Welcome to Two Chicks on Books!!!

Thanks for stopping by! I'm here to share all things Bookish and also news about Movies, TV Shows, and even Video Games I love! I love to read your comments :)


Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday (67)- My Top Ten Beach Reads


Hi thanks for stopping by!!! And welcome to my Top 10 Tuesday post! 

Thanks to the lovely ladies at The Broke And The Bookish for creating this weekly meme!

Here's this week's topic.

May 31: Beach Reads Week -- top ten great beach reads, ten books I plan to read on the beach, ten beach reads for those who don't like typical ~beach reads~, ten authors who are my go-to for beach reads, etc.

Ok so since I don't read contemporary and probably won't make it to the beach to read this summer. I'm just going to do my upcoming TBR since I'd read these books anywhere, including the beach lol.

I'm going to post the book covers so if you want to add to your TBR click on it and it'll take you to Goodreads. These aren't in any particular order I'll read them when the mood strikes.

1. 


2. 


3. 


4. 


5. 


6.


7. 


8.


9. 

10. 





So what about you? What are some of your go to websites? And check back next week for my Ten Reasons I Love X -- could be a certain book, character, author, your indie bookstore, a fandom, a tv show, reading, a hobby, a genre. Honestly anything you want to gush about! I'm still debating on what this one will be!


Hugs,
Jaime


Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Blog Tour- THE SLEEPING PRINCE by Melinda Salisbury A Deleted Scene &Giveaway!


I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on blog tour for THE SLEEPING PRINCE by Melinda Salisbury! I freaking LOVED this book it was so cool getting to meet Errin and hear from a different characters POV!!!! I have a deleted scene to share with you today! And make sure to enter the awesome giveaway for a finished copy of the book! 


Haven't heard of THE SLEEPING PRINCE? Check it out!

Title: THE SLEEPING PRINCE
Author: Melinda Salisbury
Pub. Date: May 31, 2016
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Format: Hardcover, paperback, eBook
Find it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Goodreads
Return to the darkly beautiful world of The Sin Eater's Daughter with a sequel that will leave you awed, terrified . . . and desperate for more.

Ever since her brother Lief disappeared, Errin's life has gone from bad to worse. Not only must she care for her sick mother, she has to scrape together rent money by selling illegal herbal cures. But none of that compares to the threat of the vengeful Sleeping Prince whom the Queen just awoke from his enchanted sleep.

When her village is evacuated as part of the war against the Sleeping Prince, Errin is left desperate and homeless. The only person she can turn to is the mysterious Silas, a young man who buys deadly poisons from Errin, but won't reveal why he needs them. Silas promises to help her, but when he vanishes, Errin must journey across a kingdom on the brink of war to seek another way to save her mother and herself. But what she finds shatters everything she believed about her world, and with the Sleeping Prince drawing nearer, Errin must make a heartbreaking choice that could affect the whole kingdom. 


Now on to the deleted scene!

This was from the very first draft of The Sleeping Prince, while Silas was still trying on personalities like hats.

