Saturday, July 20, 2019

Cleaning Up My TBR With a Giveaway (US Only) - Down the TBR Hole #31

This meme was started by Lost in a Story.  Here is how it works:
  • Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
  • Order on ascending date added.
  • Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
  • Read the synopses of the books
  • Decide: keep it or should it go?
Because I have so many to do, I'm going to try to do this weekly, and do 10 at a time.  Although last week Reese's Reviews did 20, so maybe I'll try 20 this week?  I mean I have thousands of books to go through on my Goodreads TBR list.


1.   The Demon Lover by Juliet Dark:
I gasped, or tried to. My mouth opened, but I couldn’t draw breath. His lips, pearly wet, parted and he blew into my mouth. My lungs expanded beneath his weight. When I exhaled he sucked my breath in and his weight turned from cold marble into warm living flesh.

Since accepting a teaching position at remote Fairwick College in upstate New York, Callie McFay has experienced the same disturbingly sensual dream every night: A mist enters her bedroom, then takes the shape of a virile, seductive stranger who proceeds to ravish her in the most toe-curling, wholly satisfying ways possible. Perhaps these dreams are the result of her having written the bestselling book The Sex Lives of Demon Lovers. Callie’s lifelong passion is the intersection of lurid fairy tales and Gothic literature—which is why she’s found herself at Fairwick’s renowned folklore department, living in a once-stately Victorian house that, at first sight, seemed to call her name.

But Callie soon realizes that her dreams are alarmingly real. She has a demon lover—an incubus—and he will seduce her, pleasure her, and eventually suck the very life from her. Then Callie makes another startling discovery: Her incubus is not the only mythical creature in Fairwick. As the tenured witches of the college and the resident fairies in the surrounding woods prepare to cast out the demon, Callie must accomplish something infinitely more difficult—banishing this supernatural lover from her heart.

 
My thoughts:
Oooh, this one sounds like pretty unlike anything I've read. 

Verdict: Keep



2.  My Life as Laura:  How I Searched for Laura Ingalls Wilder and Found Myself by Kelly Kathleen Ferguson:
Kelly Kathleen Ferguson needed to know-was connecting with her lifelong heroine the key to knowing herself? She decided to find out. Kelly donned a prairie dress and retraced the pioneer journey of Laura Ingalls Wilder. From Wisconsin to Minnesota, South Dakota to Missouri, she explored Laura's past and her own. Part travelogue, part memoir and part social commentary, My Life as Laura shows how a relationship with a pioneer girl who lived in little houses long ago can give a sense of purpose for today. Judy Blunt, author of the national best seller Breaking Clean, says My Life as Laura is "Hilarious, perceptive and true, a homespun story as genuine as the ones that inspired it."

My thoughts:  
I read a book kind of like this, and I think it would be fun to go travel and see all the different places she lived.  But I don't know that I'll actually take the time to read this title.  I might be past this type of memoir for now.

Verdict:Toss




3.  Finding Fiona by Emily Ann Ward:
The victim of a brutal attack, Fiona remembers little about her life until she meets someone who claims to be from her past. He tells her that her parents were killed for a human replication machine. He's shocked to discover she's still alive since her body was found in the wreckage of the fire.

She soon travels to her old home in New York to figure out what happened to her and her family. She needs to find out who she is, but more importantly, confront the men who killed her parents.

This coming-of-age scifi novella is full of mystery, action, and romance. It's a perfect weekend read.

 
My thoughts:  
Hmm, not so original. 

Verdict: Toss



4.  Meany  by Peazy Monellon:
Six year old Jenny Barnes wakes up from night terrors only to find out that ghosts are real and there’s no such thing as safe.

She lives in a two hundred year old farmhouse with her large family, but they’re not alone. There’s a malevolent presence up in the attic and the forest surrounding the farm is alive with folks who just won't stay dead. Worse is the fact that the cattle have developed a taste for murder and are threatening to stampede. Well…that, and the fact that it seems her own father is trying to kill her.

All Jenny wants is a childhood--a few moments playing in the sunny yard with her sisters. To get one, all she'll have to do is survive.

And as Eddie, the one farmhand who’s on her side notes, “this old place is going over.”

Will anyone get out of there alive?

 
My thoughts:
Could be creepy.  Would probably make a good horror movie.  But doubt I'll get around to it.

