The Friday 56 (116) & Book Beginnings: The Creeps: A Deep Dark Fears Collection by Fran Krause

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

A follow-up to the New York Times best-selling Deep Dark Fears: a second volume of comics based on people’s quirky, spooky, hilarious, and terrifying fears... 

Illustrator, animator, teacher, and comic artist Fran Krause has touched a collective nerve with his wildly popular web comic series–and subsequent New York Times best-selling book–Deep Dark Fears. Here he brings readers more of the creepy, funny, and idiosyncratic fears they love illustrated in comic form–such as the fear that your pets will tell other animals all your embarrassing secrets, or that someone uses your house while you’re not home–as well as two longer comic short-stories about ghosts...

Beginnings: "Oh, hello! Thanks for picking up this book. It's kinda scary. We should probably prepare a bit before we read it."

56: "Sometimes I can't help but worry that any one of the random strangers I pass might be my soul mate, and I'm missing our only chance to ever meet."

Comments: My beginning is from the introduction, and my 56 is from Fear #56 because...well, the pages aren't numbered. Anyway, I received this book earlier in the week for review. I really enjoyed this collection of comics, and found it to be kind of fitting to read in October. I mean, today is Friday the 13th...

What spooky books, comics, or short stories have you read so far in October?

Review: The Creeps: A Deep Dark Fears Collection by Fran Krause

Title: The Creeps
Author: Fran Krause
Source/Format: Blogging For Books; Hardcover
More Details: Comic; Humor
Publisher/Publication Date: Ten Speed Press; September 26, 2017
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Synopsis from Goodreads...

A follow-up to the New York Times best-selling Deep Dark Fears: a second volume of comics based on people’s quirky, spooky, hilarious, and terrifying fears... 

Illustrator, animator, teacher, and comic artist Fran Krause has touched a collective nerve with his wildly popular web comic series–and subsequent New York Times best-selling book–Deep Dark Fears. Here he brings readers more of the creepy, funny, and idiosyncratic fears they love illustrated in comic form–such as the fear that your pets will tell other animals all your embarrassing secrets, or that someone uses your house while you’re not home–as well as two longer comic short-stories about ghosts...

I’m always on the lookout for collections—short comics or short stories—because I don’t read enough of them. When I came across The Creeps by Fran Krause, I was instantly interested. Before getting a copy of this book for review, I wasn’t familiar with Krause’s artwork. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I genuinely enjoyed this collection of short comics.

The Creeps is filled with comics about deep dark fears. Think along the lines of being haunted by pets, falling through a portal hidden on the floor, and empty mascot costumes. The majority of the comics were, on average, only four panels long, but they were mixed in with a couple of longer stories that took up more than one page. I was expecting to really get a kick out of The Creeps, but it didn’t really make me laugh as much as I’d expected. That being said, the comics were still kind of creepy, and I liked the illustrations—bonus points for the fact that they were all in color.

All in all, The Creeps was pretty much the perfect October read.

This copy of the book was provided by Blogging For Books for this review.

About the author...

Ananimator and cartoonist. He is currently a teacher in the character animation program at CalArts, creator of several cartoons, and the creator of the Deep Dark Fears webcomic series and book.

The Friday 56 (115) & Book Beginnings: The Unnatural World: The Race To Remake Civilization In Earth's Newest Age by David Biello

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

With the historical perspective of The Song of the Dodo and the urgency of Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, a brilliant young environmental journalist argues that we must innovate and adapt to save planet Earth...

