Stacking The Shelves #25: The Harry Potter 15th-Anniversary Paperback Box Set!!!

Welcome to Stacking The Shelves!!

This is a weekly event hosted by Jennifer, Lili,

Stephanie, Helen, and Tynga @ Tynga's Reviews!

As the title implies, this is all about

sharing the books you're adding

to your shelves, be they physical or virtual.

For the complete rules, and to sign up,

just click on the link above.

This week's exciting haul!!!

Books Purchased

Harry Potter Special Edition

(Paperback Box Set)

J.K. Rowling

Trade Paperback, 3,000+ pages

Scholastic, Inc.

August 27, 2013

Fantasy, Supernatural Fiction,

Young Adult Fiction

Amazon US

Barnes & Noble

Scholastic Website

  

I can't believe this beautiful new box set is actually sitting on my shelf at this very moment!!!  I am so very happy!!  These are wonderfully dynamic new covers for this beloved series!  Also, you can see a picture of Hogwarts Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry when the spines of all seven books are lined up, as in the pictures above.

Although I already own the U.S. hardcovers (yes, all seven of them), I couldn't resist getting this gorgeous new paperback edition!!  That should tell you something about how terrific these books are!  For those who have never read them, I can tell you that they are riveting, with great characterizations and fascinating plots.  J.K. Rowling has a very fertile imagination, and these novels are already considered classics of the fantasy genre by many readers and reviewers. 

Here are the images for all seven books.  Just click on each one to be taken to the Goodreads page for each book.  However, this is only for the purpose of reading each synopsis, as well as the reviews.  The new covers are not featured individually on either Goodreads or Amazon.  (At least, not yet.) Only the box set has an individual page, and only on the three sites shown above.

I discovered this awesome new edition while visiting the great blog, Tyngas's Reviews, last week!  Lili, one of the blog contributors, recently received this set as a birthday gift, from a friend!!  She featured these books on the blog's regular Stacking The Shelves meme/hop, which I try to participate in as often as I can.  So I went ahead and ordered this set right away!!  I was able to get a discount, too, because I won a $25.00 gift card in the giveaway for the Replacing Gentry blog tour!  The books are priced at $58.50 on Amazon, but I only paid $33.50!!! 

 What do you think of my haul?

What gorgeous, fascinating books

did you stack on your shelves

this week?

Shelf Candy Saturday #89: A Darkness Strange and Lovely, by Susan Dennard

Welcome to Shelf Candy Saturday!!

This weekly feature

showcases beautiful book covers,

and provides information,

if available, on their very talented creators!

For more information

about Shelf Candy Saturday,

just click HERE.

Here's my choice for this week!

A Darkness Strange and Lovely

(Something Strange and Deadly #2)

Susan Dennard

Hardcover, 416 pages

Harper Teen

July 23, 2013

Historical Fiction, Steampunk,

Supernatural Fiction,

Young Adult Fiction

Amazon US

Barnes and Noble

The Book Depository UK

Why do I love this cover?

When I first saw this book, I was totally captivated by that incredibly gorgeous dress!  It's got to be one of the most beautiful creations I've ever seen!  The combination of colors is just perfect, and I love the way each fold is meticulously detailed.  The bodice is perfect, too, being made of some black, velvety material, although I do think that the bust area is much too revealing,

Everything else about this dress is just right!  I love the glittery gold belt, and the matching black mesh fingerless gloves.  

In short, I don't know where I would wear such a dress (with a more modest bodice), but I sure wish I owned it!!  Indeed, what woman wouldn't want to?

The background is perfect, as well.  It appears to be one of those large, round windows common to New York City office buildings from the 1930's or 40's.  These windows also remind me of movies like "The Maltese Falcon", which is typical of the 'film noir' genre.

Although I do own this book, as well as the first one in this series, I might end up not reading either one.  I was so mesmerized by the covers that I didn't notice there were zombies in the plot....and I DETEST zombies!!  However, I just had to feature this particular cover today, simply because of that dream of a dress!

This luscious cover is a combination of images brought  together by designer Cara Petrus.  The photograph is by Monica Stevenson,  while the background image is from the stock photo website, Getty Images.  This is a truly inspired combination, too! 

