Words by Sooz

I recently attended BookExpo America, and I am still sorting through all the notes for articles I plan to write. There should be at least four or five more articles in the works from BEA. This is the second year in a row I attended the event. The first year, I was completely unprepared for it while I brought a little bag and carried too many books. I was smarter this time around by limiting the books I picked up and bringing a much bigger bag. Here are the posts from Teleread on my trip to BEA so far: Publishing houses -- at least Simon & Schuster -- not avoiding fan fiction Novelry looks to be the online bookstore when it comes to discoverability Over at Books and Pals, where I get a chance to read indie books, two of my reviews were posted. One was on a fictional baseball book and the other took place in a dystopian future. Hang a Crooked Number Far Out

There are a number fans of The Dresden Files, and Amazon is offering a nice deal for them today. The e-books from The Dresden Files are just $1.99 each today . The Dresden Files are a series of mysteries with the main character being Harry Dresden, who is a private investigator and a wizard. If you always wanted to pick these books up, now today (Saturday) would be a good time.

Everywhere I look, I see owls. I think owls have replaced mustaches as the next trendy thing. My nieces have owl everything I noticed. They made a mother’s day card for grandma, it was decorated with owls. So here’s a cute gift for someone who likes owls, and likes to read. These i-clips owl magnets page markers are only $3.55. As a bonus for anyone who likes to read in the dark or in poor lighting, here is a portable, foldable LED reading light . You can clip it to a book, or likely on the edge of on e-reader. I used to have something similar for my Nook, but I certainly didn’t pay $1.54 for it, which is the price right now on Amazon. If you’re looking for something a little more traditional, check out these Tiffany paper bookmarks , which are $1.50 for 12. 

Where to find it : Amazon | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble | iTunes  I keep doing this. I start with the wrong book in a series. I don’t do it on purpose, but it turned out The Case of the Werewolf Puppy was actually the second in The Warlock Case Files. The good thing, however, is that there was enough information and action that I didn’t feel as though I was missing anything by starting with Book 2. It made for a good stand-alone book within the series. Author Juli Monroe has a great voice with a very easy, casual feel about it. It’s almost as though a friend is telling you a story rather than an author trying to put a series of actions together. Getting inside the head of Dafydd, the protagonist, is also interesting. He’s a warlock, but it’s more about rituals and potions. That doesn’t mean he is bad. In fact, Dafydd goes through some serious soul searching as he learns more about evil and how far he is willing to go in the name of doing the right thing. T

Where to find it : Amazon | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble | iTunes Being a teenage girl and growing up without a mother is tough enough. Throw in special powers, a brother who resents you and angels and demon vying for your attention, and you have the world going crazy around you. Jordan has visions that allow her to see evil monsters. She relays those images to her brothers who hunt the creature and kill it before it can do more damage. Jordan is isolated, but loves her family. Her only friend is her family’s guardian angel, but even he has been acting shady as of late. Jordan’s most recent vision sends the entire family on a hunt to Tennessee where they have to destroy a rare creature that is killing people in a small town. This hunt is anything but ordinary – if killing mystical creatures can be called ordinary – as Jordan learns more about her true nature. The book is well written and the action moved throughout. The twists are interesting and you feel for Jordan.

Moon Called | Patricia Briggs Summary : The introduction of Mercedes Thompson, a stubborn mechanic who wants to keep to herself. But other people don’t intend on leaving her alone. Mercy lives next door to an Alpha werewolf and they don’t always play nice as she can change into a coyote. However, when her new employee, a newly made, lone wolf from out of town ends up dead on her doorstep and the Alpha is attacked and his daughter kidnapped, Mercy’s instincts kick in to help. Where to find it : Amazon | Apple | Barnes & Noble Review : I started backwards, reading the seventh book in the series first. I enjoyed that book so much, I went back to the beginning. I can see why readers have enjoyed the Mercy Thompson series. She’s a fiery, independent woman who doesn’t want to take people’s crap. She doesn’t seek trouble, yet it has a way of landing on her doorstep. What I found intriguing was the development of certain relationships. I know where Mercy ends up – b

The Picture of Cool | Laurie Boris Summary : Charlie is a television producer that meets an interesting man who is a guest on the show. The two connect, but Adam has a secret that could tear his family apart. Where to find it: Amazon Review : When reading a book about people and seminal moments, the characters have to be believable. They need to feel real and not as though they are forced into a moment for the sake of a story. Boris did everything right in The Picture of Cool.   The characters are real and in situations easily imagined. The pain Charlie feels as he pines for Adam is something that any person can relate to. Their relationship is gradual and sweet. It doesn’t matter that the main characters are gay, anyone should be able to enjoy this book. Boris leaves a note at the end stating she intends to make these characters part of a longer book, and one I fully intend to read. I actually wanted to learn more about the characters, including some

