Updates!

Happy Monday bookworms!

Well, or at least as happy as Monday can be :). I'm here to give you a couple of updates.

You probably already saw the New Member Portal. If you want to invite someone to the book club, send them to that page! If you don't want to link them directly to it, there's a little link in the right hand side bar that says "New? Start here!" and that will take them to the same place.

Make sure you read the changes to the Top Commenter Incentive Program. It's still essentially the same, but I wanted to clarify some of the rules to make sure everyone understood. Especially now that we have more members participating.

Vlog going up tomorrow! I'll vlog the winner of this month's gift card.

Also, we now have a Google Plus page! If you'd like to follow us there, they'll be a button in the right hand sidebar shortly. It's bare bones now, but I'll update it soon. Stay tuned for a slight revamp of our site as well :).

New to our book club? Welcome! Here are your first steps:

* Check out our House Rules post, and sign up for the mailing list!

You'll definitely want to do this first. Signing up for our mailing list guarantees that you'll know what we're reading next, and that you'll get any announcements throughout the month! I only send 1-2 emails a month, so there's no worry about spam. I promise! While at the Mail Chimp site, make sure to fully fill out your profile! Your emails there are what I use for Spotlight emails.

* Find a way to follow this blog!

In the right hand side bar, you'll find link buttons. Feel free to follow via RSS, BlogLovin', Google Plus, or any other way that fits your needs best. The important part is that you don't miss a post! 

Have a Facebook profile? I can add you to our group on there too! Simply shoot me an email from whichever account you link to Facebook, and I'll add you.

* Get situated on Disqus!
Our discussion threads use Disqus as their basis, and are posted every Friday! This platform easily allows you reply to people, and keeps comments sorted in their respective discussion sections. Sign up! That way you'll get an email whenever someone responds to you, and you can stop back in!

* Look in the right hand sidebar for what we're reading this month. 

I'll always keep the picture updated to what our current read is. If you missed a discussion post at any point, simply type the name of the book into the search bar at the bottom of the page! It'll bring up all the past posts.

Have fun, and happy reading!

Antigoddess - Final Discussion Post

I know this didn't go up yesterday, and you're probably all waiting anxiously to talk about the ending of this book! My apologies for all the feelings you have wrapped up inside you, my bookish friends. Let me give you a place to talk about them, shall I?

It's that time again, time to finish up our discussion of Antigoddess.

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Discussion Questions:

I know you're so very eager to talk about the ending, so let's gush like crazy! What did you think about the climatic fight between the gods? Was it what you were expecting? Do you feel like Cassandra came into her own? What about Athena? I know you're all hurting too, so go ahead, we'll mourn with you. What do you think about the death of Aiden?

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Don't forget that we love to hear your thoughts, but try to leave spoilers behind if you've read ahead! I, and your fellow book club members, thank you.

This is your last chance to put some questions out to Kendare! They'll be heading over to her this coming Wednesday. Thought of something you want to ask? Put them here. 

***

My Thoughts?

I seriously don't even know what to write! I'm pretty sure that my mouth was hanging open for a good majority of the end of the book. First all, I'll admit that I was slightly pissed when Cass and Aiden just decided to take off. My brain refused to wrap itself around the fact that they wouldn't stay and fight. Color me surprised when they came back, and that fight was all sorts of crazy! Poseidon is terrifying, Aphrodite is absolutely insane, and Hera is still just as violent as ever. I was so impressed by the fact that Athena fought so bravely. I love her more than ever.

In my opinion, Cassandra is still holding back. I'll forgive her for it, but it's obvious she has so much power hiding inside her. I swear, I almost wanted to blame her for the fact that our poor Aiden (Apollo) is no longer alive. I feel like she could've fought harder. Is it petty? Probably. I just loved that boy. My thoughts on the matter though? I have a sneaky suspicion he's not really gone. I can't tell you why I think so but... well... I'm overly optimistic anyway.

I loved this book! I can't wait for the next one :).

Member of the Month - Kari Recommends...

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Well it's the end of the month, and that means it's almost time for Kari's reign as our Bookishly Delighted Spotlight member to come to an end. If you missed her interview, don't forget to go visit and say hi!

That does mean it's time to choose someone new! I'll be sending out an email very soon. In the meantime, we'll round out the month by sharing Kari's favorite books with you! Here's hoping you find something new, and awesome, to read.

