Archive for September 2019

Books With Shocking Plot Twists #BookishBlogHops

Plot Twists You'll Never See Coming

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Today I'm filling in for another member of the Bookish Blog Hops gang with this post about books with shocking plot twists.

I read a lot of psychological thrillers (one of my favourite genres) so I have a lot I could list here. Here’s a few: The Perfect Wife by JP Delaney, The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton, The Art of Fear by Pamela Crane, The Killing Game by J.S. Carol, and Psycho Analysis by V.R. Stone. These were all real page turners, and all contain a lot of twists.

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What the rest of the Bookish Blog Hops gang had to say:

Robin Taylor https://www.robinlovesreading.com

I read a lot of psychological thrillers, so will just name a couple. Never Tell by Lisa Gardner comes to mind. 10th in a series, but I hadn’t read the previous titles. This book was full of shocking twists and was multi-layered. Oh, yes, The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. This book literally had me holding my breath as I read it. One of my 2019 Top Reads!

Elizabeth Means

https://spookysmaze.blogspot.com/?m=1

Undetected by Jeffrey Marshall

The Stranger Inside by Lisa Unger

This Little Dark Places by A.S.Hatch

Outfox by Sandra Brown

The Marriage Trap by Sheryl Browne

Just to name a few

Leslie Conzatti www.upstreamwriter.blogspot.com

First of all, the series that completely blindsided me with its plot twist that I would have never in a million years seen coming ever at all would be the Volumes of the Vemreaux Trilogy by Mary E. Twomey. It functions on the premise that Ponce de Leon did find the Fountain of Youth--but it only works on people of a certain blood type, and even then, preserving them at a certain age until some illness or prolonged exposure to the fountain’s effects finally lead to death. Therefore, the ones who can achieve this “immortality” are given higher status than the ones for whom it has no effect. There is one, however, who serves as the main character for the series, and she is supposedly the “Guardian” of everyone, against a vicious predator who threatens the lives of the elite “Vemreaux”--I got pulled deep into this story, I got attached to the characters and invested in their survival and success… and then the twist happened and I didn’t know what to do with all my emotions!!!

The other series that served up several twists I didn’t see coming was The Reckoner Series by Brandon Sanderson. The premise for this one is that a cataclysmic event gave certain people super-powers, and these began setting themselves up as elite authorities in various cities around the world--accountable to no one because their powers gave them dominance. One in particular, Steelheart, is impervious, but the main character, David, witnesses Steelheart killing his father, so he decides to make it his mission to take down the supers by finding out their weaknesses and striking against them. He joins the Reckoners, a group of rebels seeking to take down the superhumans. The whole thing is a riotous adventure full of high-stakes battles and fun characters… and twists that come out of nowhere!

Alix Maza apintsizedlifeblog.com

My favorite book of 2019: The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing-still thinking about this book that I read in March…

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager the KING of plot twists

The Turn of the Key-not jaw dropping, but still wow

The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffths- a great spooky read for October

The Whisper Man by Alex North- I actually said ‘PLOT TWIST!’ when I got to the plot twist

The Nanny by Gilly Macmillan- kinda predictable yet still a plot twist!

Exploring Audiobooks: Where To Find Free Audiobooks

Where To Find Free Audiobooks Online

Finding the time to read is a constant struggle. Between my kid's schools, swim training, and all the other things I have going on on a daily basis it can be hard to find the time to sit down and read. This is why I've been looking more into audiobooks.

I've listened to a few audiobooks in the past that I got sent by publishers, authors, or PR companies for review. Some were great. Others harder to get into. The narrator makes a big difference!

What I did like though was that audiobooks allow me to follow the story whilst doing other things at the same time. For example, it was a great way to kill the time whilst ironing or cooking.

As life seems to get even more busy with each year that passes, the idea of getting copies for review feels like it would leave me stressed. I don't like having to read a book to a deadline. It takes away some of the enjoyment of reading, and makes me feel like I have to read it. Too much pressure.

