Lauren Reviews Sound by Alexandra Duncan + Giveaway

A special thank you to Jamie at Rockstar Book Tours for including me on this book tour! I enjoyed this book so much and I'm so grateful that I get to share the love!

Before I get to my review and the giveaway I know you are all dying to enter... here's a little author info to brush up on. :)

About Alexandra Duncan

Alexandra Duncan is a writer and librarian. Her first novel, Salvage, was published April 1, 2014, by Greenwillow Books. Her short fiction has appeared in several Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy anthologies and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. She loves anything that gets her hands dirty – pie-baking, leather-working, gardening, drawing, and rolling sushi. She lives with her husband and two monstrous, furry cats in the mountains of Western North Carolina.

You can stalk her online via these links...

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Sound (Salvage #2) by Alexandra Duncan
Published: 9/22/15 by Greenwillow Books
Source: Finished Copy from Publisher
Rating: 4 Stars

Sound is the stand-alone companion to Alexandra Duncan’s acclaimed novel Salvage, a debut that internationally bestselling author Stephanie Perkins called “kick-ass, brilliant, feminist science fiction.” For fans of Beth Revis, Firefly, and Battlestar Galactica.

As a child, Ava’s adopted sister Miyole watched her mother take to the stars, piloting her own ship from Earth to space making deliveries. Now a teen herself, Miyole is finally living her dream as a research assistant on her very first space voyage. If she plays her cards right, she could even be given permission to conduct her own research and experiments in her own habitat lab on the flight home. But when her ship saves a rover that has been viciously attacked by looters and kidnappers, Miyole - along with a rescued rover girl named Cassia - embarks on a mission to rescue Cassia’s abducted brother, and that changes the course of Miyole’s life forever.

Back to the world of crumbling planets, deep space ships, and most importantly... back to Ava and Miyole. First off, I loved the first book in this series. And... I definitely love the fact that each of the books in this series can be read as a stand-alone book. Sometimes series books get tiring for me.

While the first book has everything to do with Ava, this book focuses completely on Miyole. She's all grown up. At least as grown up as a young adult can be. She's extremely smart and determined... flying through school and university like jet plane. She landed her first job on the Ranganathan, a deep space research ship as a scientist assisting in a lab to cultivate and oversee the lives of bees and butterflies. The goal is for them to eventually be able to thrive on a newly terraformed planet. While Miyole enjoys her work, it is easy to sense something is missing in her life. 

Suddenly a small space ship crashes into the Ranganathan, bringing with it a handful of survivors as well as a cat. Dakaits, whom I imagine to be like space pirates, attacked the small space ship, kidnapped a few of the people, and left the everything else to burn. One man that was kidnapped happened to have a sweet young daughter and a courageous/fiery sister: Cassia. Cassie enters Miyole's life and reminds her of the past. Miyole has done everything to forget her Manman, her biological mother who was killed, and to forget her life before finding Soraya, Miyole's adopted mother. Now Cassia's distress over her lost brother starts the bring Miyole's past back to life. Cassia is stubborn and will not take no for an answer when she asks the Ranganathan's commander for help rescuing her brother. Miyole cannot accept it either. Miyole and Cassia steal a short range space shuttle and make plans to rescue Cassia's brother. Miyole has decided to risk all just as her Manman and Ava had for her.

The courage Cassie and Miyole display is awe-inspiring. Against all odds, against so many variables, against all of the evil lurking deep in space... they decide to venture into the unknown to save a loved one. Rules be damned. I was extremely happy to see how the author also incorporated Miyole's Haitian ethnicity and Mumbai upbringing into this book. I loved reading about the cultural aspects involving the beautiful saris and practices. Cassia and Miyole also have a little romance going on at times... which is a huge high-five in my book for more authors including homosexuality in their writing. I throughly enjoyed this book and I can only hope the author writes another.

And finally... the giveaway! Enjoy!

Enter below to win a signed hardback of Sound, a signed paperback of Salvage, and this electronic butterfly in a jar. Open to U.S. residents only.

