Femme (Lorimer Sidestreets) by Mette Bach

Femme is a hi/lo book for struggling readers that I received for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

It’s about a girl named Sofie who isn’t doing very well in school. She’d rather spend time on the internet, play Candy Crush and hang out with her boyfriend, Paul. When she’s paired with smart over-achiever (and out lesbian) Clea she finally starts applying herself and things change for her.

I feel like the book tries to tackle a lot of subjects in a short amount of pages and just kind of touching on each of them, which has been my issue with all of the Lorimer books that I’ve received. Some of the issues that are talked about in this book are expectations (personal, parental and societal), labels (from society and oneself), bullying/cyberbullying, friendships, coming out, relationships and graduating. The bullying here is basically done and over with once they find out who did it. It’s not quite realistic.

I do like how the relationship between Sofie and Clea develops. I think that part of the book was well done and realistic.

The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester by Maya MacGregor

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Sam’s story is a pretty interesting one. They’ve just moved to a new town with their dad after something happened at their old school and landed in the middle of a town mystery. I get Sam’s interest in the “half-lived lives” as someone who also has “things.”

I really loved the relationship between Sam and their dad, Junius. Junius adopted Sam when they were seven and he’s a great dad. He’s there for Sam through everything and stands up for him when people are mean to him. His friend group is ok, but honestly a bit dramatic. His friendship with Aiden was a nice surprise. The romance was random.

I wanted to enjoy this book more and I was originally into the mystery, but by the time the reveal happened it had been dragged out for so long that I didn’t care as much. I didn’t guess who did it, so there’s that.

From Gay to Z: A Queer Compendium by Justin Elizabeth Sayre

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

From Gay to Z is basically a big list of gay people and allies throughout history. It’s set up encyclopedia style with a small (most are a paragraph) article about each person and it has some drawings mixed in.

My copy was really badly formatted and some articles were jumbled together, which made it hard to read. I think that a regular copy would be great for someone who wants to learn more about gay history.

A House Unsettled by Trynne Delaney

This book is about a girl named Asha who moves into her great aunt’s old house in her mother’s hometown following her father’s arrest. It’s supposed to be a fresh start for her and her mom, but spooky things start happening. She meets, and falls for, her new neighbor Cole, which is a bright spot for her.

The book is a haunted house story, romance and family drama all wrapped in one. It also deals with different prejudices, family trouble and accepting yourself. The writing flows well and kept me reading. I started this, had to charge my Kindle (It died while I was reading. Rude.) and finished this the next day. I’d recommend it to teens and people who like books about hauntings.

Disclaimer: I was provided a free copy of this book by NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Overkill: The Untold Story of Motorhead by Joel McIver

The book is a compilation of interviews the author did with Lemmy and interviews from various magazines and websites that were done with Lemmy, past and present band members and other musicians. It covers Lemmy’s entire life and career, the band’s line up changes, brief bios of each band member, what songs are on each album and their DVD releases. It’s a bit sad that as I was reading it original member Fast Eddie Clarke died.
The main focus of the book is Lemmy, though the author does give some background on the other band members and the artist who created their mascot, Snaggletooth. I learned a lot about how record companies work through this book. Lemmy mentions that he really had no control of when “Best of” compilations were released or what was on them. The same with live albums. I was also surprised that he didn’t have more money. At one point in the book he mentioned that if he stopped touring he’d have enough to live on for maybe “three good years” and that was around their 30 year anniversary.
Most of the chapters cover a two year period because the band had a two year tour/album cycle. Some of the earlier chapters only cover one year. This is an interactive eBook with links to songs and playlists and plenty of great photos. I really enjoyed that part. This edition is an updated reissue of the original 2012 version and has an added last chapter to cover the deaths of Lemmy, former guitar player Michael “Wurzel” Burston and original drummer Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor.
This was a good book and I learned a lot more about Motorhead and Lemmy. I’m not their biggest fan or anything, but I like their music. The book has left me with a greater appreciation of their impact on rock music and a list of songs that I need to hear. Since they’re from England, the book is very British with slang, English spelling and such. There’s also lots of swearing and mentions of sex, drinking and drug use. If any of that bothers you, this is not the book for you. I’d recommend it to anyone whose a fan of the band.

