Kindle 2 skinified :)

Pictures of my Kindle 2 with it's sexy, new Paper Cut skin from DecalGirl. :) You can view the slideshow below, or for larger images, my Kindle photo set at flickr.

The Zombie Chicken Award!

Many thanks to Lori at Pure Imagination who awarded me the following Zombie Chicken Award. w00t w00t! :)

The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken - excellence, grace and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their inspiring words. As a recipient of this world-renowned award, you now have the task of passing it on to at least 5 other worthy bloggers. Do not risk the wrath of the zombie chickens by choosing unwisely or not choosing at all...

I shall now pass on the award to 5 more worthy bloggers as charged:

• Susan at West of Mars
  
• Breeni at Breeni Books
  
• Shaunesay at Shaunie's Happy Place
  
• Jen at The Movieholic & Bibliophile's Blog
  
• Tez at Tez Says

Finding Creatures & Other Stories by C. June Wolf

Author C. June Wolf was kind enough to send me a copy of her first published collection of short stories for review. Finding Creatures & Other Stories is a collection of stories that spans the various sub-genres of fantasy, science fiction, and speculative fiction.

Though I haven't yet read it in full, I wanted to take the opportunity to introduce this book now since I plan to savor it slowly, reading a few stories here and there between my full-length reads instead of cover-to-cover. This is similar to how I read my last fantasy anthology, Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears, though I certainly don't plan on taking that long with this particular book. :) I also got the impression that this particular collection of stories was best enjoyed this way anyway, allowing time for the nuances of some of these remarkable stories to settle with you before moving on to the next. I can already see this book taking up permanent residence in my bookcase, to be shared among friends and family throughout the years.

I'll return to post a more thorough review of this book once I've finished it. But if you'd to grab a copy for yourself now, you can follow the links above to purchase from Amazon, and check out the amazing reviews it's already received, or purchase directly from the publisher here.

REVIEW: Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears by Ellen Datlow & Terry Windling

My Rating: 7 out of 10 stars

Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears is an anthology of short stories inspired by classic fairy tales from cultures around the world. The collection, like the five other volumes in the series, was compiled and edited by fantasy authors Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling. It's not necessary to read these in any kind of order as each volume, as well as the stories within each volume, stands alone.

The twenty-two stories in Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears encompass a wide range of styles within the fantasy genre, from naughty to nice, sweet to cruel. We've got speculative fiction, a bit of sci-fi, and some straight out fantasy, with a bit of naughtiness thrown in to spice things up. Unfortunately though, because I kept this book on my nightstand and read it over the course of several years, I don't recall much detail about some of the earlier stories, other than that I liked most of them, and there were only a couple that I didn't really "get". So instead, I'll refer you to this LibraryThing review by Rhinoa where she gives a story-by-story rundown. Good job Rhinoa! :)

BookCrossing journal page for this book

CONTEST - Lucinda's Web by Dorothy Morrison

Rachel at Bitten by Books is hosting a contest and interview with Pagan author Dorothy Morrison. (I have several of Dorothy's non-fiction books on my magickal bookshelf.)

Fifteen lucky winners will receive a copy of Dorothy's debut fiction novel, Lucinda's Web, plus a goodie bag with plenty of other magickal treats. :)

Head on over to this entry at Bitten by Books to enter. Good luck!

REVIEW: Joker's Wild: Call Me by Lena Matthews

My Rating: 5 out of 10 stars

Publisher's Description
Anything can happen when jokers are wild. When Kayla Martin tries to revolutionize the sex toy industry she calls on the one person she's grown to count on more than anyone else, her best friend and downstairs neighbor, Dylan Thompson. When Kayla approaches him about being a test subject for her newest invention, an anal toy, Dylan is intrigued and aroused. That is until he finds out that The Walnut Wand is an anal toy for men. Kayla's sure that a prostate stimulator will be a hit, all she needs is a willing participant. Far from willing, Dylan flat out refuses, but that's not enough to deter Kayla. After their monthly poker game, Dylan and Kayla decide to make a risky bet. Kayla wants a test subject and Dylan wants the one thing's he's being craving for years. They'll risk it all on one hand, but anything can happen when jokers are wild.

My Thoughts
I purchased this book for my Kindle anticipating a nice steamy erotica read. At only $2, and a subject matter I've expressed keen interest in of late, I was expecting to get myself all worked up over it, butt [sic] unfortunately, the delivery was a bit of a letdown and the sex scenes barely came to a boil.

