READ-A-THON! X-It by Jane George: Chapter 4-6 “So what’s up with this X-It guy, anyway?"

*THIS POST CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR THE BOOK

If you guys missed the first day of the Read-A-Thon, check out the intro post and the first post!

Disclaimer: I've only discovered this a few chapters in, but here it is: This book contains some descriptions of sexual nature (that only adds to the plot and characterization, if I may add).

Again, here's what X-It is about:

Genre: Young Adult

Pages: 210
Publication Date: Mar 26, 2012
Website: Jane George | X-It on Goodreads

Synopsis:

LOVE IS A DRUG.

In 1980 NYC, eighteen-year-old J.J. Buckingham is an uptight trendoid. Working as a mannequin painter and a counter girl, she moonlights as a creature of the nightclubs. J.J. falls for aloof, crazy-talented artist and bicycle messenger X-It. In order to win his love, she succumbs to the dark machinations of drug dealer Marko Voodoo. X-It will love her if she’s the queen of underground Manhattan, right? Her plan backfires with horrendous consequences. Can J.J. find her way out of a maze of drugs, clubs, and danger?

In Chapter 4-6...

X-It meets a former friend of J.J. (huge stress on “former”), Penny, and invites her group to stay at their house. Needless to say, J.J. doesn't feel too good about it.

My thoughts

There was something I really enjoyed about this story, and I couldn't put my finger on it in the last post, but now I figured out what it is:

The pacing.

As with many character-driven stories, J.J.’s thoughts are right there in the spotlight. Yet, with the characters living what essentially is a crazy, rebellious life, the pacing cannot be too slow. A lot of authors make the mistake of dragging out passages on what the characters are feeling, but Jane George is talented enough to describe the changes in J.J.’s thoughts without losing pace.

Book Spotlight, Excerpt and Giveaway! Frost Fire by Olivia Rivers

I'm proud to present to you a spotlight on Frost Fire by Olivia Rivers! This promo is hosted by Xpresso Book Tours!
This also marks the first time I host a giveaway myself, so I hope to receive much support from you guys!

Series: Tortured Elements
Genre: Paranormal, Romance
Publication Date: Nov 20, 2012
Website: Olivia Rivers | Frost Fire on Goodreads

Synopsis:

“Magic is just like love, Allai. It won’t wait for permission before it destroys you.”



Like sand in an hourglass, Allai’s future is dwindling away. She’s spent her entire life fighting the Mages who threaten humanity, and dreams of someday eradicating magic. But all it takes is an anonymous phone call for the truth to spill out: Allai is the one thing she despises most. 



She’s a Mage. 



Though ancient law mandates Allai’s death, she still has one last chance of survival. His name is Drake Rhaize, and he swears he can lead Allai to a sanctuary for Mages. Allai hasn’t seen Drake in years, but she remembers him as the Demon boy who used to hold her close and softly whisper that he’d keep her safe. But Drake has changed since then: He’s now suspected of murder, and has been out-casted for betraying his own kind. 



While Allai doesn’t trust Drake, she has no choice but to put her life in his hands and hope he can get her to safety. Because Allai’s father has hired a pack of Demons to bring her back to him, dead or alive–and Demons never stop the hunt.  

Get Frost Fire on Amazon Kindle | Barnes and Noble Nook

Keep scrolling for an excerpt, and giveaway!

READ-A-THON! X-It by Jane George: Chapter 1-3 “This is how we tell a story, folks.”

*THIS POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR THE BOOK

Welcome everyone, to the first day of our Read-A-Thon on X-It by Jane George! To find more about this Read-A-Thon, you can check out the intro post here!

Here's a refresher about what X-It is about:

Genre: Young Adult

Pages: 210
Publication Date: Mar 26, 2012
Website: Jane George | X-It on Goodreads

Synopsis:

LOVE IS A DRUG.

In 1980 NYC, eighteen-year-old J.J. Buckingham is an uptight trendoid. Working as a mannequin painter and a counter girl, she moonlights as a creature of the nightclubs. J.J. falls for aloof, crazy-talented artist and bicycle messenger X-It. In order to win his love, she succumbs to the dark machinations of drug dealer Marko Voodoo. X-It will love her if she’s the queen of underground Manhattan, right? Her plan backfires with horrendous consequences. Can J.J. find her way out of a maze of drugs, clubs, and danger?

In Chapter 1-3...

Our main character, J.J. Buckingham is introduced. She just moved from San Francisco to New York, and there she met X-It, who became her roommate. We learn more about their characters after a party at a popular club.

My thoughts

It would be an understatement to say I savored every word and line of the book. (The fact that I just recently finished 2 books which are… mediocre, at best, probably helped, though.)

Just from the first chapters, the story-telling of this book seems perfect. Many authors make the mistake of telling the audience exactly what they want us to think. Well, Stephen King wrote “Don’t treat your audience like idiots.” (Or some words to the same effect). Jane George followed the “show, don’t tell” rule to a T, and even though the book is told from JJ’s point of view, there is still freedom for me to interpret the details the way I want.

READ-A-THON! X-It by Jane George

Hey guys!
Remember when I said I'd be back at full steam come December?
Here I am!
I'm starting this month with an event called Book Club Bash, hosted by the amazing people at Novel Publicity!

