New & Recommended Books Week of 10/13/14

This week my Halloween suggestions are cruelty free. We try very hard to live a cruelty free life and my hope is you will be, as well. So in this spirit I offer Vegetarian Recipes and more: a long anticipated young adult book, some high seas adventure, something to read with children and time travel. Nothing scary this week – oh, wait – the young adult book has a terrifying premise starting with UNWIND. That is frightening.

Who knew there were so many vegetarian vampires? 

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UnDivided (Unwind Dystology Book 4) by Neil Shusterman. Available October 14, 2014 in hardback and November 6, 2014 in e-book format.

Teens control the fate of America in the fourth and final book in the New York Times bestselling Unwind Dystology by Neal Shusterman. 

Proactive Citizenry, the company that created Cam from the parts of unwound teens, has a plan: to mass produce rewound teens like Cam for military purposes. And below the surface of that horror lies another shocking level of intrigue: Proactive Citizenry has been suppressing technology that could make unwinding completely unnecessary. 

As Conner, Risa, and Lev uncover these startling secrets, enraged teens begin to march on Washington to demand justice and a better future. But more trouble is brewing. Starkey’s group of storked teens is growing more powerful and militant with each new recruit. And if they have their way, they’ll burn the harvest camps to the ground and put every adult in them before a firing squad—which could destroy any chance America has for a peaceful future.

I am in awe of this series, Book 3 came out a year ago and I heaped on the praise.  I highly endorse this series. The premise and storytelling makes this both a favorite and thought provoking series.

In a society where unwanted teens are salvaged for their body parts, three runaways fight the system that would "unwind" them.

Unwind Dystology, Unwind (Unwind Dystology Book 1). In a society where unwanted teens are salvaged for their body parts, three runaways fight the system that would "unwind" them.

Connor's parents want to be rid of him because he's a troublemaker. Risa has no parents and is being unwound to cut orphanage costs. Lev's unwinding has been planned since his birth, as part of his family's strict religion. Brought together by chance, and kept together by desperation, these three unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey, knowing their lives hang in the balance. 

If they can survive until their eighteenth birthday, they can't be harmed -- but when every piece of them, from their hands to their hearts, are wanted by a world gone mad, eighteen seems far, far away. In Unwind, Boston Globe/Horn Book Award winner Neal Shusterman challenges readers' ideas about life -- not just where life begins, and where it ends, but what it truly means to be alive.


Until the Sea Shall Give Up Her Dead (A Charles Hayden Novel) by S. Thomas Russell. Available October 16, 2014. 

Charles Hayden returns in the thrilling new naval adventure from bestselling author S. Thomas Russell, today’s “Patrick O’Brian for a new generation” (Kirkus Reviews). 

Master and Commander Charles Hayden has received fresh orders that take him and the HMS Themis to the Caribbean, with instructions to meddle with French shipping to the colonies. While en route, they rescue two Spanish castaways who beg for help fleeing from a vengeful family situation—Hayden agrees to do what he can, though it’s soon clear his two new guests aren’t exactly what they seem. 

Arriving in the lawless Caribbean seas, Hayden and Themis find themselves torn between the forces of reckless English captains, conflicts between royalist and revolutionary Frenchmen, and Spanish ships that are enemies to both England and France. And when someone very dear to him is kidnapped, Hayden may sacrifice everything in a reckless pursuit to save her.

Holiday Helper (Penguin Young Readers, L2) by Jill Abramson, Jane O'Connor, and Illustrator Deborah Melmon. Available October 16, 2014.

Scout is ready for her first Christmas! It's Scout's first winter, and she can't wait for Christmas! She loves the shiny presents with their gorgeous ribbons, which look awfully like fancy tug-of-war toys! By the time Scout's through with them, the presents are a mess. 

Is Christmas morning ruined? Of course not! Fans of Puppy Diaries will find this story hilarious, sweet, and perfect for young readers!

Warden of Time (The After Cilmeri Series Book 8) by Sarah Woodbury. Available October 19, 2014. Warden of Time , the ninth novel in the After Cilmeri series, continues the story of time travel, romance, and adventure begun with Daughter of Time.  

As both modern man and medieval king, David is committed to transforming medieval England into his own version of Avalon. Not everyone supports his ideals, however, and having offended the pope by welcoming Jews and heretics into England, David is summoned to Canterbury to explain himself. 

 But when information comes to light that reveals the accusations against him have less to do with religion than with power and wealth, David finds himself on familiar ground--and at the center of a conspiracy that stretches from Ireland to Italy. Facing excommunication, a fickle populace, and a rebellion even by his fellow time travelers, he must decide what his throne is worth, and what he's willing to sacrifice to keep it.

  EASY Raw Vegan Holidays:  by Kristen Suzanne. Available now.

 

  

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Sunday Planning for Author Interviews

Sunday always begins as a wonderful day.  Lazing around, doing nothing and other miscellaneous activities I feel like doing.

I don't have to clean, I probably did that yesterday or last week.

I don't have to cook, I understand the concept but practical application is rarely put in practice.

I might groom the doggies, depends on 'our' moods and the current level of cleanliness.

I read.  I surf the internet. I read blogs. I read science news. 

I drink coffee, leisurely of course. I look for items and books I want to blog about.

I enjoy the majority of Sunday - until - planning for the week ahead and setting my alarm. Anguish.  Not because the week ahead will be anguish though sometime there is suffering.  

Because my laziness has come to an end. If I think about this too early in the day, the laziness ends and anxiety creeps into my body.

So I am going to write a quick note to my blog reading friends.  Ask a question or two and tell you some upcoming plans.  I will then proceed to reading Archaeology the magazine and the website Archaeology Today.

