500 Follower Giveaway at Bewitched Bookworms

If you don't already read this book blog- you should. They do excellent reviews and the design of their blog is really cool. They are currently running a really awesome giveaway so stop by and check it out. You can click their button in the sidebar and head over to check it out. Their review of Hush, Hush has to be my favorite review that I've read in a while. I really NEED to read Hush, Hush now. So why are you still here?! Go check out Bewitched Bookworms- NOW!

Bran Hambric Books By Kaleb Nation

Last week I finished the book, Bran Hambric and the Farfield Curse by Kaleb Nation. This book was interesting on so many levels. In a way, the book is like fanfiction, in that you can see bits and pieces of the other books that inspired Kaleb but in a lot of ways, there is no other book like this that I have seen. That said, I don't read a lot of Lord of the Rings type fantasy books. You know, like the ones about mice or whatever that you see in Barnes and Noble. Anyway, this book is about a teenage boy named Bran who lives in the City of Dunce with his "adopted" family who aren't terribly nice to him. He was found at the age of 6 in a bank vault with no memory of his life- just a note in his hand stating his name and birthdate. Bran is a genuinely good guy who tries to help out however he can. He learns over the course of the book to question everything he has known while living in Dunce. Mainly, the No Gnomes and No Mages law. He comes to find out that he is a mage and that his mother had made some mistakes and been working for the wrong people. Bran also makes friends and finds some closure in regards to his mother as he goes through the story. You will see little tidbits that will remind you of Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, the Inheritance Cycle, and a lot that is pure Kaleb. If you follow his channel on YouTube or his TwilightGuy and ShiverGuy blogs, you know what I mean. He is a genuine guy who is funny and easy to relate to. Kaleb lives in Arizona with his pet chinchilla, who is aptly named: Chilla. (My kids like to watch his YouTube videos just for a glimpse of Chilla, who literally has great taste in books!) Kaleb has reported from the Twilight Movie Red/Black Carpets, makes music videos and even shares personal pictures and funny videos through his many web outlets. If you don't know who he is- you should find out. Mark my words- Kaleb Nation is not going anywhere but up. Check out his YouTube channel and become a Nationeer by following him on Facebook and Twitter.

Now, if you are interested in owning a SIGNED copy of the new Bran Hambric book, you can go to Changing Hands Bookstore Online and order a HAND SIGNED copy of The Specter Key for regular price. If you live outside of Arizona, they will charge you to mail it but it is all well worth it in my opinion. You cand also go here to find out about the Bran Hambric Street Team Project.

Cool Interview and Giveaway on Books Complete Me

My friends over at Books Complete Me have a great interview with Angie Frazier AND they are giving away a signed copy of her Book Everlasting!! I have not read it yet but if the girls at BCM love it- I know I will too. (My "Books to Read" list is out of control. I need to get some more reading done!) Anywho, run over to their blog- you can click the little box thing on this page! It is so easy to enter! I know the girls at BCM have more awesome author interviews coming, so follow them and you too can be there for all the fun!!

Between the Covers Giveaway

My friends over at Between the Covers are having a giveaway! They are giving away a signed copy of Beautiful Creatures and Some Beautiful Darkness swag. It's a pretty great book blog so, be sure to check it out. :)

Book Review of When Ghosts Speak: Understanding the World of Earthbound Spirits By Mary Winkowski

This is the book written by the inspiration/consultant for the show "Ghost Whisperer," which I love. This book, however, was not what I expected. I find it really odd that every person who "sees/talks to dead people" has their own list of rules. I get that every person might have a gift within a specific group or whatever but it honestly gets weird when everyone's is different. Mary (who is from nearby Cleveland) has been seeing Earthboard Spirits from the age of two, just as her grandmother and a long line of female ancestors before here. She gives the following advice over the course of her book: do not talk to ghosts, do not invite them in, do not use Ouija boards, do not fling Holy Water around your home, and most of all- they must cross into the Light. She feels that she can not see spirits after they go into the light but she does know they are there. Also, she doesn't put much faith in technological gadgets to help you "find ghosts." Overall, this book was interesting but hard to reconcile with others I have read like Chris Woodyard and the Ghost Hunters book from SyFy. It did give me a great deal to think about. I read this in about a day so it is a quick read.