Writing about baseball has been one of my favorite things. Covering ball games, talking to players, dissecting the nuances of the game. I love it all. Almost two years ago, I stopped writing about baseball because -- what I tell people -- I took a desk job. I became on editor at Beckett Media where I write about trading cards and collectibles. For the most part, I rarely write about baseball. In fact, I write about every other main sport. A couple of weeks ago, I contacted one of the editors of It's About the Money. It's a blog dedicated to the New York Yankees. Luckily, they were happy to have me write for the. So far, I wrote a couple of game recaps, but I also wrote three other posts. Bernie Williams should be celebrated with The Core Four Replay slowing the pace of baseball games; is it worth it? Why players don't care about Michael Pineda's "dirt" Check out the site, especially if you are into baseball. There are a lot of interesting wri

The Chase was a gripping thriller, blurring the lines of the law to get justice. Even though Kate O'Hara and Nicholas Fox were once on opposite sides of the law, they don't let that get in the way of their relationship. They work well together, picking up traits from each other along their journey. I didn't read the first book of the series, but the good thing about The Chase was there was enough background information that didn't leave me confused as to how an FBI agent and a career criminal ended up working together. Evanovich and Goldberg did a nice job of recapping their history without making it feel bogged down. The Chase was a fun read, and reminded me of the TV show Leverage where -- to borrow a line from the opening credits -- sometimes bad guys make the best good guys. I'll probably read the first book to get the full picture of how these two started on their path of catching the worst crooks in the world and doing crazy heists all in the name o

I recently started writing for Books and Pals , a popular site dedicated to reading indie books. I’m excited about the opportunity for several reasons. 1.         I love to read : This gives me a chance to read as many books as I want while finding great new voices. 2.        It makes me a better writer : By reading more books, I will find great techniques that I may want to employ or even things I don’t like. Reading and writing more will only help in the long run. 3.         A better sense of community : I’ve noticed over the last couple of years that self-publishers are a close group. So many of them are willing to help with design, formatting, and pass along great ideas. I look forward to meeting more of those people. I’d like to give a special shout out to Al for bringing me on board. My first review is up and I am reading my second book now. This is about three times the size of the last book so it’s taking me a bit longer to get through. 

Lost Girls. The title gives off a negative connotation. Maybe that was the intent or maybe the author and editors were oblivious. Robert Kolker wrote about the Long Island serial killer who dumped the bodies of at least four prostitutes in a marshy area along the shore area. But the title bothered me. A girl is someone who is under 18 years old. That’s the way I have always felt. Once a female hits 18, she considered a legal adult. When you start referring to females who are 22-27 as girls, you trivialize who they are as much as others who did so because they were prostitutes. These “girls” had to live more difficult lives than most people who will read this book. Titles are important to grab readers’ attention, but they shouldn’t insult the subjects in the process. I wrote a full review on Goodreads here . 

Jacob Lau is shipped off to live with his after his mother goes missing. This is just the beginning of his problems. The Soulkeepers (The Soulkeepers Series) is the first book in the series by G.P. Ching, and her debut novel. Jacob’s father died several years ago. His mother goes missing and is feared dead. He ends up in a town where generations of families have lived and don’t like newcomers. This town and some of their families hold secrets, and Jacob has one of his own. The stereotypical idea of small towns not liking newcomers (or those who aren’t white) seemed a little heavy-handed. Perhaps growing up in a diverse city, I didn’t see much of this when new people showed up in the neighborhood. But it’s a good way to force to characters together who may not have otherwise been friends. Jacob acts like a typical teenager in the middle of a crisis. There were some readers who thought he was acting childish, but he’s 15 and an essentially an orphan. There aren’t

Ilir Berisha might say he was one of the lucky ones. He got out of Kosova alive while living there during the war, and got to tell his story. Berisha’s book “ Summer Is My Favorite Season: A Memoir of Childhood and War in Kosovo ” paints a true story of a young boy who witnesses some of the worst the world has to offer. His parents are frustrated and frightened. They don’t know where they are going to get their next meal or when the electricity will return or if they will ever get running water again. His father has to work the black market to make money. And a beloved uncle is killed by a Serbian group. When three masked men storm their apartment on a night where NATO bombs are falling around them, Berisha doesn’t know if he and his family will make it out alive. The men could kill them or perhaps a bomb will miss its target. It wouldn’t be the first time Berisha wished for a quick death. And he was just 14 years old. Berisha’s memoir is gripping. He starts

I finally finished Mass Effect 3. I know. I know. It only took me more than a year. I even bought the game on the day of release. Even though it took me one week to finish ME2, even after all side missions, I just couldn’t finish ME3. I couldn’t do it. Here was the problem … I didn’t want it to end. I had a feeling of how it would all end even before all the “controversial ending” posts were written about it. (And if you don’t know how it ends, stop reading). Commander Shepherd had to die to save the universe. That part was obvious from the very beginning. I have played video games for a long time, starting with the original Zelda and Mario Bros., through Sonic the Hedgehog and Call of Duty games. Nothing touched me like the Mass Effect series though. I started playing the game on a whim. I was bored and the first game was sitting in the house. I had watched a few scenes of someone else and figured I would make my own ass-kicking Commander Shepherd to k