Hola Apoca-sweeties!
October is here, and around here that means Fall and... Halloween! This is Peaches' favorite time of year. Who is Peaches you ask? He's the raven that peers out from the top of all of our group pages - our group mascot! (Don't tell him he's a crow.)
BONUS mid-October read: a book written by an author in the group
Before we jump into the giveaways and usual jibberjabber, I wanted to mention our special event for the month. We've done one round of nominations and voting - all of the nominated books were written by authors who are members of the group.
Even if you don't plan to participate, you may still want to check out the nominated books. We may only be reading one, but there are a lot of books worth your time in this list. (Personally my To Read shelf and downloaded samples grew quite a bit after this process.) The easiest way to review all of the books is to look at poll #1, here.
Want to join in? Great! The runoff poll linked below includes the books which received the most votes from round 1.
October Giveaways
"Last of the Ageles" by Traci Loudin
"Three centuries ago, humans and aliens fought for control of the Earth, ending in an apocalyptic event known as the Catastrophe...
Dalan is a shapeshifter. He hails from a tribe of mutants dedicated to preserving fading species by taking their forms. To become fully recognized as an adult, he must pass a trial in the wastelands far from home.
Nyr is a killer. When her lust for bounty yields an ancient artifact of mysterious origin, everything she knows is turned upside down. Once a hunter, now a pawn, she must learn to rely on others to survive what’s coming.
Korreth is a slave. Without any extra talents, he depends on nothing more than his strength and wits as he flees the army of mutants that enslaved him. He must return home to warn his people before the swelling ranks of monsters threaten his family.
…but in the shadows, a new threat rises—one that could end what little remains of civilization: The Last of the Ageless.
7 paperbacks, U.S. only. Click here to enter.
"FERTS" by Grace Hudson
The Forkstream Territories surrounding the Elan river comprise the surviving townships in the wake of post-war chaos. FERTS is the sole containment facility for the protection of females from mercenaries, its location safely hidden from the sparse remaining population.
Within the facility, the female Internees are chosen as ‘Vassals’, transported to the townships to service the male Resident Citizens. The Beta and Omega Circuits of FERTS are divided according to attractiveness and fertility ratings, while the lower rating Internees are chosen for hard labor in Kappa or as fighters to represent FERTS in the monthly Epsilon Games, against deadly opponents with a taste for pain.
When Beth 259201 is demoted to Epsilon Circuit after failing to follow a simple regulation, she faces certain death. A novice, lacking the necessary skills, 201 must rely on her intellect alone to survive."
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Reader discretion advised: This book contains sex/violence, and memories of abuse.
5 ePub. Click here to enter.
"Teresa of the New World" by Sharman Apt Russell
"From the bestselling author of An Obsession with Butterflies comes a magical story of America in the time of the conquistadors.
In 1528, the real-life conquistador Cabeza de Vaca shipwrecked in the New World where he lived for eight years as a slave, trader, and shaman. In this lyrical weaving of history and myth, the adventurer takes his young daughter Teresa from her home in Texas to walk westward into the setting sun, their travels accompanied by miracles--visions and prophecies. But when Teresa reaches the outposts of New Spain, life is not what her father had promised.
As a kitchen servant in the household of a Spanish official, Teresa grows up estranged from the magic she knew as a child, when she could speak to the earth and listen to animals. When a new epidemic of measles devastates the area, the sixteen-year-old sets off on her own journey, befriending a Mayan were-jaguar who cannot control his shape-shifting and a warhorse abandoned by his Spanish owner. Now Teresa moves through a land stalked by Plague: smallpox as well as measles, typhus, and scarlet fever.
Soon it becomes clear that Teresa and her friends are being manipulated and driven by forces they do not understand."
3 signed hardcover, U.S. only. Click here to enter.
"Ogden" by Cory Abernathy
"A seemingly routine accident investigation just outside of the small town of Ogden, IL, pulls Detective Desmond King into a tempest of terror. What Detective King discovers at that scene causes him to realize that something terrible is happening in Ogden and he must act quickly to prevent the town from destroying itself. When Detective King recognizes he has only a small chance left to save any of the 1,200 citizens of Ogden from each other, a new threat presents itself. One that promises to destroy not only the town itself, but everyone within."
3 copies, winner's choice of ePub of paperback. Click here to enter.
Last chance! September Giveaways
Here's your last chance to get in on the September giveaways - in the next day or so I will close them and announce winners.
Just for fun...
We recently had an entertaining discussion in the "How was your day" thread - at one point the topic of post-apocalyptic manners came up (you know, when is it okay to cannibalize your neighbor) and Jennifer shared a book cover with us. Just for fun... we spoofed it!
