Archive for #Bookbully

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Guess what? I’m inviting you to guest post! That’s right–Book Bully Week is back! For those of you not yet in the know: Book Bully Week is seven days of bloggers celebrating the book (or series) that they know, love, and like to #bookbully others into reading. In the spirit of #bookbullying (re: gently (lovingly) forcing people to read books you know they’ll enjoy), we’ll also be having some giveaways. Because Book Bully Week will only last a sennight (an archaic term for “seven days”),  I only have room for seven guest posters. If you’re interested in participating, please fill out the form below. I’ll try to accommodate everyone. Thanks!

Also, feel free to grab the button!

Book Bullying Babe is a feature here on Ruby’s Reads where I highlight a series (or just a book) that I highly recommend. Then, if I can, I also give away a copy of it. I call it book bullying–but I do it with L-O-V-E. And as scary as the girl on the button looks, she’s not me and I’m not her. For one thing, I would never get a tattoo–not even one that supports my obsession with reading. Also, don’t tell anyone I said this, (lowers voice to a whisper) but I think she’s kind of scary. Maybe it’s just the gun?

In high school, I went through a fairly significant suspense/thriller phase. I read a lot of James Patterson. It’s not a time in my life that I’m particularly proud of, but it was the time when I discovered Linda Howard. I can’t, unfortunately, tell you that it was love at first read for me. It wasn’t until years later, after I had matured and gone to college (I won’t tell you which came first) that I had my “Oh, wait, Ido like romance–DUH!” epiphany and actually began searching for authors that specialized in it.

That was when I rediscovered the woman who is, some say, the queen of romantic suspense. I’ve read almost every book she’s ever written, including her backlist. Thing is, Linda Howard doesn’t just write romantic suspense…she writes some of the hottest, most alpha heroes around. Suh-wooooon. Among my favorites:

• Marc Chastain, the sexy New Orleans cop from Kill and Tell.
• Gray Rouillard, the arrogant, French-speaking Southern aristocrat from After the Night.
• Wyatt Bloodsworth, the sarcastic, take-charge former professional football player from To Die For.

I could go on, but the truth is, I’m running out of descriptive words. It’s okay, though, because I don’t want you to take my word for it. I want you to discover Linda Howard for yourself. And to help you do so, I’m offering a giveaway of any of your choice of Linda Howard’s mass market titles, as available from Amazon Prime. To see a more detailed list, go here:

LINDA HOWARD GIVEAWAY TITLES

Giveaway Rules and Regulations:

1. You must be 13 or older to enter.
2. US only.
3. To enter, you must leave a comment on this post, answering the following question: Who is your favorite romantic suspense author? and fill out the provided Rafflecopter form below. Click on the “more” button to see the form.
   
4. Contest will run from August 2 to September 2.
5. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email, after which time a new winner will be chosen.

Read more »

     Book Bullying Babe is a feature here on Ruby’s Reads where I highlight a series (or just a book) that I highly recommend. Then, if I can, I also give away a copy of it. I call it book bullying–but I do it with L-O-V-E. And as scary as the girl on the button looks, she’s not me and I’m not her. For one thing, I would never get a tattoo–not even one that supports my obsession with reading. Also, don’t tell anyone I said this, (lowers voice to a whisper) but I think she’s kind of scary. Maybe it’s just the gun?

     In 2007, Speak (an imprint of Penguin) did me a huge favor by reissuing A Countess Below Stairs. I picked up a shiny new copy of my own on from the new releases shelf at my Borders (remember Borders?), and promptly fell in love. Why? I don’t know if I can properly express my adoration of Eva Ibbotson, so I’ve just decided to make a list:

