Random Shenanigans ~ True Blood Season 5 recap

Hey everyone!  So I didn't watch any of True Blood while it aired this season but I finally caught up the last 2 days.  I was holed up with a migraine so watching mindless TV sounded good to me!  Whoa marathon!  So this is what I have to say about Tue Blood...

• The whole damn Lilith thing went way too far.  I don't like fanatics of any sort and this was just over the top.  I'm so happy that even though Eric was stuck with Bill for most of this season, that Eric didn't lose his fucking head!  Ugh.  Viking knows how to keep his cool and play the damn game.  Bill...  I have never been a big Bill fan and this season didn't change anything.  He's a douche.  That's all I can say.  A power hungry douche that changes with the wind.  Eric may be selfish and always watching out for himself, but at least his beliefs don't change at the drop of a hat.  Seriously Bill, do you have any original thoughts?  

• Poor Terry and Arlene.  The smoke monster/Ifrit was ridiculous.  I'm glad though that he will be normal now, or at least as normal as he can be.  

• Lafayette was back to his wonderful self this season.  He had a lot of shit to deal with but for the most part I liked his story line.

• Andy and all the babies.  Damn.  That'll be interesting for next season.  When the fairy was giving birth, man that was obscene!  LOL.  I had to turn the volume down so my neighbors didn't think and kinky shenanigans were taking place.

• Hoyt.  Bon voyage buddy.  The fang banger look was awful on him.  That was another boring story line.

• All the fairies and the strip club.  Wow.  Alan Ball yet again going over the top.  Way over the top.  

• The whole "dragon" thing with Bud Dearborn was ok.  Eh.  Glad that was resolved quickly though and didn't drag...

• Thank fuck Alcide found his balls at the end!  The first few episodes I was actually looking forward to the were storyline but then Alcide had to wuss out.  So fucking happy he let the alpha out at the end.   About damn time.

• I think one of my favorite things about this season was the Pam and Eric flashbacks and Pam in general.  She's so bad ass.  She has remained one of the only constants in this show.  Her sarcasm is refreshing.  Her being Tara's maker sure makes Tara a more likable character for me.  I didn't care much for her otherwise but love this new Tara.  

• I like the Sam and Luna storyline.  I feel Sam finally got a break this season and his part in the show was some of the more entertaining material.  

• Poor Jessica.  I really like her but I just don't know about Jason.  Poor, sweet, stupid misguided Jason.  He's gone a little crazy now.  I hope Jessica can remain strong next season and not be a lovesick heartbroken puppy.

• Russel!!!  I was so happy when I first heard that he and Newlin were coming back!  I might have liked it more if it wasn't for the stupid Lilith plot.  Newlin had such potential at the beginning.  It was fucking hilarious when he went to Jason's house then to Jessica's to try to buy Jason.  Well, then his storyline went to shit.

• Sookie?  Didn't annoy me as much this season as all the previous ones.  Even though this season was really over the top.  So many special effects and ridiculous things happening.

• Fucking Bill.  For one moment there I was Like "Oh shit!  He's dead!" then nope.  Oh well, at least it's abundantly clear what an ass he is.  

Overall?  I LOVE Eric and Pam.  Still the best characters in the show.  Eric played the game but is still that cold, calculating vampire that I love.  He didn't annoy me this season and that was a plus.  After the way season 4 played out with the whole amnesia thing, I'm glad he's back to his old ways and not head over heels for Sookie.  

His presence is the only reason I watch this show anymore...

 

Random Shenanigans ~ Karina Halle and the Dex-Files Blog Tour edition

Hey everyone!!!  So I've been busy coordinating the Dex-Files Blog Tour and I am so excited!!!  So this is my pre-tour post to give you a heads up!!!  (Yes, all the exclamations are important.)  I was hooked, devil horns and all, at the very beginning by what Karina started with Darkhouse.  The story arc is unique with great character development.  We have Perry, real yet flawed.  Maybe more relatable due to her flaws.  It has been amazing to see the transformation of her character throughout the series.  Also a big part of the EIT series is DEX!  What can I say about Dex?  Hmmm...  He can be obnoxious and over confident yet knows when to say the right things.   Well, he often says the wrong things most times too, but hey, that's one thing I love about him.



