Happy New Year everyone!
I hope 2015 was amazing, but I hope 2016 is even amazing-er! :-P
I've spent a fair bit of time today setting up things for our group discussion of The Stand, so let's just hit the highlights this time around...
"1966 wasn’t a great year for Jack. He hadn’t even gotten over the loss of his family and now his doctor was telling him his recent aches and pains were cancer. Going in for his first surgery, he was uncertain he could, or even should, face the challenges ahead. When he woke up to find over three hundred years had passed, an entirely new set of challenges lay before him. Discovering where he was, how he got here, and why he was here was just the beginning of a life he thought was all but over. Now he had to fight for the very survival of the human species, a fight that would be centered around 'The Freezer'."
The Freezer by David Kersten
6 books, winner's choice, click here to enter.
if you've read Tarbabies #1 and are ready for the sequel here's your chance - otherwise book #1 is up for grabs too.
"No one expects to leave this place alive. The residents of the Friendly Haven Assisted Living Center are old and weary, and it has been a long time since we were asked to fend for ourselves. Friendly Haven is supposed to be the last stop—a quiet, comfortable place to die. But thanks to the things outside, Death is no longer the worst thing that can happen to us."
Tarbabies 2 by Allen R. Brady
10 books, winners' choice, click here to enter.
"How far would you go to find your missing father? For Zeke Hailey, a teenager living in the 23rd century, even Mars is not too far. Zeke's dad is one of the Mariners, a mysterious elite of psychics who have conquered Outer Space. Now he's vanished on a secret mission. But Zeke is an ordinary schoolboy without a shred of his father's psychic powers. Armed with nothing but his wits, he bluffs his way into the prestigious Mariner's school on Mars in search of answers. Mind-reading teachers and psychokinetic bullies are the least of his worries. A ruthless archaeologist is seeking the Infinity Trap, an ancient machine of unimaginable power and lair to an evil as old as the Universe. An alien artefact downloads the language of the long dead Martians into Zeke's brain. Thanks to this newfound skill, Zeke alone understands the apocalyptic danger about to be unleashed. Not only must Zeke rescue his friends, but humanity itself. If he can first survive a planet filled with demons, outlaws, and androids, not to mention quicksand and dust storms. And, as the odds stack against him, will Zeke make the ultimate sacrifice-his father?"
The Infinity Trap by Ian C. Douglas
3 signed paperbacks, worldwide. Click here to enter.
The Stand by Stephen King - January and February
It's been interestting discovering lately that many of you have not read this yet. WHAT?! This is a must in apocalyptic fiction, however not reading it yet is kind of understandable since it is such a long book. If you've never read it, or are ready to reread a book you read and loved years ago, now is the time! Due to the length we have broken it into "chunks". Start reading now, discussion opens January 7th.
Check out the reading schedule here.
The AW Book Club
-That's all she wrote.-
I hope you enjoyed the newsletter — if you have any questions or notice any errors, just send me a message!
Apocalyptically yours,
Gertie
A few interesting bits...
Awful book covers. Need a laugh? Here you go.
The Walking Dead Board Game. This is actually a reading challenge, and would work for you even if you aren't into The Walking Dead. You roll dice and find the matching section that specifies criteria for a book to read, and move along a "board" as you progress.
The ethics of traded reviews. An interesting topic of discussion.
Goodreads' New Look. Have you all adjusted to the new look of the site? Love it, hate it, didn't notice?
December Giveaways - last chance to enter!
January Giveaways
Authors: if you are interested in a giveaway, here is the signup page for 2016.
Mini-blurb:
A powerful corporation uses robots to fill the gaps in a decimated labour force. Tormented by the kitchen appliances, Robbie the house bot is saved from a life of drudgery by the new friends he makes at robot therapy. Robbie finds danger inside and outside himself, but with the help of his friends he also discovers friendship, love and an embarrassing personal dilemma when George, his human lover from a previous existence, tracks him down.
Robbie the Dysfunctional Robot by D. Miller
10 books, click here to enter.
"No one is innocent.
After a man-made cataclysm called The Tilt kills Jon Streg’s wife and daughter, he becomes a hard-drinking Judge – a combination lawman and executioner – in the Free Nation of Alaska. When he learns that a group of Californians intend to resurrect the failed experiment that caused The Tilt, he hungers for revenge. Forced to band with a rival lawman from an enemy nation-state, he battles foreign mercenaries to track down the madmen before they finish the world for good."
The Tilt by M.A. Robbins
10 ebooks, click here to enter.