Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf Hosts & Creates the 2012 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge

Hey all blog readers,

At the very last minute decided to enter this Reading Challenge (the third and final Reading Challenge by the way!) because have always been infatuated with witches and witchcraft. Have received quite a few review titles for books under this title, so found this be fun to get in reviews for you readers.

Especially since interested in reading this 2012 some more of Paulo Coelho's novels since only read Brida before but not his highly recommended novel The Alchemist and The Witch of Portobello. Also titles like Legacy by Molly Cochran.

My movie reviews and anime reviews might just suffer for this.

Oh, well, was always to impulsive for my own good. If you read on you'll see I have to choose levels to complete but want Crone but not too confident I can find that many books to read. Liking the sound of Crone but too bad.

Have chosen instead the level of Maiden and hope to move up in my level . Really excited to see how it will all go.

I'll be posting reviews toward books for the challenge and afterward mention progress in wrap-up posts. I have signed up for e-mail subscription for Melissa's blog to see how it all moves.

~ Want to join? No blog required but to post reviews on a review site.

                ~ Enter the Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge ~

2012 Science Fiction Reader Challenge Hosted & Created by Working For The Mandroid blog

 Science Fiction Reader Challenge Hosted & Created by Working For The Mandroid blog 

Sign Up for the 2012 Sci-Fi Reader Challenge

Review of Imprint by Annie Frame

                                    Overview
 This spine chilling book takes the reader into the realms of horror all the more believable because it seems reality not fantasy. The Imprints enter the soul of the narrator with determined power and describe each of their emotions in vivid detail. It is impossible not to be deeply involved, revolted and yet entranced at the same time as the linking of the personalities becomes apparent. Desperation, self destruction and fear are superimposed on the beauty of the rose with its blood red petals. Each bloom shows the astral image of the various characters as their lives have been lived, giving some hope for the future and the lessons offered to the soul as it evolves to enlightenment and bewitching knowledge.
Add this to Your Goodreads.com Shelf

                                                                                    Recommended: Yes.

Manga/Graphic Novel/Video Game Novel Challenge 2012 by Manga/Gamer/ Writer

Welcome to the

Manga/Graphic Novel/Video Game Novel

Challenge 2012 (M/G/V)!

 

Hosted & Created by Mother/Gamer/Writer blog.

Sign-Up Page 

     What Are Some of The Guidelines?

Challenge Details:

• This challenge will run from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012. You can sign up at any time.
• You do NOT need a blog to participate as long as you have a Goodreads page or somewhere that you can review the books that you have read. Nor do you have to live in the United States.
• You do NOT have to read an ARC, or books published in 2012. And all book formats are acceptable, print, digital/ebooks, etc.
• Any book counts as long as it fits into one of the 3 chosen categories: Manga (all types of comic books are acceptable), Graphic Novels, Video Game Based Novels (Such as books based off of Warhammer, World of Warcraft, HALO, Mass Effect, Dungeons and Dragons, etc).
•  If you are participating in more than one challenge, books are allowed to cross over into this challenge.
• Every month in 2012, I will make a post for the Manga/Graphic Novel/Video Game Novels Reading Challenge 2012 (M/G/V for short) on the last day of the month so you can link your reviews.  Based on participation, monthly link ups may be combined.

Prizes:

• There may be a GRAND PRIZE, open Internationally, at the end on December 31^st for one person who completes one challenge level (and links their reviews each month), which would consist of $60worth of free books, or the equivalent of 1 video game (So spread the word, I would need at least 8 to 10 participates to have a drawing).

PLEASE READ THE CHALLENGE GUIDELINES AND ENTER YOUR LINK ON THE SIGN-UP PAGE IF YOU WISH TO PARTICIPATE!

Review of Extraterrestrial Compendium "HC" by Pat Lee

Print: 200 pgs.  Digital: 88 pgs.

    Creative Director: Pat Lee 

Editor/Writer: Ray Cheng  Writer/Researcher: Anton Chan

Graphic Designer: Chris Kong  

       Graphic Artists:

 Siya Oum, Hoi Mon, Nicole Cordiff, Marissa Rivera, Elliot Kravchik, Alliston Thous

Publisher: Sea Lion Books 

Just in time for the approach of the reputedly transformative year 2012, a comprehensive collection of extraterrestrial life-forms as visualized and vividly-rendered by Pat Lee of Transformers, DC, and Marvel comics fame. Within the UFO and exopolitics communities, there is both debate and consensus about many of the "known" extraterrestrial races, but seldom have they been revealed in this level of detail. To the believer, the curious, or just open-minded, the Extraterrestrial Compendium provides fuel for thought.

Sneak Peek at Amazon.com!:  For those of you who are eager to get a sneak peek, there is currently an EXTRATERRESTRIAL COMPENDIUM "CONDENSED" version on the kindle. 