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Julia's Blog Tour Stop: The Trouble with Honor

Hey romance fans! The lovely people at Harlequin were kind enough to include The Broke and the Bookish in the blog tour for Julia London's new book The Trouble With Honor, which hit the stores this past Tuesday.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Harlequin

Desperate times call for daring measures as Honor Cabot, the eldest stepdaughter of the wealthy Earl of Beckington, awaits her family’s ruin. Upon the earl’s death she and her sisters stand to lose the luxury of their grand home—and their place on the pedestal of society—to their stepbrother and his social-climbing fiancée. Forced to act quickly, Honor makes a devil’s bargain with the only rogue in London who can seduce her stepbrother’s fiancée out of the Cabots’ lives for good.

An illegitimate son of a duke, George Easton was born of scandal and grows his fortune through dangerous risks. But now he and Honor are dabbling in a perilous dance of seduction that puts her reputation and his jaded heart on the line. And as unexpected desire threatens to change the rules of their secret game, the stakes may become too high even for a notorious gambler and a determined, free-spirited debutante to handle.

Julia London answered a few questions for you all here giving a little more insight into the series and Ms. London herself  :)

If you could be any one of your characters in the Cabot Sisters series for a day? Who would you choose?

I guess I would be Honor. I liked how she was unapologetic for going after what she wanted and needed. I think a lot of women, myself included, apologize when we put ourselves first instead of our families. But sometimes, a girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do and she shouldn’t have to apologize for it. That’s the way Honor is. I’d be like her, gutsy and bold. Mostly in my head. But in my head, I would make a great Honor.

Where did you write this book?

Mostly at home, but I write wherever I am. Thank goodness for laptops because I’m always on the go. I have an office, but I like to move around and change scenery. It helps me stay productive. Sometimes just a move from the office to another room is enough to get me off the stinking internet and writing again. The internet is the bane of my existence. I have no discipline when it comes to social media.

What are you reading now?

The Newlyweds by Nell Freudenberger. It’s a great look at modern day marriage and the secrets that no spouse want’s to discover.


Thanks to Julia London and to Harlequin for the stop! You can find more Julia London at her website, Twitter or Facebook.

Okay readers, we know what book Ms. London is reading, but what are you all reading this weekend? I know I am sure going to be cuddling up with a book to hide from the snow... Oh, Spring! Where are you? 

Kelly reviews "Confessions of Marie Antoinette" + giveaway!

Title: Confessions of Marie Antoinette
Author: Juliet Grey
Published: Ballantine Books, 24 September 2013

This book was reviewed as a part of Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours.



While I've read through and reviewed the first two books in Juliet Grey's trilogy covering the life of Marie Antoinette, I knew it'd all come to this. The final book. The ending is never going to change, but I always hope it does. Let me just tell you now, in Confessions of Marie Antoinette the ending doesn't change and it's extremely heartbreaking. Get out the tissues.

The overall feel of the book is very bleak and leaves you with feelings of helplessness as it takes place in the midst of the Revolution and overturning of the monarchy. Marie and her husband King Louis are losing stability everyday. Their power has been stripped away and they are completely at the mercy of the French citizens attempting to create and control a new government. The majority of their family and friends have fled to the country - those who stay risk their lives in doing so. Even servants who seem to show to much kindness to the king and queen are arrested for fears of royalist sympathies. It's a disturbing and frightening time in France, yet Marie Antoinette but put on a brave face for her husband, her children, and her people. Yet through this, we still have tender, thoughtful, and clever moments that emphasizes what a close unit Louis, Marie, and their children were forced to become. You get the feeling that their family was the only reason they survived so long.

This book was originally titled something along the lines of The Last October Sky, which I thought was extremely beautiful. It correlated nicely with the last few pages of the book. I'm not sure why the change came about, but it sounds like it'd be written in diary form, which it's not. It's also strange because the whole point of the book was that Marie was innocent of all the slander thrown against her. She had nothing to confess. Throughout the journey of this trilogy you can tell that Marie Antoinette is a figure very near and dear to Juliet Grey's heart. She is written with such sympathy, detail, and care that it's hard not to become attached to her as a character throughout this journey.
Grey's Marie Antoinette will always be my favorite!

Leave a comment below for your chance to win a copy of Confessions of Marie Antoinette!

The Dark Days Are Here (Not A Drop To Drink): Review, Interview & Giveaway!

I love when I get asked to be on a tour of a book I LOVED SO MUCH. I'm super picky about tours so you know I really recommend a book if I'm saying yes to a tour stop. When I was emailed about Not A Drop To Drink by Mindy McGinnis I was like "YES PLEASE!!!" So, welcome to the tour stop! Seriously, I really loved this interview and I think you'll find it super interesting!