Civilization is in crisis, facing disasters of our own making on the only planet known to bear life in the vast void of the universe. We have become unwitting gardeners of the Earth, not in control, but setting the conditions under which all of life flourishes—or not. Truly, it’s survival of the innovators. The Unnatural World chronicles a disparate band of unlikely heroes: an effervescent mad scientist who would fertilize the seas; a pigeon obsessive bent on bringing back the extinct; a low-level government functionary in China doing his best to clean up his city, and more. These scientists, billionaires, and ordinary people are all working toward saving the best home humanity is ever likely to have. What is the threat? It is us. In a time when a species dies out every ten minutes, when summers are getting hotter, winters colder, and oceans higher, some people still deny mankind’s effect on the Earth. But all of our impacts on the planet have ushered in what qualifies as a new geologic epoch, thanks to global warming, mass extinction, and such technologies as nuclear weapons or plastics. The Unnatural World examines the world we have created and analyzes the glimmers of hope emerging from the efforts of incredible individuals seeking to change our future. Instead of a world without us, this history of the future shows how to become good gardeners, helping people thrive along with an abundance of plants, animals, all the exuberant profusion of life on Earth—a better world with us. The current era of humans need not be the end of the world—it’s just the end of the world as we know it...

Beginnings: "The view from space changes people."

56: "Mud compresses under geologic pressure by as much as 90 percent, but sand is far more resistant, squeezing out water to compress by maybe 40 percent."

Comments: The Unnatural World is another one of the books I recently checked out from the library. This book focuses on an important topic: the environment. While I did like this book, it was still more of an average read. 

What are you reading this week?

Review: The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

Title: The Bone Witch
Author: Rin Chupeco
Source/Format: Borrowed from the library; Hardcover
More Details: Young Adult; Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks Fire; March 7, 2017

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

The beast raged; it punctured the air with its spite. But the girl was fiercer...

Tea is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy makes her a bone witch, who are feared and ostracized in the kingdom. For theirs is a powerful, elemental magic that can reach beyond the boundaries of the living—and of the human. Great power comes at a price, forcing Tea to leave her homeland to train under the guidance of an older, wiser bone witch. There, Tea puts all of her energy into becoming an asha, learning to control her elemental magic and those beasts who will submit by no other force. And Tea must be strong—stronger than she even believes possible. Because war is brewing in the eight kingdoms, war that will threaten the sovereignty of her homeland…and threaten the very survival of those she loves...

Man, The Bone Witch was something else. Before diving into this book I read about it and came across some mixed reviews. I do agree that it was like Strange the Dreamer in that they’re both slower moving fantasy novels. Time is spent developing the characters, and establishing the world. But that’s reasonable since both books have a complex society and magic that stems from mythology—stories, traditions, beliefs, and such. That being said, I honestly enjoyed this story from start to finish.

The Bone Witch has a dual storyline told mainly from the perspective of Tea and that of another person. Both perspectives detailed Tea’s life from when she first discovered her abilities and everything that happened after that point in time. I was a total fan of the choice of narrative for The Bone Witch. The style of storytelling was fitting for the kind of story that Chupeco was trying to tell. This wasn’t the most action packed book, but the mysteries between the dual perspectives was more than interesting enough to keep the pages turning.

The world Chupeco created was steeped in tradition and dependent on magic. The society of the Asha was also interesting. There was a clear difference between the way things actually were and how the main character, Tea, initially thought them to be.

Oh yeah, then there was that end. It can’t just end that way. It can’t. But it did. I have to admit that this book has one heck of a clever ending with a cliffhanger that I never saw coming. I have too many questions.

The Bone Witch is one of the best books I’ve read so far in 2017. I know that Chupeco has written a couple other books unrelated to this series, and I might eventually check them out. Beyond that, I’m more than excited for the sequel to this book. I’m ready for it to be here already, and it’s only been a couple of weeks since I read The Bone Witch.

Quarterly Recap: July-September

Hello, how have you been? Its finally fall, October is here, and today I'm going to be doing a quarterly recap. There have been some real highs and lows these past three months, but I'm going into October with a good dose of optimism (I'm finally over the reading slump I got stuck in during the middle of September, plus Halloween is coming)...

