Alpha & Omega Read-a-long Discussion: Alpha & Omega/Cry Wolf

You guys!  Discussion day is upon us.  And I am friggin' excited.  I've never hosted a solo read-a-long which means I've never really had to come up with discussion questions by myself.  So I apologize in advance if they're kind of lacking.  I'm hoping you loved the prequel novella and book 1 enough that you'll overlook my feeble attempt at questions.  *grins*  If you're just tuning in and want to participate I'll have links to the intro post and sign up page below.  Now that that's out of the way let's do the damn thing.

Alpha & Omega Questions

1.  I've never been to Chicago but, Patricia Brigg's (PB from here on out) worldbuilding is nothing to sneeze at.  Have any of you visited the windy city?  Is her depiction up to snuff?

2.  If PB's worldbuilding is awesome, then her characters are on a whole other level.  What were your initial thoughts about Anna and Charles?

3.  Novellas are tough in that you have a limited number of pages to deliver a story interesting enough that'll make the reader want to pick up the actual series.  What are your thoughts on the story as a whole?

4.  What were some of your favorite and/or least favorite characters?

5.  What did you think about the whole Omega angle?

Cry Wolf Questions

1.  Cry Wolf picks up where Alpha & Omega left off.  What did you guys think about Anna's new surroundings?

2.  What did you guys think about PB's take on werewolves?

  

3.  Leah, Bran's mate, is a total bitch.  Every time she came on the scene I wanted to reach into the book and slap her senseless.  What other characters had you wanting to slap them and/or root for them?

4.  I, for one, am not a fan of a couple meeting and 30 seconds later figuring out they're the loves of each others lives.  How did you guys feel about the way Anna and Charles' relationship rolled out?

5.  That ending was like WHOOOAAA!  Thoughts?

If you're interested in learning more about the read-a-long or are interested in signing up CHECK OUT THIS POST.

Review: The Walking Dead, Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye

Title:  The Walking Dead, Vol. 01: Days Gone Bye
Author:  Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore (Illustrator)
Genre:  Graphic Novel
Publisher:  Image Comics
Publication Date:  October 29, 2013
Series Info:  Volume 1 in the Walking Dead series
Cover Artist:  Tony Moore
Who/What/Why/Where/How:  Uuummm...because it's The Walking Dead.  I was lucky enough to find a copy at my local library.
Where to Buy:  Amazon

The world we knew is gone. The world of commerce and frivolous necessity has been replaced by a world of survival and responsibility. An epidemic of apocalyptic proportions has swept the globe, causing the dead to rise and feed on the living. In a matter of months society has crumbled: no government, no grocery stores, no mail delivery, no cable TV. In a world ruled by the dead, the survivors are forced to finally start living. 

Review:

This review ended up being harder to write than I initially thought.  I blame it on the fact that I watched the TV show before picking up the graphic novel.  Don't get me wrong, it was an excellent graphic novel.  The writing is great and the illustrations do the story justice.  But for some reason it feels like I'm reading cliff notes.

For those of you who have never read the graphic novel or seen the TV show (seriously, where have you been), here's the gist: dude wakes up from a coma, realizes the world has gone to hell in a hand basket, sets off to find his missing wife and kid and mayhem ensues.  For those of you who don't like the show because of the ick factor, the graphic novel might work out better for you.  It'll still make you squirm a bit but, nothing like the show would.

All in all I'm glad I checked it out from the library.  I throughly enjoyed it.

Favorite Scenes/Lines:

Series Info:
The latest comic book issue is #137.  That's a lot of issues to try to list so in an effort not to bore you to death please click HERE to obtain detailed info about the series.  For fans of the show, don't forget to tune in to the mid-season premiere on Sunday, February 8th at 9pm on AMC.  Woot!


Stalk the Author:
Website   |  Twitter   |   Goodreads


Also Reviewed By:
The Book Smugglers
Dark Faerie Tales
Book Chick City
The Obsessive Book Nerd

Tackling the TBR Jar: February Edition

A monthly feature (inspired by The Book Vixen's TBR Jar Project) to help me (and in turn maybe you) get the out of control TBR piles in check.

Hello party people.  Welcome to the February Edition of Tackling the TBR Jar.  As I was setting this post up it occurred to me that this feature could go really well or it could be downright disastrous.  Screw it.  I think either way it's going to be an interesting experience.  Anywhoozle, here are the contenders I ended up pulling out of the TBR jar:

Interesting side note, sticking your hand in a jar full of slips of cardstock paper can be quite dangerous.  *ahem*  Here's a little more detail about the titles:

Lead Me On (Book 3 in the Tumble Creek series) by Victoria Dahl

Raw, animal magnetism......is a big red flag to prim and proper office manager Jane Morgan. After a rough childhood with a mother who liked her men in prison-jumpsuit orange, Jane changed her name, her look and her taste for bad boys. So why is she lusting for William Chase with his tattoo-covered biceps and steel-toed boots? The man blows things up for a living!

