The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Trailer

This looks like it’s going to be an amazing movie.  As much as I relish the action and fighting, what I really love about this series is the political intrigue and the moments of “Gah! My emotions!”  The movie is set to be released August 22, 2013.

New Cover! Grave Visions (Alex Craft #4) by Kalayna Price

Grave Visions is the fourth book in the Alex Craft series, one of my absolute favorite urban fantasies.  These books are creative, exciting, and romantic, and I can’t wait for the release of Grave Visions on August 6, 2013.  Check out the brand new cover and blurb (from Mystifying Paranormal Reviews):

If you want to hear voices from the dead in Nekros City, you call Alex Craft. She’s a Grave Witch with reasonable rates and extraordinary powers, who specializes in revealing the secrets of the dead. But now she’s the one fighting to keep her own secret. She’s not human – and her newly discovered heritage is causing havoc for her both in the human realm and in Faerie.

But her status as an unaffiliated fae also makes her an ideal candidate to investigate a new street drug that has surfaced in several of the spaces between the human and fae worlds. This glamour-infused drug causes hallucinations that turn real – at least for a while and often with deadly consequences. Searching for the source of this drug – and its purpose – lands Alex front and center in the conflict brewing in Faerie and she must find answers before she’s dragged so deep she loses her freedom.

Upcoming new release! Shadows by Robin McKinley

Robin McKinley is one of my all time favorite fantasy authors, and she has a new book coming out!  Shadows is scheduled to be published September 26, 2013.

A compelling and inventive novel set in a world where science and magic are at odds, by Robin McKinley, the Newbery-winning author of The Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword, as well as the classic titles Beauty,Chalice, Spindle’s End, Pegasus and Sunshine

Maggie knows something’s off about Val, her mom’s new husband. Val is from Oldworld, where they still use magic, and he won’t have any tech in his office-shed behind the house. But—more importantly—what are the huge, horrible, jagged, jumpy shadows following him around? Magic is illegal in Newworld, which is all about science. The magic-carrying gene was disabled two generations ago, back when Maggie’s great-grandmother was a notable magician. But that was a long time ago.

Then Maggie meets Casimir, the most beautiful boy she has ever seen. He’s from Oldworld too—and he’s heard of Maggie’s stepfather, and has a guess about Val’s shadows. Maggie doesn’t want to know . . . until earth-shattering events force her to depend on Val and his shadows. And perhaps on her own heritage.

In this dangerously unstable world, neither science nor magic has the necessary answers, but a truce between them is impossible. And although the two are supposed to be incompatible, Maggie’s discovering the world will need both to survive.

New Cover! Chimes at Midnight (October Daye #7) by Seanan McGuire

I can’t wait for the next installment in Seanan McGuire’s awesome Toby Daye series, Chimes at Midnight, coming out September 3, 2013.  This is one of the best urban fantasies out there.  The wonderful Chris McGrath does all the covers for the series, and once again he doesn’t disappoint.  Check out the brand new cover and blurb below.

Things are starting to look up for October “Toby” Daye. She’s training her squire, doing her job, and has finally allowed herself to grow closer to the local King of Cats. It seems like her life may finally be settling down…at least until dead changelings start appearing in the alleys of San Francisco, killed by an overdose of goblin fruit.

Toby’s efforts to take the problem to the Queen of the Mists are met with harsh reprisals, leaving her under sentence of exile from her home and everyone she loves. Now Toby must find a way to reverse the Queens decree, get the goblin fruit off the streets–and, oh, yes, save her own life, since more than a few of her problems have once again followed her home. And then there’s the question of the Queen herself, who seems increasingly unlikely to have a valid claim to the throne….

To find the answers, October and her friends will have to travel from the legendary Library of Stars into the hidden depths of the Kingdom of the Mists–and they’ll have to do it fast, because time is running out. In faerie, some fates are worse than death.

October Daye is about to find out what they are.

The Veronica Mars movie is going to be a thing!

As a huge fan of the television show Veronica Mars, I couldn’t be more excited about the success of “The Veronica Mars Movie Project” on Kickstarter.  Creator Rob Thomas and much of the original cast is back to make the VM movie a reality, and Thomas has even revealed a bit of the plot.  There’s still time to donate if you haven’t already, but at nearly $4 million the movie is definitely happening.

The success of the VM movie (the largest Kickstarter ever) has many people wondering about the future of the film and television industry, including what cancelled shows might be resurrected next.  The first show that came to my mind was Firefly, but Joss Whedon has already weighed in, saying that’s it’s not in the cards, at least not for the next few years, because he’s too busy making movies for Marvel (a great excuse, in my opinion).  But maybe after he’s done with that… I, for one, would definitely support a Kickstarter for another Firefly movie.

If you’ve never seen Veronica Mars, you can watch all three season online for free.  It’s an excellent mystery series, and I highly recommend it.

Neil Gaiman free short fiction inspired by your tweets

Read A Calendar of Tales by Neil Gaiman for free and see the artwork it has inspired.

Series Spotlight: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

I just finished reading the Leviathan trilogy by Scott Westerfeld.  These books have awesome worldbuilding, a kick-ass heroine, and heart-pounding action sequences at every turn.  Click on the links below to see my mini reviews on Goodreads.

Leviathan (Leviathan #1) by Scott Westerfeld – read my 4 star review

Blurb from Goodreads:

Prince Aleksander, would-be heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battletorn war machine and a loyal crew of men.

Deryn Sharp is a commoner, disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She’s a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered.

With World War I brewing, Alek and Deryn’s paths cross in the most unexpected way…taking them on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure that will change both their lives forever.

Behemoth (Leviathan #2) by Scott Westerfeld – read my 4 star review

Goliath (Leviathan #3) by Scott Westerfeld - read my 4 star review

More great news for Ilona Andrews/Kate Daniels fans!

A few days ago, I posted about the beautiful new cover for Magic Rises, the sixth novel in Ilona Andrew’s Kate Daniels series.  Well, now there’s even more good news for fans of the series: there’s going to be three more books, bringing the series total to ten installments instead of seven!  Here’s what Ilona had to say.

I love these books, and I’m so glad that the series has been extended.  I think I speak for every Kate Daniels fan when I say… woo hoo!

*happy dance*

Community returns THIS Thursday!

At last, the fourth season of NBC’s Community premieres Thursday 8/7c.

This is one of my favorite shows of all time, and I can only hope that this isn’t its last run.

#sixseasonsandamovie

Self-Published Book Recs?

In 2012 I read a self-published book for the first time - Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days #1) by Susan Ee.  I gave it a five star review on Goodreads:

This was my first experience with a self-published book, and I was shocked – Angelfall is unequivocally good. The worldbuilding flows seamlessly into the story, creating a dystopian setting that is fantastic yet believable. The plot is fast-paced, the characters multilayered, and the relationships complex and heartfelt. I fell in love with Penryn and Raffe, and I can’t wait to read more about Penryn’s family, Raffe’s backstory, the human resistance movement, and the angels’ secret plans. Overall, Angelfall is a dark, masterfully crafted, and mature novel about loyalty, brokenness, love, and survival. This is dystopian fiction done right.

I first became aware of the self-publishing trend when Amanda Hocking made it big, but I was hesitant to read a self-published book because I thought that the quality of writing and the caliber of storytelling would be disappointing. Reading Angelfall totally disproved my preconceived notions.  I’m sure there are many low quality self-published books out there, but there must also be more gems like Angelfall, and I don’t want to miss out on an awesome story just because it’s self-published.

What has been your experience with self-published books?  Any that you would you recommend? Please let me know in the comments!