Books, Brains ‘n Blood Read-A-Thon: Cover Lover Challenge

My Shelf Confessions is having a month long event celebrating all things Zombie and Vampire! All info here.

Who is having fun with the Read-A-Thon? I know I am and now, here's a challenge giveaway to make it even better. I'm hosting the Cover Lover Challenge. It's testing how well you know your Vampire and Zombie themed book covers. The giveaway runs from the 4th to the 10th of August to make sure you have a decent amount of time to enter. International as long as you're a part of the Vamps vs. Zombies event. Here's your chance to win $20 worth of any Vampire or Zombie themed e-books.

Hint? The top row are Vamp books and the bottom row are Zombie books. Good luck and have fun!

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Books, Brains ‘n Blood Read-A-Thon: Progress

My Shelf Confessions is having a month long event celebrating all things Zombie and Vampire! All info here.

Hey everyone. The Books, Brains 'n Blood Read-A-Thon has officially started! This is the post that will contain all of my progress across the five days of the Read-A-Thon. I will also be doing my Wrap Up here. So when the Read-A-Thon is over, I'll just write a short summary of how I though I went. To see my goals and sign up, you can check out the post here. I will also be hosting a challenge from the 4th to the 10th and that will be in a separate post. I'm started to get pumped. Are you? Let's get excited!

Friday
Books completed so far: 0
Pages read so far: 66
Pages read today:  66
Percentage of current book: The Summoning - 17%

Saturday
Books completed so far: 0
Pages read so far: 183
Pages read today: 117
Percentage of current book: The Summoning - 47%

Sunday  
Books completed so far: 1
Pages read so far: 391
Pages read today: 108

Percentage of current book: The Immortal Rules - 1%

Monday

Books completed so far: 1
Pages read so far: 500
Pages read today: 109

Percentage of current book: The Immortal Rules - 21%

Tuesday

Books completed so far: 1
Pages read so far: 572
Pages read today: 72
Percentage of current book: The Immortal Rules - 34%

Wrap Up
I didn't go so well but it's okay. I was really busy and I'm glad I read as much as I did. If this read-a-thon wasn't on, I probably would've read a lot less. I could of regret reading The Summoning because I only read thinking it was a vampire book but oh well, at least I liked it. Unfortunately I couldn't get to Feed but I might still read it one day. 

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Stacking The Shelves #3: Books, Brains 'n Blood

Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted on Tynga's Reviews. Basically you share what books you acquired that week whether it be physical or digital. All info here.

This week the only books I acquired are for the Books, Blood 'n Brains Read-A-Thon. I tried looking for all of them in the library but sadly, only found one. They had the second and third books in the Darkest Powers trilogy but of course, they didn't have the first. I wouldn't of been able to order the other books and get them shipped in time so instead I got the e-books.

Library
The Immortal Rules
by Julie Kagawa

E-books

The Summoning
by Kelley Armstrong

Feed
by Mira Grant 

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Review: Skipping A Beat by Jordin Sparks

Genres: R&B, Pop, Dance-Pop
Released: 1 August 2013
RCA

It's been a really long time since Jordin Sparks has released anything new. I remember when I used to blast Battlefield all the time. That was all that way back in '09. Now, years later Jordin Sparks is back! I'm so excited. It's adorable because it's said that this song is dedicated to her man, Jason Derulo. Even better, his song The Other Side was dedicated to her as well. Come on? You have to admit that it's super sweet. This is my review for her latest single, Skipping A Beat.
Song:
This song has a really cool vibe. I love the R&B style that she's chosen. The snares at the beginning sound amazing. Afterwards, it starts to disappear and then a lovely piano beat comes in until they start to work together. It sounds absolutely amazing. The producing of the song is also flawless because even though Jordin's voice is beautiful, it needs that extra push.
Lyrics:
Of course, like I said before, the song is a love ballad for Jason Derulo so of course the lyrics are awesome. They left me swooning. The best lines in my opinion are:
"Boy I think I'm gonna need an ambulance
Cause you been doing my heart some damage"

Cheesy, I know but I just love those lines so much. The rest of the lyrics are pretty repetitive but as I said before, the good producing makes it okay.
Summary:
Give it a go guys. I'm waiting for her album to come out and I'm super excited. I have a feeling this song isn't the one she's trying to make super popular. I think there's going to be another release that is made to hit the charts.

 Buy on iTunes

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Feature and Follow Friday #13: Bad Books

Feature and Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.
Click here for more info!

Q: How do you handle a book you don’t like? Do you DNF or do you power through?

I normally try my very hardest to power through the books. I think I've only ever marked 3 books as 'Did Not Finish'. Those books were Stolen, A Game of Thrones and The Time Traveler's Wife. Most of the time, I push through because I feel like I have a responsibility to finish them.