Verdict:Toss



5.   I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella:
I’ve lost it. :( The only thing in the world I wasn’t supposed to lose. My engagement ring. It’s been in Magnus’s family for three generations. And now the very same day his parents are coming, I’ve lost it. The very same day! Do not hyperventilate, Poppy. Stay positive :) !!

Poppy Wyatt has never felt luckier. She is about to marry her ideal man, Magnus Tavish, but in one afternoon her “happily ever after” begins to fall apart. Not only has she lost her engagement ring in a hotel fire drill but in the panic that follows, her phone is stolen. As she paces shakily around the lobby, she spots an abandoned phone in a trash can. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number for the hotel to contact her when they find her ring. Perfect!

Well, perfect except that the phone’s owner, businessman Sam Roxton, doesn’t agree. He wants his phone back and doesn’t appreciate Poppy reading his messages and wading into his personal life.

What ensues is a hilarious and unpredictable turn of events as Poppy and Sam increasingly upend each other’s lives through emails and text messages. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, mysterious phone calls, and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents . . . she soon realizes that she is in for the biggest surprise of her life.

  
My thoughts:
Love this author, and this one sounds like one I still need to read!

Verdict: Keep



6.  Ghost Dog of Roanoke Island by C.K. Volnek:
'Twelve year-old Jack Dahlgren must face his fears to save his family from the ancient evil curse haunting Roanoke Island, stopping it before it destroys him.'

In 1587,121 colonists disappeared without a trace from Roanoke Island, leaving behind not only unanswered questions, but a terrifying evil.

Life on Roanoke Island, North Carolina isn’t what twelve year-old Jack Dahlgren expected. Not only does Dad treat him like a baby, but Dad also blames him for his little sister’s accident. And to top it off, no one at school wants to get to know the new kid who lives in the ‘haunted house’. Could things get any worse?

Jack’s about to find out it can. Inside a mysterious cave on the bluff next to Jack’s new home, a terrifying evil awaits—the very demon from the malevolent curse surrounding the mysterious disappearance of the Lost Colony. Now, it’s up to Jack to unravel the four-hundred year-old mystery and save his family from the devil tormenting his island. With the help of an elusive Giant Mastiff and new-found friend, Manny, a Native American healer, Jack must discover what this monster is and find a way to put an end to its eternal hatred. But can he defeat it, before it destroys him?


My thoughts:
Hmm, I am always curious about this mysterious bit of history.

Verdict:  Keep


7.  Glitch by Heather Anastasiu:
In the Community, there is no more pain or war. Implanted computer chips have wiped humanity clean of destructive emotions, and thoughts are replaced by a feed from the Link network.

When Zoe starts to malfunction (or “glitch”), she suddenly begins having her own thoughts, feelings, and identity. Any anomalies must be immediately reported and repaired, but Zoe has a secret so dark it will mean certain deactivation if she is caught: her glitches have given her uncontrollable telekinetic powers.

As Zoe struggles to control her abilities and stay hidden, she meets other glitchers including Max, who can disguise his appearance, and Adrien, who has visions of the future. Both boys introduce Zoe to feelings that are entirely new. Together, this growing band of glitchers must find a way to free themselves from the controlling hands of the Community before they’re caught and deactivated, or worse.

In this action-packed debut, Glitch begins an exciting new young adult trilogy.


My thoughts:  
Hmm.  Kind of sounds good.  But also not sure if I'll ever get around to it.

Verdict: Toss


 8.  Butter by Erin Jade Lange:
A lonely obese boy everyone calls "Butter" is about to make history. He is going to eat himself to death-live on the Internet-and everyone is invited to watch. When he first makes the announcement online to his classmates, Butter expects pity, insults, and possibly sheer indifference. What he gets are morbid cheerleaders rallying around his deadly plan. Yet as their dark encouragement grows, it begins to feel a lot like popularity. And that feels good. But what happens when Butter reaches his suicide deadline? Can he live with the fallout if he doesn't go through with his plans?

With a deft hand, E.J. Lange allows readers to identify with both the bullies and the bullied in this all-consuming look at one teen's battle with himself.


My thoughts:
While I still think I will read this one, it is in my school library, so I don't think I need it on my Goodreads TBR to remember.

