The Bearded Scribe Press—Discovering Tomorrow's Top Speculative Fiction Authors Today!: 4.5 Stars

Showing posts with label 4.5 Stars. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Book Spotlight: The Weird of Math by Matt Schutt

Bonjour, Beardies!

When we first started offering Review Requests, the title of this Spotlight appeared in my inbox. I was very intrigued by its premise, therefore wanting to read and review it for myself, but I had to put it on the back burner as my commitment plate was already full. I'm glad I decided to hoard it for my own reading pleasure—and I am excited to spotlight it for all of you today!

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Book Spotlight: Ennara and the Fallen Druid (Ennara #1) by Angela Myron

Happy Day Beardies!

It's confession time today here at The Bearded Scribe. Gather 'round. Everyone ready? Okay, here I go with my confession: I like playing MMORPG's. I know. I know. What is a classy bookworm like me doing getting my gaming on? I blame this solely on my husband who has been a gaming nerd for way longer than I've known him. I wondered what was consuming his free time and decided, if I wanted some more of his attention, I should give it a whirl. Now I find myself logging on to explore far-away, fantasy lands and to kill mystical creatures. I also like the story lines from the quests you complete while going through the game. A few of you may wonder, "Gee, Autumn, what brought about this confession today?" Well, I'm glad you asked. Today's confession is a great way to lead into my Book Spotlight because the book reminded me a lot of an online fantasy game. Wizards, mystical creatures, far-away lands, quests, potions...it just goes on and on. Enough of me and my online habit, though; onto the book...

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Book Spotlight: God Save the Queen (The Immortal Empire, Book 1) by Kate Locke

TA-DAAA!!! Welcome, Beardies and Beardettes,

In this first edition of newly-minted madness, we will be examining God Save the Queen by Kate Locke, a tale to tickle the alternative history and steampunk in all of us. So enough with the blather and let's Beard out!

This book lept off the shelf, waving wildly at me, as I browsed the Young Adult section at one of my local libraries. I recalled seeing it previously jockeying for space at Barnes and Noble and wanted to read it then; but of course, as with any modern mind, some things just slip through the cracks. As I slouched over the shelf, enjoying the bold cover art (I never knew steampunk and noir could have such a comely lovechild), the description captured me. It was then that I knew this child must come home with me.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Book Spotlight: The Keeper and the Rune Stone (The Black Ledge Series, Book One) by Paige W. Pendleton

Greetings from Maine, Beardies!

Not really, unfortunately, but almost!

For those of you who don't already know, I'm a Mainah—that is to say, a person from Maine. While I don't live there now, it is where I was born and raised. It's where my muthah and fathah and the rest of my family live. What's WICKED cool is so does the author of our Spotlight book, Paige Pendleton.

When Paige's Review Request landed in my inbox, I smiled with pride. If anyone was going to review a fellow Mainah, it'd be me, ayuh! And so, no one else on the staff even saw it venture to the Review Request list—I took it for myself.

Those of you who are 'from away' (not from Maine) are probably thinking I've gone and bumped my noggin' with the way I'm talking—well, technically writing—but it's not very often that I get to let loose and use my Maine-speak. Every now and again you'll hear it slip out of my mouth, but it's a rare treat.

Paige and I became fast friends on Facebook even before I started reading her title (I was backlogged for Reviews at the time). We Mainefolk stick together. There aren't many in the world (other than a Mainah) who would even understand the following sentences:

"I pahked my cah up the rud apiece."
--or--
"How 'bout some bugs an' steamahs for suppah?"

And it's for that reason, whether we actually speak that way or not, Paige and I will remain friends; it's also why she and I will keep the translations of them to ourselves! ;)

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Book Spotlight: The Coldness of Marek (Serengard: Book One) by Rachel O'Laughlin

Salut, Beardies!

A few weeks ago, we received an invitation from our friends at Fae Books to be part of a blog tour for a debut author, Rachel O’Laughlin. Rachel is currently touring the blogosphere with her novel, and she was kind enough to drop by The Bearded Scribe. Not only did Rachel grace us with an interview and giveaway for the tour, but she also gave me an advance copy of the book for review! I really enjoyed reading it and can’t wait to tell you about it, so let’s get to it!

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Book Spotlight: The Rising (Darkness Rising #3) by Kelley Armstrong

Salutations, Beardies!

