Reading Blogs & Eating Popcorn #4

Reading Blogs & Eating Popcorn is a weekly feature here at Ruby's Books, in which I share some of the posts written by other fellow book bloggers over the last week, posts that I loved so much I have to share. 

• The first post comes from Michelle @ Pink Polka Dot Book Blog. She talks about Blogger Jealousy. I cannot explain to you how much this post resonated with me, but let's just say I understand completely what Michelle is talking about. (Emily @ Read Your Bookcase is her cohost and she has a great post on this topic as well)
• The next post is from Renae @ Respiring Thoughts and it's called On Reader/Author Interaction. It's an interesting take on a pretty touchy subject, especially given the frictions we hear about in the book blogging comunity. 
• Carol @ Carol's Notebook talks about Reading vs Listening. I can't say I'm a huge fan of audiobooks, though I do love the idea of being able to listen to a book while doing something else. Of course, I'm so clumsy I'd probably end up hurting myself if I tried it, but that's another topic :P
• Amanda @ On A Book Bender shares 3 Uncomfortable Truths About Blogging. They might be uncomfortable, but they're real, so think of the post as some much-needed tough love.

I've read so many fantastic posts this week and I'm certain I missed some of them. I'd fill up an entire page with them, but then I'll look like a stalker :P. What about you? Did you read any blog posts this week that you feel anyone should? 

Bookish News That Made Me Happy Dance

You guys know how much I love Harry Potter, right? Well, to say I was heartbroken when the series ended is to put it mildly. Yesterday, while browsing the web I saw this awesome news. That's right! J.K Rowling is doing a movie series set in the world of Harry Potter. It's based on Newt Scamander and his textbooks, mainly Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them.

And to make my day even more amazing, I learned that authors Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl are going to write a Beautiful Creatures spin-off series, based on Link and Ridley. You can read the official announcement at Publishers Weekly.

I know I didn't finish reading the original series, but I loved what I've read so far and I will definitely read this new series.

So, do you have any book related news that made you do a happy dance lately?

Early Review: Bound by Night by Larissa Ione

Author: Larissa Ione
Series: MoonBound Clan Vampire #1
Publisher: Pocket Books
Release Date: September 24th 2013
My Rating: 4 cups
Source:NetGalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

The first installment in a sexy new paranormal romance series by Larissa Ione, author of the bestselling Demonica series!

A WOMAN OUT FOR BLOOD
Nicole Martin was only eight years old when the vampire slaves rose up in rebellion and killed her family. Now she devotes her life to finding a vaccine against vampirism, hoping to wipe out her memories—along with every bloodsucker on the planet. But there’s one thing she cannot destroy: her searing, undeniable attraction for the one man she should hate and fear the most . . .

A VAMPIRE OUT FOR REVENGE
A member of the renegade vampire MoonBound Clan, Riker is haunted by demons of his own. When he recognizes Nicole and remembers how her family enslaved his loved ones, his heart burns for vengeance. But when he kidnaps Nicole and holds her in a secret lair, his mortal enemy becomes his soul obsession, his greatest temptation, and, perhaps, his only salvation—a hot-blooded lover who could heal him with her touch . . . or bury him forever.

I love Larissa Ione's Demonica series and it's spin-off, Lords of Deliverance, so when I found out that she's going to write a series about vampires I was so very excited. I know a lot of people are thinking "Vampires? Again?" but I'm not. I love vampires and I love vampire books and if you ask me, there aren't enough vampire books out there and I don't think I'll even get to the point where I'll say "that's it, I'm done with them". More vampires, I say.

The first thing I noticed in this book was that not all vampires are good. There are some pretty cruel, really bad vampires. So there's a great balance between the good vamps and the bad vamps. Some, I might say, are actually insane. At the same time, not all humans are shown as being good people. There's also a good mix there. Which I think is good and makes the entire story feel much more realistic.

Riker was soooo sexy. What I liked about him was that he has many layers. I thought I had him figured out, but he surprised me more than once.  He can be very gentle when he wants to, but he can also be very brutal and fierce. Did I mention he's also terribly sexy? 

Nicole was... She was damaged. That's the first thing that pops into my head when I think about her. She's had a bad experience with vampires when she was a kid and, frankly, I kept asking myself how is she not insane? It really was amazing that she wasn't half crazy. But she's very brave and I liked that about her. And she has the ability to look past what has been done to her and realize that not everything is black and white. 

There are a number of other very sexy vampires in this book and I definitely want to learn more about them. Also, I hope we'll get more details about the history of vampires and how they came to be. I found that part of the story fascinating. I'll definitely read the next book in the series, though it pains me to wait another year for it. Oh well, at least Reaver comes out soon.

Houston BookRave Epic Giveaway

Would you like to win some signed copies from some of the amazing authors who will be attending the Houston BookRave?

Well, here is your chance!

TrinDee Events is giving away 10 signed copies to three lucky winners. The first winner drawn will get to choose five books, the second winner will choose three, and the final winner gets their choice of two.

Best part? Winners choose off TrinDee Events featured author list.

Check out the attending authors here: http://houstonbookrave.blogspot.com/p/authors.html

All you have to do is help spread the word about the Houston BookRave!

Unfortunately, this giveaway is open to the US only. However, if you live outside the USA and are willing to cover the shipping cost, feel free to enter. If your name is drawn TrinDee Events will contact you with shipping details.

Good luck everyone!



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TV Madness: Roswell

Over the summer I was in the mood to watch some new TV shows. And because I didn't want to get to a point where I had to wait for new episodes to come out, I decided to watch a show that had already ended. So I talked with my BFF Lucy and she said I needed to watch Roswell.

Now, to me aliens means Star Trek. I loved that show when I was a kid (the New Generation show) so growing up, Roswell didn't attract me that much. After watching it I have to say I was so wrong about not wanting to watch it. It's just perfect!

I loved the idea of the show, I loved the couples, the actors, the little subplots, the whole thing was just amazing. If I had to choose my favorite character, I'd say Maria wins. She can sing, she has great fashion sense and she's funny. And she has a great boyfriend *grins*

Then I saw that the show was based on a book series. From what I understood, the books are slightly different than the show. Still, I'll give them a try once I get some free time on my hands.

There's another show with aliens that's due this autumn, in case you didn't know. It's from the CW and it's called Star-Crossed. I watched the preview on Youtube, but I'm not sure about it. It looks a bit too similar to Roswell in certain aspects.

Anyway, did you watch Roswell? What did you think about it? Also, did you read the books? If yes, did you like them?

Sassy Girl Swoony God Tourney

Have I ever mentioned how much I love books about ancient gods? Well, I do. And one of the amazing authors who write amazing stories about them is Tellulah Darling. Her second book in the Blooming Goddess Trilogy,  My Date From Hell, will arrive on October 31st.

To celebrate the upcoming release, Tellulah wants to have some fun, so Sassy Girl Swoony God Tourney was born. There will be a number of challenges in the next weeks. A lot of great bloggers are participating and there will be some fun prizes too. To check out Tellulah's post on the Tourney, go here. I can't wait for the fun to start. By the way, if you're wondering, I'm leading Team Mermaid. Hey, a girl has to have her dreams right? :D