Book Blogger Hop No. 150: Book Subscription Boxes

Welcome to the Book Blogger Hop,

hosted by Billy @

Ramblings of a Coffee-Addicted Writer!

For more information, and 

to find out the topic of next week's question, click HERE.

This Week's Question

Do you subscribe to any book

subscription boxes?

(Submitted  by Billy  @ 

Ramblings of a Coffee-Addicted Writer)

My Answer

I've heard about these things, but, at the moment, I'm not subscribing to any. Not that I wouldn't LOVE to, of course! Lol. I think that most of us bookworms would be ECSTATIC to receive one of these boxes every month! Heck, it would be like CHRISTMAS every single month!! LOL.

Sadly, I just have WAY too many unread books sitting on my shelves.....plus, I'm running out of shelf space! So, it really wouldn't make any sense for me to subscribe to these things, much as I would totally LOVE to! 

However..... a bookworm can dream, right? Sigh...... So I'd like to give a short list of book subscription boxes I would DEFINITELY want to subscribe to, if I knew I would be reading the books for sure (and could afford the monthly price.....) Okay, I must confess to being sorely tempted right now.....just biting my nails here!!! LOL.

If you think you might be interested in any of these, just click on the green-colored names I'm providing below!

1.) Owl Crate: This one is strictly for Young Adult Fiction. So, if you love YA as much as I do, you might decide to subscribe to this one! It ain't cheap, though.....it costs $29.99 a month, plus shipping. Multiply that by 12 months....lol. 

The name for this box comes straight from the Harry Potter series, which is a HUGE plus for HP fans! 

Each month has a fun, creative theme, and includes a brand new YA novel, plus several bookish items, as well as other things gifted by the author of the novel included in the box. Sounds AWESOME! (Again, if you can afford it....)

2.) BookCase.Club: This one sounds AWESOME, too!! I might be tempted to join! It's only $9.99 a month, plus shipping, and they have different categories. Here they are: Kids' Book Case, Teenage Dreams Case (this is obviously for YA fans), Thrill Seeker Case, Strange Worlds Case (for fantasy & SF fans), Blind Date Case (for paranormal romance fans), and Booking for Love Case (for regular romance fans). Hmmm.....maybe I'll give myself a Christmas present.....

3.) Book of the Month: I think this is one of the oldest ones around. No frills, though. You get one or perhaps two books a month. It's only $9.99 a month, plus shipping. The one downside that I can see is that the books chosen each month might not be books I would particularly want to read. But, for those totally eclectic souls out there, this one might very well be a nice choice.

4.) Coffee and a Classic: Another temptation.....sigh.... This one is $28.99 a month, plus shipping. You will always get a classic book, of course. In addition to that, you will get "Something to Sip On", two bookish items, and a bookmark. You get your choice of beverage to sip on, too -- coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. The Standard box also includes a snack and a mug. There's a choice of book genres, too -- Classic Literature, Children's Classics, and Classic Nonfiction. 

5.) Once Upon a Book Club: This one is $34.99 a month, plus shipping, and has two categories -- YA books, and adult novels. Each box includes a book, 3 to 5 wrapped gifts, a 5 x 7 quote print, and read-along discussion questions. Oh, all that sounds so FREAKING AWESOME...... Lol.

6.) Literary Dream Crate: This is a REALLY unusual one! They send out PRE-OWNED BOOKS. This might give anyone pause, but they pledge to not send you books that are damaged in any way. This one costs $9.99 a month, plus shipping. Hmmmm....I'm thinking.....lol. Subscribers get to pick from several genres, and each box includes a book, plus one or two additional goodies. Hmmm...... 

There are, of course, LOTS of book subscription box websites out there. This type of thing has become quite popular in recent years. I'm really ECSTATIC about this, too, because it means that the printed book is DEFINITELY NOT extinct!! YAAAAAAY!!! Take THAT, e-books!!!! There's NO way that downloading any e-book could possibly compare with unboxing one of these subscription book boxes!!!! NO. FREAKING. WAY. Oh, the anticipation!! Oh, the breathless anxiety!! And then, when the box is open.....the JOY!!!! Picking up that book that can be held in one's hands, and flipping through the pages!!! TOTAL BLISS!!!!!

So these are the book subscription boxes I'm attracted to.... I would LOVE to be a FREAKING BILLIONAIRE, so I could subscribe to them all!!! Sigh.....

I'm also including the link below, for my own reference, as well as for you guys. If I can't actually subscribe to any of these boxes, I can at least drop by and wistfully check them out. And so can all of you guys! Who knows? I might end up subscribing to one of the cheap ones, after all! And so might you!! Lol.