About Karina:

The daughter of a Norwegian Viking and a Finnish Moomin, Karina Halle grew up in Vancouver, Canada with trolls and eternal darkness on the brain. This soon turned into a love of all things that go bump in the night and a rather sadistic appreciation for freaking people out. Like many of the flawed characters she writes, Karina never knew where to find herself and has dabbled in acting, make-up artistry, film production, screenwriting, photography, travel writing and music journalism. She eventually found herself in the pages of the very novels she wrote (if only she had looked there to begin with).


Karina holds a screenwriting degree from Vancouver Film School and a Bachelor of Journalism from TRU. Her travel writing, music reviews/interviews and photography have appeared in publications such as Consequence of Sound, Mxdwn and GoNomad Travel Guides. She currently splits her time between her apartment in downtown Vancouver and her sailboat, where a book and a bottle of wine are always at hand. 


Darkhouse is her first novel and the first one in the Experiment in Terror Series. Things only get better from here on in.


What is The Dex-Files you ask?  It's a companion novel (#5.7) in the Experiment in Terror series all told from Dex's POV.  Read below for the synopsis on Goodreads.

Expected Publication: August 13th, 2012


The truth is out there...


The Dex-Files is a compilation novel that accompanies the Experiment in Terror Series and is not to be-read as a stand-alone. In the Dex-Files we find a variety of scenes and chapters from the enigmatic Dex Foray's POV from books #1-6 in the series. Some of these scenes have been previously published, albeit from Perry's POV, while other scenes are completely new.


In addition to it not being a stand-alone, the novel also contains some major spoilers and should be read only by those who have read all the published books in the series. 


Book #1 - Darkhouse
*Lighthouse Meeting
*Pie Scene
*Jenn and Dex


Book #2 - Red Fox 
*Bar Scene - extended
*Playing Nurse


Book #3 - Dead Sky Morning
*Strippers
*Truth or Dare
*Tent Scene


Book #4 - Lying Season
*Lunch With Friends
*The Big Question
*The Xmas Party


Book #5 - On Demon Wings
*A Phone Call

Book #6 - Into the Hollow
*Bailout

Calendar of events:

Monday July 30th ~ 

Sinfully Delicious Book Reviews  ~ Opening shenanigans Review  (US/Canada Giveaway)

Escapism From Reality ~ Review (International Giveaway)

Tuesday July 31st ~ 

The Bookish Babes ~ Review

Reading the Paranormal  ~ Review

Supa Girl Books ~ Teaser

Wednesday August 1st ~

Hackaroo's Reviews ~ Review

What The Cat Read ~ Review

Readers Confession ~ Guest Post or Teaser 

Thursday August 2nd ~

Supa Girl Books ~ Review

Little Read Riding Hood ~ Review

Pawing Through Books ~ Teaser

Friday August 3rd ~ 

Getting Naughty Between the Stacks ~ Review

What The Cat Read  ~ Guest Post

Unputdownable Books ~ Teaser

Saturday August 4th ~ 

Pawing Through Books ~ Review

Attack The Stacks ~ Review

Sinfully Delicious Book Reviews  ~ Interview with Maximus

I will be updating my Dex-Files Blog Tour page at the top with links for all the blog posts once they have been made. 

