Friday, January 14, 2011

Book Blogger Hop

Jennifer from Crazy for Books has created this meme.

If you'd like to participate, here's Jennifer's instructions:


Every day I seem to find another book blog that I start following. In the spirit of the Friday Follow, I thought it would be cool to do a Book Blog Hop to give us all bookies a chance to connect and find new blogs that we may be missing out on! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed!


So, if you'd like to participate, just repost this on your blog, sign MckLinky and check out other blogs in MckLinky! Let's connect and make new book bloggy friends!! So, if you consider yourself a book blogger, come join the fun!

Question of the week: Why do you read the genre that you do? What draws you to it? 

My answer: I always liked YA chillers. I like other genres too. I do not know what draws me to them. The plot? The author? It is a mystery to me.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Product Review - BuildASign.com

Last week, I was surprised when I received an email from an employee of BuildASign.com. She asked if I could give an honest product review on my blog in exchange for free products of my choice. My first thought was “Why do I need a sign?”


I glanced through their site and noticed that they sale custom street/name signs. I thought it would be neat to have a sign that said ‘Billy’s Library.' I choose a style that I liked and used their design tool program to make the sign.

In addition, I used the design tool to make some cool bumper stickers for my blog. I will be doing a giveaway soon, so watch out for it.

The sign came very quickly by FedEx. When I opened the package, I could smell the fresh paint on the sign. The design was exactly the way I wanted it. I was impressed. The bumper stickers came by regular USPS mail, which is slow. I received them today and they are great.

Overall, I enjoyed my products from BuildASign.com. The design tool on their site is easy to use. My order was finished after a few simple emails. There are some other cool products on their site like magnets, banners, real-estate signs, advertising signs, political signs, and even printed artwork. It is even a great way to promote your blog! I recommend buildasign.com to everyone!

Thursday Ramblings


Gremlins 2 - The New BatchI guess it is officially winter, because there has been snow on the ground for the past five days! lol! I don't mind snow, I just don't like ice storms.
Gremlins (Special Edition)
I had a blast from the past last week, I bought the DVDs of Gremlins and Gremlins 2: The New Batch. I hadn't seen them in years. I still have a stuff toy of Gizmo, which has seen better days.

I bought the book Colby Agency - Christmas Miracles: Colby Core By Debra Webb last Saturday. I never thought this would happen, but I actually like reading harlequin books.

Awakened (House of Night)I received the Awakened by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast, and The Seven Wonders That Will Change Your Life by Glenn Beck and Keith Ablow, M.D.. I now have all of the House of Night novels, but only if I could find the time to read them. I just finished reading the Glenn Beck book. I'll have a review up on Sunday.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Review - Colby Agency - Christmas Miracles: Colby Core

Colby Core (Harlequin Intrigue Series)Colby Agency - Christmas Miracles: Colby Core
BY: Debra Webb
PUBLISHED BY: Harlequin Intrigue
PUBLISHED IN: 2010
ISBN: 978-0-373-69514-0
Pages: 216
Reviewed by Billy Burgess

Picking up where Colby Core left off, the Colby Agency had just saved several kids from children trafficking. Victoria Colby-Camp and her son Jim Colby have ordered agent Riley Porter to go New Orleans and take down the Master, a man selling children to the highest bidder.

Meanwhile, Tessa Woods has spent years in the clutches of the Master. She is now an adult and tries to protect the other children who have also been kidnapped. She prays that someone will save her. Her prayers are answered when Riley goes undercover as Buzz Smith, one of the kidnappers from the previous book. Tessa believes that Riley is here to save her and the children.

I was excited when I saw there was a new Colby book out. I enjoyed reading Colby Bass last week. Colby Core goes by fast, as it continues the plotline of human trafficking network. There is a lot of action and suspense. I did not care much for the main hero, Riley. He was just there doing his job, I never got a real feel for his character. Tess is the best character out of this installment. Despite all the horrors that she has encountered in her life, she has faith that she will be saved. If you are looking for a great romantic suspense, then check this book out.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Review - Labeled by Mark Salvatore



Labeled centers around a troubled teenager named Vinnie. He lives in New York with his Aunt Constance. He is a loner who is barely getting by in school, in which there is talk about putting him into a “special” school. To make things worse, Vinnie does not know how to talk or have a relationship with girls his own age. His only friends are two potheads, Brian and Pierce.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Book Blogger Hop

Jennifer from Crazy for Books has created this meme.

If you'd like to participate, here's Jennifer's instructions:


Every day I seem to find another book blog that I start following. In the spirit of the Friday Follow, I thought it would be cool to do a Book Blog Hop to give us all bookies a chance to connect and find new blogs that we may be missing out on! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed!


So, if you'd like to participate, just repost this on your blog, sign MckLinky and check out other blogs in MckLinky! Let's connect and make new book bloggy friends!! So, if you consider yourself a book blogger, come join the fun!