July Reviews:

• The Screaming Statue by Lauren Oliver & H.C. Chester
• The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

August Reviews:

• The Library of Fates by Aditi Khorana
• Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor
• Power Ranger (2017)
• The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis
• Dark Matter by Les Friction
• Women in Sports by Rachel Ignotofsky

September Review:

• Defy the Stars by Claudia Grey
• Canson Watercolor Paper

Other July Posts:

• Favorite Recipe: Baking Powder Pizza Crust
• Musing Monday: Favorite Podcasts
• Pardon the Construction
• Quarterly Recap (April-June)
• Weekend Tidbits #12: Art Haul

Other August Posts:

• The Time We Went to Coolirpa's 1 Million Subscriber Celebration
• Favorite Recipe: The Best Brownies

Other September Posts:

• Cover Reveal Blitz & Giveaway: Haven by Mary Lindsey 
• Favorite Recipe: Eggless Sugar Cookies

I'm looking forward to reading and accomplishing more during the rest of the year. That reading slump in September was just...ugh. However, while I wasn't reading, I had more time to work on some different posts for the blog, including a few more art supply reviews (one of them includes a fan art of Padme Amidala, which I'm super excited to talk about on the blog). I had a lot of fun writing about my paintings, and am planning to work on more art related things in the future.  

Also, it's freaking OCTOBER! Obviously, I’m looking forward to everything Halloween related including—but not limited to—movies, TV shows, and desserts/food/drinks.

The Friday 56 (114) & Book Beginnings: The Cosmic Web by J. Richard Gott

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

J. Richard Gott was among the first cosmologists to propose that the structure of our universe is like a sponge made up of clusters of galaxies intricately connected by filaments of galaxies--a magnificent structure now called the "cosmic web" and mapped extensively by teams of astronomers. Here is his gripping insider's account of how a generation of undaunted theorists and observers solved the mystery of the architecture of our cosmos. "The Cosmic Web" begins with modern pioneers of extragalactic astronomy, such as Edwin Hubble and Fritz Zwicky. It goes on to describe how, during the Cold War, the American school of cosmology favored a model of the universe where galaxies resided in isolated clusters, whereas the Soviet school favored a honeycomb pattern of galaxies punctuated by giant, isolated voids. Gott tells the stories of how his own path to a solution began with a high-school science project when he was eighteen, and how he and astronomer Mario Juri? measured the Sloan Great Wall of Galaxies, a filament of galaxies that, at 1.37 billion light-years in length, is one of the largest structures in the universe. Drawing on Gott's own experiences working at the frontiers of science with many of today's leading cosmologists, "The Cosmic Web" shows how ambitious telescope surveys such as the Sloan Digital Sky Survey are transforming our understanding of the cosmos, and how the cosmic web holds vital clues to the origins of the universe and the next trillion years that lie ahead...

Beginnings: "Galileo once said: "Philosophy [nature] is written in that great book which ever is before our eyes--I mean the universe.... The book is written in mathematical language, and the symbols are triangles, circles, and other geometrical figures." So it proved to be with the arrangement of galaxies in the universe." 

56: "After Caltech, I went to Cambridge University and worked with Martin Rees, who was head of the Institute of Astronomy at the time."

Comments: My current read, The Cosmic Web by J. Richard Gott, has finally broken me out of the reading slump I've been stuck in for the past couple of weeks. 

What are you reading this week?

Music Monday (31): Banks, Gorillaz, and Ameriie

   Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: I haven’t participated in Music Monday in a while, because I honestly wasn’t listening to anything new. Well, during my absence, I’ve listened to everything from youtube channels that make songs based off video games—like NateWantsToBattle and JT Machinima—to Banks’s sophomore album, The Altar. For today, I’m going to just stick to Banks, specifically, The Altar. It’s not a new album since it came out back in 2016. It’s taken me till now to listen to the entire album, and I just have to say that I love it!

27 Hours is my first pick. Arguably, it’s my favorite song from the album. I love the sound of it. The beginning is good, but once the beat drops I’m just like “Yes.”

My second pick is Poltergeist. I also love this song for its sound. It just fits with the vibes given off by the rest of the album. I’m not going to lie. I’m a total fan of it.