Five Favorite Books:
I'm going to cheat (I wouldn't cheat on the 1 word description, yet I cheat everywhere else. Oh, yeah.) and not include ones I've already mentioned in the interview, but the ones listed there are totally favorites too.

1. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult: One of the single most amazing and impacting books I have ever read, but I probably couldn't stand to reread it because it left me such a broken, emotional mess. It also really kick started my Jodi Picoult obsession and except her very first 2 books, I've now read every single title she has put out. But this one still takes the cake

2. In Honor by Jessi Kirby: Rusty pretty much made this book for me. He's kind of a jerk, but also pretty sexy, and just that right amount of broken that totally does it for me. There's so much awesome in this book, and such a big story told in a pretty short word count. It's impressive, actually.

3. Pivot Point by Kasie West: Technically, anything by this amazing woman, but we'll go with her debut for this list. The voice is stunning, the writing so smooth, and I even snuck pages at work I was so obsessed with this story. It's easy to fall into, and refuses to let you go. Actually, every Kasie book does that.

4. Honor Reclaimed by Tonya Burrows: SETH. Which might have no meaning to any of you, which means you should pick it up so you find out (bonus if you already read her books, or have read any of her Wilde brothers Brazen books, since you see Seth in those). But this man was an Afghanistan prisoner of war, that finally gets released. Now, he's trying to fix himself, get his head back on right, and he ends up being sent back to Afghanistan. I have a probably unhealthy love for broken guys, and he just might take the cake. This book has suspense, drama, action and adventure, plus a hefty dose of romance, passion and some dang hot sexy scenes. Unf.

5. The Program by Suzanne Young: Again, anything by this author is well worth it, but we'll target this title for right now. It's so insanely romantic, even while it's so depressing. But considering it's about a suicide epidemic and a Program that tries to "Treat" it, depressing goes with the territory. One of my favorite scenes ever is in this book, and if you read it, bonus points to you if you can guess which one. But it has so much between the lines, and it is one of those almost insane kind of love stories that really sort of rips your heart to shreds with how painful but beautiful it is.

July is novella month!

If you've been paying attention to the calendar, you know that we're nearing the end of the month already! Which means you're probably wondering, "Hey, Jessica, where is our poll for next month's book?" and I wouldn't blame you. Don't despair! I've got your answer right here.

I'm officially declaring the month of July to be novella month! I know not everyone has the time to read a whole book, even if it's split up over a month. So, in order to give you a chance to participate, we'll be reading four shorter books in July! I've picked very different books, to entice people from all reading groups. 

Now, I've done a ton of research (seriously, you have no idea how many reviews I've read) and I've chosen four books that I think you'll love! Here's what we'll be reading in July.

Click the books to be taken to Amazon. These are all only available online, but all of them are between $.99 and $2.99 in price.

June 30th - July 6th * John Connolly The Wanderer in Unknown Realms

“Books alter men, and men, in their turn, alter worlds.”

Soter is a man who has been haunted by World War I. But when he’s sent to investigate the disappearance of Lionel Maudling, the owner of a grand country house whose heir may be accused for his death, he encounters a home that will lead him to nightmares he could have never imagined.

Maudling’s estate houses countless books of every sort—histories, dramas, scientific treatises. But none seems to offer Soter any hint to Maudling’s whereabouts, until he’s led to an arcane London bookseller where the reclusive scholar made his last purchase. What Soter finds at the end of a twisted maze of clues is a book like no other, with a legacy that will put everything he knows in danger…

An inventive horror novella from internationally bestselling author John Connolly, this is a story of madness, of obsession, and of books’ power to change the world.

July 7th - July 13th * Julia London The Bridesmaid

Getting her to the wedding on time is the least of his worries...

Kate Preston just moved to New York, but she has to get back to Seattle in time for her best friend's wedding. Joe Firretti is moving to Seattle, and has to get there in time or risk losing his new job. But fate's got a sense of humor.

Kate goes from rubbing elbows on a plane with a gorgeous but irritating strange (doggone armrest hog) to sharing one travel disaster after another with him on four wheels. Joe thought he had his future figured out, but sometimes fates has to knock you over the head pretty hard before you see what opportunity is standing in front of you...in a really god-awful poufy bridesmaid dress.

July 14th - July 20th * Kealan Patrick Burke Jack & Jill

When they were kids, Gillian and John used to visit the local cemetery every Sunday after church. It was a curious place for children to frequent, but they had their reasons. The main attraction was the lofty hill that separated the cemetery from the elementary school, and the act of tumbling down it like Jack and Jill was a ritualistic escape from the abuse they were suffering at their father's hands.