He looms over me, tall and thin. “Tincture of monkshood? I put an order under your door,” he says, his voice rasping and low, made for secrets and I feel my hands start to shake.
          It was Pegwin who’d told me about him in hushed tones as he’d stalked through the market my first time there two moons ago.
          “Watch that one,” she’d said, spittle flying out from between her cracked teeth. “He’s Lormerian. Silas Kolby. Rotten to the core.”
          I’d been surprised, given the nature of the village it was rare that anyone spoke out against about their neighbours. “Is he dangerous?”
          Pegwin merely gave me a dark look. “The sooner he passes on into Tregellan the better. And in the meantime you stay away from him.”
          And I have, until now, when he stands on the edge of my cloak and stares at me.
          “I’ve got coin,” he says quietly, patting his pockets where metal rattles freely.
          I still can’t speak, which is unlike me, and I keep one eye on him as I rummage in my basket for the vial of deadly monkshood.
          He holds out a gloved hand to take it from me and I do the same for the money, keeping the vial in my fist until he reaches into his pocket. His hand is full when he pulls it out, coins and a silver pipe and a glass ball all sit on his palm. He selects a few of the coins, dropping them into my open hand and I drop the vial into his. He gives a brief nod and leaves and I look down at the coins he’s given me. None of them are Tregellian, all of them are old and tarnished and bear the head of some old king from somewhere else.
I can’t use these to pay Unwin.
I can’t use these for the rent. If it were any other week it wouldn’t matter but today I need the florin he owes me for the mixture. I need five florins for the rent.
          “Mr Kolby” I call after him, ignoring Pegwin’s sharp intake of breath as I move after him, trying to keep my voice level and respectful. “My Kolby, a moment please.”
          He stops dead, turning, and looks me up and down in a way that makes my skin feel itchy. “Did you just call me Mr Kolby?” he says.
          “I did,” I swallow, before holding my hand stiff. “I think you made a mistake, sir. This isn’t Tregellian currency.”
          “Sir?” he says, narrowing his eyes at me. “Sir? Are you mocking me?”
          “I’m not. I just this isnt the right money.
          “The right money?” He looks perplexed.
          “I need Tregellian coins. This is no good.”
          “Throw it away then,” he shrugs and turns away.
          “You owe me a florin for the monkshood,” I protest but he shrugs again without turning to look at me and my vision turns red.
I did not spend this morning having piss thrown at me to have some freakish Lormerian put the little I do have in jeopardy.
I will not allow Chanse Unwin to put his hands on me because Silas Kolby thinks he doesn’t need to pay for my work.
Enraged I throw the coins and they bounce off his back.
He stops dead, his shoulders jerking back, his arms held slightly away from his sides and my
hand moves to my knife belt.
          As he turns the whole forest stills, as if every person, tree, and animal around us are simultaneously holding their breath. Then the exhale; I can hear the last remaining people behind me gathering their belongings, the clink of metal against metal as possession are thrown into baskets and bundled away, the rustling of branches as they scuttle into the undergrowth and cold hard fear turns my stomach to stone.
Silas Kolby looks at me, then the ground where the coins have fallen, then me again with exaggerated slowness. He opens his hand and looks at the monkshood and my blood runs cold. I shudder involuntarily and he smirks, dipping his hand back into his pocket. He looks thoughtfully at whatever it is he pulls out before he flicks it towards me and I catch it neatly. My jaw drops when I see it is a whole, shiny five florin piece. The entire month’s rent, right there in my hand. Four more florins than I need, four more florins than the potion is worth.
“Keep the change, Errin Vastel,” he says quietly but I know he’s not being generous. It’s a threat, I can tell from the way the words made every hair on the back of my neck stand up. He wants me to know he knows who I am.
          I stare after him, watching him vanish into the dark woodland, my heart fluttering in my chest before I realise I am alone. There is a moment when I’m grateful for it and then I curse. Cowards leaving me here alone with him. Alone in the woods is the last place I should be, especially given the amount of money and goods I’m carrying and especially because Silas Kolby knows my name.
          I dart back to my basket and cloak, whirling it around me and palming my knife before I begin the walk back. The one advantage to not keeping to a regular path on the way to and from the market is that there’s no route I’m likely to be caught on, but just in case I’ll circle back around the yew trees. I need more nightshade anyway.
          There are no birds calling in the trees as I move and I don’t like it, it makes the world feel poised and sets my already jangled nerves on edge. I keep my basket between my feet as I pull my gloves on and hack at the nightshade. When I have as much nightshade as I can wrap in my waxed paper, I twist the ends carefully and wrap it in another sheet, before tucking it as far from the food I’m carrying as I can.
          Then I’m away again, darting through the trees. I have a long list of things I need but I’m too anxious to collect it now, I’ll have to come out at dawn tomorrow. No one bad is up and about at dawn; evildoers don’t rise before midday. When the trees begin to thin my heart slows, I can see the afternoon light puncturing the dim forest and that’s when I trip over a root, flying forward, my basket arching up and then down with a sickening crunch as I raise my arms to protect my face.
          “Oh dear. You seem to have fallen down,” a jagged male voice drawls.

          I turn over to see Silas Kolby balancing a knife on the end of his finger.




About Melinda:
Melinda Salisbury lives by the sea, somewhere in the south of England. As a child she genuinely thought Roald Dahl’s Matilda was her biography, in part helped by her grandfather often mistakenly calling her Matilda, and the local library having a pretty cavalier attitude to the books she borrowed. Sadly she never manifested telekinetic powers. She likes to travel, and have adventures. She also likes medieval castles, non-medieval aquariums, Richard III, and all things Scandinavian. The Sin Eater’s Daughter is her first novel, and will be published by Scholastic in 2015. She is represented by the amazing Claire Wilson at Rogers, Coleridge and White.