Here's the Amazon link: Extraterrestrial Compendium

Advance Reader Review of The Demon Lover (The Fairwick Chronicles #1) by Juliet Dark

                        Overview

 I gasped . . . or tried to. My mouth opened, but I couldn’t draw breath. . . . His lips, pearly wet, parted and he blew into my mouth. My lungs expanded beneath his weight. When I exhaled he sucked in my breath and his weight turned from cold marble into warm living flesh.

Since accepting a teaching position at remote Fairwick College in upstate New York, Callie McFay has experienced the same disturbingly erotic dream every night: A mist enters her bedroom, then takes the shape of a virile, seductive stranger who proceeds to ravish her in the most toe-curling, wholly satisfying ways possible. Perhaps these dreams are the result of writing her bestselling book, The Sex Lives of Demon Lovers. After all, Callie’s lifelong passion is the intersection of lurid fairy tales and Gothic literature—which is why she finds herself at Fairwick’s renowned folklore department, living in a once-stately Victorian house that, at first sight, seemed to call her name.

But Callie soon realizes that her dreams are alarmingly real. She has a demon lover—an incubus—and he will seduce her, pleasure her, and eventually suck the very life from her. Then Callie makes another startling discovery: He’s not the only mythical creature in Fairwick. As the tenured witches of the college and the resident fairies in the surrounding woods prepare to cast out the incubus, Callie must accomplish something infinitely more difficult—banishing this demon lover from her heart.

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                                            Recommended: Yes.

Review of The Sleepwalkers by J. Gabriel Gates

                           Overview
 A chilling and masterfully crafted teen horror novel guaranteed to keep the pages turning, the mind reeling, and the lamp on any reader's bedside table on long after midnight. 

Privileged and popular Caleb Mason is celebrating his high school graduation when he receives a mysterious, disturbing letter from his long-lost childhood playmate, Christine. Caleb and his jokester friend Bean decide to travel to his tiny hometown of Hudsonville, Florida, to find her. Upon arrival, they discover the town has taken a horrifying turn for the worse. Caleb's childhood home is abandoned and his father has disappeared. Children are going missing. The old insane asylum has reopened, and Christine is locked inside. Her mother, a witch, is consumed with madness, and Christine's long-dead twin sister whispers clues to Caleb through the static of an a.m. radio. The terrifying prophesies of the spirits are coming to pass. Sixteen clocks are ticking; sixty-six murdered souls will bring about the end of the world. As Caleb peels back layer after layer of mystery, he uncovers a truth more horrible than anything he had imagined, a truth that could only be uttered by the lips of the dead.

Add this to Your Goodreads.com Shelf

                                            Recommended: Yes.

       

Giveaway of Calico (Children of the Shawnee #1) by Allison Bruning

                                         Overview 
"A man whose heart appears pure shall deceive you. The power he holds over you leads you to evil. You shall denounce the ways of Our Grandmother. Another man comes, whose pure heart beats for you alone, and who has a pure spirit devoted to Our Grandmother. He shall defeat the evil and set you free." A prophecy has been cast against her. In a harsh world deep within the western frontier of Ohio and Kentucky, Calico Marie Turner must learn to survive among the Shawnee and trust the one man who hates her the most, Chief Little Owl Quick as the Wind.

How can Calico survive in a world that wants to destroy her?


Add this to Your Goodreads.com Shelf

See A Review: Review of Calico (Children of the Shawnee #1) by Allison Bruning

NEWS:  Interview with Allison Bruning author of "The Children of the Shawnee" series 

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Interview with Allison Bruning author of "The Children of the Shawnee" series

Allison Bruning's Bio:

Allison Bruning is the Executive Director of the Kentucky Young Writers Connection, a non-profit agency of writers who promote young authors throughout the state of Kentucky, Allison originally hails from Marion, Ohio.
She is family oriented. Her father, Roland Irving Bruning, was the son of German immigrants who owned Bruning Brothers, a confectionary in Guttenberg, New Jersey. Her mother's family had been in the United States since the 17th century. Allison enjoys family stories and genealogy. Yer educational background includes a BA in Theatre Arts with a minor in Anthropology.

She holds graduate hours in Cultural Anthropology and Education. In 2007 she was named Who's Who Among America's Educators. She is also the recipient of the Girl Scout Silver and Gold Awards and was named All-American Scholar in 1996.

Allison lives with her husband in an Amish community close to the Ohio River. She is currently involved with DAR, her church, and the Caroll County Library. Her published works include cultural historical articles for Examiner.com under the name Al Bruning , publications in various magazines and on her hubpages blog. 