If you feel VERY tempted by any of the subscription boxes listed at the link below, I'd like to give you one word of caution: check to see where they ship to. Some of these book club services ship ONLY within the U.S. Others ship ONLY within some other, specific country. And others ship worldwide. So, if you decide to subscribe to one of these, double-check to see if they ship to YOUR location! Hope you ENJOY!!!  :)  

Here's the link: 

Cratejoy: Book Subscription Boxes


 

What are your thoughts on

this topic?

Please leave a comment! 

If you're participating in this meme,

I'll go comment on your 

own BBH post.

If not, I will then comment on one 

of your blog posts!

Thanks for visiting!!! 

Haunted Halloween Spooktacular: Warlock Holmes Series, by G.S. Denning

Welcome to the blog tour for

The Warlock Holmes Series,

sponsored by

Bewitching Book Tours!

For my stop, I'm featuring a Guest Post by the author, G.S. Denning!

There's also a tour-wide giveaway!!

What do you think of when someone mentions Sherlock Holmes? The epitome of fictional detectives? A series of stories so timely and so visionary that they revolutionized police-work, the world over? A deerstalker? A pipe? Benedict Cumberbatch’s perfect cheek-bones?

You wouldn’t be wrong.

But in this season of fun-filled frights, let’s take a moment to reflect on one oft-overlooked aspect of the world’s favorite detective:

He’s really creepy.

No. Seriously. Just pleasantly-but-sometimes-right-to-the-edge-of-discomfortingly creepy.

Do you know where the modern tradition of Halloween takes its roots? Dartmoor. Arthur Conan Doyle repeatedly set his adventures out upon the moor in abandoned hallows filled with lethal peat-bogs, fog, reeds and wisp-light. Want to see Holmes and Watson chasing a seemingly-demonic hound across moonlit moor? Well then, it’s no wonder The Hound of the Baskervilles is amongst the most popular of Doyle’s original 60 stories.

Now, if you want to see them chasing an actually-demonic hound across a moonlit moor, you’ll have to check out my second book: The Hell-hound of the Baskervilles. And for those of you who just rolled their eyes at how easy it must have been for me to come up with that angle: yeah, that’s sort of my point. You don’t have to work hard to make Sherlock Holmes macabre. It’s there already.

One of the less-known stories is titled The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire; it features a mother who’s been caught sucking blood out of the neck of her own infant. Even in 1898, not great parenting.

Or how about The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb? It features not just the aforementioned disembodied thumb, but also its owner, trapped in a room-sized hydraulic press, debating if he should stand up, or sit down or lie face up or… Well, just what exactly is the least-painful way to be slowly crushed to death? It’s ironic that the modern detective story is attributed to Edgar Alan Poe, because in moments such as these, Doyle absolutely equals Poe’s famous brand of dark introspection. 

Or maybe you’d just like to see Sherlock murder a dog. Would that be nice? Dog murder, anyone?

Because that’s how he unravels his very first case, A Study in Scarlet. Yep. No lie. To figure out if the pills he’s recovered are poisonous, he steals his neighbor girl’s dog and feeds it half of each pill. 

Guess what? (1887 spoilers follow…) Totally poison. There is something uniquely Halloween-ish about a character who thinks that is acceptable behavior. Oh yeah, and half the people he meets seem to think the only way he could possibly know the things he knows is through dark magic. They’re wrong. 

He’s not magical. But he is probably sociopathic. And he’s definitely not on the ASPA’s top 10 list of great guys.

So if Halloween makes you think about goblins, vampires, demonic possession and soul-binding magic… Well, pick up a copy of my first book, A Study in Brimstone. It’s all in there.

But if you’ve got a little time to kill before All-Hallow’s Eve, and if you’ve got a mind for the classics, here’s what you do:

You pull your favorite chair up to next to a window on a rainy night. You get some fleece pants and a comfy blanket. You brew up a nice cup of tea. Light a couple candles. Then snuggle down and spend a little cozy murder time with the undisputed-number-one-original-king-of-creepy-daddy-detectives, Mr. Sherlock Holmes.

A Study in Brimstone
(Warlock Holmes, Book 1)
G.S. Denning
Trade Paperback, 336 pages
Titan Books, May 17, 2016
Classics Retelling, Humor, Mystery, Paranormal Fiction, Thrillers, Urban Fantasy

Synopsis: Sherlock Holmes is an unparalleled genius who uses the gift of deduction and reason to solve the most vexing of crimes.

