Room Recipes: A Creative and Stylish Guide to Interior Design by Tonya Olsen

Home Interior Decoration
272p.
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Available Now
Source: From publisher for review

From exciting entryways to DIY dining rooms, these tried-and-true interior design recipes are the ultimate resource for homeowners looking to spice things up or decorate a space from scratch. With this book, creating a show-stopping master suite or home office is as simple as cooking dinner---just follow the instructions! Turn your house into your dream home one room at a time by incorporating these no-fail recipes for delicious designs.

My thoughts:
 The book was thought up by the author with the idea of doing home design like a recipe. This way of organization is designed to help you plan and create a room that you would enjoy. The examples are from jobs she had in the past and then she breaks down the "recipe". It is set up like this:

• Ingredients: The major elements of the room like a wall treatment, flooring, couch, tables and other items like this.
• Tonya's Take: Which is like her version of the recipe where she makes substitutions and where your own ideas could take off for your own recipe. 
• Garnish: Taking an element and specifically showing you how she did it. For example, how to arrange a wall of artwork/pictures. 

You can find many examples of her work on her website: Room Recipes. She does break it down a bit more in the book.

I give this book 4 stars. Someone who does diy can take some of these ideas and run with them as well as figure out a way to organize their ideas into a cohesive room. It isn't for the complete diy'er, however. It really is a kind of book where you have a budget and create a room with the help of a professional.

OMG... Am I A Witch?! by Talia Aikens-Nuñez

illustrator: Jlicja Ignaczak
Childrens/MG (8-12 yrs. old)
150p.
Publisher: Pinwheel Books
Available Now
Source: From TLC and the author for review

April Appleton is so annoyed at her older brother that she searches the Internet for a spell to turn him into a dog. When the spell works, April realizes she has more powers than she ever dreamed of! Now she has to figure out how to turn him back to normal before her parents find out. She has little time, but with the help of her friends, Grace and Eve, she finds a book of magic that will hopefully reverse the spell. Will it work and will April's newfound magic save the day?

My thoughts:
 This is a cute children's book about a girl who turned her older and annoying brother into a dog. She finds she has powers and the adventure is all about getting her brother turned back into his annoying self. The book is aimed at 8-12 year olds.

I had my eye out for books I thought my little cousin might enjoy. She really loves reading and I thought the premise of the book was cute. She doesn't have an older brother but a younger sister but I think she could still identify with the main character.

The book itself has a bit of a problem with pacing. The dialog keeps going back over the same thing, but as a kid, I think they might like that. It is also short so there is no mention as to how April got her powers or why. She also doesn't really grow from the experience but she does have a conscience and feels bad about what happened.

One of the things I really did love about this book are the tiny illustrations that accompany each chapter. I think that was probably my favorite part of the book. I just had to make a mention of them.

I recommend this book to young grade school kids. I think they would get a kick out of a kid who suddenly finds herself with magical powers.

Netherworld (The Chronicles of Diana Furnval #1) by Lisa Morton

Series: The Chronicles of Diana Furnval #1
282p.
Publisher: JournalStone
Published: 1/10/14
Source: ARC from LibraryThing early reviewer program and publisher for review

In nineteenth-century Victorian England, a young widow finds that she has inherited more than her late husband’s property: The Furnavals serve as the ancestral keepers of supernatural portals scattered around the globe. When demonic entities begin crossing over from the Netherworld, Lady Diana realizes that a war is brewing, and she must be the one to confront it. 

Accompanied by a young Chinese sailor named Yi-kin, her feline guardian Mina, and a mysterious scholar, Stephen, Diana will begin a journey to solve the mystery of her husband's death and prevent the apocalypse.

My thoughts:
The book is set in the 19th century with a huge dose of the paranormal. Diana is a young woman who has been encouraged to have ideals unlike her peers in terms of religion, but yet is staunchly critical of anything that smacks of the paranormal. She meets her husband, William who, prior to engaging her, shows her a gateway to hell which quickly changes her mind. William is called away to a trap which spins Diana on a new quest. Closing all the gates to hell.

The book is filled with worldly descriptions which is both interesting but slows the book down considerably. There were times when the description seemed to go on, but I was ready for what would happen next. It did help at times when you really wanted to get a feel of things, but when it was more of the mundane parts of the book, I just wanted to move a bit quicker.

