Stories: A Book Blurb

STORIES

The joy of fiction is the joy of the imagination. All new tales edited

by Neil Gaiman & Al Sarrantonio

The Blurb 

The best stories pull readers in and keep them turning the pages, eager to find the answer to the question, 'And then what happened?' As Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio prove with this outstanding collection, when it comes to great fiction, all genres are equal. 

Stories is a groundbreaking anthology that reinvigorates, expands, and redefines imaginative fiction with contributions from some of the best writers in the world. This extraordinary volume will ignite a new appreciation for the limitless realm of exceptional storytelling. 

The First Line(s)

BLOOD by Roddy Doyle                                                                                                                                                                                           He grew up in Dracula's City. He'd walked past Bram Stoker's house everyday on his way to school. But it had meant nothing to him. He'd never felt a thing, not the hand of a ghost or a shiver, not a lick on his neck as he passed. 

Why I Decided to Take on the Read

Permit me to say it again, but wordsy surfaces capture me instantly. Since this book is covered with words and some clip arts with a very catchy and somewhat pale color palette, then I was drawn to read its blurb on the back. Sounds good. It seems that buying this book would be similar to winning the local lottery. I get to read different authors at a time. I am only familiar with Neil Gaiman, Joanne Harris and Chuck Palahniuk. Yes, limited reading. I need to work on that I guess. I am more than willing to know other authors though. And some short story titles did caught my attention. For instance, Polka Dots and Moonbeams. I am peachy like that.

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The Great Gatsby: A Book Blurb

THE GREAT GATSBY

by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Blurb 

The parties at Gatsby's Long Island mansion were legendarily glamorous affairs. 

Yet amid the long throng of guests, starlets and champagne waiters, their host would appear oddly aloof. For there was only one person Jay Gatsby sought to impress. She was Daisy Buchanan: married, elegant, seducing men with a silken charisma and 'a voice... full of money'.

As Gatsby pursues shady deals and his doomed obsession with Daisy, F. Scott Fitzgerald distills the essence of the Jazz Age, and probes to the empty heart of the American Dream.


The First Line 

In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.                                                                                                'Whenever you feel like criticising anyone,' he told me, 'just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had.'

Why I Decided to Take on the Read

It's F. Scott Fitzgerald -- need I say more? I fell in love with Fitzgerald (his very surname takes me to a literary euphoria I can cherish only savor with nobody else but myself) when woven words that I have read in tumblr moved me deeply, only to find towards the end of the quote or phrase or paragraph, his lovely surname. That's the thing with me. I am attracted to a quote then read the name. I am attracted to another quote and read the same name. That writer will be marked by me. And so, I wanted to know more about Fitzgerald that I have read his and her writer lover intense and tragic story on Wiki. Since then, I was dying to read his their works. Fitzgerald was also one of the celebrated writers in Under the Covers and Beneath the Sheets. It was thought that The Great Gatsby was his greatest finished work. Finished. His latest work which was unfinished was thought to have surpassed The Great Gatsby if only it was written until the end. Tragic. Even in real life.

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Passion Creek: A Book Blurb & Tour

Passion Creek by Avery Flynn

Uptight history professor Sam Layton may have the abs of a movie action hero, but he stopped believing in the joy of adventure a long time ago. However, when a one-night stand with a tattooed bombshell leads to a treasure map for the long-buried Rebecca’s Bounty, the call to action is too strong to ignore. All Las Vegas cocktail waitress Josie Winarsky wants to do is paint. But when she lands smack dab in the middle in a mob plot, she has to push aside her dreams to find a treasure in Dry Creek, Nebraska and save her family from harm. With Sam at her side and a Vegas loan shark on her tail, the treasure she finds turn out to be much more valuable than emeralds and rubies. This book is intended for Adults 18+.
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Avery Flynn is a pseudonym for the author who, at least for now, prefers to remain behind the scenes. She believes having Avery as her alter ego is a very good thing because, as she says, “Pen name Avery is way cooler than me. Her favorite color is hot pink. She drinks single malt scotch on the rocks. She loves the Argentinean tango and stays at Iceland’s Ice Hotel.” Author Avery has been writing since she was a child and her father gave her a baby blue Brother typewriter. She couldn’t read but nonetheless wrote numerous stories about her stuffed animals in gibberish. She hasn’t stopped since, though she maintains that her spelling has gotten much better and she now prefers to write in English. Today she’s enjoying her own happily ever after with her dashing husband, three crazy kids and two arthritic dogs. She dreams of one day having a floor-to-ceiling library à la Beauty and the Beast and is working to perfect the coffee IV drip.