OK!!! Enough from me for now!  Oh, just one more thing... Check out my tag for EIT and Karina Halle for past reviews and other random shenanigans.

~~~~EMMY

Random Shenanigans & Liebster Blog

So I skipped out on my post last week...  Been distracted.  Darn real life!  Always getting in the way of my book life.  Here's a wrap up.

• My FF post mentions who would be my ideal fictional man would be to serenade me after jumping out of a birthday cake.  Please Dex, from the Experiment in Terror series, you can sing to me anytime.  Now, thanks to my interview with Karina Halle, Mike Patton is clearly a great Dex.  Yum...  

• I listed my favorite books that I have read for the first half of 2012 in my dirty little secret post.  

• I did a Terrible Girls Club review with my friend Samina.  She had me read a YA which I don't normally do... Naughty girl!  But it was fun.  I reviewed the Masque of the Red Death that you can read here.  She read The Loss of Sunlight which you can read here.  Please check out Samina's blog @ Escapism From Reality for her great reviews! 

• I had a chance to read the debut novel Blackbrooke by Emma Silver.  It's YA horror and though I don't read YA often, I thoroughly enjoyed it!  Here's my review.

• I read Inhale and Exhale by Kendall Grey.  LOVED THEM BOTH!  Exhale was even better than Inhale.  If Kendall keeps this up, book 3 Just Breathe is going to be phenomenal!  Of course it stars a tattooed/pierced musician who hotter than hell.  My harem is now called the sexy scoundrel harem since none of them can really be called gentlemen.  ;)

• Finally, I was tagged by both  Jenese and Ana for the Liebster Blog Q&A and I'm finally getting around to this. Thanks ladies!!!

10 random things about me...

1~ Married, no kids.

2~ 31 years old.

3~ I'm 5'9".

4~ I got my first piercing at 15 and my first tattoo at 16.  For the record, I'll get a tattoo any day over a piercing. :)

5~ I LOVE music.  It's a must have for me.  All the time.  Even when I'm reading.

6~ I love chihuahuas.  

7~ I'm a crafter.  I design pin-up wallets and purses in my spare time.

8~ I love art.  Frida Kahlo is my favorite artist.

9~ I like to do retro hair-do's.  Bandannas, victory rolls...

10~ I read all the damn time.  I have read 96 books so far this year!  Craziness...

Q's from Jenese:

When did you start blogging?

Two months ago.

What made you decide to blog?

Free books and meeting great people.

What are your goals for blogging?

Finding great books and spreading the word.  I read a lot of self published and indie published books and these authors need love!  They don't get as much attention as authors with big publishing deals but are just as talented and imaginative.

What is best thing that's happened to you since you starting blogging?

Interviewing Karina Halle.  She's a really cool chick and we share a passion for music.  

What is your all-time favorite book?

Gah... So hard to answer.  I'll say Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost.  Bones... nuff said.

What is the one book/series that you would suggest to me?

Um... I'm going to say the Just Breathe series by Kendall Grey.  Amazing science fiction/fantasy with a hot guy! ;)

Where do you receive your ARC's or do you only purchase your own?

Netgalley for the most part.  I have received a couple direct from the authors.

Who is your all-time favorite author?

Jeaniene Frost

Where is your favorite place to read?

Home on my couch. :P

What is the greatest blogging advice that you have received so far?

Just to go for it!  Thanks to Miss V from Miss Vain's Paranormal Fantasy, she has been very helpful to me and is a really kind person!  I finally took the plunge and started.  Regardless of anything that comes my way, I'm doing it the way I want.  After all, I do this for the joy of reading and sharing my thoughts.  It shouldn't be a chore and I shouldn't have to censor myself and my opinions.

To lighten it up, Magic Mike comes out Friday (yahh)...who would you cast in your movie? :-)

I answered this for DLS so I'm going to throw down my sexy scoundrel harem and say Bones, Barrons, Terrible ( LMAO thinking of Terrible doing this!), Dex and Gavin.

Q's from Ana:

If you could slap one character out of a book who would it be? (sorry for the violence.. but I mean... there are some of those characters that just aaahhh aggravate you!)

Oy...  I would have to say Faythe from the Shifters series by Rachel Vincent.  She pissed me off so much i couldn't continue the series.

If you could giveaway an entire series, what series would it be and why?

The Fever series by Karen Marie Moning.  The whole series was epic.

What author would you like to spend a whole day with and why?

Ummm...  Jeaniene Frost.  She just seems like she would be hilarious to be around.  Jamie Saare, she's uncensored and I love it.  Karina Halle would be fun to go to some shows with.  I'm sure shenanigans would ensue... 