Cara Petrus: Online Links

Website

LinkedIn

Monica Stevenson Online Links

Website

Facebook

What do you think of my choice?

Leave me a comment

and let me know!

   

Book Serendipity #1: The Bookman's Tale: A Novel of Obsession, by Charlie Lovett

Welcome to Book Serendipity!!

In the tradition of "Waiting On Wednesday", which is hosted by Breaking The Spine, and "Desperately Wanting Wednesday", once hosted by Parajunkee.com, I have decided to start a bi-weekly meme about books I am super eager to read!  They can be books recently or not so recently published, and will be books I've discovered either in bookstores or online, but always in a pleasantly surprising, serendipitous manner.

Here's my choice for this week!

The Bookman's Tale: A Novel of Obsession

Charlie Lovett

Hardcover, 368 pages

Viking Adult

May 28, 2013

Bibliophilia, Literary Fiction,

Literary Mystery, Supernatural Fiction

Goodreads Synopsis

Guaranteed to capture the hearts of everyone who truly loves books, The Bookman’s Tale is a former bookseller’s sparkling novel and a delightful exploration of one of literature’s most tantalizing mysteries with echoes of Shadow of the Wind and A.S. Byatt's Possession.

Hay-on-Wye, 1995. Peter Byerly isn’t sure what drew him into this particular bookshop. Nine months earlier, the death of his beloved wife, Amanda, had left him shattered. The young antiquarian bookseller relocated from North Carolina to the English countryside, hoping to rediscover the joy he once took in collecting and restoring rare books. But upon opening an eighteenth-century study of Shakespeare forgeries, Peter is shocked when a portrait of Amanda tumbles out of its pages. Of course, it isn’t really her. The watercolor is clearly Victorian. Yet the resemblance is uncanny, and Peter becomes obsessed with learning the picture’s origins.

As he follows the trail back first to the Victorian era and then to Shakespeare’s time, Peter communes with Amanda’s spirit, learns the truth about his own past, and discovers a book that might definitively prove Shakespeare was, indeed, the author of all his plays.

Goodreads/Amazon US/

The Book Depository UK

Why I am so fascinated

As the synopsis says, this is

a book for book lovers!

The fact that the plot bears some

similarities to such

enchanting novels as those

named above, is enough

to make me want to pick up

this book and get lost

in its very intriguing plot!

The combination of genres is

also very interesting --

it's a sort of mystery, if in a

literary way.

And there's a ghost involved,

as well....

What more could I ask?

When I saw this novel at a local

Barnes & Noble recently,

I rushed to the cash register right away!

Needless to say,I also recommend it highly!!

Would you like to read this book, too?

Leave me a comment and

let me know!

Shelf Candy Saturday #52: Destiny, by Gillian Shields

Welcome to

Shelf Candy Saturday!!

This weekly meme/blog hop, hosted here,

features beautiful book covers!

If you'd like to participate, just grab my button (or create your own), write your own post, and link up in the Linky widget at the bottom of this post. (You have to click on "Read more" so that the entire post will open up.)

As a bonus, you can include information on the artist, designer, and/or photographer, but it's not required. You can simply feature a cover and explain why you love it!

Here's my choice for this week!

  

Destiny

(Immortal #4)

Gillian Shields

Hardcover, 384 pages

Katherine Tegen Books

July 31, 2012

Paranormal Romance, Supernatural Fiction,

Young Adult Fiction

Why do I love this cover?

In this particular case, it's definitely a "no brainer".  All that luscious, incredibly beautiful blue.... (Well, actually, it's more of an aqua, since there's a slight greenish tint to it, but still.)  Of course I was going to love this image!!

The fact that the color is not the same intensity all over the cover makes it all the more attractive, as well.  It starts out very light, and gradually gets darker toward the bottom of the cover.  However, the necklace and pendant are completely illuminated, even though the pendant is completely surrounded by a darker shade of blue towards the bottom of the cover.  This gives them a magical, other-worldly quality.

TIRADE RELEASE DAY!!