Tour Starts September 4th!!

The author is giving away a HUGE prize pack! Digital copy of Passion Creek Signed paperback copies of Temptation Creek and Seduction Creek, 1 I heart Dry Creek, Nebraska T-shirt, 1 I heart Dry Creek, Nebraska keychain, 1 $100 Amazon gift card To pick the name of a character in Avery Flynn's next book

Fill out the form below to enter. Open US Residents. International receive Digital books and Giftcard. a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Follow the Tour

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Zane's Trace: A Book Blurb

ZANE'S TRACE

by Allan Wolf

The Blurb 
 

Zane Guesswind is running from one death straight toward another -- his own. Taking off in a stolen 1969 Plymouth Barracuda, armed with his brother's driver's license, a six-pack of Mountain Dew, a jumbo pack of Sharpies, and a loaded gun in the trunk, he's headed for Zanesville, Ohio -- to kill himself at his mother's gravesite. He's got no rearview mirror and no more worries.

But when Zane picks up Libba, a hitchhiker also on her way to Zanesville, he gets a lot more than a girl who wants the last word in any argument. With each mile marker that he passes, Zane gets farther from the life he knows and closer to figuring out who he is. This suspenseful novel is a fast-moving read with a supernatural twist -- and an insightful look at families and how we can only escape them when we accept the way they are.

The First Lines

I-70 West: Mile Marker 82
* 334 Miles to Zanesville  

When I die
I want to come back
as a 1969 Plymouth Barracuda
midnight blue with black-tape accents,
twin dummy hood scoops,
and a 440 big-block engine
stuffed between the fenders.
An engine so big they had to install it
with a shoehorn and a hammer. 

Why I Decided to Take on the Read

Present to me a book with handwriting scribbles on its cover and I wouldn't take a second chance in grabbing it. That's what happened to Zane's Trace. I love seeing handwritten scribbles on books. On torn pieces of paper. On receipts. Anywhere. There's something personal about them -- they're like the remnants of the soul, like the faint white smoke that lingers when you blow the fire from the candlewick. This book has an air of eerieness in it and this draw me onto reading on the front cover. The story seems interesting a boy who was about to abandon his suicide plan. This book ought to have some good lessons about life. And.. This book is unique as it doesn't have chapters only summary of thoughts on each mile marker. Handwritten notes and unique way of storytelling. Got me.

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Under the Covers and Between the Sheets: A Book Blurb

UNDER THE COVERS AND BETWEEN THE SHEETS

The inside story behind classic characters, authors, unforgettable phrases, and unexpected endings

by C. Alan Joyce & Sarah Janssen

The Blurb 

GET THE INSIDE STORY

Did you know that Stephen King's wife rescued the manuscript for the best seller Carrie from the trash? Or that journalist Dorothy Parker left her entire estate to Martin Luther King Jr.? Hundreds of surprising little-known flaws, foibles, and feuds of the literary world will draw you into the pages of Under the Covers and between the Sheets...

DOWN AND OUT

Long before she became Bill Clinton's inaugural poet, Maya Angelou had stints working as a fry cook, a nightclub "shake dancer", and the first black streetcar conductor in San Francisco. 

PEN PALS

Mark Twain wasn't a lover of all literature. He once wrote of Jane Austen, "Every time I read Pride and Prejudice I want to dig her up and beat her over the skull with her own shin-bone."

A MONSTER IN THE FAMILY

Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are was meant to feature wild horses -- but when they proved too difficult to draw, he replaced them with monsters modeled on his aunts and uncles. 

The First Lines

Admit it: Even though you're a ravenous reader today, you probably still wince and shudder when someone mentions The Scarlet Letter, and you are overcome by memories of that high school English teacher who slowly squeezed the life out of what technically should have been a fun read for a 16-year-old. Seriously: It's got sin, adultery, revenge, self-flagellation, mysterious astronomical portents... what's not to like?

