Giveaway FREEDOM ROAD by T.M. SOUDERS win $50 to Amazon #BookBlast

Freedom Road by T.M. Souders

Book Description

Publication Date: September 12, 2012

Since the tender age of eight, music served as Samantha Becker’s source of solace against her father’s tyranny and her mother’s alcoholism. Now at eighteen, her only dream is to study classical guitar at Juilliard. But when her father’s careless actions lead to an “accident,” which threatens her ability to play the guitar, Sam becomes despondent. Losing all confidence in her future, Sam hides behind the emotional barriers that have protected her for years.

Just when Sam has given up, two unexpected people enter her life, giving her the confidence she needs, and forcing her to evaluate all she’s ever known. Battling her father’s plans for her future, band mates using her for personal gain, and a permanent injury, the odds are stacked against her. With auditions approaching and time running out, Sam must relearn to play the guitar, or be destined to give up her dreams forever.

About the Author:
T.M. Souders was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania and grew up in the suburbs outside of Pittsburgh. She graduated in 2004, from Youngstown State University, with a degree in Psychology and minor in Women’s Studies. She is the author of bestselling women’s fiction novel,Waiting on Hope, as well as the novelette Dashing Through The Snow and the newly released young adult/crossover novel ,Freedom Road. In her spare time when she is nor writing she is an active volunteer for The World Literary Cafe, a site dedicated to authors and readers. She currently lives in rural Ohio with her husband and children.


Links:
Website: http://www.tmsouders.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tmsouders
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5044358.T_M_Souders
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/TM-Souders-Author/181198815275423


Book Blast Giveaway:
$50 Amazon Gift Code
Ends 9/27/12
Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent's permission. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Waiting on Wednesday BEAUTIFUL REDEMPTION by KAMI GARCIA + MARGARET STOHL @lbkids

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Book Description

Publication Date: October 23, 2012 | Series: Beautiful Creatures (Book 4)

Is death the end . . . or only the beginning?

Ethan Wate has spent most of his life longing to escape the stiflingly small Southern town of Gatlin. He never thought he would meet the girl of his dreams, Lena Duchannes, who unveiled a secretive, powerful, and cursed side of Gatlin, hidden in plain sight. And he never could have expected that he would be forced to leave behind everyone and everything he cares about. So when Ethan awakes after the chilling events of the Eighteenth Moon, he has only one goal: to find a way to return to Lena and the ones he loves.

Back in Gatlin, Lena is making her own bargains for Ethan's return, vowing to do whatever it takes -- even if that means trusting old enemies or risking the lives of the family and friends Ethan left to protect. 

Worlds apart, Ethan and Lena must once again work together to rewrite their fate, in this stunning finale to the Beautiful Creatures series.

About the Author

Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl live in Los Angeles, California, with their families. Beautiful Redemption is the fourth and final book in the Beautiful Creatures series, following Beautiful Creatures,Beautiful Darkness, and Beautiful Chaos.

Details

• Hardcover: 576 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (October 23, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316123536
• ISBN-13: 978-0316123532

Hey! If you are planning on ordering or preordering any of these books, consider using my Amazon links below to help support BookHounds.  I get a small (very small) percentage of anything you buy if you use my links to start your shopping! 

Book Trailer EVERY DAY by David Levithan @loversdiction @randomhousekids

Book Description

Publication Date: August 28, 2012

Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl. 

Every morning, A wakes in a different person’s body, a different person’s life. There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.
It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

With his new novel, David Levithan has pushed himself to new creative heights. He has written a captivating story that will fascinate readers as they begin to comprehend the complexities of life and love in A’s world, as A and Rhiannon seek to discover if you can truly love someone who is destined to change every day.

About the Author

DAVID LEVITHAN is a children's book editor in New York City, and the author of several books for young adults, including Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist and Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (co-authored with Rachel Cohn); Will Grayson, Will Grayson (co-authored with John Green); and Every You, Every Me (with photographs from Jonathan Farmer). He lives in Hoboken, New Jersey. 

Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (August 28, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307931889
• ISBN-13: 978-0307931887

BOOK REVIEW The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater @mstiefvater @Scholastic

Book Description

Publication Date: September 18, 2012 | Series: Raven Cycle

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of theShiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.

About the Author

Maggie Stiefvater is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the novels Shiver, Linger, Forever, and The Scorpio Races. She is also the author of Lament: The Faerie Queen’s Deception and Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie. She lives in Virginia with her husband and their two children. You can visit her online at www.maggiestiefvater.com.

Details Reading level: Ages 12 and up Hardcover: 416 pages Publisher: Scholastic Press (September 18, 2012) Language: English ISBN-10: 0545424925 ISBN-13: 978-0545424929

SOURCE: AROUND THE WORLD ARC TOURS

MY THOUGHTS
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT

Blue lives with a strange cast of characters, all psychic in some way or another.  One thing about her family, is that they are never wrong in their predictions, they only disclaim that they are not specific.  So when they all predict that Blue will kill her first true love after she kisses him, she swears she will never fall in love or if she does, she will never kiss him. Blue doesn't think she has any powers of her own, only that she amplifies others' abilities. She also stays away from the private school for boys near her home since they are reportedly nothing but trouble with unlimited funds.  So when Blue sees a spirit on St. Mark's Eve - her first ever -- she starts a series of events that might possibly end up in death.

