The Sunday Post Meme (179)

Hey everybody! I am participating in a book meme called the Sunday Post which is being hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer!The goal of this meme is to share news you have  on various books and things you’ve read or received and also talk about what is coming up for your blog! Book hauls can include library books, yard sale finds, arcs and bought books and you can share these finds with other book bloggers!

Hey everyone! I can't believe that September is almost over!  Yesterday, we went to my former hairdresser's birthday party and we had a wonderful time!  It was great spending some time with my former hairdresser again and I'm glad that she's celebrating her birthday!

★Book Reviews☆

★Miscellaneous☆

Banned Book Spotlight #2: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Series (Banned Books Week: September 22 - September 28)

Waiting on Wednesday #151: Angel Mage by Garth Nix and Shadow Frost by Coco Ma

  

Book Photo Sundays Meme!

 

Looking for New Guest Posts! 

 

My TBR List!

 

  

Cover Spotlight Meme

My Beta Reading Services!

 

One Word: HAPPY!!!

(NETFLIX)

* Oh my!  Nostalgia just flowed through me when I saw this revival movie of "Rocko's Modern Life!"  I used to watch "Rocko's Modern Life" all the time when I was in college and I really enjoyed that show!  So, of course I was really happy that Netflix was able to pick up this special and I have to say that this special was awesome and heartwarming!

(VUDU)

* This was a surprisingly creepy movie with the vines coming to life to eat the protagonists.  I don't know how I could have missed this movie.

 

Are you ready for October?

★  Check out Happy Indulgence's review on #LOVEOZYA ANTHOLOGIES: KINDRED AND UNDERDOG


☆ It Starts at Midnight has the October 2019 Of Books Giveaway Hop Sign Up

★ Feed Your Fiction Addiction is a judge for I’m a Judge for the 2019 Cybils Awards!

Well, that's the Sunday News for today and I will have more news for the various books I've read in the near future!

Posted on Sunday, September 29, 2019.

Waiting on Wednesday #151: Angel Mage by Garth Nix and Shadow Frost by Coco Ma

Hello everyone! "Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, that is hosted by Breaking the Spine and the purpose of this event is that we spotlight upcoming releases of books that we are excited for!  This will also tie into Wishful Ending's Can't Wait Wednesday post!

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selections are:

Angel Mage

By: Garth Nix

Expected Publication Date: October 1st, 2019 

Buy on:  Goodreads  //  Book Depository 

More than a century has passed since Liliath crept into the empty sarcophagus of Saint Marguerite, fleeing the Fall of Ystara. But she emerges from her magical sleep still beautiful, looking no more than nineteen, and once again renews her single-minded quest to be united with her lover, Palleniel, the archangel of Ystara.

A seemingly impossible quest, but Liliath is one of the greatest practitioners of angelic magic to have ever lived, summoning angels and forcing them to do her bidding.

Liliath knew that most of the inhabitants of Ystara died from the Ash Blood plague or were transformed into beastlings, and she herself led the survivors who fled into neighboring Sarance. Now she learns that angels shun the Ystaran’s descendants. If they are touched by angelic magic, their blood will turn to ash. They are known as Refusers, and can only live the most lowly lives.

But Liliath cares nothing for the descendants of her people, save how they can serve her. It is four young Sarancians who hold her interest: Simeon, a studious doctor-in-training; Henri, a dedicated fortune hunter; Agnez, an adventurous musketeer cadet; and Dorotea, an icon-maker and scholar of angelic magic. They are the key to her quest.

The four feel a strange kinship from the moment they meet, but do not know why, or suspect their importance. All become pawns in Liliath’s grand scheme to fulfill her destiny and be united with the love of her life. No matter the cost to everyone else. . .

Hmmm...I wonder how far the main protagonist is willing to go to reunite with her lost love?  This book definitely sounds like an interesting read!

Shadow Frost

By: Coco Ma

Expected Publication: October 1st, 2019 

Buy on: Goodreads // Book Depository

IN THE KINGDOM OF AXARIA, a darkness rises.

Some call it a monster, laying waste to the villagers and their homes.
Some say it is an invulnerable demon summoned from the deepest abysses of the Immortal Realm.
Many soldiers from the royal guard are sent out to hunt it down.

Not one has ever returned.

When Asterin Faelenhart, Princess of Axaria and heir to the throne, discovers that she may hold the key to defeating the mysterious demon terrorizing her kingdom, she vows not to rest until the beast is slain. With the help of her friends and the powers she wields — though has yet to fully understand — Asterin sets out to complete a single task. The task that countless, trained soldiers have failed.

To kill it.

