Fan Art Up (2)

Fan Art Up button
Fan Art Up! is a weekly feature hosted by Tabitha @ Not Yet Read. It is dedicated to showcasing our Fan Art inspired by entertainment media, whether it’s Books, Movies, Anime, Comics, etc. Or just random doodles you created not inspired by anything! Break out those dusty art supplies!

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I recently posted some middle grade zombie books with mega cute covers so I decided to use one of those for this week's Fan Art Up.
 
 
 
 
 

August Releases


I'm having a hard time believing that it's almost AUGUST already!! Time flies!
Just like July, August is a month with some fabulous releases!
 
Are you looking forward to any of these?

August 5

Mortal Danger (Immortal Game #1) by Ann Aguirre
I recently started Ann Aguirre’s Razorland series <3 which makes me want this one even more!


The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco


The Islands at the End of the World by Austin Aslan
I hadn’t heard of this one until I was compiling this post but I do love a good survival story so I plan to look into it more.


Opposition (Lux #5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
I’m a little behind on this series but I do plan to catch up…eventually :-P


August 13

Hereditary (Holloway Pack Free Short Story) by J.A. Belfield


August 19

One Kick (Kick Lannigan #1) by Chelsea Cain


August 26

Irresistible Force (K-9 Rescue #1) by DD Ayres


The Beautiful Ashes (Broken Destiny #1) by Jeaniene Frost


The Aftermath by Jen Alexander


Lock In by John Scalzi

 
Ghost House (The Ghost House Saga 1)by Alexandra Adornetto

 
Undead With Benefits (Eat, Brains, Love 2) by Jeff Hart
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble


Plague World (Ashley Parker 3) by Dana Fredsti
 
 


Below are some additional authors who have new releases in August but to save some time I’m just going to list them.

In no certain order…

Kresley Cole, Lara Adrian, Chloe Neill, CJ Redwine, Lori Foster, James Dashner, Jessica Sims, Janet Edwards, Hannah Jayne, Stephanie Perkins, April Genevieve Tucholke, Terry Spear, Colleen Hoover, Lorelei James, Maya Banks, Lauren Dane, Lev Grossman, Lenore Appelhans, Kat Richardson, Melissa Cutler, Tiffany King, Jessica Spotswood, Shannon Stacey, Jillian Dodd, Madeleine Roux, and Jill Shalvis

Covers At Random – Middle Grade Zombie

I don’t read Middle Grade books very often but I do plan to read all of the below books because…zombie animals!! Enough said.



My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish Series
By Mo O’hara

My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish #1 Summary:

When Tom’s big brother decides to become an Evil Scientist, his first experiment involves dunking Frankie the goldfish into toxic green gunk. Tom knows that there is only one thing to do: Zap the fish with a batter and bring him back to life! But there’s something weird about the new Frankie. He’s now a BIG FAT ZOMBIE GOLDFISH with hypnotic powers…and he’s out for revenge!

My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish Series on Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble
Mo O’Hara’s Website







My Zombie Hamster
By Havelock McCreely

Matt Hunter and his buddies are looking forward to Christmas—actually, they’re looking forward to receiving the latest sword-and-fantasy video game. But Matt’s parents have other thoughts—they give him a fluffy little mammal, a hamster called Snuffles, for the holiday. And his grandmother makes it worse by giving him a hamster cage and wheel. Bu the hamster isn’t all that cute—at least not after part of its cheek and belly fall right off—without bothering it a bit! And why is it staring at Matt with black beady eyes and a lean and hungry look?

Say hello to Anti-Snuffles, the zombie hamster! Or better yet, run!

My Zombie Hamster on Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble





I don’t think this last cover is quiiiiiite as cute as the others but it deserves an honorable mention.


Ben Fox: Squirrel Zombie Specialist at Your Service
By Daisy Whitney

Ten-year-old Ben Fox has good friends, a great dog, and a lightning-fast little sister who drives him a bit batty. The only thing in the fifth grader’s life that’s truly annoying—well, besides having to wear braces on his feet every day—is the family’s wily Siamese cat, Percy. Ben has always suspected something was off about Percy, who has never shown him or his beloved dog, Captain Sparkles, much affection. But now he’s sure something is off—Percy has raised an army of squirrel zombies in the backyard and they’re ready to take on the dog. It’ll be up to Ben to figure out how to stop the dastardly cat before the dog falls prey to the feline’s nefarious plans, especially since Percy and his newly reanimated squirrel friends are gunning for nothing less than a full-scale Animal Zombie Apocalypse—when all the dogs start to behave like cats. If only Ben could enlist his mom’s help in the undead animal war. But his mom is petrified of things that go bump in the night, so Ben’s only hope is to team up with his little sister. The battle won’t be easy though, because squirrel zombies are the most dangerous of all…

Ben Fox: Squirrel Zombie Specialist at Your Service on Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble
Daisy Whitney's website











Christmas in July Giveaway HOP


It's Giveaway Time!!