Adri: For this Music Monday, I’m choosing two song that kept me up, literally. Towards the end of last week I delved into a sewing project that required attention to details. Consequently, I decided to stay up later than usual, so I needed songs that didn’t cause a snooze fest. Now, of course I listened to a lot of music, but these are two songs that I kept coming back to. These songs are Strobelite by Gorillaz feat. Peven Everett and Gotta Work by Ameriie.

On a side note, although the last video was posted in July, Ameriie has her own Youtube channel which consist of videos about books and beauty.

What are you listening to this week?

Favorite Recipe: Eggless Sugar Cookies

What do you do when you don’t have vanilla extract? Obviously, you make eggless sugar cookies...

Today, I’m here to talk about another one of my favorite recipes to use. And let me tell, this is a versatile recipe—more on that later. So, what are eggless cookies? Obviously, cookies that don’t use egg but are still delicious anyway. I’ve had my fair share of hit and misses, but I’ve narrowed my collection down to a few recipes that work the best for me. The one I’m talking about today is: Fluffy Eggless Sugar Cookies (Breathtaking Delicacies).

Since this is kind of a smaller batch of cookies, I typically double the recipe. It’s also incredibly easy to make, which is great because I love making food—particularly breads and desserts—that don’t require too much time. Hence, this recipe will always be one of my favorites.

I’ve made it a bunch of ways including substituting the butter for margarine or Crisco, and adding things like chocolate chips, raisins, and chopped nuts—sometimes all three at once. I also use the milk interchangeably with just regular old water. The most recent batch I made didn’t actually involve any vanilla extractor butter, because, as it just so happened, we were out of those two ingriedients. So, I went ahead and made the cookies anyway using margarine, extra water to make up for the lack of vanilla, 1 tsp of cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp of nutmeg to give the cookies some flavor. They turned out just fine. The edges were crisp, the top was crinkled with cracks, while the inside was light and fluffy. Honestly, I didn’t even miss the vanilla extract since the flavor was vaguely cinnamon roll-ish. It was the best result I could have hoped for, because you never know what the outcome will be once you start tinkering with a recipe.

Cover Reveal Blitz & Giveaway: Haven by Mary Lindsey

Today Mary Lindsey and Rockstar Book Tours are revealing the cover for Haven, which releases November 7, 2017! Check out the gorgeous cover and enter to win an ARC! On to the reveal! 

Title: HAVEN

Author: Mary Lindsey

Pub. Date: November 7, 2017

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 400

Amazon, B&N, TBD, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play Books, Indiebound, Goodreads

Synopsis...

Sometimes beauty is the beast…

"We all hold a beast inside. The only difference is what form it takes when freed."

Rain Ryland has never belonged anywhere. He’s used to people judging him for his rough background, his intimidating size, and now, his orphan status. He’s always been on the outside, looking in, and he’s fine with that. Until he moves to New Wurzburg and meets Friederike Burkhart. Freddie isn’t like normal teen girls, though. And someone wants her dead for it. Freddie warns he’d better stay far away if he wants to stay alive, but Rain’s never been good at running from trouble. For the first time, Rain has something worth fighting for, worth living for. Worth dying for...

Early Praise...

"Dangerous, dark and a definite page turner. Mary Lindsey rocks this book.”

- New York Times bestselling author C.C. Hunter

“A smoking hot hero and spine-chilling mystery = total win.”

- #1 New York Times bestselling author, Jennifer L. Armentrout

"This electrifying tale will take you on an unexpected journey into a secret world of witchcraft and shape shifters. Romance, adventure, and magic! Lindsey leaves you breathless and wanting more."

- Adriana Mather, #1 New York Times bestselling author of How to Hang a Witch

"This is not your mama's paranormal! Sexy, dark and intense. Unputdownable!"

- Sophie Jordan, New York Times bestselling author of Firelight

"Lindsey writes a hero with fire and gasoline. Then she lights a match with break-neck pacing, and scorches a path to readers' hearts. Don't blink for a moment."