But as they hunt for the demon, they unearth a plot to assassinate the Princess herself instead. Asterin and her companions begin to wonder how much of their lives have been lies, especially when they realize that the center of the web of deceit might very well be themselves. With no one else to turn to, they are forced to decide just how much they are willing to sacrifice to protect the only world they have ever known.

That is, of course… if the demon doesn’t get to them first.

From young author Coco Ma comes a dazzling new tale of adventure, power, and betrayal, weaving together a stunning world of magic with a killer cast in an explosive, unforgettable debut.

An assassination plot...with demons! Sounds really interesting!

So, what upcoming books are you looking forward to?  Please respond below!

Banned Book Spotlight #2: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Series (Banned Books Week: September 22 - September 28)

Hello everyone!  In celebration of Banned Books Week, I have decided to do spotlights on banned books that I have read over the years and how I felt about the reasons that caused the books to be banned and whether or not the book is worth reading!

This Week's Banned Book Spotlight is:

Info:

Title:  Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Author:  Alvin Schwartz

Artist:  Stephen Gammell

Genre: Horror / Short Stories

Year Published: 1981

Series: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark #1

Publisher:  Scholastic, Inc.

Buy or Add on:  Amazon  //  Goodreads 

My Reviews:  Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark  //  More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark  //  Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones

Goodreads Summary: 

The iconic anthology series of horror tales that's now a feature film!
The three Scary Stories books come together in this ebook collection to form a timeless collection of chillingly scary tales and legends.

Folklorist Alvin Schwartz offers up some of the most alarming tales of horror, dark revenge, and supernatural events of all time.

The ebooks in this collection feature Stephen Gammell’s artwork from the original Scary Stories books. Read if you dare!

Reasons for being banned:

For being unsuited for age group and violence.

Do you agree with this reason?

I kind of understand about how the artwork by Stephen Gammell might be too terrifying for a younger audience.  I mean, look at how freaky the artwork looks!

However, I still hated the fact that they wanted to change the artwork to make it more "family-friendly" because that actually defeated the whole purpose of these stories being "scary."  As much as Stephen Gammell's artwork was scary, it actually conveyed the true fear in these stories and I think that the illustrations should remain as they are and just have the book series be aimed towards an older audience rather than banning it outright.

Do you recommend this book?

YES!  I definitely recommend this series!  If you really want to read some good classic horror stories that actually have some genuinely terrifying illustrations that perfectly complement the stories, then you should definitely pick this series up!  It's definitely a great series to read during the Halloween season!

Previous Banned Book Spotlight:

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

Waiting on Wednesday #150: Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barron and Slay by Brittney Morris

Hello everyone! "Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, that is hosted by Breaking the Spine and the purpose of this event is that we spotlight upcoming releases of books that we are excited for!  This will also tie into Wishful Ending's Can't Wait Wednesday post!

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selections are:

Kingdom of Souls: The Last Witchdoctor

By: Rena Barron

Expected Publication Date: September 19th, 2019 

Buy on:  Goodreads  //  Book Depository 

Magic has a price—if you’re willing to pay.

Born into a family of powerful witchdoctors, Arrah yearns for magic of her own. But each year she fails to call forth her ancestral powers, while her ambitious mother watches with growing disapproval.

There’s only one thing Arrah hasn’t tried, a deadly last resort: trading years of her own life for scraps of magic. Until the Kingdom’s children begin to disappear, and Arrah is desperate to find the culprit.

She uncovers something worse. The long-imprisoned Demon King is stirring. And if he rises, his hunger for souls will bring the world to its knees… unless Arrah pays the price for the magic to stop him.

Oooh!  A book about witches!!! I can't wait to read this book soon!

Slay

By: Brittney Morris

Expected Publication: September 24th, 2019 

Buy on: Goodreads // Book Depository

By day, seventeen-year-old Kiera Johnson is an honors student, a math tutor, and one of the only Black kids at Jefferson Academy. But at home, she joins hundreds of thousands of Black gamers who duel worldwide as Nubian personas in the secret multiplayer online role-playing card game, SLAY. No one knows Kiera is the game developer, not her friends, her family, not even her boyfriend, Malcolm, who believes video games are partially responsible for the "downfall of the Black man."

But when a teen in Kansas City is murdered over a dispute in the SLAY world, news of the game reaches mainstream media, and SLAY is labeled a racist, exclusionist, violent hub for thugs and criminals. Even worse, an anonymous troll infiltrates the game, threatening to sue Kiera for "anti-white discrimination."

Driven to save the only world in which she can be herself, Kiera must preserve her secret identity and harness what it means to be unapologetically Black in a world intimidated by Blackness. But can she protect her game without losing herself in the process?

Oooh!  A book that deals with social commentary in the video game community sounds really interesting!

So, what upcoming books are you looking forward to?  Please respond below!