Why I Decided to Take on the Read

If you have been stalking me, you would've known that I am a ravenous reader poser. At least I think so. Though I have the thick and sticky desire and lust to read on books the whole afternoon, I cannot do so. Blame my work, frisbee, alcohol, the internet and him. But, I swear, if my God permits me, I would read all the important classics, especially those written by Fitzgerald. When I came upon this book, imagine my ecstasy. This would be my ultimate weapon against my literary friends. This would make me sound like a genius who seem to have touched all the pages of the books that are mentioned in this book. Aside from the juicy trivia that this book will feed me, this would guide me on what books to pick up. I really need a Kindle Fire this time. Also, I am overjoyed everytime I can relate to what the authors are pointing out or when they quote lines from books that I have already read. I'm like, Oh, I know that already with matching hand drop gesture. And it's really contemporary. They talk about the latest authors and books like Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling so it's timely and that makes this book enjoyable. This is not my review by the way, but it sounds like a review since I am halfway through the read so I am just gonna stop here.

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Kindle Fire Event for the Bookgasmics

Welcome to the Literary Addicts Kindle Fire Event where we have teamed up with 10 Amazing Authors and several awesome bloggers to celebrate the

Grand Opening of Literary Addicts a Community for Book Lovers!

Please check out the Fantastic authors bringing the Kindle Fire Giveaway to you!

Don't miss out on these great reads even if you don't have a kindle yet. You can download the kindle app for you phone, desktop, or ipad HERE. All of these books are less than a Starbucks Coffee!

Immortal Voyage 

Before the time of the great pyramids, there was a place like none other, a city of glass and metal rising from the depths of the ocean. Shrouded in mist, the island of Hy-Brasil and its capital Atlantis lay hidden from the rest of the world by its people, a race of long lived, interstellar nomads. Read more and purchase for only $2.99 

Give Me - A Tale of Wyrd and Fae 

 All she wanted was a vacation - but Dumnos offered a new life. Lilith Evergreen has always lived in the California desert, but when she receives an antique ring as a gift, she dreams of a castle by the sea, a magnificent tree at cliff's edge, and a mysterious woman who bids Lilith to come to Dumnos, a land of mist and rain. Read more and purchase for only $3.99 Paperback      

Slow Boat to Purgatory (Slow Boat to Purgatory #1) 

Gaspar De Rouse, an immortal Knight Templar, a man murdered by his brothers for the secret he possessed, resurrected and given a second chance at redemption. Dominicus Bureau, a renegade priest, torn between his vows and the secret he pursues, a secret protected by an immortal. Alex Donovan, a modern day warrior thrust into an ages old war, a war between good and evil, heaven and hell.
Read more and purchase for only $2.99 Paperback      

Mark of the Witch (Boston Witches Book 1) 

Magic flows through Jillian Proctor's veins as surely as blood, but so far her life outside Boston has been peaceful. William Morgan blows into Jilly's life like a hurricane, unleashing her magic and sending her out of control. Unknowingly, William brings an enemy who only wants to posses the power of the witch. Jilly must learn to harness her magic before she loses it - and everything in her life is destroyed. Purchase for only $2.99 Paperback

   

The Marriage Bargain 

 Camille Chandler is a tabloid journalist whose career is right on track--until her boss sees a curious ad in the L.A. Trades. Wanted: Single actress for an extended gig abroad. France's mega-rich playboy Julian de Laurent is up to something and Camille's boss expects her to find out what. Who knew the eccentric gazillionaire was looking to hire a temporary wife? Read more and purchase for only $2.99  


Descended by Blood (Vampire Born #1) 

Brooke Keller is a high school junior who has never spent much time living in one place. She is finally in a town long enough to almost snag the boy of her dreams, until her life is threatened after killing a fanged man in his attempt to kidnap her. Brooke begins a dangerous journey in an effort to find out who is after her and how to stop them. In a world with powerful and prejudiced vampires, Read more and purchase for only $2.99 Paperback   

Dirty Blood

I killed a girl last night. I did it with my bare hands and an old piece of pipe I found lying next to the dumpster. But that’s not the part that got me. The part that scared me, the part I can’t seem to wrap my head around and still has me reeling, was that when she charged me, her body shifted – and then she was a wolf. All snapping teeth and extended claws. But by the time I stood over her lifeless body, she was a girl again. Read more and purchase for only $2.99 Paperback


Taming the wolf (anna avery series, #1) 