1. I want to be best friends with Every Single One of Eva Ibbotson’s heroines. They’re just a little bit quirky, always good with children, lovers of nature, funny, 3% drama queen…they’re kindred spirits. And speaking of Anne Shirley, I feel sure she would have liked Ibbtson’s heroines, too. 
2. The heroes. Especially Quin, from The Morning Gift. I’m having heart palpitations just thinking about him. And Rom, from A Company of Swans. *drool* All without so much as one topless scene.
3. Ibbotson created settings like Nobody’s Business. I’m serious. From Vienna to Cambridge to Brazil, Ibbotson always makes me feel like I’m there with her characters. And without actually saying or doing anything, she reminds me to find beauty in my surroundings. 
4. Even the supporting characters are awesome. She breathes life into every human interaction she portrays. 
5. The stories are intensely romantic and stirring despite the fact that all sex takes place behind closed doors. 
6. Ibbotson had a delightful sense of humor. It’s decidedly English. (Side note: Eva Ibbotson was born in Austria and emigrated to England when Hitler rose to power.) She had kind of an outsider’s and an insider’s view of England all at once. Brilliant. 

      The romances (shown above) are my personal favorite examples of Ibbotson’s work. Of those five, The Morning Gift and A Company of Swans are the two that rate a ten on my six-point rating scale of books. I love them, and constantly reread them. I haven’t reviewed any of them because they were all read before I started blogging. If you’re interested in checking out some reviews, I highly recommend the ones at All About Romance:

• A Countess Below Stairs
• A Reluctant Heiress (Originally Magic Flutes)
• A Company of Swans
• Madensky Square (which has not been reissued)
• Dragonfly Pool (The last book Ibbotson published before her death in 2010)

     Ibbotson also wrote a number of Middle Grade books, a few of which I have read aloud to my students: The Star of Kazan, Island of the Aunts, and Journey to the River Sea. Ibbotson was also the author of The Secret of Platform 13, which you may remember as the book that some suggested might have inspired J.K. Rowling’s Platform 9 3/4. 

For this month’s Book Bullying Babe giveaway, I’m offering the choice of a copy of one of the five novels pictured above to one lucky winner. Fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

     Book Bullying Babe is a feature here on Ruby’s Reads where I highlight a series (or just a book) that I highly recommend. Then, if I can, I also give away a copy of it. I call it book bullying–but I do it with L-O-V-E. And as scary as the girl on the button looks, she’s not me and I’m not her. For one thing, I would never get a tattoo–not even one that supports my obsession with reading. Also, don’t tell anyone I said this, (lowers voice to a whisper) but I think she’s kind of scary. Maybe it’s just the gun?

     So…the book I’m going to try to bully you into reading this week is an oldie. I read it a number of years ago (though not when it first came out), and I loved it. It’s Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde.

     Companions of the Night was originally published in 1995. It’s only one of the many books that Vivian Vande Velde has written for teens and young readers since her first book was published in 1984. I don’t, but any means, consider myself a Vande Velde fangirl, but I do think she has real talent. I’ve read Heir Apparent and Mordred but by far my favorite of her works is Companions of the Night. This is the case for three reasons:

1. It’s short, but there is so very much packed into its 224 pages. This is technically a teen book, but I think it’s appropriate for a young teen–probably as young as 13. The best part? Adults will love it! Often, authors mistakenly believe that writing for a younger audience means telling a simpler story. It’s obvious that Vande Velde not only doesn’t believe this–she’s out to prove ya’ll wrong. 
2. The vampire is dangerous. I mean, he’s sexy, but he’s a vampire. I don’t mean he’s dangerous in an “I vant to suck your blood” kind of way, but in the way that vampires are meant to be. They’re strong. Not only that–they’ve lived a long time–and longevity brings experience and what is it that people learn from? Yep–experience. This is a vampire that keeps you on the razor edge between run-for-your-life-dangerous and I-wanna-stroke-your-pecs dangerous. All while maintaining a PG-13 rating!
3. Kerry doesn’t immediately fall under the vampire’s spell. She doesn’t go all moony over him or accept her situation with one wrist raised to his mouth. She’s believably helpless for a couple of reasons: she’s a teenager, she’s dealing with a situation she doesn’t entirely understand, and she’s dealing with vampires–grown men who are older and stronger. She shows her maturity and clear-headedness all the way to the last page.