Question of the week: What book influenced or changed your life? How did it influence/change you?

My answer: I read Grave Doubts by John Peel when I was in the fifth or sixth grade. It is one of my favorite books. It inspired me to start writing my own scary stories.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Review - Christmas Village


Christmas VillageChristmas Village
BY: Jack Gilhooly
PUBLISHED BY: McNeil & Richards
PUBLISHED IN: 2010
ISBN: 978-0-982-56021-1
Pages: 88
Reviewed by Billy Burgess

The Wilson family is spending Christmas with Grandpa and Grandma. Rudy and Amanda are excited about seeing their grandparents and their even more excited about unwrapping presents. After the adults went to bed, the kids sneak downstairs to look at all the gifts under the tree.

Rudy starts playing with the light switches to Grandpa’s miniature Christmas village. Rudy and Amanda are zapped into the village. There, they go by different name and have new parents. The villagers are upset that the library has gone missing. One day it was just lifted up into the air.

The kids find away to return to their Grandparents house. Over the next few days, they keep returning to the little village.

The Christmas Village is a cute story for kids. The two main characters, Rudy and Amanda, act just like normal children at Christmas. They have their minds on one thing: Gifts! While reading the book, I kept thinking of the Chillogy episodes from the Goosebumps television series. They both involve kids going into a miniature town. The only difference is that the Christmas Village is meant to charm you, not scare you. Yes, there is a message of giving just like any other Christmas story. Overall, I enjoyed reading the book and I recommend this to every one of all ages.

*I would like to thank the author for sending me a copy to review.

Thursday Ramblings



There is a cool site called BuildASign.com, where you can buy banners, signs, art prints, bumper stickers and many other things. I was asked to do a product review for them, so I have a few things ordered. When I receive the products I will put up a review.


On News Year's Eve, I picked up three Longarm paperbacks at Dollar General for $1.25 each. I also bought Gossip Girl: The Carlyles: You Just Can't Get Enough by Cecily Von Ziegesar at Wal-mart for $3.00.

This week I received the book Labeled by Mark Salvatore, I'm currently reading it, and Christmas Village by Jack Gilhooly.

I watched Resident Evil: Afterlife this week. It was mix of all the previous movies with a cliffhanger ending, so there will probably be another movie.

Review - Colby Agency - Christmas Miracles: Colby Brass

Colby Brass (Harlequin Intrigue Series)Colby Agency - Christmas Miracles: Colby Brass
BY: Debra Webb
PUBLISHED BY: Harlequin Intrigue
PUBLISHED IN: 2010
ISBN: 978-0-373-74562-3
Pages: 281
Reviewed by Billy Burgess

Victoria Colby, the owner of the detective agency, steps outside to find an injured woman asking for help - her ex has kidnapped her daughter. She assigns the case to Trinity Barrett and his ex-wife Evonne Cassidy, an Equalizer. The Colby had just merged with another agency, the Equalizers.

Trinity and Evonne search the Chicago streets for the missing girl. Only to find out that there are other girls missing as well. They must put aside their rocky past and trust each other as the go undercover to stop the kidnappers.

Colby Brass is categorized as romance suspense, but there was very little romance. Sure, sparks fly for the two main agents, but the book was more action and suspense. The plot is believable and fast paced. The injured mother shows up at the end of the third page and, then, the story takes off like a rocket until the heart-pounding conclusion. If you are looking for a good read, check this book out.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Review - Goddess of Legend

Goddess of LegendGoddess of Legend
BY: P.C. Cast
PUBLISHED BY: Berkley Sensation
PUBLISHED IN: 2010
ISBN: 978-1-61129-141-4
Pages: 309
Reviewed by Billy Burgess

Take the Camelot myth and blend it with a harlequin novel. That is exactly what author P.C. Cast has done in Goddess of Legend. Forty-two-year-old Isabel is enjoying her life as a single, childless photographer, but her life changes when she crashes her vehicle into a lake. She is rescued by Viviane, the Lady of the Lake, and transported back to the time of Camelot.

In return for being rescued, Isabel must seduce King Author away from Queen Guinevere. Nevertheless, Isabel is seduced by the King’s charms.

This is the first novel I have read by P.C. Cast. I have heard a lot about the House of Night novels, so I thought I would give Goddess of Legend of a try. After reading the first page, I automatically liked the strong character Isabel. She does not hold back her thoughts or emotions to anyone. The plot is a little thin. There should have been a bigger conflict for Isabel to overcome, besides from falling in love with the King. I was disappointed that Merlin did not have a bigger part in the book. I liked the author’s style of writing and pacing, but the love scene was badly written, and almost laughable. Some of the dialogue of King Author and his men are very questionable. Would they really be talking like during medieval times?

So would I recommend Goddess of Legend? Yes and no. I enjoyed the time travel premise and the strong main character. I am also a sucker for Camelot stories. If you are looking for a predictable, time traveling love story, then check this book out.