She gives herself one explosive, fantasy-filled night with Chase. The next day it's back to plain Jane and safe men.

But when her beloved brother becomes a murder suspect, it's Chase who comes to her rescue. And Jane discovers that a man who's been around the block knows a thing or two about uncovering the truth....

Hourglass (Book 1 in the Hourglass series) by Myra McEntire

One hour to rewrite the past . . .

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn't there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents' death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She's tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.

So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson's willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may also change her past.

Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he's around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should've happened?

City of Ghosts (Book 3 in the Downside Ghosts series) by Stacia Kane

IT'S A THIN LINE BETWEEN ALIVE AND UNDEAD.

Chess Putnam has a lot on her plate. Mangled human corpses have started to show up on the streets of Downside, and Chess's bosses at the Church of Real Truth have ordered her to team up with the ultra-powerful Black Squad agency to crack the grisly case.

Chess is under a binding spell that threatens death if she talks about the investigation, but the city's most notorious crime boss--and Chess's drug dealer--gets wind of her new assignment and insists on being kept informed. If that isn't bad enough, a sinister street vendor appears to have information Chess needs. Only he's not telling what he knows, or what it all has to do with the vast underground City of Eternity.

Now Chess will have to navigate killer wraiths, First Elders, and a lot of seriously nasty magic--all while coping with some not-so-small issues of her own. And the only man Chess can trust to help her through it all has every reason to want her dead.

I think that's a pretty decent draw.  Only problem is I haven't read book 1 in the Tumble Creek series or the Downside Ghosts series.  Yes, I know, I'm lame.  Too many books, too little time and all that jazz.  The way this ends up working is that those particular picks will revert back to the the first books in their respective series.  Those books are:

Talk Me Down (Book 1 in the Tumble Creek series) by Victoria Dahl

Molly Jennings has one naughty little secret: her job as a bestselling erotic fiction author. Until her inspiration runs dry—thanks to a creepy ex—and it's time to skip town and move back to tiny Tumble Creek, Colorado.

One look at former high school hunk chief of police Ben Lawson and Molly is back in business. The town gossip is buzzing at her door and, worse still, a stalker seems to be watching her every move. Thankfully, her very own lawman has taken to coming over, often. The only problem now is that Molly may have to let the cat out of the bag about her chosen profession, and straitlaced Ben will definitely not approve.…

Unholy Ghosts (Book 1 in the Downside Ghosts series) by Stacia Kane

THE DEPARTED HAVE ARRIVED.

The world is not the way it was. The dead have risen, and the living are under attack. The powerful Church of Real Truth, in charge since the government fell, has sworn to reimburse citizens being harassed by the deceased. Enter Chess Putnam, a fully tattooed witch and freewheeling ghost hunter. She's got a real talent for banishing the wicked dead. But Chess is keeping a dark secret: She owes a lot of money to a murderous drug lord named Bump, who wants immediate payback in the form of a dangerous job that involves black magic, human sacrifice, a nefarious demonic creature, and enough wicked energy to wipe out a city of souls. Toss in lust for a rival gang leader and a dangerous attraction to Bump's ruthless enforcer, and Chess begins to wonder if the rush is really worth it. Hell, yeah.

After a little deliberation I decided to go with Talk Me Down.  I then realized that I don't own a copy so I ended up going with my runner up, Unholy Ghosts.  You guys know I love UF and I hear the book is kick ass.  Where I'm from that's called a win win.  I'll check in at the end of February to share my thoughts.  Until then....happy reading!

Alpha & Omega Read-a-long Check In

Hi read-a-longers! *waves*  Hope you had a lovely weekend.  Just checking in to see how y'all were doing.  I finished up Cry Wolf over the weekend and I'm literally busting at the seams with wanting to talk to you guys about it.  *deep breaths*  Just 3 more days.  Just...3...more...days.  ;-)

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Music Mondays ft. @JoeyBADASS

Music Mondays is a bi-weekly feature where I'll post my favorite songs, videos, albums and/or artists of the week (or maybe even of all-time).

Good morning party people.  Another Monday is upon us.  *sigh*  I know, I know.  Monday's are rough but, that's why I decided to host this feature on Mondays.  Music just makes everything better, no?  I digress.  If you're a fan of 90's hip hop then I have a treat for you.  Today's artist is Joey Bada$$ and I discovered him while lounging around the house.  I know, random.  Here's how it went down.  The BF was YouTubing it up and told me that I had to stop reading (the nerve of him) and watch this video.  I'm glad I obliged.  I ended up liking Joey before I ever heard his music.  Then I heard his music and instantly became a fan.  So without further ado, here's one of my favorite songs off his new album:

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