Warlock Holmes, however, is an idiot. A good man, perhaps; a font of arcane power, certainly. But he’s brilliantly dim. Frankly, he couldn’t deduce his way out of a paper bag. The only thing he has really got going for him are the might of a thousand demons and his stalwart flatmate. Thankfully, Dr. Watson is always there to aid him through the treacherous shoals of Victorian propriety… and save him from a gruesome death every now and again.

An imaginative, irreverent and addictive reimagining of the world’s favourite detective, Warlock Holmes retains the charm, tone and feel of the original stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle while finally giving the flat at 221b Baker Street what it’s been missing for all these years: an alchemy table.

Reimagining six stories, this riotous mash-up is a glorious new take on the ever-popular Sherlock Holmes myth, featuring the vampire Inspector Vladislav Lestrade, the ogre Inspector Torg Grogsson, and Dr. Watson, the true detective at 221b. And Sherlock. A warlock.

Purchase Links
Amazon US/Amazon UK/Amazon CA

  The Hell-Hound of the Baskervilles

(Warlock Holmes, Book 2)

G.S. Denning

Trade Paperback, 320 pages

Titan Books, May 16, 2017

Classics Retelling, Humor, Mystery, Paranormal Fiction,
Thrillers, Urban Fantasy

Synopsis:  The game's afoot once more as Holmes and Watson face off against Moriarty's gang, the Pinkertons, flesh-eating horses, a parliament of imps, boredom, Surrey, a disappointing butler demon, a succubus, a wicked lord, an overly-Canadian lord, a tricycle-fight to the death and the dreaded Pumpcrow. Oh, and a hell-hound, one assumes.

Purchase Links

Amazon US/Amazon UK/Amazon CA

My Grave Ritual
(Warlock Holmes, Book 3)
G.S. Denning
Trade Paperback, 432 pages
Titan Books, May 15, 2018
Classics Retelling, Humor, Mystery, Paranormal Fiction, Thrillers, Urban Fantasy


Synopsis: "If you ever wondered how much better Sherlock would be if people could hurl hellfire at each other, well this one is for you." -- Starburst Magazine on A Study in Brimstone

Warlock Holmes and Dr John Watson find themselves inconvenienced by a variety of eldritch beings, and the fact that one of them has goat legs. Christmas brings a goose that doesn't let being cooked slow him down, then they meet an electricity demon, discover why being a redhead is even tricker than one might imagine, and Holmes attempts an Irish accent. And naturally Moriarty is hanging around in some form or other.

Purchase Links
Amazon US/Amazon UK/Amazon CA

a Rafflecopter giveaway

G.S. Denning furiously studied reading and math until he could play Dungeons and Dragons. His love of DandD expanded to a passion for all things in the sci-fi and fantasy realm, particularly when spliced with comedy - Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, Monty Python, Red Dwarf, Black Adder, Whose Line Is It Anyway, Dr. Who, and the holiest of holies: The Princess Bride.

He learned his story-telling skills on the improv stage as a member of Orlando Theatersports, Seattle Theatersports, Jet City Improv, and as a Disney Performer at Epcot. G.S. also worked for Nintendo and Wizards of the Coast

Finally, after realizing that humanity had not used the pun "Warlock Holmes" yet, he sat down to begin his first novel series: a dark-comic retelling of Arthur Conan Doyle's classic Sherlock Holmes stories. 

G.S. Lives in Las Vegas with The Best Wife and The Best Children.

Website/Facebook/Goodreads
Twitter/Instagram
Amazon Author Page




You can access the complete blog tour schedule by clicking on 
the button below!

Blog Tour: The October Men, by David Impey

Welcome to this stop in the 
blog tour for The October Men,

sponsored by 

Bewitching Book Tours!!

The October Men

David Impey

Trade Paperback, 340 pages

BigBear Communications Ltd.

March 20, 2018
Kindle Edition, 328 pages
David Impey
March 20, 2018

Conspiracy Theories, Mystery, 
Science Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

Otto Parsons, a brilliant young Oxford physicist, is missing. The October Men is a story of Otto’s experiment in quantum physics – trying to create zero gravity without going into space – which yields spectacularly unexpected results: time travel. Professor Dan Sibley, ever more desperate to secure funding to keep the experiment running, allows their work to fall into the control of men with an utterly different agenda. Otto's disappearance is the first link in a chain of events, which tie together monumental historic moments including the sale of a lost van Gogh painting, the discovery of rare film footage of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Wall Street Crash of 1929, the discovery of a hoard of rare art treasures in a French cave, and the murder of a financial advisor in the Cayman Islands.