Calico is part one of the Children of the Shawnee series set in Kentucky before, during and after the American Revolution. She is also working on another series inspired by the life of her great-great grandmother during the turn of the century Ohio. The Heritage Series begins with Elsa. She has other novels in the works as well. Allison's interest includes Ohio Valley history, anthropology, travel, culture, history, camping, hiking, backpacking farm life, and genealogy.

Her expertise are in Native American culture, especially the Shawnee; early Ohio history; genealogy; cultural anthropology; education; and writing. 

Author Interview
Questions and Answers

See A Review: Review of Calico (Children of the Shawnee #1) by Allison Bruning

NEWS: Giveaway of Calico by Allison Bruning 

An Anime Series Review: Speed Grapher (2005)

Speed Grapher (2005)

Director:

Kunihisa Sugishima  Writers: Shin Yoshida, Yasuyuki Suzuki

IMDb Overview:
One man will capture the heart of a women, and destroy the foundations of society.

Anime News Network Overview:
Ten years after the Bubble War, the dichotomy between the rich and the poor in the world becomes more prominent and Japan is no exception. The rich seeks to satisfy their desires and derive pleasure for themselves, and Tokyo has materialize into such a city as a result. Saiga, once a war photographer, works for Hibara Ginza in the capitalist state of Tokyo. He infiltrates into Roppongi Club, a secretive base located in the red district area of the city, to collect information about them. However, he was caught in the process and brought forward to a girl called Kagura who was in the midst of a ritual. His contact with Kagura awakens his special ability: the power to make things explode once photographed. In order to unravel the mystery behind the Roppongi Club and Kagura, Saiga begins his solitary battle.

Review of Seven Point Eight: The First Chronicle (Volume 1) by Marie Harbon

                    Overview 

Seven Point Eight: The First Chronicle (Volume 1)

 Seven Point Eight: The most powerful number in the universe. The number that connects everything. A physicist begins a quest to measure the soul but soon finds himself drawn into the world of the enigmatic Max Richardson, where research is sold to the military at the highest bid. However, he soon discovers another purpose when an extremely talented young psychic enters his life. He devises a project and builds a team to stretch the frontiers of exploration, only to make a reality-shattering discovery… The First Chronicle is the beginning of a 5 part epic which follows the spiritual and emotional journey of five people; their quest to understand the universe and our place within it. Along the way, they address the fundamental questions we all seek answers to: why are we here? What is the purpose of the universe? Is there a God? Quantum physics meets spirituality in a tale which begins in the 1940s, unfolds during the 1960s; an era of social and spiritual transformation and reaches its conclusion in the modern age. It interweaves the human dramas of love, betrayal, bitterness and above all, courage in a world where everyone must face their own dark shadow.

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                                            Recommended: Yes.

       

An Anime Movie Review: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)

Director: Mamoru Hosoda   Writers:  Satoko Okudera (screenplay)

IMDb Overview:
A teenage girl finds that she has the ability to leap through time. With her newfound power, she tries to use it to her advantage, but soon finds that tampering with time can lead to some rather discomforting results.

Book Titles To Look Forward To & Open Call For Readers To Review: December 2011

Books you'll being seeing soon through reviews on the blog.
Are there some you are interested and want to know what they're all about?
Hope so, since I'll be working on getting reviews in. Drop a COMMENT.
Also see: Huge Various Pick of Book or Movie Giveaway (U.S.)

Upcoming Reviews 

Published by HarperCollins Publishers/Walden Pond Press: September 12, 2011.

Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu
Overview
Once upon a time, Hazel and Jack were best friends. They had been best friends since they were six, spending hot Minneapolis summers and cold Minneapolis winters together, dreaming of Hogwarts and Oz, superheroes and baseball. Now that they were eleven, it was weird for a boy and a girl to be best friends. But they couldn't help it - Hazel and Jack fit, in that way you only read about in books. And they didn't fit anywhere else. 

And then, one day, it was over. Jack just stopped talking to Hazel. And while her mom tried to tell her that this sometimes happens to boys and girls at this age, Hazel had read enough stories to know that it's never that simple.
Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," Breadcrumbsis a story of the struggle to hold on, and the things we leave behind.
Add to Goodreads.com Shelf

Various Books/Movies Giveaway

Books

 Smash Cut by Sandra Brown 

The Diamonds of Wellbourne Manor by Amanda McCabe

Dark Parties by Sara Grant

Artist Collection: The Dog Why Are Dog's Noses Wet?

The Winter Queen by Amanda McCabe

The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets by Eva Rice

The Night Train by Clyde Edgerton

Old Acquaintances by Ursula Gorman

The Perils of Being VampPixie by P J Schriever

Movies

Young Guns: Special Edition 

Goosebumps: The Headless Ghost

Midnight Movie 


Guys entering December 10, 2011 who are the first 3 commenters, you're entered. Afterwards please everyone use the widget for easier entry!

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