Tirade

(Heven and Hell #3)

Cambria Hebert

Trade Paperback, 396 pages

November 30, 2012

Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy,

Young Adult

From the Goodreads Synopsis

Minutes and hours stretch into days. How long can Sam survive being confined in Hell? I have a plan… a plan with a lot of holes. I need someone who can make up for my weaknesses, someone who possesses the power that I lack. Riley is supposed to be off limits. He’s dangerous, he’s mean and he’s not to be trusted. But I do.

On my way to free Sam I find my true path, a secret place and new allies. But in Hell nothing is easy… and everything is cruel. The only thing left to do is survive.

"SOMETHING WICKED COMES" HALLOWEEN GIVEAWAY HOP/ REVIEW: Blood Rights, by Kristen Painter

Welcome to my second
(and last) post for the

"Something Wicked Comes"

Halloween GiveawayHop,
hosted by
Rainy Day Ramblings
&
Babbling About Books!! 

 

 

This is a month-long Halloween event!  Every day during the month of October, each participating blog has been featuring a favorite paranormal/urban fantasy book (or books), along with a giveaway!  You can check out the post schedule at either of the two hosting blogs shown above.

For this second post, I have decided to feature a great urban fantasy novel, dealing with vampires, that I've recently read.  It's the first in the acclaimed House of Comarré series.  You will find my review and giveaway Rafflecopter below! 

Although this is the next-to-the last day of the event (there will be a wrap up/guest post with Darynda Jones on 11/1, at Rainy Day Ramblings), today's giveaways will actually end in November.



 

Blood Rights

(House of Comarré #1)

Kristen Painter

Mass Market Paperback, 392 pages

Orbit

(Little, Brown Book Group Ltd.)

November, 2011

Gothic Urban Fantasy

 

 

My Review

 

For several years now, vampires have been dominating the paranormal romance and urban fantasy genres.  This particular series has a steady following, and I count myself among its newest fans!  It's a rather unique series, too; the concept behind it is very intriguing, and the writing is nothing short of excellent.  I admire Painter for coming up with yet another variation on the vampire mythos, one that certainly held this reader's interest all the way to the end.

The vampires in this novel belong to specific classes.  There are the 'noble vampires', who are descended from fallen angels, and the 'fringe vampires', who are descended from none other than Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus Christ.  Now this is certainly a new take on vampires!  Just how these two classes -- who never mix, of course --came to descend from fallen angels, on the one hand, and Judas, on the other, is not pointed out in this book.  I assume more details will be forthcoming in the sequels, since this is the very first volume in the series.   Learning just this much, though, was enough to pull me into the story.  But there's more...

SPOOKTACULAR GIVEAWAY HOP/REVIEW: Forsaken, by Jana Oliver

Welcome to this stop

on the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop,

hosted by the wonderful blogs

I Am A Reader, Not A Writer,

and

The Diary of a Bookworm!!

Three cheers and thanks to both

for hosting this fantabulous hop!!

 

 

The Rafflecopter for each giveaway will actually

start accepting entries on Oct. 23rd,

per request by Kathy @ I Am a Reader, Not a Writer,

and will close on Nov. 1st. 

More than 400 blogs are participating!!

For the complete rules,

just click on the hop button above.

There are great prizes involved,

so be sure to check out

as many of the giveaways as you can!!

I will be giving away

TWO PAPERBACK COPIES

of Forsaken, the first book in

The Demon Trappers series,

UK edition!

(This is a USA only giveaway.)

 

 

 Forsaken

(The Demon Trappers #1)

Jana Oliver

Trade Paperback, 423 pages

Macmillan Children's Books

February 7, 2011

YA Urban Fantasy

Here's my review!

This is the UK edition of The Demon Trapper's Daughter.  I bought this one because I loved the cover at first sight. 

This is a gritty, fast-paced story, and yet, it does contain some depth, since several of the characters do quite a bit of soul-searching along the way. 

At first, I thought I would finish the book quickly.  However, I got stalled by a completely unexpected event pretty early in the story -- one that came very close to home, and I could not continue.  Of course, I won't spoil things for other readers by divulging any details of said event.  I will merely say that it was one that had a strong emotional impact on me. 