Make an estimate of how many books you've read throughout your entire life.

No clue.  I can't even venture to guess.

What was the book that got you into reading?

Oh.  I was reading Stephen King and RL Stein back in junior high.  Then I took a hiatus.  Recently it was JR Ward, Jeaniene Frost and Charlaine Harris that got me to expand into the UF and PNR genres. 

Who is your favorite character and why?

Chess from the Downside Ghosts series.  Favorite because she is fucked up, knows it, tries to better herself, messes up again...  It's a vicious cycle and though her life is really rough, she is a strong person.  It's human nature to make mistakes.  But she is finally beginning to learn from them.

• OK... so my music choice this week should come as no surprise...  It's Easy by Faith No More so now that you know who Mike Patton is, listen to his wonderful voice sing this Lionel Richie song!

Random Shenanigans

Wow.  So what's been happening this week?  Not a whole lot but let me wrap it up for you...

• I read Bared To You and  Rogue's Pawn courtesy of Netgalley and will be posting reviews for those shortly.  The former is an erotica widely known for being compared to Fifty Shades of Grey while the latter is a UF of magical proportions.  

• I also read Backstage Pass.  Damn that was a hot erotica about Brian from the metal band the Sinners.  I really enjoyed this one and have a review queued for this.  I loved it so much I rushed to start book 2 in the series, Rock Hard.

• I was challenged to read Masque of the Red Death from Samina for a Terrible Girls Club feature.  It's a darker YA that I really liked.  I don't read much YA but this was really good.  I will be posting a review closer to the end of the month for that.  

• I have a Giveaway going on for the Lovestruck Giveaway Hop.  Check out my post to enter to win a $10 Amazon giftcard and see me squeal about one of my favorite fictional men, Terrible, from the Downside Ghost series.  

• I admitted my Dirty Little Secret and shared with you 6 of my favorite guys for my fictional Magic Mike line-up.  Any reason to add photos of Alexander Skarsgard or Mateus Verdelho to my blog and I am a happy girl!

• Last but not least is my favorite part of said shenanigans... Posting music videos that I love.  Music is very important to me, often freeing my inhibitions and letting the music take me away.  As I type out this post, I have indulged in Sailor Jerry's rum with Coke and have been watching YouTube videos of Faith No More and the Deftones.  I chose a song, Edge of the World  by Faith No More to post this week.

Enjoy and have a great weekend!!!!

Random Shenanigans

Hey there interwebs!  Time again for a rundown of what kinda shenanigans this part time book blogger finds herself in.

• So wow. This past week has kinda sucked.  I learned that a) I need to remain hydrated or nasty things can happen and b) Vicodin is NOT conducive to writing reviews.  But even with all that, I got to spend a lot of time reading, which I love, so yeah, that made up for it!

• I did an interview with Elizabeth Hunter and posted a review for her latest release, A Fall of Water.  I love this series and I hope more people read it.  Gio is hot hot hot and in more ways than one!

• I read three ARC's provided from Netgalley.  The Darkest Day, Good Bones and The Theory of Attraction.  The first being a traditional PNR, the second being a gay werewolf romance and the last being straight up kinky BDSM containing one hot and naughty professor.  All very different but all very enjoyable.

• Now to interrupt our regularly scheduled programming for this very important message:

• I was approved for two ARC's that I am excited to start.  Moonglow, the sequel to Firlight, but I am holding off on starting it since I won't be able to post the review til closer to the release date.  I was also approved for Shadow of Night, the sequel to A Discovery of Witches.  I plan to start than one soon since it will be released July 10th.  

• So that was a lot for me this week.  Lets end it with some music, because let's be honest, music soothes the wary soul.  This week I'm choosing Sundowner In the Flicker.  Two things about me.  I love punk rock and I love acoustic.  When these two combine, I am a very happy girl.

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Random Shenanigans

So what have I done this week???

• I posted my first ever author interview and giveaway with Karina Halle and her Experiment in Terror series!  That was really fun for me.  I hope I do more in the future!  It was great fun to chat music with her.  Hopefully soon I will have a Dex/Perry music outtake to share with you all courtesy of Karina but I don't want to pester her too much. ;) Congrats to Linda for winning the Giveaway! Enjoy!

