5 Year Blogaversary!!!!!

Today marks the blog's 5th birthday. Five years ago, I posted my first review on this blog. Previously, I posted a couple reviews on my personal blog but then started this one. I copied and pasted those reviews over here. My first review unique to this blog was posted shortly thereafter. 

GIVEAWAY: Virtual Ticket to the Deborah Harkness Fan Con/AllSoulsCon September 12th, 2015

Jax is a big fan of  the All Souls Trilogy, which I have yet to read, so when I received an email about a convention for the books, I thought I'd share.

AllSoulsCon is a fan-run one-day convention celebrating THE ALL SOULS TRILOGY, taking place September 12th in Los Angeles, CA, USA but available to fans all over the world via livestream (ain't technology grand?). Author Deborah Harkness is attending, as is audiobook narrator Jennifer Ikeda, and it’s going to be an outstanding opportunity to meet them and fellow fans, enjoy AST-inspired food, wine, contests, and a lot more! You can see the schedule here, but highlights include:

DRIVEN: A New Book by Kelley Armstrong

Subterranean Press has announced another new collaboration with Kelley Armstrong. Available January 2016, "Driven" is a long novella illustrated by Xaviere Daumarie and part of Armstrong's Otherworld series. The Trade Hardcover of Driven will feature a full-color dust jacket as well as four full-color interior illustrations. The Signed Limited Edition will have a completely different dust jacket, full-color endsheets, and two additional full-color illustrations not in the Trade.

Limited: 1000 signed numbered copies, bound in leather: $48

Trade: Fully cloth bound hardcover edition: $28

New Editions of The Martian by Andy Weir & Ready Player One by Ernest Cline Now Available at Subterranean Press!

Subterranean Press announced two exciting new projects: They're doing adaptations of two extremely popular speculative fiction books, The Martian by Andy Weir and Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. They're available in signed, limited editions and you can pre-order now.

Read Proud Listen Proud: Connecting with LGBTQ Teens through Literature

I got a press release about this the other day and decided it was worth sharing (I delete about 98% of the press releases that I get). On a related note, one day after receiving the email, on June 26th, the US Supreme Court made same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states of the US. :)

Harlequin Rewards: A New Program

I'm busy with real world stuff and trying to write some overdue reviews but in the meantime, check out this new program from Harlequin Books. I signed up about a month ago and so far, I like it. Maybe I'll add writing a review of it to my to-do list. :)

Some details:

Harlequin My Rewards is a brand-new, FREE rewards loyalty program. Effective immediately, American and Canadian residents can log onto Harlequinmyrewards.com to register and begin earning points.


Sign up by July 7 and earn 2000 points!


REWARD YOURSELF

• SHOP—Earn points for every Harlequin book you buy, no matter where you purchase!
• SHARE—Earn bonus points when you share your comments, reading preferences and ideas.
• REDEEM—Use your points to get free books or to redeem exclusive experience rewards such as an autographed copy of a book, a Skype chat with your favorite author and more! (5000 points required for a free book from Harlequin.com, under $8.99, print or digital.)

 If you're participating, what are your thoughts? Do you like it?

Sunday Post - AWAY

No post this week as I had to go out of town on family business. There may, or may not, be a post next week depending on how things go. Also, scheduled posts for this week may be delayed or cancelled, sorry.

Finding Mercy by D.L. Jackson: Buy This Romance and Help A Veteran!

A message from Military Veteran and Author D.L. Jackson...

Please take a moment to read this and share. The more this post is shared, the more eyes will be on it. Because of federal regulations, I cannot state I am donating total sales of a product to a particular charity, so I need to be non-specific who I give to. I know, I know, regulations. I will therefore round up my donation up to the nearest whole dollar amount and give a lump sum that is a little bit more than what I earned for the quarter. It will not be the "sales" but a sum a little bit more than what I earned and to a charity that won't be named (Just know it's going to help service members, past and present).

How to Build Literacy, Support Community, & Make Magic Happen All in One Day by Jenny Milchman, A Guest Post

Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day

A.K.A

How to Build Literacy, Support Community, & Make Magic Happen

All in One Day

In 2010 I had two young children whom I was bringing to story hour at our local bookstore almost every week. After all, what better activity to do with kids? It was enriching, fun, even relaxing. I didn’t have to feel guilty when I drank that 700 calorie butterscotch latte from the coffee bar. I was running back and forth between adult fiction and the flower-flocked children’s section—working off the calories for sure.