My favorite quote from the book is “My ethic is ‘eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die’. You can be as careful as you want, but you’re gonna die anyway, so why not have fun?” I rated it 4 out of 5 stars.

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

2018

I’m a week late, but happy new year! I hope everyone has a great year. This year I set my Goodreads Reading Challenge for only 25 books because I missed my goal of 50 for the past two years. I failed pretty miserably last year (I only read 16/50), but I had lots of things get in the way.

What are you currently reading? I’m reading Freaks I’ve Met by Donald Jans (in print) and Overkill: The Untold Story of Motorhead by Joel McIver (on Kindle).

I hope everyone gets a lot of reading done and makes their goals. Good luck!

Weekend Reading

Hello, everyone!

What will you be reading this weekend? I’ll be reading Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan and the pile of magazines that are overflowing out of my magazine bin. I went a little crazy with the free subscriptions and someone has decided to send a ton of magazines to my house under fake names. Awful.

Have a great weekend!

Tanya

Reader’s Poll

Hello, readers! Thank you to everyone who reads, follows and likes my blog. I hope you’re all doing well. 🙂

I’d like to do a reader’s poll to see what’s working, or not working, here on the blog. There are only four questions:

1. What do you like about Tanie’s Reviews?
2. What don’t you like about it?
3. What would you like to see more of?
4. Would you be interested in seeing book haul/deheaul posts?

Please leave your answers in the comment section. Thanks!

Seize the Night Feature Post

Reading to SEIZE THE NIGHT!

Indulge yourself and read SEIZE THE NIGHT: NEW TALES OF VAMPIRIC TERROR, the new “stellar anthology of tales” (Publishers Weekly Starred Review), sure to quench your thirst for a horrific read! Conjuring reactions such as “Going back to the heydays of Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot” and “For anyone who likes tales of the creepy sort like Stephen King’s short stories in Everything’s Eventual or Nightmares & Dreamscapes,”  how can one resist?

SEIZE THE NIGHT

Edited by Christopher Golden

Gallery Books

October 6, 2015

ISBN: 9781476783093

Trade Paperback

$18.00

Once upon a time, vampires were figures of terror…and they can be again. Legends of these dark creatures sprang from every corner of the world and infinite variations throughout history—with even more of them waiting in the farthest corners of the imagination. SEIZE THE NIGHT takes hold of a popular culture environment where the vampire has largely lost its ability to inspire fear, and now brings out the dread, showcasing twenty all-new tales of horrifying evil from an extraordinary lineup of twenty contributors:

John Ajvide Lindqvist

Kelley Armstrong

Laird Barron

Gary A. Braunbeck

Dana Cameron

Dan Chaon and Lynda Barry

Charlaine Harris

Brian Keene

Sherrilyn Kenyon

Michael Koryta

John Langan

Tim Lebbon

Seanan McGuire

Joe McKinney

Leigh Perry

Robert Shearman

Scott Smith

Lucy A. Snyder

David Wellington

Rio Youers

The dusk is upon you, and your fright-filled journey to the shadows of the hereafter is about to begin with SEIZE THE NIGHT—old-school vampire fiction at its finest.

“The notion of the romantic vampire is transcended to chilling and even heartbreaking effect in this stellar anthology of tales…These stories move smoothly from the subtle to the horrifying…”

—Publishers Weekly Starred Review

“Twenty stories of varying lengths offer quick bites of otherworldly entertainment. Edited by Christopher Golden, this collection takes vampire fiction back to its bloody, frightful roots. Readers looking for old-school horror laden with darkness will appreciate these diverse stories from some of the best writers in the genre…all are entertaining…With new spins on classic traditions and inventive, unexpected twists, it’s the perfect spooky read for Halloween — or any night that calls for a touch of terror.”

—RT Book Reviews

“The twenty-one authors collected in this volume have…succeeded in returning vampires and their ilk back into our nightmares where they belong…each tale delivered the goods. And by goods, I mean terror…These are not your Count Dracula vampire stories, but thankfully they’re not of the friendly variety either. What they all have in common is that each and every story is a cut above the ordinary. My highest recommendation.”