This is what the event is about:

We love books! And finding other people who like to talk about them too is always a thrill. Be it online, in person or some other kind of book club, we think the chance to sit down and dig your teeth into a good book with a group of people is one of the best parts of reading.  

From December 10th – 14th we are asking you to help spread the word about why Book Clubs are an important part of the reading experience. 

We have put together five fantastic books, perfect for bookclubs to spotlight during this event. Each book has a discussion guide and author Q&A available and is a well received, solid literary fiction read. 

My schedule for the bash is as follow:

Dec 10: A post on the awesomeness of book blog!
Dec 14: A review of X-It by Jane George.
And from Dec 5 to Dec 14 would be the READ-A-THON of X-It! I'll be posting every day about what I have read (I'll take it slow, about 3 chapters a day) and I would love it if you guys could join me - that's what book clubs is about, after all!

First, here's a few things about X-It:

Genre: Young Adult

Pages: 210
Publication Date: Mar 26, 2012
Website: Jane George | X-It on Goodreads

Synopsis:

LOVE IS A DRUG.

In 1980 NYC, eighteen-year-old J.J. Buckingham is an uptight trendoid. Working as a mannequin painter and a counter girl, she moonlights as a creature of the nightclubs. J.J. falls for aloof, crazy-talented artist and bicycle messenger X-It. In order to win his love, she succumbs to the dark machinations of drug dealer Marko Voodoo. X-It will love her if she’s the queen of underground Manhattan, right? Her plan backfires with horrendous consequences. Can J.J. find her way out of a maze of drugs, clubs, and danger?

I was most interested in X-It of all the books offered - I just can't resist a Young Adult set in 1980's New York, and I hope it lives up to my expectations!

Get X-It and follow the Read-A-Thon! Amazon | Amazon Kindle | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble Nook

What do you think about X-It? And don't forget to check back here for the Read-A-Thon!

Book Spotlight, Excerpt, and Giveaway! After Dark by Emi Gayle

You guys are probably full of spotlights for the day, but promise, original posts are coming!
This spotlight is for After Dark, the 1st book in The 19th Year by Emi Gayle, as hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer.

Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 344
Publisher: J. Taylor Publishing
Publication Date: Oct 31, 2012
Website: Emi Gayle | After Dark on Goodreads

Synopsis:

What eighteen year old Mac Thorne doesn’t know will probably kill her.

In exactly eight months, five days, three hours and thirteen minutes, Mac has to choose what she’ll be for the rest of her life.

She has no choice but to pick. As a Changeling, it’s her birthright. To Mac, it’s a birthchore. Like going to school with humans, interacting with humans, and pretending to be human during the pesky daylight hours.

Once darkness descends, Mac can change into any supernatural form that exists—which makes her as happy as she can be. That is, until Winn Thomas, the biggest geek in her senior class figures out there’s more to what hides in the dark than most are willing to acknowledge.

In this first of the 19th Year Trilogy, Winn might know more about Mac than even she does, and that knowledge could end their lives, unless Mac ensures the powers-that-be have no choice but to keep him around.

Get After Dark on Amazon | Amazon Kindle | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble Nook |

Keep scrolling for an excerpt, a book trailer and the giveaway!

Book Spotlight and Excerpt: Housetrap

It's another book spotlight! I found Housetrap by R.J. Hore thanks to Reading Addiction Blog Tours, and it sounds so good I can't help but sign up for the pre-publication promo!

Genre: Detective, Fantasy
Publisher: Champagne Books
Publication Date: Dec 3, 2012
Website: R.J. Hore | Housetrap on Goodreads

Synopsis via Goodreads:

In a world ruled by committees of wizards, and packed with every creature imagined, or un, at least in the sleazy back streets of Central City you can always count on Randolf C. Aloysius to solve your problems, for a price. That is, assuming his trusty girl Friday, (a Banshee actually, name of Bertha Wildwater) can track him down and steer him on to the case. Randy is a sucker for a pair of long legs, and that is what the Elf displayed when she came into the office, in need of assistance to locate a missing boyfriend. Sounds like a simple case, right?

Of course, nothing is ever simple in Randy's life, what with avoiding commitments to his long-suffering lady friend, an attempted murder, an actual murder, stolen baubles, and another damsel in distress, what's a private eye supposed to do?

Simple really, follow the clues off-world, avoid demons, vampires and other assorted miscreants, and hope that he comes home with enough coin left over to meet Bertha's back wages.

Keep reading for an excerpt from this book, which will be out today!

Book Spotlight and Giveaway! Surrender by Rhiannon Paille

Welcome everybody to (yet another) book spotlight! I know, there hasn't been a lot of original posts up lately, but I'm still adjusting to my new life and study :( But you guys can expect me back in a few days, promise!

Now, without further ado, a promo on Surrender by Rhiannon Paille - hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer! This is the 1st book in her series, The Ferryman and the Flame.

Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 402
Publication Date: Oct 2nd, 2012
Website: Rhiannon Paille | Surrender on Goodreads

Synopsis:

How far would you go to save everything you ever loved?

Kaliel was warned about her love for the Ferryman. One day he will marry the land and leave Avristar forever. She doesn't listen, and because of what she is - a Flame - one of nine apocalyptic weapons, she sparks a war. In a desperate attempt to save her home and her love, Kaliel tries to awaken Avred, not knowing she may have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Get Surrender on Amazon | Amazon Kindle | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble Nook