- Victoria Scott, bestselling author of Fire & Flood

"Gripping and gritty, HAVEN had me glued to the pages from beginning to end! Rain is the best kind of hero -- tough, sexy, sweet, loyal. He charges through this action-packed tale that had me tearing up more than once, and I was perfectly happy to follow!"

- Pintip Dunn, New York Times bestselling author of Forget Tomorrow.

"An utterly gritty and satisfying resurrection of the monster genre.Rain is an intense narrator and you won't know whether to scream or swoon. Haven is an instant classic!"

- Courtney Moulton, author of Angelfire

"Darkly compelling and deliciously chilling, Haven hooks you from the first line and never lets up. Gritty, spine-tingling, and full of nail-biting tension.”

- Amalie Howard, bestselling author of Bloodspell

"Dark, different, sexy, and edge-of-your-seat intense."

- Shawna Stringer, bookseller

Mary Lindsey is a multi award-winning, RITA® nominated author of romance for adults and teens. She lives on an island in the middle of a river. Seriously, she does. When not writing, she wrangles her rowdy pack of three teens, two Cairn Terriers, and one husband.

Inexplicably, her favorite animal is the giant anteater and at one point, she had over 200 "pet" Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches. The roaches are a long story involving three science-crazed kids and a soft spot for rescue animals. The good news is, the "pet" roaches found a home... somewhere else.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest |  Goodreads

5 winners will receive an ARC of HAVEN, US Only.

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Review: Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray

Title: Defy the Stars
Author: Claudia Gray
Source/Format: Borrowed from the Library; Hardcover
More Details: Young Adult; Science Fiction
Publisher/Publication Date: Little Brown Books For Young Readers; April 4, 2017
Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads...

She’s a soldier.

Noemi Vidal is seventeen years old and sworn to protect her planet, Genesis. She’s willing to risk anything—including her own life. To their enemies on Earth, she’s a rebel.

He’s a machine.

Abandoned in space for years, utterly alone, Abel has advanced programming that’s begun to evolve. He wants only to protect his creator, and to be free. To the people of Genesis, he’s an abomination.

Noemi and Abel are enemies in an interstellar war, forced by chance to work together as they embark on a daring journey through the stars. Their efforts would end the fighting for good, but they’re not without sacrifice. The stakes are even higher than either of them first realized, and the more time they spend together, the more they’re forced to question everything they’d been taught was true.

I haven’t read a book by Claudia Gray in years. The last book I recall was Evernight, and I read that back before I started blogging. So I was eager to try Defy the Stars since science fiction is one of my favorite genres to read, and I’d heard a lot of good things about it. It took me a couple of days to read Defy the Stars, but I wasn’t disappointed by the story. Actually, Defy the Stars is now one of my favorite books.

You know, there are stories that deal with traveling from one place to another. Those types of stories can go either way for me. I’m specifically talking about ones that take place in space. Defy the Stars is one of the good ones. There was a lot of travel, but I kind of appreciated that because it gave the characters an adequate chance to get to know one another.

Defy the Stars was about an interstellar war with a daring plan. So there were battles, space ships, intelligent machines, and an interesting take on how technology would potentially advance in a future setting. I was expecting that. However, there were some things brought up in Defy the Stars that were almost like a mirror to current society. Especially how the stability of the environment is taken for granted. So, there was a moral conundrum going on that played into the philosophical element of the story. I wasn't expecting the philosophical aspects, but I liked how it actively challenged the characters and their way of thinking. It called their beliefs into question, and put them in situations where they had to take a second look at what they knew about the worlds they called home. It was an interesting direction to take the story, and it ultimately paid off.

I liked the main characters, Noemi and Abel. There was a clear difference between the two, and not just because of their respective allegiances. She was an ordinary person, and he was a Mech. Putting the two of them together in the same environment was entertaining, to say the least.

All that being said, the beginning was exceptionally good but my favorite part of the book didn’t happen until the later chapters. The end was phenomenal, and I’m excited to see where Gray takes the story in the sequel, Defy the Worlds.