In Lynn’s world water has been scarce for many years. Her whole life revolves around surviving and defending the pond in her backyard — her source for survival — at any cost. The pond seems to be getting lower and lower thanks to droughts and winters that bring barely any snow and the threat of other people to the pond seems to be incoming when Lynn and her mom see smoke on the horizon and these strangers start to show their intentions.

I love the fact that Not A Drop To Drink is a bare bones survival type story! McGinnis nails it when she's able to make you FEEL in your bones how hard life is in Lynn's world and the oppressive danger that threatens her every day. This story is frightening and raw because it's something that COULD happen one day and you really get the sense for how hard it is to keep your humanity in a world like this and try and survive at the same time. THAT is what made this book go from a really great story to an AWESOME book -- this whole perfect weaving of the morality issues that come up when you are trying to survive. Would you kill if you had to? What constitutes a danger? Should you work together?

I loved Lynn so much but Stebbs was my favorite character in this book and could quite possibly be one of my favorite characters I've encountered so far this year. He really was a contrast to Lynn's mother and really made Lynn wrestle with some tough thoughts.

See my full review of Not A Drop To Drink on my personal book blog --  The Perpetual Page-Turner.

Describe your book in six words or less

Dog eat dog. But more awesome.

The idea of a world with very limited water and what it could devolve into actually quite scared me because it seems so plausible! What was your inspiration for this premise?

 Well, not to freak you out further but it is very plausible. I originally was introduced to this concept in a geology class in college. I was immediately stunned -- RUN OUT OF WATER? HOW CAN THAT BE?! But the idea slipped to the back of my head, only to be resurrected when I saw a documentary titled Blue Gold, which is about the frightening real numbers behind this scenario. That night I dreamt about teaching a young child how to operate a rifle so that she could help me defend my backyard pond. I woke up and thought... "Hey, I wrote a book in my head just now."

After reading Not A Drop To Drink I'm so curious about all the research you did for learning how people would survive like this, the plausibility of water wars like this, etc. Can you tell us one or two of the most interesting/scary/gross bits of information that you learned while researching? 

The funny part is that I didn't have to do a ton of research about basic survival, because in some ways I do live that way by choice. My house is heated entirely by wood, most of which I try to cut myself (although my dad helps me), I grow and preserve the majority of my own food, and as I revealed at ALA - much to the shock of the room - I can, in fact, gut a deer. I don't however, have a clue how to preserve meat without a freezer so I had to read up on that!

I did have to research methods of naturally purifying water, though. I remembered reading an article in National Geographic about an effective method that uses the UV-A rays of the sun, so I Googled that and learned about the SODIS method.

What I loved about this story was that very raw, survivalist feel to it. What do you think the hardest aspect of Lynn's life would be for you if you lived in this novel?

Constant awareness. She can't go for a walk or just enjoy being outside for a second, because that could be the second that someone takes her down.

I loved that you explored the mentality and the morality behind what it takes to survive. We see two very different mentalities in this novel -- one person is all about the survival of the fittest and taking care of yourself and your family and then we see another character emerge who believes that maintaining our humanity and helping one another is how you are going to survive. What kind of inspiration or research helped you to explore both of these sides so authentically? Do you think it would be very black or white for you if you lived in this situation?

Fantastic question. There was no research involved, but I definitely relied upon my degree in Religion & Philosophy when it came to addressing these two different methods of surviving. I don't think it's black and white at all, which is part of the larger question. I think in these situations, almost everything is gray. Killing people is bad, yes. Killing someone in self-defense is excusable, so how do we define self-defense? Technically, Mother kills to defend the pond - and she'll die without it, as will her daughter. Yet... it's not that simple, is it?

As far as what I would do in that situation, I don't think any of us can know what we would or wouldn't do until we are in that place, and the choice is forced upon us. I do believe that every human being is capable of killing, if the right things are threatened. For some people it's their favorite baseball hat, for others, their children.

If you could pick a theme song for Not A Drop To Drink what would it be? 

A talented musician friend of mine named Jack Korbel did an original song for me based on the book. So, definitely that one!

I know it's hard to pick favorite characters for authors but do you have one? Which character did you find yourself attached to the most after you finished writing it? 