I love all my followers no matter how you follow. Just do what's easiest for you! Also, I hope you can maybe check out some of my other posts as well. Finally, one last favor, I hope you can vote in the poll, located in the sidebar, to let me know which comment system is your favourite.
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Review: Banish by Nicola Marsh

Alyssa has one week to destroy her enemy, save her spirit... and save her soul.
After her ex-boyfriend commits suicide and her mum’s alcoholism sparks yet another psychotic episode, seventeen-year-old Alyssa Wood flees her small hometown of Broadwater and heads to New York City to stay with her bohemian aunt — a Wicca High Priestess.
Alyssa revels in the anonymity of a big city and her new life. Her grades climb, she has a new best friend, and a new guy: the sexy geek Ronan — a saxophone player who prefers jazz to pop.
But her newfound peace is soon shattered when she sees a dead body in one of Ronan’s music clips — and she’s the only one who can see it. Worse still, Alyssa recognises the body that has been murdered a week forward!
Alyssa doesn’t believe in the supernatural...despite her family’s Wicca background. So how will she overcome evil when it’s closer than she thinks?

Banish is a Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy. Right up my alley! Nicola Marsh is an Aussie writer from Melbourne which is super cool. I always feel like Australian authors never get the spotlight. I received an ARC from Harlequin (thank you) and so I read it before it came out. Banish comes out today! YAY! I read this after reading a pretty bad book. I was on the verge of a reading slump and this book saved me. I gave Banish 5 STARS and added it to my Goodreads Favourites list immediately. Read more to see why I absolutely adored this amazing read. Alliteration intended.
Characters:
The protagonist, Alyssa, was super easy to like and enjoy. Even though she's not as relatable as some other characters can be, I really like her. It's really hard to talk about characters without ruining the story because I don't want to ruin the mystery aspect of the book. Alyssa is living with her Aunt, who is a really cool person, because her mother was going crazy. Her love interest, Ronan, seemed super sweet as well. Then there's her 'best friend' Seth who has helped her after she moved towns. All the characters are really unique with heaps of mysteries to uncover.
Pros:
Banish will fill you with swoons,wonder and fright as the romance and the suspense builds. The romance was so extremely cute that I just couldn't help but love the characters. The mystery and suspense that surrounds this story really adds a lovely element to the book. What I really loved though was the slight horror element. It was the perfect balance for me to be scared but not scared to death. Nicola Marsh's writing was really easy to read and enjoy. Extremely fast-paced and adorable but scary.
Cons:
The only part of this book that I didn't like was how much Alyssa didn't like her mum. I felt like she was a bit too harsh but then again, teenagers are like that.
Summary:
Banish is a underhyped book that deserves the rave. I would 100% recommend this to everyone. I promise that you'll love it if you enjoy Paranormal YA. I hope you'll check it out! Go run and buy it or at least add it to your to-read list.

Buy Banish on the Book Depository
Buy Banish on Amazon
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Guest Post: Is Book Marketing Really Worth It?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Written by Authoright (www.authoright.com). Authoright has been helping authors since 2005. We were set up by a writer and book marketing professional who wanted to help fellow writers raise their profiles and promote their books on a national scale. Historically, effective book marketing has been the preserve of well-known authors and as such the media market has been largely closed off to traditionally published mid-list authors, smaller publishing houses with limited budgets and self-publishing companies and their authors.

Have you just written a book? Perhaps you are considering the best options available to you for promotion? You've seen some authors getting huge sales and, obviously, you want the same. How do you decide what marketing to go for, if any? Is it actually worth it at all?

Know Your Budget

Before you get started, you need to have a clear budget in mind. There's no point deciding to go all out and then find you can't afford to pay for it. Don't exceed your budget at any point, even if the deal sounds tempting; if you can't afford it, walk away. Book marketing companies often take out all the leg work for you, which can be a huge relief when things get hectic. Look into the deal you're being offered to see what the profit margins are for the company. For example, if a website charges £1,000 to advertise on their site and you're getting a bill for £2,000, think carefully about whether that is the right marketing company for you.

Check The History

The companies that offer the best book marketing services are the ones who will have the best feedback from their previous customers. If authors are coming back to the same company for other books, you know you're onto a good thing. People are quite happy to talk about positive experiences so ask around and find out the general reputation of the marketing company. Also see if they have a testimonials page on their website - a good company will be keen to show off their great reputation.

Decide What You Want

The type of advertising you have can largely depend on your budget. If money is tight, you will struggle to afford a billboard sign in central London. However, look at all the options available; you can get some great marketing for your book from what seems like an unusual place. Local newsletters may cover a smaller area but there's nothing to stop you advertising in various newsletters, rather than just one. While it can be tempting to try and do all the marketing yourself, paying a professional company to do it can be worth the investment. Getting a company who specialises in book marketing to work your book can save you time and they will often have access to resources that you may not be aware of.

Self-Promotion

If you want to make the most of the book marketing services, you need to be prepared to do some work yourself. Use your social media networks to boost interest in the book. Tweet about it and create a page on Facebook for the latest book. It may be worth arranging a reading at some local book stores to garner further interest. Advertise these readings online and make sure you get back to everyone who asks any questions. Start a blog and keep it updated regularly. This is an especially good idea during the writing process; giving the readers a look into your thought processes during the creation of the book can make for great reading. It'll get people excited about the book before it's even finished, potentially increasing sales in the long run.

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