     Companions of the Night has a lot more going for it. The plot will keep you on the edge of your seat, and the vampiric lore is pretty interesting. I recommend this book for die-hard lovers of Vampire Fiction, and those who are tired of the genre as well. Companions of the Night will remind you why you liked the genre in the first place–or show you that, in capable hands, it can make for a great read.

I am offering one paperback copy of Companions of the Night to one lucky winner. To enter the contest:

1. You must be thirteen or older. 
2. Leave a comment. THEN fill out the Rafflecopter form. Click on “read more” to find it. There are options for extra entries if you wish to avail yourself of them. 
3. The contest begins today, March 22, and will end on April 19, when the April Book Bullying Babe post (and giveaway) will be posted.
4. Open anywhere the Book Depository ships. You are responsible for knowing whether they ship to your country.
5. Have fun!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

     Everyone, please meet Maghon, from the blog Happy Tails and Tales. She has been an enthusiastic supporter of the Book Bully Week event, and done her best to help get the word out. Today she’ll be representing a much beloved series–The Elemental Assassin books by the fantastic Jennifer Estep. Welcome, Mag!

Hello everyone, I am going to be explaining why each of you should read my series that I have picked and then I’ll give it away to someone lucky. I couldn’t chose just one, so I am gunna do a short, but meaningful, argument for each series that I am giving away. And now, on to the show. The first series I chose is the Elemental Assassin (Gin Blanco) series by Jennifer Estep.

      I chose this series because it’s one of the first series I can say I was surprised by all the elements. Not too many authors give these kind of powers and get this specific with how they work. So, that’s what originally got me to pick up the book (the first one). I hadn’t heard of Jennifer Estep yet, and so I read the first one, and working at a used book store, I talked about it CONSTANTLY! I LOVE Gin! I love everything she stands for, and even though I could never kill someone, I sure wish I could sometimes, and just because she kills for a living doesn’t mean she is a bad person. As the series continues, she HELPS people, good, honest, needful people! And she doesn’t put up with anyone’s crap. She may stay quiet then, but boy does she hold a grudge FOREVER! This will not go unanswered. Now, in the first couple of books, she has a love interest of Donovan (boo!!!). I don’t know why, but I knew something bad was gunna happen, and he was gunna break her heart, and of course he did…. but you know there is always something better on the other side of doors and I LOVE OWEN!!!!! I like everything he stands for too. And I am pretty sure, that even though I love Gin (who couldn’t?) my favorite character to read about would be Mr. Finnegan Lane.
      There is so much tragedy in these books sometimes (that makes for good plots, so keep it up Ms. Estep), Finn never lets things get him down. Even if he is a complete player, and womanizer, I LOVE HIM! He’s a great big foster brother to Gin, and everyone always meets their match, and boy is it a COMPLETE suprise who his match is! There is so many twists and turns, and fun times, and cheerful times, and sad times. These books can give you every emotion! If what I have said about these books hasn’t convinced you to read them yet, then you are so full of…. ummm, hahahaha! Ok, so just go get these books so I don’t have to get inappropriate! And the good news is, the next book–By a Thread–will be released on February 28, 2012. That’s not too long a wait and it’s SO PRETTY!!!

Now, for this giveaway (I’m sorry to my international friends, but postage is OUTRAGEOUS– but keep reading for your giveaway) I am giving a paperback copy of THE WHOLE SERIES… that’s ALL 5 books to some lucky kid!! Yep, I am so excited! This means you will have the entire series to hold in your hand and read and re-read…. I think I’ve reread this series at least 5 times The link for the google doc form is below, which means all ya gotta do is fill it out. If there are a whole lot of responses, then I will get random.org to pick someone for me I wish everyone good luck and happy reading

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