She tweets. A lot.



Giveaway Details:


3 winners will receive a finished copies of THE SLEEPING PRINCE, US Only.




Tour Schedule:

Week One:
5/23/2016- Dark Faerie TalesInterview
5/24/2016- Addicted ReadersReview
5/25/2016- Two Chicks on Books- Interview
5/26/2016- Once Upon a TwilightReview
5/27/2016- FiktshunGuest Post

Week Two:
5/30/2016- My Friends Are FictionReview
5/31/2016- Adventures of a Book JunkieGuest Post
6/1/2016- The Broke and the BookishReview
6/2/2016- Fiction Fare- Interview
6/3/2016- Mundie Moms- Review

Dying To Read (157)- BLACKSOULS by Nicole Castroman


Hey y’all thanks for stopping by to see my Dying to Read post and of course as always I have to give credit to the lovely Jill over at Breaking the Spine for the Waiting on Wednesday Meme!


The cover was just revealed and there isn't an official synopsis yet but I don't care I had to add this to my WoW!!



Title: BLACKSOULS
Author: Nicole Castroman
Release Date: Spring 2017
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: ?
Formats: Hardcover, paperback, eBook, audiobook
Find it: Goodreads
Nicole Ellul at Simon Pulse has acquired BLACKSOULS, the sequel to Nicole Castroman’s BLACKHEARTS. Anne and Teach (the future Blackbeard) are on separate ships and endure horrendous journeys, violence, and even mutiny until arriving in the tropics of Nassau—only to face corrupt politics and danger around every corner. BLACKSOULS will publish in Spring 2017.

So what do you think? Will you be adding this to your pile? What are you dying to read this week?

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Meet The Newbies- Featuring Kat Howard and A Giveaway!



I am thrilled to be hosting Kat Howard for the Meet The Newbies Event! ROSES AND ROT sounds absolutely fantastic and I can't wait to read it! I have a Q&A to share with you today! And make sure to enter the awesome giveaway below! 

Haven't heard of ROSES AND ROT? Check it out!

Title: ROSES AND ROT
Author: Kat Howard
Release Date: May 17th, 2016
Pages: 336
Publisher: Saga Press
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook
Find it: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks
Imogen and her sister Marin have escaped their cruel mother to attend a prestigious artists’ retreat, but soon learn that living in a fairy tale requires sacrifices, be it art or love.

What would you sacrifice in the name of success? How much does an artist need to give up to create great art?

Imogen has grown up reading fairy tales about mothers who die and make way for cruel stepmothers. As a child, she used to lie in bed wishing that her life would become one of these tragic fairy tales because she couldn’t imagine how a stepmother could be worse than her mother now. As adults, Imogen and her sister Marin are accepted to an elite post-grad arts program—Imogen as a writer and Marin as a dancer. Soon enough, though, they realize that there’s more to the school than meets the eye. Imogen might be living in the fairy tale she’s dreamed about as a child, but it’s one that will pit her against Marin if she decides to escape her past to find her heart’s desire. 


Now on to the interview!

Hi Kat! First I want to say welcome to Two Chicks on Books! I am so happy to be hosting you for A Perfection Called Books Meet The Newbies Event! I am dying to read ROSES AND ROT and I can’t wait for my readers to read it!

For the readers: can you tell us a little bit about ROSES AND ROT and the characters?

Roses and Rot is a riff on the medieval Scottish ballad, Tam Lin. It’s set at a modern day artists’ colony in New Hampshire. The two characters at the center are a pair of sisters, Imogen and Marin, who are trying to break away from their past, and make a new life for themselves through their art. Then Faerie gets involved, and things get complicated.

Is it a standalone? If not do you have a title for book 2 yet and if so what are you working on now?

Roses and Rot Is a standalone. I loved spending time with those characters, but that story is finished. I did just turn in a draft of my next novel to my editor, and I hope to be able to share details about it, soon. I’m also working on stories for a collection of my short fiction A Cathedral of Myth and Bone which will be out in 2018.

Were any of the characters in the book inspired by people from your real life?