Attacked by a wolf while hiking in the mountains, Anna Avery's life just got a little hairier. Living in the Big Horn mountains in Wyoming, with a group of werewolves who are more animal than human, Anna must try to hold onto her human side. It's not easy when the alpha continues to persuade her into his bed, while another wolf is chomping at the bit to become her mate. To top it all off, dead bodies are showing up and ..Read more and purchase for only $2.99
 
Fearless (Kings Series)

Tasmyn Vaughn didn't expect much when her dad’s job moved them to a small town in Florida; it was just another new school. But there is more to King than meets the eye, and soon Tasmyn’s ability to hear other’s thoughts is the least of her worries. Entangled in a web of first love, quirky and secretive townsfolk, magic and blood rituals, she discovers the town’s secrets aren’t just bizarre, they’re deadly. Purchase for only $3.99 Paperback


Secrets (Guardian Trilogy)

While Olivia Martin observed life through her camera, the Abyss gazed back at her. She discovers mysterious men follow her around, people close to her are dying, and her dreams are no longer her own as she falls head over heels for a perfect stranger. A chance encounter leads to an obsession that could destroy everything she has ever known or loved. Olivia is about to find out there is a lot she doesn't know and sometimes what you don't know can kill you. Read more and purchase for only $2.99



These fine authors are bringing you this Kindle Fire Event via Promotional Book Tours and Literary Addicts This contest is open Internationally! Please fill out the form below to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Coffee With Oscar Wilde: A Book Blurb

COFFEE WITH OSCAR WILDE

A fictional dialogue based on biographical facts

by Merlin Holland

The Blurb 


Buy Oscar a coffee and he'll inspire you to brilliance with his worldly wit...


The most illustrious figures of the past would have much to tell us if only we could borrow an hour or so of their time. The COFFEE WITH... series of dramatized biographies enables us to do just that. A relazed chat with Oscar Wilde turns into an eyebrow-raising journey through the extraordinary life and opinions of one of our most eminent and colorful literary figures... and we can even ask questions!


Renowned for his memorable bons mots, Oscar Wilde cut a dashing figure in late Victorian London... until his tragic downfall resulting from an ill-judged libel action. We remember him not only for his famous trial and imprisonment, but also for a "devil's dictionary" of timeless aphorisms and for the enduring brilliance of plays such as The Importance of Being Earnest.



The First Line 

A meeting with Oscar Wilde over several cups of coffee one rainy afternoon in Paris has been a delight.

Why I Decided to Take on the Read

I first saw the book in a Coffee Table Book Section of a prestigious bookshop in the Metro. I was thrilled upon seeing the title for Oscar Wilde is one of my favorite writers. His only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, is something that I haven't read though. I first encountered Oscar Wilde through my notebook; his quote was plastered on the cover. It was about passion. Shame that I have forgotten the exact quote. That single line and the name was tattooed in my mind. I've came across his quotes and the exaltation that I felt afterwards is wonderfully enigmatic. I fell in love with his every word. That started my love affair with Oscar Wilde. ♥

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Gossip of the Starlings: A Book Blurb

GOSSIP OF THE STARLINGS

by Nina de Gramont

The Blurb 


When Catherine Morrow is admitted to the Esther Percy School for Girls, it's on the condition that she reform her ways. But that's before the beautiful and charismatic Skype Butterfield, chooses Catherine for her best friend. Skye is in love with danger and the thrill of taking risks, breaking rules, and crossing boundaries, no matter the stakes. The problem is, the stakes keep getting higher and Catherine can neither resist Skype nor stop her from taking down everyone around her. 


De Gramont's chilling novel is a portrait of adolescent seductions in all their beauty and terror. Caught in a world that is both alluring and astonishing, the girls of Esther Percy are optimistic and willful, loving and selfish, daring and cruel -- all the while believing they're utterly indestructible. 

The First Line 

Now, when I see teenage girls laughing.

Why I Decided to Take on the Read

The almost metallic book cover sheet, the monochromatic bird silhouettes and the sparkling title drew me to this book. The reviews sealed the deal. The corrugated and irregular edges made me love the book even more. Another reason is that I think my youth has slowly eluded me and I wan to taste it again through the Esther Percy girls journey.

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Odalisque: A Book Blurb

 

ODALISQUE

This book is a work of fiction. In real life, make sure you practice safe, sane and consensual sex.

by Fleur Reynolds

The Blurb 


Set against a backdrop of sophisticated elegance, a tale of family intrigue, forbidden passions and depraved secrets unfolds. 