Oh man, it's actually a really easy question. Writing Stebbs was a breeze. Anytime he showed up on the page he just started talking and took over, the words flew out. He wrote himself, yet I will miss not writing him.

The story ends in a very satisfying manner and from what it looks like it is not part of a series. Are there any plans to continue Lynn's story or write in this world but create a whole new set of characters?

Glad you liked the ending! I felt like it was important to give this story some closure, to have it be a complete reading experience. But Lynn's world in DRINK is a very small one, and I do think it would be interesting to know what's going on in the rest of the country....

This is your debut novel so I'm curious to know what has been the most surprising thing about the publishing process?

It is my debut novel, but I've been writing for ten years. Quite honestly the most surprising part for me after a decade of getting nowhere is that I'm published at all!

What are 3 skills you possess that would help your chances of survival in Lynn's world?

Gardening

Target Shooting

Common Sense

For some quick fun:

If you could do a mashup of any two shows/books/movies what would they be? I would love to see THE WALKING DEAD meets ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA.

Name 3 luxuries you feel like you'd miss the most living in Lynn's world? Technology, Electricity, Media

Name a world, besides the one in Not A Drop to Drink, that you'd NEVER want to live in? Any world that has dinosaurs in it. BEJESUS!!

If you were in Lynn's shoes what is one thing you would scavenge for in other houses? Oh good question... um - books!

Since we are talking about survival here, what's one thing you can't survive without as a writer? My laptop. I type everything out, zero longhand for me.

You can win a copy of Mindy McGinnis' FABULOUS debut novel, Not A Drop To Drink, for yourself thanks to HarperTeen! You must have a US mailing address to enter and this giveaway ends 9/16.

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Check out more of the great reads in this batch of Pitch Dark Days books and get a chance to win them from these blogs!

・         8/19: ASYLUM at Icey Books

・         8/26: THE BITTER KINGDOM at Good Books and Good Wine

・         9/2: DON’T LOOK NOW at A Life Bound by Books

・         9/8: NOT A DROP TO DRINK at The Broke and the Bookish

・         9/16: THE BURNING SKY at A Book and a Latte

・         10/7: THE BROKENHEARTED at Tales of the Ravenous Reader







I'm not so lucky to have a tour stop near me but maybe you are?? I've been to Dark Days tours before and they are FABULOUS!

Kelly reviews "The Queen's Rivals" + giveaway!

The Queen's Rivals by Brandy Purdy

Tour and giveaway hosted by:
 Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

Kensington Publishing | 384p | June 25, 2013

Jane Grey is known in history as the Nine Days Queen - she briefly held the throne of England between the time of her cousins Edward VI and Mary. There are countless books telling her story, but what about two other equally fascinating characters, her two sisters Katherine and Mary? They are often overlooked during this turbulent period of history. Interestingly, in The Queen's Rivals, Brandy Purdy chose to have Mary as the narrator. Mary was the youngest sister and was historically described as either a dwarf or a hunchback. In this story, she stopped growing at the age of five and is thus often overlooked or pushed to the back. Because of this, Mary offers the best view of all the events surrounding her tragic family.

The Grey sisters, daughters of the Duchess of Suffolk, who is the daughter of Henry VIII's sister, are all very sympathetic characters. Yes, as is typical, Jane is painted as a prude and generally unlikable, and Katherine is seen as ditzy and naive, but they are so real. You really feel sorry for them as they are treated as pawns in games they really wanted no part of. Even though the sisters are completely different, they stuck together through everything. Each character, especially the sisters, had such a depth and the story was vividly brought to life. The book follows through to Jane's attempt for the throne and her consequent downfall, to Katherine's marriage and later demise, and as well as Mary's heartbreaking time as the only Grey left. None of the sisters had an easy life nor a happy ending.

Mary holds nothing back, whether it be the tantrums thrown by Jane, the abuse given by her mother, or the unusual interests of her father. There was an entirely creepy undertone to the book that I'm finding hard to explain. It may be the difficult family the sisters had, the lack of anything positive really ever happening to them, or a jaded narrator, but I constantly felt queasy and like I was the one personally subjected to all this bad luck. It was discomforting to tell the truth, but really hit home as great writing and characterization. Overall, The Queen's Rivals struck me as a truly unique look at Jane Grey and the ascent of Queen Mary, making it a standout reading experience.