Shelf Candy Saturdsy #40: Lords of the Night, by Janice Bennett, Sara Blayne, and Monique Ellis

Welcome to

Shelf Candy Saturday!!

This weekly meme/blog hop, hosted here,

features beautiful book covers!

It was originally hosted by

Stephanie @

Five Alarm Book Reviews,

a blog I really miss...

If you'd like to participate, just grab my button (or create your own), write your own post, and link up in the Linky widget at the bottom of this post. Just be sure to click on "Read more" so that the entire post will open up.

As a bonus, you can include information on the artist, designer, and/or photographer in your post, but it's not required. You can simply feature a cover and explain why you love it!

Here's my choice for this week!

Lords of the Night

Janice Bennett, Sara Blayne,

Monique Ellis

Trade Paperback, 276 pages

Kensington

September 1, 2001

Genres: Paranormal Romance,

Urban Fantasy

Why do I love this cover?

I think it's more than obvious, right?  The model on the cover is, quite simply, a gorgeous man!   Furthermore, not only are his features very pleasing to the female eye, but his facial expression is, as well.  That penetrating gaze, which promises danger as well as excitement... 

"SOMETHING WICKED COMES" HALLOWEEN GIVEAWAY HOP: Stroke of Midnight Anthology, by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Amanda Ashley, L.A. Banks, and Lori Handeland

Welcome to my first post for the

"Something Wicked Comes"

Halloween Tour/GiveawayHop,
hosted by
Rainy Day Ramblings
&
Babbling About Books!! 

 

 

This is a month-long Halloween event!  Every day during the month of October, each participating blog will be featuring a favorite paranormal/urban fantasy book, along with a giveaway!  You can check out the post schedule at either of the two hosting blogs shown above.

I have decided to feature a great supernatural anthology I've recently read.  You will find my review and giveaway Rafflecopter below!



 

 

Stroke of Midnight

Sherrilyn Kenyon, Amanda Ashley,

L.A. Banks, Lori Handeland

Mass Market Paperback, 368 pages

St. Martin's Paperbacks

November 2, 2004

Paranormal Romance,

Urban Fantasy

 

 

My Review

 

This is a wonderful collection of paranormal romance stories by some of the most popular authors in the genre.  Each story presents a different supernatural species – vampires, were-panthers, one werewolf, and a skinwalker (this creature is a human who can turn into a specific animal by wearing the animal’s skin and using magic to complete the transformation).

The first story, “Winter Born”, by Kenyon, has a very unique setting – a science fiction convention in Atlanta, Georgia (USA).  The plot develops amid a motley crew of aliens and other strange creatures from films and books, which lends a humorous backdrop to the story.  The main characters, Pandora and Dante, are natural enemies, although both are were-panthers.  They can’t help but become lovers, however, and then find out they’re irrevocably mated. 

Shelf Candy Saturday #38: Dark Storm, by Christine Feehan

 

 

 

Welcome to

Shelf Candy Saturday!!

This weekly meme/blog hop, hosted here,

features beautiful book covers!

It was originally hosted by

Stephanie @

Five Alarm Book Reviews,

a blog I really miss...

 

 

If you'd like to participate, just grab my button (or create your own), write your own post, and link up in the Linky widget at the bottom of this post. Just be sure to click on "Read more" so that the entire post will open up.

As a bonus, you can include information on the artist, designer, and/or photographer in your post, but it's not required. You can simply feature a cover and explain why you love it!

Here's my pick for this week!

 

 

 

 

 

Dark Storm

(Dark #23)

Christine Feehan

Hardcover, 384 pages

Berkley Hardcover

October 2, 2012

Genres: Paranormal Romance,

Urban Fantasy

 

 

Why do I love this cover?

 

This is an intricately-designed, jewel of a cover... I am in awe of the creativity displayed by the designers.  The entire effect is nothing short of magical!

 

This is, of course, a composite image.  The abstract, leafy pattern that frames the central area is just exquisite; even though there's no depth to the image, the patterns look three-dimensional.  You expect the ridges and lines to be raised, even though they're not.