Beautiful but scheming, successful designer Auralie plots to bring about the downfall of her virtuous cousin, Jeanine. Recently widowed, but still young and glamorous, Jeanine finds her passions being rekindled by Auralie's husband. But she is playing into Auralie's hands -- vindictive hands that drag Jeanine into a world of erotic depravity. 


Why are the cousins locked into this sexual feud? And what is the purpose of Jeanine's mysterious Confessor, and his sordid underground seet?




The First Line 

'How wicked I am', thought Jeanine, as she removed the severe black band that held her thick blonde hair securely in place.

Why I Decided to Take on the Read

Me knowing me, the book cover would have swept me off my pumps. Nope, I wasn't wearing pumps when I took this controversial paperback upon my frail hands. Just to add glamour, I suppose. The title spells sophistication and so does the image on the cover. And, when I turned on the first page, I figured out I can tolerate the words and so off did the book from the shelf. It has chosen an owner. Odalisque, by the way, is a current slave, a concubine in training. Yes, there's a warning that this book ought to be sold to adults only because it has sensual parts. I always wanted to write sensually, but not in an audacious way. I want  innocent sensuality dabbed all over my future work. Yes, I am serious.

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The Man Who Ate the World: A Book Blurb

THE MAN WHO ATE THE WORLD

In Search of the Perfect Dinner

by Jay Rayner

The Blurb 

Nobody goes to restaurants for nutritional reasons. They go for the experience. And what price a really top experience?

So asks Jay Rayner, award-winning restaurant critic and one of the inimitable judges of the show Top Chef Masters. Fearlessly, and with great wit and verve, he takes up the search for the perfect meal: From the Tokyo sushi chef who offers a toast of snake-infused liquor to close a spectacular meal, to Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas where Robuchon himself eagerly watches his guest's every mouthful, to seven three-star Michelin restaurants in seven days in Paris, Rayner conducts a whirlwind tour of high-eng gastronomy that will thrill the heart-- and stomach -- of any armchair gourmand. Along the way, he uses his entrée into the restaurant world to probe the larger issues behind the globalization of dinner.


The First Line 

Reading this book will make you hungry.

Why I Decided to Take on the Read

I have a dire need to divert my appetite into masticating food through reading. That way, I kill time, cozy up myself so that I wouldn't bother to get up and grab some junk food and burn some calories by turning left or tight on my bed every other ten minutes or so.

Aside from this shallow thought, I have a very good explanation on why I buy food books (except recipe books, that would be when I have mouths to feed already). See, I have this food blog, Gastronomicca and I don't want to bore my readers to death with my limited gastronomical vocabulary and writing style. So, I wanna learn by reading. And, there's always something stimulating about reading descriptive sentences that arouses all five senses.

And Jay has me after I finished reading the Warning page, sort of the book's Prologue.

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Bachelor Girl: A Book Blurb

BACHELOR GIRL

100 Years of Breaking the Rules -- a Social History of Living Single

by Betsy Israel

The Blurb 

Journalist Betsy Israel paints remarkably vivid portraits of single women -- and how they have been perceived -- throughout the decades using primary sources, including private journals, newspapers, and other materials from popular media. From the nineteenth-century spinsters of New England to the Bowery girls of New York City, to the career girls of the 1950s and 1960s, single women have fought to find, and feel comfortable in, that room of their own. One need only look at Bridget Jones and the Sex and the City gang so see that single women still maintain an uneasy relationship with the rest of the society -- and yet radiate glamour and mystery.

Bachelor Girl shines a light on the stereotypes that have stigmatized single women and celebrates their resourceful sense of spirit, enterprise, and unlimited success in a world where it is no longer unusual or unlikely to be unwed.


The First Line 

We all grow up with images of single life.

Why I Decided to Take on the Read


The booksale was one of my sanctuaries during my single days late last year. I saw this and I was immediately attracted, empowered and relieved. I was determined to remain single for life until a hot man walks in front of me -- a hot man who can write me witty love letters, cook, pull out surprises, give me blue roses, engage in a stimulating conversation, have fun with me, ride with my crazy antics and one who is taller than me even though I'm wearing four-inch pumps. Impossible, I know. That's why I turn to books for company. I buy books that tell about how I feel for that certain moment. I may read them, I may not.

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