The other parts I did have trouble with was the mix of 19th century with present times. At times Diana behaved much more boldly that would have been allowed in that time. She seemed to be able to behave with men in a way that I don't believe would be acceptable then but would be chaste now. There were also parts where Yi-Kin, her side-kick, would experience a lot of prejudice. While this made sense, but he still seemed to have found a freedom I'm not sure would exist with Diana being seen as a recent widow. He is also a bit stereotypical of what you might think of as a asian sidekick.

Still with the problems I had it was an interesting ride with Diana figuring out how to close the portals. I especially enjoyed Mina, her cat, who seemed to be a bit wiser than your average feline. I give this book 3 stars. You will have to ignore some of the inconsistencies in the era and her behavior, but if you just want to have fun with a paranormal mash up of religion, faeries, and mythology you might enjoy your time here.

Tell Me Something Tuesday: So You Want to Be a Blogger Edition

Tell Me Something Tuesday, a meme started by CambriaHebert, but now hosted on Rainy Day Ramblings. It is a chance to get to know your fellow bloggers by sharing fun stuff, discussions and more. Grab the question and post your answer on your blog and link up at Rainy Day Ramblings! Have fun!

This weeks question:

So You Want to Be a Blogger Edition: What are your tips for contacting authors and publishers for interviews, ARCS, etc.? 

I'm guessing this is mostly for the newbies... so for those of us doing it for a while, do add your tidbits in the comments.

So...

Best way to get ARCs? 

and

Just go and sign up for those services and start asking for ARCs. You should have a place or places in which you review and let them know as much about you as you feel comfortable. Having a blog is the easiest way since then you can also let them know how many followers you have to entice them for acceptance of your request.

This is another place where I hear about a lot of ARCs. You often fill out a form or just ask for the book and if you get chosen, you get the book. Sort of like a giveaway but with more chances at books.

You can also just go to the publisher's website where your coveted ARC is being produced. Just look at the contact page (sometimes you need to go to the main publishing house page to find the smaller houses e-mail) and find the area for reviewers. Then just send off a request. You may get it or not. You'll never know unless you try.

The other way I get them is being asked by the author, publisher, or tour host. Pretty easy to get on the tour hosts list. Just go to the website (check out the links on the side bar to the left) and sign up.

Not much of a science and I start to not mind getting rejected even for those I really want. Why? Because I have SO many to read. Seriously, I can always pick up a book later at the library if the funds get low. :)

As for the interviews for the authors that are hard to get, often you can contact them through the publisher and be specific as to what you want. They often go as a go between so the author doesn't have to give up privacy if it is a hard to reach person.

So any tidbits to add?

Circle of Fire (Damask Circle #1) by Keri Arthur

Series: Damask Circle #1
336p.
Publisher: Dell
Published: 1/28/14 (first published: 08/20/01)
Source: NetGalley and the publisher for review

VISIONS OF TERROR 

Sixteen teenagers taken from their homes. Eleven bodies recovered, each completely drained of blood. Some believe vampires are responsible. Jon Barnett knows that what’s happening is far worse. Sent by a group of paranormal investigators known as the Damask Circle, Jon quickly becomes enmeshed in a web of black magic and realizes he needs help. But fate gives him only one choice. 

Madeline Smith has retreated to an isolated farmhouse, afraid of the abilities she cannot control—abilities that have killed. But when a “ghost” brings a warning of danger and her nephew goes missing, Maddie not only has to leave her haven, she has to place her trust in a man who is neither ghost nor human. As the noose of sorcery tightens, the search for the teenagers becomes a race against time. But the greatest danger to Maddie and Jon could be the intense feelings they refuse to acknowledge but cannot ignore.

My thoughts:
This is a book that was previously published but is being rereleased. This is a PNR shifter type of story with your standard HEA at the end. It has no cliffie *cheers* so it can be read as a standalone and I suspect the next book will be another couple. I enjoy those since you can read out of order (but since this is the first one, of course that isn't the issue here) and not be lost.

The story is one we are quite familiar. Trouble starts we have to opposing and flawed characters, neither of whom are looking for love. As they are forced to work together we see the sparks fly and they try to balance solving the issue as well as trying not to fall for each other. Something we know is inevitable. Okay, so it is predictable, but still fun to see how they do it in the specific world created here. We are also introduced to knowing the Damask Circle exists, but nothing more. Something to build upon in the coming books.

I give this story 3 stars. It is a fun PNR where you want to sometimes kick both characters in the arse for not dealing with the emotions they obviously have for each other. You will probably enjoy this one if you are in the mood for a PNR with a bit of action.