My kids probably didn’t realize it was as much of a treat for me as for them. Which started me thinking—were other parents in on this secret? How many children knew the pleasure of spending time in a bookstore?

2015 Nora Roberts Release Schedule

It's that time again; time for the Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb release schedule. I love that she shares this with her readers and so early. Of course, dates are subject to change so be sure to double check on her site when looking for info on a book. Click on the image below to go to her site.

New Mira Grant Book!

Subterranean Press announced that they are taking pre-orders for the new story they are publishing, "Rolling in the Deep" by Mira Grant. It's scheduled to be published next year, in April 2015. It will be a limited edition, with a run of 1000 signed and numbered hardcover editions, for $40US.

The blurb ~

When the Imagine Network commissioned a documentary on mermaids, to be filmed from the cruise ship Atargatis, they expected what they had always received before: an assortment of eyewitness reports that proved nothing, some footage that proved even less, and the kind of ratings that only came from peddling imaginary creatures to the masses.

They didn't expect actual mermaids. They certainly didn't expect those mermaids to have teeth.

This is the story of the Atargatis, lost at sea with all hands. Some have called it a hoax; others have called it a maritime tragedy. Whatever the truth may be, it will only be found below the bathypelagic zone in the Mariana Trench…and the depths are very good at keeping secrets.

I don't love the cover but it's eye-catching; I want to know what's on her face, or is that her face? And the background color is lovely. It's Mira Grant so I know the story will be good.


Go here to pre-order.


What do you think, will you order a copy?

Bloggers! Authors! Get Your Own T-shirt!

Yes, you can get your own shirt. Author Laura K. Curtis was inspired to make a shirt with a name tag on it that said 'Author' and had space for someone to write their name on it. Then after a Twitter conversation, she made one for bloggers too. Both shirts were done through TeeSpring but a minimum number of shirts has to be ordered before they will be printed. So, Ms. Curtis put them on Cafe Press too and there's a wide variety of styles, colors, and sizes. She also has lots of other cool merchandise, including crankypants, which apparently started the whole crazy exercise. That was inspired by a Twitter convo also. :D Check them out, and make sure you have your credit card handy!

National Animal Welfare Week - A Guest Post & An Excerpt from Doghouse by L.A. Kornetsky

 

It's Animal Welfare Week! Well, according to some calendars, October 6th -12th is Animal Welfare Week. However, when I tried Googling it, I found little solid information. So I have a few links for you concerning proper welfare for pets and a link to a facebook page on Animal Welfare Week, although it hasn't been updated since 2012.

Animal Welfare Week on Facebook
Animal Welfare on the American Veterinary Medical Association site

Pet care on the ASPCA site
Animals and resources on the Humane Society site

Animals are living beings; they need care, time, and respect. In my not so humble opinion, you shouldn't have animals, be they pets or working animals, if you are unable or unwilling to care for them. If you need help or information, there are resources: friends and co-workers, boos, the web and the sites mentioned above as well as many others.

Over the summer, I acquired some beta fish, despite knowing next to nothing about them. But I've asked acquaintances, I've Googled, and I've asked questions at several pet shops. Now, I am able to care for them properly, but for a while I was asking questions non-stop. Having brought them home, it's my responsibility to see they are properly cared for.

And now for something a little lighter - I have an excerpt from a new mystery, "Doghouse" by L.A. Kornetsky starring a cat and a dog and their humans trying to solve a mystery. It's the third book in the Gin and Tonic mystery series.

Harlequin Joins Scribd & A Scribd Membership Giveaway

 
 
You have probably heard that Harlequin has signed with Scribd. Scribd is a subscription reading service that offers thousands of titles for readers to borrow for a monthly fee. Harlequin has partnered with them to offer 15,000 Titles. These titles, mostly backlis, will be exclusive to Scribd's Ebook subscription service.