Ahhhhhhh! It’s over…now what do I do?

Thankfully, The Rising arrived by post in a timely fashion, and I set fast upon it. Mostly I just lounged on the couch, and my sister sat in her chair while we read. (She is currently reading Skulduggery Pleasant. No words describe the awesomeness of that series. Check it out!) I may have startled her a few times. There was much book violence, by which I mean: hitting the object in question against a pillow whilst making noises of frustration or excitement, depending on what part of the book I was reading. And when the last page was turned, I clutched the book to my heart and implored my sister to read this trilogy next. I seriously don’t know how she puts up with me.

Friday, August 2, 2013

Book Spotlight: Welcome Home (A Short Story) by William Hage

Welcome, Beardies!

Life has been hectic towards the end of summer. What with finishing up a summer job, revving up for the start of the fall school semester, and trying to fit personal projects and goals in between, sitting down with a short story for review seemed like the perfect relaxation…so I thought. It's been amazingly difficult to find the time to do this author review. Thankfully, I was able to sit with Welcome Home and read it through with one of my kids sitting on one side, a cat curled up on the other. Having read the teaser as a possible paranormal thriller, I felt I could use the support!

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Book Spotlight: The Calling (Darkness Rising Series, Book 2) by Kelley Armstrong

Ciao, Beardies!

The best way to experience any series is to just plow straight through it. Am I right? Anyone who has sat down and watched an entire season of a show (or has just watched every season of that show) has lived through what I call Marathon Madness. It’s the craze that takes hold when one becomes involved in any fandom, geekery, or series. Marathon Madness usually strikes at the most inconvenient of times: when extended family is coming to stay for the week, when you have to study for finals, or when one is avoiding chores (this includes feeding your family). This can also be done with books. I find this better than getting hyped up on a book only to find out that its sequel won’t be published for another year. Therefore, I went straight from The Gathering to The Calling. And what a ride!

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Book Spotlight: Fever (Chemical Garden Series, Book 2) by Lauren DeStefano

Good Day, Beardies!

School’s out for summer! I love my job, but after 2 weeks of our routine being turned on its head due to state testing, I am ready for a break. I’m usually in “relaxation” mode until July; that’s when I get the itch to start planning for the fall. Until then, I plan on working in my garden (my tomatoes are doing great!), cooking and baking (I’m taking the Wilton Cake Decorating course at Michael’s), getting started on wedding planning, and reading a ton of books!

Now that I have a little extra time, I can finish my Spotlights on Lauren DeStefano’s Chemical Garden Series. I’m sure you are anxiously wondering what has happened to Rhine. Without further ado, here is Fever, the second installment in the Chemical Garden Series.

Monday, June 24, 2013

Book Spotlight: Wool (The Silo Saga, Part One) by Hugh Howey

Welcome back, Beardies!

In this world of self-published fiction, I am always on the lookout for something self-published that holds my interest and manages to impress me with technical and storytelling skill. Sadly, these are rare finds. Wool is one of them. Granted, because I could download the novella onto my Kindle for free, I was leery to peek inside. Even reader praise didn’t make me overly hopeful about what I would find. Finally, I gave it a shot. I marked up the first page, still skeptical, but after that, I was sold.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Book Spotlight: The Gods of Pegāna by Lord Dunsany

Cheers Beardies!

I hope all of you readers are well, and it's a huge pleasure and honour to be writing for The Bearded Scribe. My name is Siddharth Venkataramakrishnan, but for the sake of time and space, call me Sid! For those who skipped the Bio, I'm British, currently on a year out in France, and who'll be studying English at Oxford come October.

So, to start off, I've decided onSpotlighting a British progenitor of Speculative Fiction, Lord Dunsany...or...Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, Baron of Dunsany to his mates (one of the few people with a sillier name than myself!).

For those who don't know Dreaming Baron of Dunsany, he was a member of the Irish Revival, W.B. Yeats' editor, and holder of the second oldest hereditary title in Erin. He spent much of his time alternating between hunting and writing stories in his fabulous abode. (Life sure is hard for some people!)

Like Blake—and unlike Yeats—Dunsany decided to make up his own mythos, peopled with silly-named Gods whom have little care for the lives of men. (Unsurprisingly, Lovecraft named him as a major influence alongside Poe.) The Gods of Pegāna was his first published work and forms a compelling examination of the human character through a fantasy realm.