So, being the frugal gal I am, I decided to look into other ways to get free audiobooks. Whilst I love a good freebie, I'm not a fan of privacy sites (NEVER use them!), and so want to make sure that all the audiobooks I download are legal copies. I will also be reviewing each of the books I listen to in support of the authors.

Websites That Offer Free Audiobooks:

Audible - This is the first place I looked. I get ebooks from Amazon quite often so it was the first place to come to mind. They have a special offer that when you sign up you get 2 free audiobooks. I've yet to subscribe, but did find a few audiobooks listed on site for free anyway. It's much harder to find free audiobooks on here than it is to find free kindle reads though so you need time to search the site.

Librivox - This site is awesome! A great collection of books from the public domain. Searchable database by author, title, genre, and language. The objective of the site is:

To make all books in the public domain available, for free, in audio format on the internet.

All it's recordings are donated to the public domain. So far the quality of the audio I've listen to on this site is great.

Loyal Books - Another site offering free public domain audiobooks. Over 7000 titles in a variety of genres. This site also offers audiobooks in different languages.

Spotify - Yep, it's not just music. They have quite a large selection of audiobooks you can listen to too. Spotify is free to listen to, or you can go Premium if you don't want the ads. As I have this app on my phone I'll probably be using this quite often to listen to audiobooks now.

Free Audiobook Promo Codes - This is a new site I discovered thanks to Facebook where you can get promo codes to redeem via Audible. A great way to get free audiobooks! Like I said, it's a new site. They already have a nice selection available though. I'll definitely be checking back often.

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Where do you find audiobooks to listen to? Favourite website or app for audiobooks? Have you listened to a particularly good audiobook and think everyone should give it a try? Drop a comment below.

Are you a book blogger with an interest in audiobooks? Want to know more about audiobooks, finding ARC audiobooks, how to review audiobooks, etc? My book blogging buddy Eline from Lovely Audiobooks has you covered. Check out her post Where To Find Free Audiobook Review Copies.

Books By Multiple Authors #BookishBlogHops

Yesterday the Bookish Blog Hops gang discussed great books that are more than 10 years old. Today we're talking about books by multiple authors.

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Books By Multiple Authors

When authors team up it can lead to literary magic. It could be an anthology featuring lots of different authors, or just two authors writing together.

For this question I've picked the book Same Kind Of Different As Me off my shelves. Written by Ron Hall and Denver Moore with Lynn Vincent.

Gritty with pain and betrayal and brutality, this true story also shines with an unexpected, life-changing love.Meet Denver, raised under plantation-style slavery in Louisiana until he escaped the “Man” – in the 1960’s – by hopping a train. Non-trusting, uneducated, and violent, he spent another 18 years on the streets of Dallas and Fort Worth.

Meet Ron Hall, a self-made millionaire in the world of high priced art deals -- concerned with fast cars, beautiful women, and fancy clothes.

And the woman who changed their lives -- Miss Debbie: “The skinniest, nosiest, pushiest, woman I ever met, black or white.” She helped the homeless and gave of herself to all of “God’s People,” and had a way of knowing how to listen and helping others talk and be found – until cancer strikes.
Same Kind of Different as Me is a tale told in two unique voices – Ron Hall & Denver Moore – weaving two completely different life experiences into one common journey where both men learn “whether we is rich or poor or something in between this earth ain’t no final restin’ place. So in a way, we is all homeless-just workin’ our way toward home.”

The story takes a devastating twist when Deborah discovers she has cancer. Will Deborah live or die? Will Denver learn to trust a white man? Will Ron embrace his dying wife's vision to rescue Denver? Or will Denver be the one rescuing Ron? There's pain and laughter, doubt and tears, and in the end a triumphal story that readers will never forget.

What the rest of the gang picked:

Robin Taylor https://www.robinlovesreading.com

I would have to say The Brit in the FBI series by Catherine Coulter and J.T. Ellison. This is one of my favorite series. So far I have read The Final Cut, The Lost Key, The End Game, The Devil’s Triangle, The Sixth Day and The Last Second. I am eager for the next title.