I can't criticize too much however as this was at least a fairly decent read for what it is, a slightly erotic romance novel. (Is that where what the term romantica means?) I'm sure I would've enjoyed it a bit more if a) I liked the (standalone) romance genre to begin with, and b) I didn't go into this thinking I was getting more than what was delivered. Despite all that, the characters were kind of cute and funny and at least somewhat believable, and the writing was decent. I liked Kayla's character even if she was a bit ditzy, and Dylan even if he was a bit pig-headed. Dylan's colleague Chris however, seemed like a real ass. So even had I had liked this a bit more, I probably wouldn't be picking up the next Joker's Wild book since it focuses on Chris and his relationship, if you want to call it that, with his secretary, both of whom are minor characters in this book.

Should you read it? Well, for light romance with a little bit of kink, this would fit the bill nicely. But if you're looking for a hot, steamy erotica read, then move along.

I got my Kindle 2 !!!!!

w00t w00t! I got me a Kindle 2 from Amazon!!! It arrived on Tuesday, and I'd meant to post something out here earlier, but I had all these grand designs about taking pictures and such. All of which never happened *giggle* simply because I was just too busy playing with it!! So here's a quick video from Amazon for those who haven't yet seen the sleekness of this sexy thang! :P

More pictures and information on the Kindle here

REVIEW: Demons of the Past: Book One of the Damewood Trilogy by Erin Durante

My Rating: 9 out of 10 stars

I had the hardest time writing this review. I'm not sure why exactly. Perhaps because this story is so multi-faceted, and every time I thought I'd finished, I'd proofread and find that I completely left out something else I'd wanted to mention. In this regard, it reminds me a little of the review I wrote for Witch Ember below which was also quite long for that same reason. Though Demons of the Past was only about half as long as Witch Ember, I felt the same way in that there were so many layers to the story, I could just ramble on in so many different directions without even realizing it. LOL :)

So with that disclaimer out of the way, here we go....

Modern Civilization has disintegrated and the technological advances of mankind have been suppressed for centuries. Society has regressed to a medieval state, and an ancient ocarina imbued with faery magic is the only thing standing between a civilized society and one overrun with demons. Unfortunately, the secret of society's past is known only to a select few, most of them belonging to a group of radicals known as the Ordi who would very much like to see society brought back to it's technologically enhanced roots, no matter what the consequences.

Damewood is just one of the many kingdoms in the area currently under siege, presumably by the Ordi or another group with a similar agenda. The "bandits" have stolen the magical ocarina, which has been protecting the lands, from the nearby Pearl Isles Kingdom where it was under guard. If it cannot be recovered, and it's magic renewed, then all the demons which have been held in check for the last 400 years may suddenly be unleashed upon the world!

Nadia, the eldest princess of Damewood, has been sent into hiding while her lands are under attack. But being the skilled demon fighter she is, she knows that she'd rather be on the front lines fighting for her kingdom and her people, instead of being tucked safely away doing nothing. Disguising herself as a Knight in full armor, she joins the group of men from the nearby kingdoms on a rescue mission to recover the magical ocarina. But Nadia's got more than one secret to keep. For no one else knows that the big, black, beautiful stallion with the strange, light eyes that she's had since she was a young girl is actually a demon himself! A Kelpie to be exact, who can shapeshift between man and horse. But no matter what Vestro knows (or doesn't know), Nadia's convinced he's not like the other demons. And keeping both of their identities a secret on this mission is going to be as challenging as the road to Ferrington Pass.

This was a fascinating and spell-binding debut novel from new author Erin Durante which I found difficult to put down. I was actually a wee bit disappointed at the end since there wasn't yet a sequel I could pick up immediately and start reading. Though the author has a few short stories to her credit, this is actually her first full length novel, though you'd not know it since she writes with such a seasoned pen.

The pacing of the story was just right, neither rushing along nor dragging things out. I often found time slipping away while reading as I was totally immersed in the world that is Damewood. The lush and vivid descriptions transported me right into the middle of the action and I didn't want to leave.

Though all of the story's major plot lines got wrapped up by the end of the book, things truly come around full circle. And by the time you get to the epilogue, you've got a new twist to look forward to in the sequel. I don't want to give too much away, but suffice to say, the author knew exactly how much to let out, and when to pull back in the telling of this story. And at the end, I was left with my tongue hanging out, panting for more! LOL

For more information on Erin Durante and the world of Damewood, visit the website: Enter Damewood.

BookCrossing journal page for this book