Gansey is the boy she sees as a spirit and knows his death is now predicted and even though Blue is drawn to him, she finds him to be an enigma.  She soon falls in with more of his group from Aglionby, whom she refers to as The Raven Boys. As she gets to know each of them, Adam, the boy on scholarship and from Blue's part of town, strikes her as the most down to earth, but he has some devastating secrets at home. Ronan, although from wealth, has found that his life has been turned upside down when his father dies amid extenuating circumstances and even more secrets.  The last boy of the group is Noah, quiet, observant and at times, strangely omniscient.  This group comes together to search for the magical resting place of a Welsh king like knights searching for the holy grail.

So as the mystery surrounding the boys is revealed, more mysteries become present.  Gansey with the help of his money has been searching for this mystical king for what seems like most of his teen years. Blue, since she is the daughter of a psychic sees his quest as acceptable.  There are lots of twists and turns as each element of the plot is sloooowly revealed.  Yes, at times, I though the book could have had a quicker pace, but I can see that towards the end, everything comes together perfectly and the next installment should be a lot faster pace - fingers crossed!  There are a few surprises and a few convenient occurrences but overall this is one beautifully written story.  There is some physical violence, mentions of alcohol use, but no overt sexual situations and of course, some use of four letter words. I really recommend this to anyone looking for a good paranormal - mystical mystery.

Hey! If you are planning on ordering or preordering any of these books, consider using my Amazon links below to help support BookHounds.  I get a small (very small) percentage of anything you buy if you use my links to start your shopping! 

Book Review EVERY DAY by David Levithan @loversdiction @randomhousekids

Book Description

Publication Date: August 28, 2012

Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl. 

Every morning, A wakes in a different person’s body, a different person’s life. There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.
It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

With his new novel, David Levithan has pushed himself to new creative heights. He has written a captivating story that will fascinate readers as they begin to comprehend the complexities of life and love in A’s world, as A and Rhiannon seek to discover if you can truly love someone who is destined to change every day.

About the Author

DAVID LEVITHAN is a children's book editor in New York City, and the author of several books for young adults, including Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist and Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (co-authored with Rachel Cohn); Will Grayson, Will Grayson (co-authored with John Green); and Every You, Every Me (with photographs from Jonathan Farmer). He lives in Hoboken, New Jersey. 

SOURCE:  AMAZON VINE

MY THOUGHTS

ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT

++++slight spoilers++++

Just for the sake of clarity, I am using the the masculine pronouns for A, even though there is no gender assigned to this character. 

Twilight Zone Worthy.

A wakes up in a different body every day and this is the way it has been since he can first remember.   It can be female or male, a different ethnicity, size or shape.  Each life is unique and A just exists, moving day to day through someone else's life, accessing that person's memories, just enough to survive.   And that is all A is doing, not living, just surviving.  Until he meets Rhiannon and falls in love.  He wants what he cannot have and pines for the common and daily routines most people have.  Rhiannon develops feelings for him as well even though she knows that it can't work out.  They manage to meet and connect even though A morphs into a new body daily.  Some appearances are more successful than others with Rhiannon and A tries to leave each body as he finds.

A craves what each of us takes for granted -- continuity.  Those little things that you can count on daily like a school routine, the same friends, making plans for the weekend.  He tries to create this a bit for himself by creating an email account to remind him about things he likes, music and books he enjoys.  He knows what it is like to be physically disabled, to have empathy for the kid with a rough home life.  Even though he can't change a life, he does manage to save one of a severely depressed girl by giving her diary to her father and asking for help.   So as A becomes more in love with Rhiannon and begins to depend on her for his own continuity, he starts to slip up, creating havoc in the life of one guy's life he takes over and leaves a few memories and his body in the wrong place.  

I am in awe of this story. The imagination of the author that plays out through this book is just amazing.  I know that all teens wish they could change lives and/or bodies and even some adults wish that they could just toss everything aside even for a day, but to be forced to change that much on daily basis would be overwhelming.  Levithan does a credible job all the way through this book conveying the angst and wishing for normalcy that A craves.     I really hope that there is another book to tie up the few loose ends and questions that this book left me with.  

Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (August 28, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307931889
• ISBN-13: 978-0307931887

BOOK WINNERS! @Darth_Chic @purplg8r @ArtemisHi @librarychickD

I am really sorry I got so behind with my winner postings!  I had the worst sinus infection on earth    and couldn't read or look at a screen for 5 days.  I have lots of great reviews and giveaways coming soon!



AND THE WINNER IS:

Back to Books -- Partials by Dan Wells ARC

Ems - be sure to stop by IN WHICH EMS REVIEWS BOOKS 

Reading Clean -- Dead Is ... by Marlene Perez ARC

Andrea - be sure to stop by So Many Books, Too Little Time

August Mystery Book -- Museum of Thieves ARC  by Lian Tanner

Beth W.

Jeri Smith-Ready Choice of Books

Deanne D.


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GIVEAWAY Under the Sea Hop WIN $10 to The Book Depository

Welcome to the UNDER THE SEA Giveaway Hop! 

This hop is hosted by: 

I Am a Reader, Not a Writer (HERE) 

The Musings of ALMYBNENR

There are over one hundred blogs participating and each has their own entry rules and geographic limits, so be sure to read the rules for each one.  This hop starts September 14th and and ends on September 20th,  midnight. 

HERE IS WHAT I HAVE FOR ONE LUCKY WINNER:

WANT TO WIN YOUR CHOICE OF BOOKS UP TO A $10 VALUE?

Contest is open to anyone over 13 years old with a reliable mailing address within the free shipping areas of The Book Depository.

Contest ends on 9.20.12 Winner will be chosen by Random.org 

Winner will have 48 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be chosen.
Duplicate entries will be deleted.  Void where prohibited.

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