Mundie Moms

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

TARNISH BY KATHERINE LONGSHORE, BLOG TOUR: GUEST POST / GIVEAWAY


Welcome to today's stop in the TANISH blog tour. I'm excited to have author Katherine Longshore's list of her 5 favorite fantasy reads from her childhood/teen years.


5 Favorite Fantasy Reads from Childhood/Teen Years



James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

I’ve always been a sucker for downtrodden orphan stories, and I think maybe Dahl was the instigator.  This story includes fairy tale (the Old Man and the magic gems), travel (Dover! The Azores! New York City!), lovable bugs (the Centipede was always my favorite) and adventure.  Even as the child of scientists, I was willing to suspend the disbelief of a rhinoceros eating James’s parents and sharks eating a peach because the imagery was so rich and the characters so appealing.

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster and Jules Feiffer (illus.)
This is one of my favorite books of all time.  Terminally bored Milo discovers a tollbooth in his bedroom one day, and when he drives through, discovers a world that boggles the mind.  To this day, I think about Milo and his friends whenever I jump to conclusions, can’t think of a word (drat that Everpresent Wordsnatcher!) or talk about a “square meal.”  This book is the only reason I know what a dodecahedron is, and I’ve several times made a fool of myself joking about Subtraction Stew and Division Dumplings.  

Time Cat by Lloyd Alexander
This was Alexander’s first children’s fantasy, inspired by his cat who would visit him while he was working, but Alexander would never see him come or go.  He wondered if the cat was visiting one of his nine lives, and thus the story was born.  Gareth the cat takes his boy, Jason, to visit each of his nine lives, through Rome and ancient Britain, Japan, Peru and Revolutionary War-era America.  It combines three of my greatest loves—travel, history and cats.

The Princess Bride by William Goldman
I read this book twice before I ever saw the movie.  As the narrator says, it has everything—fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles.  It has an epic love story (the phrase “As you wish,” still makes me melt), quirky supporting characters (Miracle Max, anyone?) and wonderfully despicable villains.  Not to mention fabulous dialogue and eminently memorable quotes.  And though I liked the book better than the movie, I think Rob Reiner created a classic.
 
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
I realize that many people would classify this as science fiction, but in a genre debate it would probably be considered science fantasy or space fantasy because really, there is no scientific rationale for many of the things that happen in this book!  I must have read this series a dozen times when I was in high school and continue to reference it with appalling regularity.  Adams was a comic genius and had an imagination far ahead of his time—look at the Guide itself.  It was a “book” that contained thousands of facts, easily referenced and attainable.  It was, essentially, a tablet or e-reader, and Adams thought up the idea in 1978.

Just as an aside, Adams wrote a book in the 1990s called Last Chance to See, in which he and Mark Carwardine traveled the world in search of species on the brink of extinction.  It is one of the best pieces of travel literature and eco-activism I’ve read.  

About the Book


Anne Boleyn is the odd girl out. Newly arrived to the court of King Henry VIII, everything about her seems wrong, from her clothes to her manners to her witty but sharp tongue. So when the dashing poet Thomas Wyatt offers to coach her on how to shine at court—and to convince the whole court they’re lovers—she accepts. Before long, Anne’s popularity has soared, and even the charismatic and irresistible king takes notice. More than popularity, Anne wants a voice—but she also wants love. What began as a game becomes high stakes as Anne finds herself forced to make an impossible choice between her heart's desire and the chance to make history.
Add it to Goodreads





About Katherine
Katherine Longshore grew up on the northern California coast. At university, she created her own major in Cross-Cultural Studies and Communications, planning to travel and write. Forever. Four years, six continents and countless pairs of shoes later, she went to England for two weeks, stayed five years and discovered history. She now lives in California with her husband, two children and a sun-worshiping dog.
Find Katherine via her: Website/Blog/Twitter/Facebook/Goodreads
Giveaway

* 1 winner will receive A pair of Anne Boleyn inspired earrings and a signed Hardcover of Tarnish
* 2 winners will receive signed copies of Tarnish
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule
6/10/2013 Tales of a Ravenous Reader- Guest Post
6/11/2013 Hobbisites- Interview
6/12/2013 Mundie Moms- Guest Post
6/13/2013 Literary Exploration- Review
6/14/2013 Confessions of a Book Addict- Review
6/17/2013 Good Books and Good Wine- Guest Post
6/18/2013 Two Chicks on Books- Guest Post
6/19/2013 Magical Urban Fantasy Reads- Guest Post
6/20/2013 Taters's Tall Tails- Guest Post
6/21/2013 Pageturners- Review

Steehlheart by Brandon Sanderson, Waiting On Wednesday


By: Brandon Sanderson
Published by: Random House
To Be Released on: 9/24/13
Pre-Order from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Add it to Goodreads

Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics.

But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his wills. 

Nobody fights the Epics... nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.

And David wants in. He wants Steelheart—the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David's father. For years, like the Reckoners, David's been studying, and planning—and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience. 

He's seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge.

Steelheart has already received a lot of exciting buzz from BEA, and I have a feeling it's going to be on of Random Houses's bigger YA releases this Fall. This is definitely one to add to your TBR lists. I can't wait to feature it on Mundie Moms. What book are you waiting on?

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