—Cemetery Dance

 

“Seize the Night: New Tales of Vampiric Terror is a highly successful anthology, one that puts vampires back into the shadowy, hidden corners where they belong and makes them creepy, chilling, at times downright frightening…we’re getting back to the old-school roots of vampiric lore, going back to the heydays of Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot…this is a vital return to form for these stoic, and historic, universal baddies…Seize the Night has the singular aim of making vampires terrifying again, and it heartily succeeds in its mission. Golden and the contributors deserve a fair amount of applause for their work here, and this anthology is a wonderful reminder of what made vampires such a popular horror staple, and why they continue to endure across the ages.”

—Michael Patrick Hicks

“Anthologies have always been one of my favorite things. A chance to read old favorite authors and a chance to also find some new favorites as well, all based on some short stories. Which is, of course, why I chose to read Seize the Night – New Tales of Vampiric Terror… Seize The Night –New Tales of Vampiric Terror is slated to be released on October 6, 2015. Be sure to get your copy before they disappear! Anyone who likes tales of the creepy sort like Stephen King’s short stories in Everything’s Eventual or Nightmares & Dreamscapes should check out Seize the Night.”

—The Goth Girl Reads

“…a diverse and high quality collection of new stories from some great names within the horror and paranormal sub-genres…Quite simply, if you are a fan of vampires, do not miss this one. 4 Throbbing Carotid Arteries for Seize The Night.”

—Horror After Dark

“Sink your teeth into this collection with caution, it’ll bite back.”

—Hardboiled Wonderland

 

“I would really recommend this wonderful book to anyone who wants to read a vampire anthology that harks back to the heyday of quality horror fiction.”

—Book Nutter’s Reviews

“I thoroughly enjoyed reading Seize The Night…well-written with plenty of frights to keep any horror fan awake at night.”

—Coffee Addicted Writer

“I really prefer my vampires evil, so this anthology was just what I was looking for. It opens with a novelette by Scott Smith, and that one story is worth the price of the book. The victims are suitably disgusting and deserve their fate, which is rapid and brutal. Michael Koryta suggests a rather different cause for vampirism. Charlaine Harris has a very nice story about an energy vampire rather than a blood drinking one. Kelley Armstrong suggests there is a genetic marker for vampirism. Tim Lebbon takes us back to a particularly brutal period of history for his story. John Langan presents a time traveling vampire that can duplicate bodies to ensure it has a steady source of prey…well above average.”

—Don A’mmassa On Horror

“…Brings out the dead and dread, showcasing 20 all-new tales of horrifying evil from a coffin full of different writers who dabble in the undead from various angles, from horrific to heart-wrenching, romantic to rough. We especially feasted on Rio Youers’ “Separator”, set in a typhoon-devastated Philippines where a land developer gets a brutal taste of local legend. Ouch!”

—Examiner.com – A Tricky Treat for Fright Night

“I honestly had nightmares reading this anthology, which is a first for me, and found the writing samples to be strong and powerful tales that twisted an already frightening lore. I definitely recommended reading Seize The Night as a Halloween novel. This book will appeal to readers who enjoy horror, frightening tales, anthologies and short stories, gruesome and violent vampires. I would wholeheartedly recommend reading Seize The Night if you are a horror fan or a supporter of real, gritty vampire novels without the romanticism and moral questions.”

—Silk & Serif

 

“Now, from some of the biggest names in horror and dark fiction, comes this collection of short stories that make vampires frightening once again.”

—Bookgasm – Halloween-Ready New Release Awaiting You to Treat Yourself

 

About the Editor

Christopher Golden is the #1 New York Times bestselling and Bram Stoker Award-winning author of such novels as Snowblind, Tin Men, Of Saints and Shadows, and The Boys Are Back in Town. His novel with Mike Mignola, Baltimore; or, the Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire, was the launching pad for the Eisner Award-nominated comic book series Baltimore. As an editor, he has compiled the short story anthologies The New Dead, The Monster’s Corner, and Dark Duets, among others, and has also written and co-written numerous comic books, video games, and screenplays. Golden was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his family. His original novels have been published in more than fourteen languages in countries around the world. Please visit him at christophergolden.com.

 

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Two Years!

It’s my two year bloggiversary! Thank you to everyone who has read and commented on my posts, liked my posts and thank you to everyone who follows me.

Happy Anniversary with WordPress.com!

You registered on WordPress.com 2 years ago!

Thanks for flying with us. Keep up the good blogging!