The Junk Drawer: For all those miscellaneous lovelies that have to go somewhere.
Gertie Reads
Telling my captive audience what I've been reading, just cuz. It was a good month for books, more than one 5 star item!
A Matter of Days by Amber Kizer was something I grabbed from the library, knowing very little about it. It turned out to be a really enjoyable read - it's young adult but adult-friendly. No love triangle, a decent amount of realism, and likable characters. The characters move on from one interesting event to another —sufficient drama for entertainment, but not enough for eye-rolling. Aside from one too many "be the cockroach" comments, this was a great read.
276 pages. Amazon Smile link.
At $9.99 for the Kindle book, I'd suggest checking your library first. I got mine on audiobook from the local library.
Blood Red Road by Moira Young is one of those friend-recommended books (thanks Meghan!) that had been on my list for a while. I'm glad to have finally gotten around to it! Many of you will have read this already, but if you haven't, I think you might want to give it a shot, unless you're anti-YA.
Here's the thing though... if you are at all into audiobooks, go that route for this one. The book is written with an "accent", which I found a bit distracting in the sample pages. In audio, it's easier to adjust to.
459 pages, 3 part series. Amazon Smile link, but this should also be at the library.
Highlighting a few discussions...
"Your all-time favorite post-apocalyptic books" (<< that's a link)
Some discussion about and lists of book cover designers.
"How to message a Goodreads author"
This may seem like a silly topic, but how many of you have been baffled by the Goodreads' interface change from a few months ago? If you are wondering where the messaging option went, here you go.
"The Scorch Trials (Maze Runner #2): book versus movie (SPOILERS)"
The movie is very different from the book. What did you think? Did you like the changes, find them frustrating, both?
Fall TV
There are some really interesting shows premiering this season - even some dystopian and post-apocalyptic ones, like Minority Report and You, Me, and the End of the World. Check out this list of new sci-fi shows.
The AW Book Club
In January and February we are doing another Big Read- we'll be reading and discussing Stephen King's "The Stand"! The book will be chunked into 150ish page sections per week, stay tuned for more later this year.
The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters (now/Oct)
This book is just so good - if you haven't gotten on this bandwagon yet, what are you waiting for?
"What’s the point in solving murders if we’re all going to die soon, anyway?"
This is one of those stories that takes its time, and is written with an insightful and eloquent voice. It's not so eloquent you need a dictionary, but it's pretty quotable. Unless you're more of an adrenalin junkie reader, chances are you'd like this book,
That said, it's a book club discussion, come by and tell us what you thought, even if (especially if) you hated it!
Dawn by Octavia Butler - next month/November
Dawn is a bit different from many of the post-apocalyptic books we've all read. Maybe a lot different. If you've heard of Octavia Butler (one of my favorite authors, gotta say) but never read her work, this is a great place to start.
"Lilith lyapo awoke from a centuries-long sleep to find herself aboard the vast spaceship of the Oankali. Creatures covered in writhing tentacles, the Oankali had saved every surviving human from a dying, ruined Earth. They healed the planet, cured cancer, increased strength, and were now ready to help Lilith lead her people back to Earth--but for a price."
Out tomorrow in theaters - The Martian
YES!
I'm so excited for this movie I could pee. Okay, a slight exaggeration, but truly, this really should be a good book-to-movie experience.
Many of you by now will have read The Martian - if not, get on that already. Yeah, it's "super science-y" (dumbed down and geared to be interesting, but still, lots of scienece). Yup, we don't get to see his freak-outs. BUT, but, but. It's just so good. Really. My personal theory is that the movie format will allow us to see some of those emotional aspects better, and the science will be dumbed down and interesting enough most people will mind.
Are you going to see it? Here's a discussion started up by Nancy, if you want to join in...
The Martian: movie versus the book (spoilers)
FREEBIES
As always, 4 stars and above. These may also be available on Nook.
Children of the After: Awakening (book 1) by Jeremy Laszlo
Stray (Touchstone Book 1) by Andrea K. Höst [I read this one and rather liked it]
Exodus (The Exodus Trilogy Book 1) by Andreas Christensen
Qualify (The Atlantis Grail Book 1) by Vera Nazarian
Better World (Fractured Era Series Book 1) by Autumn Kalquist
Solace by Therin Knite
Becoming Human: A Dystopian Post Apocalyptic Novel (The Exilon 5 Trilogy Book 1) by Eliza Green
Dark Space by Jasper T. Scott
The Boy who Lit up the Sky (The Two Moons of Rehnor Book 1) by J. Naomi Ay
-Fin-
I hope you enjoyed the newsletter — if you have any questions or notice any errors, just send me a message!
Apocalyptically yours,
Gertie