Read Pink 2014 with Penguin Random House

As some of you know, my mother died of breast cancer, and a maternal cousin and my stepmother are breast cancer survivors. So while I avoid, when I can, books with cancer as part of the story, I am all for sharing and promoting both awareness and research. Therefore I'm sharing this news release with you today, with some tweaks by me.

What’s black and white and pink all over? The initiative by Penguin Random House called Read Pink® in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October)!

Candid Covers!

AUTHORS! 

Do you self-publish? Want some feedback on potential covers?

Candid Covers is now officially taking author submissions for feedback. Each cover will get 48 hours in the group and the author will be invited. After their time slot is over we will remove the author and delete the cover thread and post the next cover.

I am one of about 20 bloggers and readers who will offer their honest critiques of your potential cover.

See the link below for more information.

The doors have been opened!

http://devilinthedetailsediting.blogspot.com/2014/09/for-authors-candid-covers-free-private.html

New Harlequin Christmas Book Subscription

Harlequin has a new subscription service available, aimed at the holiday market. For a little under $30US, you get 10 ebooks and 2 free ebooks, all Christmas themed. You have 4 themes to choose your books from: inspirational, sexy, western, and classic. You sign up for your favorite one and Harlequin chooses the titles. You got 5 in October and 5 in November; you receive the 2 free eBooks right away in the genre you that you chose. It looks as if the subscription ends after that.

So for under $30 you get 12 ebooks; it's not a bad deal.  It's an awful lot of Christmas but if you love the holiday, here's your chance to stock up on books.

For more information or to sign up, click here.

New Service - Author Assistant

Some of you already know that I do freelance editing; now I'm offering personal assistant services, effective today. Whether you just need help a for few hours a week or you need twenty hours a week, or even just a few hours a month, I'm available.

Some of the services I provide:

• answer emails
• prioritize emails that require your personal reply
• update information on your website
• coordinate blog tours
• assist you with your newsletter
• post for you on social media, including your blog
• assist you in researching information
• and other services that we agree upon

If you're interested or want more information, please email Bea at beasbooknook.com

Spirit Caller by Krista D. Ball - New Release and Sale!

As you may know, I'm a big fan of Krista's and especially her urban fantasy series, Spirit Caller. For some time now she's been working on a secret project and late Saturday night, she announced it. She's put out an omnibus containing the first three books and two new short stories.

Tea and Seal Meat takes place before Spirits Rising, and Table for One takes place 5 months after the crazy events of Knight Shift. That's right: you're going to find out how Jeremy is doing.

Pick it up on Amazon* or Kobo until June 15th for 99 cents (after that, it'll be $4.99). You can also get the ebook for free if you buy the print book on Amazon. Now, I own the individual books but couldn't pass up the chance to own for myself the short stories and for less than a dollar I now have the stories and all three books and the omnibus acts as a back up.

But, if you own the books and don't want to buy them again, or you haven't started the series, you can read the short stories for free. BUT....spoilers for the books will abound in Table for One!

You can read the two bonus short stories for FREE by clicking here. ENJOY!

My review of Spirits Rising, Book 1
My review of Dark Whispers, Book 2
My review of Knight Shift, Book 3

Welcome New Reviewer Steph to the Nook!

 

There's a new reviewer here at the Nook. I 'met' Steph years ago at the Kelley Armstrong board though we've never met in real life. Yep, Kelley's board; just like Jax and I met at Kelley's, and many of the authors who have been guests here, I first met at Kelley's. What can I say, Kelley's board was a happening place. Sadly, it's defunct now. But I digress.

Steph comes to us from Book Chick City; she left there and I snapped her up. :D So we now have myself, Jax, Steph, and CarolKat, though these days CK is more focused on her blog which she recently started.

A little about Steph, in her own words -

Some of my earliest memories are of my mom reading Nancy Drew to me as a child. When she went to have “The Talk” with me, I told her not to bother, I had already read the book. I love to read and met my hubby on Kelley Armstrong’s board. There is nothing better than having a man that will buy you books for every occasion. I read anything and everything that catches my eye but my favorites are werewolves, vampires, dystopian and Amish romances. When I am not reading or adding to my already overloaded book shelves, I enjoy doing oddball crafts with my son, gardening and running.

You should see her first review in a few weeks. Welcome Steph!