UPCOMING & QUESTIONS:

Sexy Cover

I am scheduling some author interviews. I do have some friends that are authors.  I have sent requests to Shannon Leigh of Deconstructing Lila  and Candace Havens. Shannon & Candy have collaborated on Tycoon Reunion (Entangled Indulgence).  Candy has a large library of published books (and I swear more energy that a two-year old - really).

What would you like me to ask them about? Do you have a question about a favorite book? Their writing technique?

What authors would you like me to interview? I'll do my darndest to get that interview.

What authors want me to interview them?

I am finishing Hugh Howey's Wool Omnibus Edition (Wool 1 - 5) (Silo Saga), Shift Omnibus Edition (Shift 1-3) (Wool Trilogy Book 2) and Dust (Wool Trilogy Book 3). Enjoyable. Review coming.

I am fairly certain that later today I will watch (re-watch) Orphan Black, Season 2. Amazing series from BBC America with a very talented lead. Recommended!

So enjoy your day. Your input is welcome. 

I appreciate your stopping by and comments.

New & Recommended Books Week of 10/6/14

October already! Time for Halloween preparation, sweaters and snuggling.  In the spirit  of

having a scary good time along with great reading, I will list a few Halloween books throughout this month.  This week is a book about Halloween recipes.  I must be hunger because many of our recommended books have recipes.  Enjoy.


Halloween 100 Recipes. Published December 24, 2013. Kindle book. Make Cheesy fingers, Mummy Toes, Bleeding Heart Brie and more monstrously fun recipes.



Picked to Die (An Orchard Mystery) by Sheila Connolly. Available October 7, 2014. 

Connolly is the author of Relatively Dead Mysteries and County Cork Mysteries. She writes enjoyable cozy mysteries. Give her a try. With titles like Golden Malicious (An Orchard Mystery) don’t you want to read the Orchard Mysteryseries? Recipes included. 

It’s harvest time in Granford, Massachusetts, and orchard owner Meg Corey and her fiancé, Seth, are both racing to beat the New England winter. 
Meg is bringing in her apple crop with a team of workers, while Seth is working to restore an old building in the center of town. 
But when his project is set back due to the unexpected discovery of a skeleton under the building—and even worse, a young man related to one of Meg’s former apple pickers is found dead behind the local feed store—the couple’s carefully laid plans are quickly spoiled. Meg can’t help but wonder: are they just unlucky, or is there something rotten in Granford? If so, she knows she’s got to seek out the bad apple before it ruins the whole bunch.

Trick or Deadly Treat: A Fresh-Baked Mystery by Livia J. Washburn. Available October 7, 2014. 

More recipes and who-done-it fun. Washburn is also the author of Delilah Dickenson series with wonderful titles such as Frankly My Dear, I'm Dead and For Whom The Funeral Bell Tolls help yourself to some treats. 

It’s Halloween in Weatherford, Texas—which means Phyllis Newsom is baking up a storm of yummy seasonal treats...but she’s about to get even busier unmasking a killer. While Phyllis and her friend Carolyn are preparing for a baking contest, her housemate Sam adopts Buck, an adorable Dalmatian who was hit by a car. To thank local veterinarian Hank Baxter for helping the dog, Phyllis and Carolyn bake a batch of doggie treats for his other four-legged patients. 

But when they arrive at the clinic, the vet is in the process of being arrested—for the murder of his wife! Convinced that the police are barking up the wrong tree and that someone’s been burying evidence, Sam begs Phyllis to help find the real killer. Joined by Buck, the friends engage in a dogged pursuit of the murderer, who will stop at nothing to muzzle them…permanently.

Undead and Unwary by Mary Janice Davidson. Available October 7, 2014. 
Queen Betsy is back for a 13th novel. If you haven’t read the series start at the very beginning, a very good place to start (according to Maria from The Sound of Music.) 

And the very beginning of the fun was Undead and Unwed. I loved the first book.  Betsy is a hoot and the yummy Sinclair meant I had a new series to read.  Overall Davidson has been steady in the Queen Betsy series. I cannot say that of everything she has written (and one of the Betsy books, even as a fan I struggled see review). So fans of Queen Betsy rejoice!

Lila: A Novel by Marilynne Robinson. Available October 7, 2014. 
Marilynne Robinson returns to the town of Gilead in an unforgettable story of a girlhood lived on the fringes of society in fear, awe, and wonder. Lila, homeless and alone after years of roaming the countryside, steps inside a small-town Iowa church—the only available shelter from the rain—and ignites a romance and a debate that will reshape her life. 

She becomes the wife of a minister, John Ames, and begins a new existence while trying to make sense of the life that preceded her new found security. Neglected as a toddler, Lila was rescued by Doll, a canny young drifter, and brought up by her in a hardscrabble childhood. Together they crafted a life on the run, living hand to mouth with nothing but their sisterly bond and a ragged blade to protect them. 

Despite bouts of petty violence and moments of desperation, their shared life was laced with moments of joy and love. When Lila arrives in Gilead, she struggles to reconcile the life of her makeshift family and their days of hardship with the gentle Christian worldview of her husband which paradoxically judges those she loves. 

Revisiting the beloved characters and setting of Robinson’s Pulitzer Prize–winning Gilead and Home, a National Book Award finalist, Lila is a moving expression of the mysteries of existence that is destined to become an American classic. 

And now for a totally random and not necessarily recommended but it is quirky so here is my final, ahem, recommendation: The Pointless Book: Started by Alfie Deyes, Finished by You by (who else? his name is in the title after all!) Alfie Deyes. Available in paperback October 7, 2014.

   

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Happy Reading.