It was an escape that lasted only until John's tragic death.

Now, Gillian is all grown up. Married with two children, she has managed over the years to force the trauma of her nightmarish childhood into the darkest recesses of her mind.

But lately there are dreams, and in them Gillian sees impossibly vivid reenactments of the horrors she endured as a child. Nightly, she sees John die all over again, only not in the way she remembers.

And something else is in those dreams, stalking her, a terrible figure with wire-hanger hands and a plastic bag wrapped around its rotten face. A monster whose reach starts to extend beyond the boundaries of sleep into the waking world, threatening everything Gillian holds dear.

A monster she once called Daddy.

July 21st - July 27th * Frank Tuttle The Mister Trophy

A troll’s missing head could cause Markhat to lose his own.

A Markhat story.

All the finder Markhat wanted was a beer at Eddie’s. Instead he gets a case that will bring him face to fang with crazed, blood-craving halfdead, a trio of vengeful Troll warriors, and Mama Hog’s backstreet magic. Plus, the possible resurgence of the Troll War.

All right in his own none-too-quiet neighborhood.

Through the town of Rannit’s narrow alleys and mean streets, Markhat tries to stay one step ahead of disaster. And ignore Mama Hog’s dire warnings that this time, the head that rolls could be his own.

Antigoddess - Discussion Post #3

See, I told you I'd put this week's post up on time. *pats myself on the back* Hey, I try. I'll grant you the fact that I literally just finished the last chapter for this week, right before I sat down to post this. Still, it's going up!

Let's talk Antigoddess!

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Discussion Questions:

New thoughts on Cassandra and Aiden's relationship? So many feelings going on between the two of them! Am I right?

How are you feeling about the other characters now? Still loving Athena and Odysseus?

We're nearing the end of the book, and that means it's prediction time. Pull your best Cassandra, and give us your glimpse into what might happen at the end!

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Don't forget that we love to hear your thoughts, but try to leave spoilers behind if you've read ahead! I, and your fellow book club members, thank you.

Also don't forget that we're collecting questions for Kendare! Put them here. Trust me, you can even ask her what her favorite snack is if you're curious ;).

***

My Thoughts?

So many FEELS! I was kind of bowled over by this set of chapters, and it took all my willpower not to keep reading on to the end. Athena is still, by far, my favorite character. She's so strong, and fierce, and sad. I know I'm answering the questions above out of order, but I don't care! I just want Odysseus to wrap her up in his arms, and for everything else to melt away. It sucks so much that they're stuck in this situation. I don't want her to die. I don't want him to loose her. I want... well hell... I want a happy ending.

As for Cassandra and Aiden, I'm on the fence about how I feel. You'll recall last week I was a little nitpicky about how blase she was about the whole "Hey, I'm a god!" thing. Now? I'm really sad. He isn't a bad guy, and he had to hide a lot to keep her safe, so I don't think he deserves to be written off so easily. It breaks my heart. I sincerely hope that they all make it through this in one piece, and that there are all kinds of lovey kissing scenes! Oh, and random side note? I absolutely loved the Halloween costumes in these chapters. I'd probably be dressed as Jack the Ripper though.

What is coming at the ending, you ask? I have no flipping idea. I hope it's not a huge cliffhanger that keeps from seeing an epic fight between the gods. If the small scuffle and Athena and Apollo had is any indication, there's big things coming around the bend. They are strong, and it doesn't matter that it's being hampered by the fact that they're dying. I've said it before, I'll say it again. I just want happy, lovey dovey kissing scenes. I probably won't get them, but a girl can dream.

*swoon*

Special Announcement time! Are you ready?

It's time! Time to announce what this month's special surprise is.

One thing that I love about being a book blogger is getting to interact with authors. A lot of us are lucky enough to have the chance to chit chat about books with the people that wrote them, and it's a great feeling! So I wanted to bring that feeling to all you.

Thanks to Kari, and her ever present charisma, this month's surprise is...

Kendare answers YOUR questions!

Yes lovely book clubbers, the author herself is willing to answer your questions. Have you been reading Antigoddess and wondering "Why don't they just KISS already?" or thinking "Is Hera really all that evil?". Well here's your chance to ask Kendare. Give her your best shot!

Feel free to add questions to this post as often as you think of them. We'll be forwarding them to Kendare at the end of the month, once the book is finished, for her to answer!

Super huge hugs to both Kendare and Kari. You guys rock!