Elizabeth Means https://spookysmaze.blogspot.com

A book with multiple authors

Ramses the damned: the passion of Cleopatra by Anne Rice & Christopher Rice

The Big Book Of Female Detectives by Otto Penzier (it's an anthology that has authors in it like Anna Kathrine Green, Mary Roberts Rinehart , Baroness Orczy just to name a few , because you get 74 handpicked author's)

The big book of Rogues and Villains by Otto Penzier (also an anthology that brings a lot of different authors together like : Maurice Leblan, Sax Rohmer, just to name a few next you get 72 handpicked authors to read )

The Big Book of Reel Murders: stories that inspired Great Crime Films by Otto Penzler (have this one to read from Netgalley it's also an Anthology with handpicked authors like Agatha Christie, Dennis Lehane, Joyce Carol Oates and so on)

Leslie Conzatti www.upstreamwriter.blogspot.com

Ooh! So I know of a few books by two authors, such as The Fair Folk Chronicles by Jeffrey Cook and Katherine Perkins, and also The Dawn of Steam Trilogy, again by Jeffrey Cook and he also credits Sarah Symonds for her assistance with writing the trilogy.

I’ve had the especial pleasure of reading several great anthologies, as well as the privilege of participating in a few!

Anthologies I’ve read: by Writerpunk Press Group: Sound & Fury: Shakespeare Goes Punk, Vol. 1; Once More Unto The Breach: Shakespeare Goes Punk, Vol. 2; What We've Unlearned: Classic Literature Goes Punk; and The Longest Night Watch, Volume 1, edited by Lacey D. Sutton

Anthologies I’m published in: Dreamtime Dragons by Dreamtime Fantasy Authors; Cracks in the Tapestry, edited by Arthur David; and Forest of The Fearless, distributed by Bellemuse Press;

Each of the above titles are wonderful and excellent--even if I haven’t read them in full just yet, I’d definitely recommend them based on the other works I’ve read of the authors involved!

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Drop by http://rockabillyspoonie.com/ tomorrow where we'll be talking about books by authors who use a pseudonym.

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Must-Read Biographies and Memoirs

Continuing with this month's blog hop with the Bookish Blog Hops gang, today we're discussing our must read biographies.

Biographies, autobiographies, memoirs, and diaries provide valuable lessons about life. People who write their autobiographies usually have an interesting story to tell about the trials and tribulations of their own lives.

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For me this has to be Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt. This memoir is up there on my list of all time favourite books. I also enjoyed it’s sequel ‘Tis. Angela’s Ashes is one of those that stays with you even years after reading it. It’s thought provoking, raw, and definitely a must read.

Another that I just have to mention is The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. One of the most powerful books I've ever read.

Another interesting read is Unsinkable: A Young Woman's Courageous Battle on the High Seas by Abby Sunderland. It's amazing to think that the adventures in this book are actually a true story. Abby is inspiring both for her bravery and her abilities. It just goes to show what can be achieved when you have the courage to follow your dreams.

I learn't a lot about life at sea and sailing from this book but also about making a stand for what I believe in and having the courage to follow it through.

A great book for all ages, especially teenagers. Inspiring and motivating.

This is what the other's picked:

Kim J www.writersideoflife.com

I have just finished Educated by Tara Westover. I had heard so much about this book - it is on all the must read lists. Believe the hype! It is a fantastic read about a girl brought up in a fundamentalist Mormon household. It is confronting and intense at times, but it is such a great tale of someone who had an inquiring mind and educated herself out of circumstances she didn’t like.

Robin Taylor https://www.robinlovesreading.com

Dapper Dan: Made in Harlem by Daniel R. Day. How the man fought his way through Harlem, selling drugs and crime and rose above, becoming one of the most sought-after urban fashion designers.

Elizabeth Means https://spookysmaze.blogspot.com/?m=1

Death March Escape: The Remarkable Story of A man who Twice escaped the Nazi Holocaust by J.Jack Hersch (the author is the son of the man that the book is about).