Verdict: Toss


9.  Archon by Sabrina Benulis:
Angels and demons do battle for a girl possessed by the spirit of a powerful, dead angel in this fabulous paranormal debut by Sabrina Benulis. Archon is the first of the Books of Raziel, a truly fantastic and very hip new take on heaven’s warriors that readers of the angelic novels of Danielle Trussoni, Lauren Kate, Becca Fitzpatrick, and Alexandra Adornetto are sure to adore. Archon is new wave urban fantasy, a tale of the supernatural that brilliantly blends passion, obsession, horror, and suspense in a way that will appeal to dark fantasy fans and paranormal romance readers equally. Sabrina Benulis’s angels are creepy, sexy, and totally awesome—and, like Anne Rice’s amoral, ambiguous, and addicting vampires, they will seduce and terrify you at the same time.

My thoughts:
Sounds like too much of other things.  I also haven't read a lot of angel stories lately, leaving those to my favorite authors like JLA.

Verdict:  Toss


10.  Bacterium by Nathan Pennington:
Their baby daughter suffocates in their arms. A mysterious illness takes her life almost instantly. Then, Derek Silverman and his wife find their city littered with dead bodies. No survivors anywhere. For an unknown reason, only they are alive.

Using an amateur radio, Derek tries to reach anyone who will answer him.

That is his biggest mistake.

The perpetrators of the global pandemic receive the radio transmission and dispatch killers. Almost too late, Derek and his wife realize an unknown group caused this and will stop at nothing to kill them too.

They are now on the run for their lives in a human-less world.


My thoughts:
There was a time t his was what I read.  Now, don't know that I'll really want to read it.

Verdict: Toss


11.  Sugar Rush by Donna Kaufman:
Devil's Food...Angel Cake...Red Velvet...Praline Crunch...Lemon Chiffon...
How's a woman to choose?
Luckily, the members of the Cupcake Club are about to taste it all...


When baker extraordinaire Leilani Trusdale left the bustle of New York City for Georgia's sleepy Sugarberry Island, she didn't expect her past to follow. Yet suddenly, her former boss, Baxter Dunne, aka Chef Hot Cakes, the man who taught her everything pastry, wants to film his hit cooking show in her tiny cupcakery. The same Chef Hot Cakes whose molten chocolate brown eyes and sexy British accent made Lani's mouth water and her cheeks blush the color of raspberry filling - stirring all kinds of kitchen gossip, much of which Lani wished was true...

Lani's friends are convinced that this time around, Baxter is the missing ingredient in her recipe for happiness. But convincing Lani will be a job for Baxter himself. And he'll need more than black velvet frosting to sweeten the deal...

Recipes included!


My thoughts:
The cover makes me hungry for a cupcake.  And it still sounds like one I'd want to read.

Verdict:  Keep

Final Thoughts:
Keeping three again this week out of the ten, still more gone than kept! Have really started unpacking.  Have a lot of books I'm going to take to Half Price bookstore.  Picture:



Once again you can see that I may have dropped some, but you can also see how many I've added during the week as well because I'm also pointing out how many books are on my Want to Read list on Goodreads each week.  This week, after taking these 7 off, I have 3,172 books listed now, and last week I ended with 3,170. I know I added some after looking at some Can't Wait Wednesday Posts this week.

Have you read any of these?  Would you suggest I keep any I'm tossing?  And if you're inspired to do this on your blog, please feel free to join in and share a link in the comments, since it will also get you an extra entry into my giveaway at the bottom of this post.      
 


Giveaway:
Once again this is a US only giveaway, unless you are International and see a book here you really want and would be willing to pay for the difference in the shipping through Paypal or some other way.  This week I'm upping the prize, you get to pick any two books from the pictures below, as long as they don't get traded away, or picked by last week's winner, and I will pick a surprise book from the piles to add to your choice.  Here are your choices:   

2018 ARCs:



2017 ARCs:



I'm continuing to add in my early 2019 ARCs now.  You can pick one of your two choices from the picture below, the other book you pick needs to come from the pictures above.



Once again I'm going to let you pick two, along with me throwing in a surprise third book!  Just enter the Rafflecopter below.   Disclaimer:  Unfortunately, while I've only had it happen once, I'm going to have to make a statement like other giveaways I've seen on blogs that I am not responsible for lost mail. 

  a Rafflecopter giveaway