GIVEAWAY: You have a chance to get a copy of The Queen's Rivals for yourself! Simply leave a comment below to enter, you have until August 3rd (U.S. only).

U.S. cover

U.K. cover

A side note: The Queen's Rivals will be published in the UK this September as The Fallen Queen under the name Emily Purdy (confusing!) and of course, there's another cover comparison! I do like the UK one better. The stained glass background is quite pretty.

Super Pop! Blog Tour + Giveaway

Title: Super Pop!: Pop Culture Top Ten Lists to Help You Win at Trivia, Survive in the Wild, and Make It Through the Holidays
Author: Daniel Harmon
Publisher: Zest Books, 2013

Rating: 4 stars

Tahleen here! Here at The Broke and the Bookish, you know we like top ten lists. This book fits right in with our penchant for listing, and adds a large dollop of humor at that. Well, more than a dollop I guess. It was pretty hilarious all the way through.

Daniel Harmon goes through five parts in his compendium, which include "Be More Interesting," "Get Smart(er), "Stop Doing It Wrong," "Find Happiness," and "Survive the Holidays." In each section he has a wealth of pop culture information in the form of lists, all listed in no particular order. He goes really into detail too, with very specific lists like "Sleep With the Fishes: The Ten Best Places to Find Your Spirit Animal" and "Drink the Kool-Aid: Touchstones for Quirky, Like-Minded People." Harmon proves himself to be a pretty quirky and incredibly knowledgeable guy himself, though he admits in the intro that he hasn't seen/read/listened to/etc all of the items he talks about.

What really impressed me was how carefully he chose which form of a story to place on each list, be it in its original novel form, its movie form, or television form. He has concrete reasons for each item he chooses.

On the other hand, I'm not really sure this is a great book for teens, just because there is so much on that list that they might not have seen yet. Granted, I work with tweens mostly, so what do I know, but I personally didn't know many of the items because they were before my time—I can imagine it would be the same for those younger than me. Ultimately I would say this is probably a fantastic book for 20-somethings, and a pretty good choice for some, but not all, teens. Thankfully, there are many recent items as well as throwbacks, so it balances out pretty well in the end. Plus, he talks about some YA books! (Though I disagreed with his observations of 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher—calling a book about morals made me want to gag a little, even if it's kind of true.)

I think the best thing about this book is you can leave it anywhere in your house and someone will probably pick it up and read it when they're bored. It's got pretty much everything. Great for the coffee table! (Or bathroom, but I didn't say it.)

In the spirit of Super Pop!, I've created my own top ten list!

Top Ten Movies for Kids Who Grew Up in the '90s

1. Heavyweights, because it is hilarious and is so incredibly quotable. Plus, Judd Apatow was a writer.

2. Troop Beverly Hills, though this was made in the late '80s and I am probably one of the few people who actually own a DVD copy of this today.

3. Beethoven, because who doesn't love a giant, slobbery St. Bernard with a heart of gold?

4. Mrs. Doubtfire, during Robin Williams' golden years. Oh hey, Matthew Lawrence, didn't think I'd see you here.

5. The Sandlot, FOR-EV-VER. The best baseball movie ever. Maybe. Definitely.

6. The Little Giants, since we're talking about sports movies. Don't tell me Devon Sawa wasn't adorable, and Becky the Icebox could totally kick your ass. Who doesn't love an underdog story?

7. Jurassic Park, because this was like the first PG-13 movie I saw and it was SCARY. And AWESOME. And it's still awesome today, 20 years later. I just showed this to my tweens at the library and they loved it. Dinosaurs, man.

8. Any Adam Sandler movie, even though we were probably not really allowed to watch it. I'm pretty sure every one I saw in the '90s was at a friends house or while my parents weren't paying close enough attention. Like, Billy Madison was definitely something my mom probably would never have let me watch. (Thanks Joanne and Joanne's mom!)

9. Home Alone, because everyone knew Macauly Culkin didn't like that aftershave but no one knew why. Also, now we know what to do if we have intruders in our home. (Obviously only wimps call the cops immediately.)

10. And because I like sports movies, I'm finishing off with The Mighty Ducks. quack. Quack. QUACK. QUACK! QUACK!! QUACK!!! Like I said, I like underdogs.

You should totally check out the other stops on the Super Pop! blog tour.

Want to win a signed copy for yourself or a friend? Enter here! 

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