• I got my interview back from Elizabeth Hunter and will be posting it Tuesday followed on Friday with a review for her newest release, A Fall of Water.  Another great interview and I'm excited to be part of the A Fall of Water Blog Tour.  Come back next week to check it out!

• I read and reviewed Lethal Rider.  I liked it.  A lot.  Yummy Than and his tattoos... ;)

• I also have been reading zombie books this week.  I posted a review for Married With Zombies and I'm currently reading Deadtown.  Though the latter isn't going so well.  I am skimming it just to finish.  

• I'll be honest.  It's been a hell of a week.  I had a family emergency and I'm still kinda reeling from it.  I will hopefully get back to reading soon and hopefully GOOD BOOKS!  I need some good books!

• But now I will wrap up my weekly shenanigans with music.  This week is the Silversun Pickups Growing Old is Getting Old.  I love this song.  They do an amazing job on MTV Unplugged.  Lyrically and rhythmically this song was what I need this week. 

Have a great weekend! 

Random Shenanigans

This is turning out to be my weekly post to tell you what kind of random shenanigans this part time book blogger can get into.

• This week I admitted my Dirty Little Secret is a hero who can rock the jeans and has tattoos.  If you didn't know this about me, you do now.  I have a tattoo addiction: getting them and hot people with them.  Not just guys. ;)  I'm an equal opportunity person when it comes to beauty. 

But I digress.  Mateus Verdelho does that to me. ;)

• I finished reading A Fall of Water by Elizabeth Hunter.  It was fantastic, 5 stars all the way!  I will be posting my review for it June 8th.  But now I have to prepare interview questions for Elizabeth  for part of the A Fall of Water Blog Tour.  Please check back early June!  

• I sent out an email interview to Karina Halle, author of the Experiment in Terror series.  This series has quickly become a favorite and I'm excited to see her answers and post them for you lovely readers.  Hopefully it will be followed by a Dex and Perry outtake.

• I am currently reading Married with Zombies.  So far it's a fun read.  The lead couple are having marital troubles and on their way to counseling when the zombie apocalypse happens.  This is one of the many books I received for winning the Zombiefest Giveaway and I finally get a chance to read them!  Who doesn't like a good zombie story? :)  But reading this made me think of the photos I took from last years Zombie Walk during San Diego Comic Con.  I captured some great ones!

Seriously?  Look at what his shirt says! LOLOL.  He was awesome.

This baby was so awesome.  She was holding out the brain all cute as can be. 

You can't have zombies or the walking dead without Ash!

• My music choice for the day?  Tricky - Black Steel.  This song came out in 1995 on their album Maxinquaye and is an awesome cover of Public Enemy's song Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos.  

Well, that wraps up this week!  Hope you all have a great weekend!

Random shenanigans

Well my first week blogging has been great fun!  Now that I'm getting some things figured out, it won't be as time consuming for the future.  That said, I NEED TO READ!  I haven't had much time to read this week.  That makes me sad panda.

But time for a weekly wrap-up.

• I posted reviews from the Experiment in Terror series by Karina Halle.  If you can't tell from my gushing reviews, this has made it to my favorite series and I recommend everybody give it a try!  Darkhouse, book 1 in the series, is still free on Amazon.  Check it out!  The two lead characters are amazing and I can't wait to read about their future endeavors.  

• Manday Monday...  Random facts about me? I LOVE TATTOOS!  Any future Manday Monday's are likely to contain yummy men with tattoos.  That's just how I roll.  

• I stopped in the middle of  Changeless to read On Demon Wings which was released last Sunday.  My mind is blown after finishing it and I hope to get back into Changeless soon.  But stay tuned for my review of On Demon Wings. 

• I won the Zombiefest Giveaway from addicted2heroines and got all my goodies in the mail.  I have so much to read now!  And a kick ass sticker to put on my car!  

• I listen to music all the time and find myself gravitating to different stuff weekly. This weeks soundtrack was presented by the Deftones.   This band is always on rotation in my household.  This song, Knife Party, reminded me of a book I was just recently reading.  But then I saw the video and was properly creeped out.  Spooky.....  But I love Chino (the singer).  He may one day grace my Manday Monday with his Converse and all. ;)  I'm a Converse girl for life. 

But now I shall try to get some reading done.  Stay tuned for more info on the A Fall of Water Blog Tour that I will be participating in and reviews of all the books leading up to this. 

Thanks new followers and I can't wait to get to chat books with you!