I'm in the middle of a book purge (*Gasp* It's shocking, I know) so this giveaway has come at the perfect time. ONE winner in the US will win the below used books. I apologize but this giveaway has to be US only due to shipping prices.

Must Love Mistletoe by Christie Ridgway
Happy Holidays by Janet Daily
Let's be Jolly by Janet Daily
To Santa With Love by Janet Daily
Christmas at Timberwoods by Fern Michaels
Making Spirits Bright by Fern Michaels
The Dangers of Mistletoe by Theresa Alan
A Gift to Last by Debbie Macomber
Fairy Tale Weddings by Debbie Macomber
Small Town Christmas by Debbie Macomber
Christmas Wishes by Debbie Macomber
A Season of Angels by Debbie Macomber

Fill out the form to enter
Entries must be received by July 31st (11:59pm EST)
Giveaway is open to US residents only

Please note that these are used books and are not all in perfect condition. 
The box of books will be mailed via Media Mail. I haven't had any problems with media mail previously so I'm not worried. On the off chance that the books are lost in the mail I will not be able to replace them.
 
UPDATE: This contest is now closed. Thank you to everyone who entered!

 




Fan Art Up: Book Covers

Fan Art Up button
Fan Art Up! is a weekly feature hosted by Tabitha @ Not Yet Read. It is dedicated to showcasing our Fan Art inspired by entertainment media, whether it’s Books, Movies, Anime, Comics, etc. Or just random doodles you created not inspired by anything! Break out those dusty art supplies!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Up until a week(ish) ago, it had been years since I picked up a pencil for anything other than writing. After seeing all of Tabitha's awesome fan art I decided to give it a go. All I ask is that you don't inspect them too closely (lol) as they're far from perfect.

I tweeted the first picture last week so if it seems familiar that's why. The second is new.  





How about you, do you have any fan art or random doodles?

If you do you can join the fun too! Check out Tabitha's post for this week here.

The Black Hour by Lori Rader-Day

The Black Hour
By Lori Rader-Day

Series: Standalone
Genre: Adult, Mystery, Thriller
Publisher: Seventh Street Books

**I received a copy of this book, from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review**

Goodreads Summary:

For Chicago sociology professor Amelia Emmett, violence was a research topic—until a student she’d never met shot her.

He also shot himself. Now he’s dead and she’s back on campus, trying to keep up with her class schedule, a growing problem with painkillers, and a question she can’t let go: Why?

All she wants is for life to get back to normal, but normal is looking hard to come by. She’s thirty-eight and hobbles with a cane. Her first student interaction ends in tears (hers). Her fellow faculty members seem uncomfortable with her, and her ex—whom she may or may not still love—has moved on.

Enter Nathaniel Barber, a graduate student obsessed with Chicago’s violent history. Nath is a serious scholar, but also a serious mess about his first heartbreak, his mother’s death, and his father’s disapproval. Assigned as Amelia’s teaching assistant, Nath also takes on the investigative legwork that Amelia can’t do. And meanwhile, he’s hoping she’ll approve his dissertation topic, the reason he came to grad school in the first place: the student attack on Amelia Emmet.

Together and at cross-purposes, Amelia and Nathan stumble toward a truth that will explain the attack and take them both through the darkest hours of their lives.

Links:

The Black Hour on Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble
Lori Raider-Day’s website

My Thoughts:

This book was rough for me and so was writing this review. I can’t even tell you how many (much longer) versions of this ran through my head. Maybe it was me ‘getting my hopes up’ or ‘having my expectations too high’ that got me into trouble. Either way, The Black Hour was…okay. Just okay.

I wanted it to dig more into sociology and the sociology of violence. I wanted the characters to have the more drive to find out whether or not the shooting was random. If it wasn’t a random shooting, I wanted the suspense of a good mystery. I wanted to love the characters…or hate them…something. Instead I’m left feeling very little towards any of them and overall a little disappointed towards the book itself.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, just because I didn’t get what I wanted from this book doesn’t mean you won’t.


Overall Rating: 2.9 out of 5