I wouldn’t say anyone was directly inspired, but I did borrow bits here and there. Probably the one who comes the closest is Imogen’s mentor, Beth Edwards. I had a great relationship with my grad school advisor, Rebecca Krug (she’s in my acknowledgments) and the relationship between Imogen and Beth takes a lot from that.

Who was your favorite character to write? What about your least favorite?

Ah, this is a hard question! Since I have to pick, I would say that I loved writing Ariel the most. I really love her loyalty. And my least favorite to write was definitely Imogen and Marin’s mother.

What is your favorite passage/scene in ROSES AND ROT?

There are two scenes that involve a carousel. Describing the second scene would be HUGELY spoilery, but that is my favorite.

What kind of research did you have to do for the story?

Well, Marin is a very high level ballet dancer, and I am definitely not that. So I watched a lot of ballet, which I love, and I also spoke with one of my very good friends, Megan Kurashige, who is a professional dancer and choreographer (she and her sister run a dance company, Sharp & Fine) and those things helped me get in Marin’s head.

What are you reading right now? Or what do you have on your TBR that you’re dying to read?

Right now, I’m reading the final book in Catherynne M. Valente’s Fairyland series, The Girl Who Raced Fairyland All the Way Home. I love these books.

Who is your ultimate Book Boyfriend?

Probably Gavriel in Holly Black’s The Coldest Girl in Coldtown.

What inspired you to write YA?

Roses and Rot isn’t YA, but I do hope to write YA someday when I find the right story. I love how many possibilities there are.

Lightening Round Questions

If you were to be sorted by the Sorting Hat, which Hogwarts House would you be sorted into?
I’m an ambitious Kat, so into Slytherin I go.

Twitter or Facebook?
Twitter.

Favorite Superhero?
Black Widow.

Favorite TV show?
All time? Alias. Currently? Elementary.

Sweet or Salty?
Sweet.

Any Phobias?
House centipedes.

Song you can’t get enough of right now?
“Wait for It” from Hamilton.

Upcoming Movie you’re most looking forward to?
Rogue One.


Thanks so much Kat for answering my questions!

Thanks so much for asking good ones! 

About Kat:

Author Most to Actually Stab Someone With a Sword 

Nickname: My nephew used to call me "Aunt Halloween" which is honestly the best thing. I was kind of sad when he grew out of it
First Day of School: May 17, 2016
Homeroom: Saga Press
Grade: Fantasy 
Extracurricular Activities: fencing, cross country, hurdles. Which probably means I have a decent shot at surviving the zombie apocalypse. The first day, anyway.
Favorite Class: Shakespeare 

Favorite Quote/Motto: "All manner of thing shall be well" - Julian of Norwich (I love it so much, it's tattooed on my left wrist.
Kat Howard lives in New Hampshire. Her short fiction has been nominated for the World Fantasy Award, anthologized in year's best and best of collections, and performed on NPR. Roses and Rot is her debut novel. You can find her on twitter at @KatWithSword. 

Also, Shane Leonard took her photo, and she's super grateful.



Giveaway Details:

1 Pre-Order or Finished Copy of Any Debut Novel Featured on Meet the Newbies, International (as long as The Book Depository ships to your country)
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Tour Schedule:


April:
  1. Rachel - Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here by Anna Breslaw  - f
  2. Danielle - Save Me, Kurt Cobain by Jenny Manzer
  3. Shannon - Crossing The Line by Meghan Rogers
  4. Alyssa - These Vicious Masks by Tarun Shanker & Kelly Zekas
  5. Rachel - A Study In Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro
  6. Nori - Love, Lies & Spies by Cindy Anstey
  7. Sarah - Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton
  8. Jess - The Girl Who Fell by Shannon M Parker - f
  9. Rachel - Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch
  10. Eileen - My Kind of Crazy by Robin Reul
  11. Jessica - Beyond The Red by Ava Jae
  12. Crystal - A Fierce and Subtle Poison by Samantha Mabry
  13. Rachel - The First Time She Drowned by Kerry Kletter  
  14. Jaime - Future Shock by Elizabeth Briggs
  15. Nori - Emerge by Tobie Easton - f
  16. Crystal - Stone Field by Christy Lenzi
  17. Shannon - The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie
  18. Alyssa - Sword and Verse by Kathy MacMillan  
  19. Rachel - Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin
  20. Shannon - After the Woods by Kim Savage
  21. Jaime - Where Futures End by Parker Peevyhouse
  22. Lisa - Summer of Supernovas by Darcy Woods - f
  23. Rachel - The Star Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
  24. Alyssa - Arrows by Melissa Gorzelanczyk
  25. Eileen - Dreamology by Lucy Keating
  26. Aentee - Wandering Wild by Jessica Taylor
  27. Nori - Underwater by Marisa Reichardt
  28. Crystal - Into the Dim by Janet B Taylor
  29. Jess - This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp - f
  30. Lisa - Summer of Sloane by Erin L Schneider