The scientists initially try to fund the experiment by producing a historical TV series that uncovers the truth behind the Roswell Incident and the assassination of President Kennedy, among others. Inevitably, the show goes viral and attracts unwanted attention. As the project requires ever more funds, sponsorship is sought elsewhere, and control of the equipment quickly passes to a shadowy cabal of international criminals whose activities have global consequences, as they exploit the equipment to take advantage of the financial and art markets.

When the truth slips out, human existence itself comes under threat.

The October Men is the stunning debut from David Impey, full of twists and turns that will keep you gripped. If you like well-crafted thrillers by John le Carré and Colin Dexter or thought-provoking science fiction by John Wyndham, then The October Men is the novel you must read.

Purchase Links

Amazon US/Amazon UK/Amazon CA

This is the first full-length novel by David Impey. He originally graduated in Chemistry and, afterwards, worked in high-tech industry either on the marketing/commercial side or in advertising.

David has helped write campaigns with a heavy emphasis on demystifying supposedly obscure areas of science that affect everybody on a day-to-day basis, and has won several awards for his work.

His first published work was an April Fool’s article in a yachting magazine and, since then, David has been a frequent columnist and contributor to industry journals and online blogs, as well as setting up some and editing others. He also developed a TV series about health called “The Dose”.

When he’s not writing, David is a composer, producer, and keyboardist. He has worked as a musician for 20 years, principally as a composer of soundtrack music for corporate clients ranging from sherry to paint to insurance and cruise lines.

Some of his music has been used extensively by TV companies across Europe, including the UK and the Netherlands. David lives near Oxford with his wife and insane dog. 

Website/Twitter/Facebook
Amazon Author Page

To access the complete tour schedule, please click on the button below!

Shelf Candy Saturday No. 243: Into the Fire, by Elizabeth Moon

Welcome to Shelf Candy Saturday!

*Late Edition*

This is my weekly feature

showcasing beautiful covers!

It also provides information, 
if available, on their 
very talented creators!

Here's my choice for this week!

Into the Fire
(Vatta's Peace, Book 2)
Elizabeth Moon
Trade Paperback, 400  pages
Orbit
February 6, 2018
Science Fiction, Space Opera,
Military SF, Thrillers

  

My Thoughts About This Cover

I first came across this absolutely STUNNING cover on one of my favorite blogs, Brainfluff, created by British SF writer S.J. Higbee. You can check out the post featuring this book HERE. It's an EXCELLENT review of the Kindle Edition of the novel! (Of course, I would be interested in acquiring the paperback edition instead!)

This cover makes me want to catch the next starship heading out of the solar system! I would LOVE to do some exploring of the planet so beautifully depicted on this cover!  I wish that I were the one standing on that hill, looking out over this beautiful valley, while various kinds of spaceships whizz by....

I don't think it's a coincidence that the author's last name, Moon, is placed almost directly over the moon rising on this alien planet. It might strike some viewers as too contrived, but I would have to disagree. I think it's quite effective. And I like the simple font used, too, as it does not distract the eye from roaming over the whole scene.

Of course, I LOVE the main color scheme here. It's such a gorgeous shade of blue-green! And the mist over the valley gives the scene a very lush, romantic feeling, too. I'm using the word "romantic" in the sense of the 19th-century literary movement -- Romanticism. This cover brings to mind the novels dealing with John Carter's adventures on Mars, in the Barsoom series by Edgar Rice Burroughs. This is a type of SF that's highly adventurous and fantastical. This particular novel, though, is classified as "space opera", as well as "military science fiction".

The cover artist has also captured a great sense of atmospheric as well as actual perspective. The hills and mountains in the distance do look as if they're farther away. Furthermore, the young woman staring out at the valley gives the viewer a sense of the scale of the various objects depicted. 

I also love the contrast between the detailed parts of the illustration, and the misty areas that are not so highly detailed. This, along with the other aspects of the cover I've already mentioned, gives the reader the feeling that they're actually looking out a window -- perhaps in one of those spaceships whizzing by -- and seeing this scene. Thus, this brilliant cover artist skillfully places the potential reader of this book right in the middle of the action!

I wish I could include some information about whoever created this incredibly AWESOME cover, but I have been unable to find out anything at all..... The Amazon preview was no help in this case, either. When I clicked on this cover in order to access the book's copyright page, the cover of the hardback edition of the book appeared instead. I tried again, this time with the Kindle edition, and the same thing happened..... Very frustrating, to say the least! We will have to content ourselves with simply admiring this beautiful cover, if only for now. When I buy this book, as I probably will, then I can come back and put in some information about the artist. (Or perhaps S.J., if she visits, can give me that information, which I will then immediately add.)

What do you think of 
this week's cover?
Please leave a comment
and let me know!