages at the ready.

The dialogue and action are what make this book! I love the team of agents sent on this mission, and how they all work together to support one another. They are fully involved in solving the mission they have been sent on. This is a great example of teamwork and covers some history, culture and geography related to the region.

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books I Plan To Have In My Beach Bag This Summer

SissyBear @ Girl of 1000 Wonders4 Comments

toptentuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is an original weekly meme feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. We’d love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists. For the list of past topics and future schedule, click here.

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Ten Books I Plan To Have In My Beach Bag This Summer

The Red Bikini

I *still* haven’t read my copy of The Red Bikini that was all the rage last summer. But this is my #1 summer read!

One for the Murphys

This is one I bought for my classroom two years ago.

Twelve-year-old Carley Connors never expected a betrayal that would land her in a foster care. When she’s placed with the Murphys, a lively family with three boys, she’s blindsided.

Shenandoah Nights

The last thing sixth-grade teacher Rebecca O’Neill wants to do during the final week of her summer break is chaperone twenty-five children on a six-night, seven-day trip aboard the schooner Shenandoah. But after a desperate phone call from the school principal, she doesn’t have a choice. Worse, the ship is rumored to be “haunted.” Five years ago, during the Holmes Hole student cruise, teacher Melissa Smith complained about hearing voices and seeing visions, then disappeared without a trace-from the very same cabin where Rebecca will be staying.

Come on, now, who wouldn’t want to read this? 🙂

The Help

I still have not read The Help, even though I bought it sometime between 2010 and 2011.

Promise Me This 

I’ve always been fascinated by the story of Titanic. In 8th grade we had to do an extensive research project on it and were given the opportunity to experience the Titanic exhibit at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. It was quite chilling to be given a boarding ticket and a real-life person’s identity and at the end of the exhibit to discover your fate.

Michael Dunnagan was never supposed to sail on the Titanic, nor would he have survived if not for the courage of Owen Allen. Determined to carry out his promise to care for Owen’s relatives in America and his younger sister, Annie, in England, Michael works hard to strengthen the family’s New Jersey garden and landscaping business.

Once Upon A Summer

How much more perfect does this get? Streams, fishing poles, summer.

Cutlass Anne

Pirates! High seas! A hunt! It’s ON!

After setting out to save her sister, Anne Crowley finds herself face-to-face with the notorious John Jacks, the son of a ruthless pirate captain. John Jacks thwarts Anne’s every move yet she finds herself attracted to the infuriating pirate.

Determined to find her sister, and resist the charming John Jacks, Anne and her band of pirates must search the high seas for clues to finding her missing sister before she’s lost forever.

Since You’ve Been Gone

I am getting around to this one!

Kristin Hanna – something, anything, maybe a re-read
Same goes for Elin Hilderbrand – at least one book