May:
  1. Jaime - The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye
  2. Rachel - The Square Root of Summer by Harriet Reuter Hapgood
  3. Liran - The Love That Split The World by Emily Henry --
  4. Nori - Assassin's Heart by Sarah Ahiers
  5. Shannon - Even If The Sky Falls by Mia Garcia
  6. Rachel - Burning Glass by Kathryn Purdie - f
  7. Jessica - Bookishly Ever After by Isabel Bandeira
  8. Lisa - The Year We Fell Apart by Emily Martin
  9. Shannon - The Art of Not Breathing by Sarah Alexander
  10. Rachel - The Mystery of Hollow Places by Rebecca Podos
  11. Kristen - Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman
  12. Danielle - Jerkbait by Mia Siegert
  13. Brittany - Please Don't Tell by Laura Tims - f
  14. Rachel - The Reader by Traci Chee
  15. Lisa - 26 Kisses by Anna Michels
  16. Rachel - Frannie and Tru by Karen Hattrup
  17. Alise - Enter Title Here by Rahul Kanakia
  18. Rachel - The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner
  19. Lisa - The Way I Used To Be  by Amber Smith
  20. Rachel - Suffer Love by Ashley Herring Blake - f
  21. Liran - Firsts by Laurie E. Flynn
  22. Rachel - Kill The Boy Band by Goldy Moldavsky
  23. Danielle - Liars and Losers Like Us by Ami Allen-Vath
  24. Jaime - Roses and Rot by Kat Howard
  25. Kristen - The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig
  26. Rachel - The Marked Girl by Lindsey Klingele
  27. Eileen - Shallow Graves by Kali Wallace - f
  28. Rachel - Of Blood and Shadow by Kerri Maniscalco
  29. Aentee - Revenge and the Wild  by Michelle Modesto
  30. Rachel - Ivory and Bone by Julie Eshbaugh
  31. Liran - All The Feels by Danika Stone


June:
  1. Shannon - How It Ends by Catherine Lo
  2. Andye - Fear My Mortality by Everly Frost send info
  3. Empty f
  4. Alise - The Killer in Me by Margot Harrison
  5. Sarah - Signs of You by Emily France
  6. Brittany - The Way Back To You by Michelle Andreani
  7. Rachel - How To Hang A Witch by Adriana Mather
  8. Sarah - SLIP by Kara Bietz
  9. Danielle - Timekeeper by Tara Sim
  10. Andye - Genesis Girl by Jennifer Bardsley - f
  11. Rachel - Caraval by Stephanie Garber
  12. Alyssa - Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst
  13. Jaime - Fear The Drowning Deep by Sarah Glenn Marsh
  14. Alise - Ripple by Heather Smith Meloche
  15. Rachel - Mirror in the Sky by Aditi Khorana
  16. Nori - Unscripted Joss Byrd by Lygia Day Penaflor send info
  17. Rachel - Girls in the Moon by Janet McNally - f
  18. Kristen - Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones
  19. Shannon - Learning to Swear in America by Katie Kennedy
  20. Danielle - Phantom Limbs by Paula Garner
  21. Rachel - The Cat King of Havana by Tom Crosshill
  22. Andye - Bound By Blood and Sand by Becky Allen
  23. Rachel - Ever The Hunted by Erin Summerill
  24. Shannon - Gemini by Sonya Mukherjee - f
  25. Danielle - Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow
  26. Jess - The Weight of Zero by Karen Fortunati
  27. Rachel - Flashfall by Jenny Moyer
  28. Empty
  29. Nori - A Song to Take the World Part by Zan Romanoff
  30. Alise - A Shadow Bright and Burning by Jessica Cluess


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