Wednesday, December 6, 2017

25 books of Christmas Day 6


Hello again book fanatics!

So if you've been out of the loop,  Megan from Down the Rabbit Hole and I are doing a book blog event called the 25 books of Christmas!!! So we are picking books either centered on chriatmas or involving Christmas in some way! We will be alternating days so make sure you click the links to check out all the great reads.



Day Six




Gregory Maguire returns with an inventive novel inspired by a timeless holiday legend, intertwining the story of the famous Nutcracker with the life of the mysterious toy maker named Drosselmeier who carves him.

Hiddensee: An island of white sandy beaches, salt marshes, steep cliffs, and pine forests north of Berlin in the Baltic Sea, an island that is an enchanting bohemian retreat and home to a large artists' colony—a wellspring of inspiration for the Romantic imagination . . .

Having brought his legions of devoted readers to Oz in Wicked and to Wonderland in After Alice, Maguire now takes us to the realms of the Brothers Grimm and E. T. A. Hoffmann—the enchanted Black Forest of Bavaria and the salons of Munich. Hiddensee imagines the backstory of the Nutcracker, revealing how this entrancing creature came to be carved and how he guided an ailing girl named Klara through a dreamy paradise on a Christmas Eve. At the heart of Hoffmann's mysterious tale hovers Godfather Drosselmeier—the ominous, canny, one-eyed toy maker made immortal by Petipa and Tchaikovsky's fairy tale ballet—who presents the once and future Nutcracker to Klara, his goddaughter.

But Hiddensee is not just a retelling of a classic story. Maguire discovers in the flowering of German Romanticism ties to Hellenic mystery-cults—a fascination with death and the afterlife—and ponders a profound question: How can a person who is abused by life, shortchanged and challenged, nevertheless access secrets that benefit the disadvantaged and powerless? Ultimately, Hiddensee offers a message of hope. If the compromised Godfather Drosselmeier can bring an enchanted Nutcracker to a young girl in distress on a dark winter evening, perhaps everyone, however lonely or marginalized, has something precious to share.



I believe everyone has probably at least heard of the nutcracker. I have had the honor of watching the ballet and it was beautiful. I personally can't wait to read this backstory on the nutcracker and how it came about.

Deadly Eleven Tour





Deadly Eleven: A Collection of Post-Apocalyptic, Dystopian, and Horror Thrillers

Mark Tufo, Michelle Bryan,
David Moody, Bobby Adair,‎
Shawn Chesser,‎ Leigh M Lane,‎
John O'Brien,‎ Jaime Johnesee,‎
Heath Stallcup

Genre: Post-Apocalyptic, Horror, Dystopian

Publisher: Devil Dog Press

Publication Date: June 1, 2017

ASIN: B072M6WX9T

What happens when everything comes crumbling down?

Some of today's best -selling authors take you to the dark side in this collection of eleven deadly tales.

What happens when everything comes crumbling down? Some of today's best-selling authors take you to the dark side in this collection of eleven deadly tales.

Zombie Fallout - Mark Tufo 

This is the story of Michael Talbot, his family, and his friends: a band of ordinary people trying to get by in extraordinary times. When disaster strikes, Mike, a self-proclaimed survivalist, does his best to ensure the safety and security of those he cares for. Book one of the Zombie Fallout Trilogy follows our lead character at his self-deprecating, sarcastic best. What he encounters along the way leads him down a long dark road, always skirting the edge of insanity.

Strain of Resistance - Michelle Bryan 

I was 12 years old when the world ended. For eight years I've survived in this shithole once known as earth. Fighting the alien parasite that mutated most of the population into blood-thirsty freaks, while the rest of us became the lunch special on their alien menu.

Now things are changing, and not for the better. The parasite is evolving. Becoming smarter, stronger and deadlier.

Strangers - David Moody

A spate of brutal murders occur in and around the small town of Thussock. The bodies of the dead – savagely mutilated, unspeakably defiled – are piling up with terrifying speed. There are no apparent motives and no obvious connections between the victims, but the killings only began when Scott Griffiths and his family arrived in Thussock...

“In his evocation of fear and unease and the speed with which he grips you, he brings to mind old Brit horror writer James Herbert. And that is some recommendation.” —London Lite

“Moody has the power to make the most mundane and ordinary characters interesting and believable, and is reminiscent of Stephen King at his finest.” —Shadowlocked

World-Mart By Leigh M. Lane  

World-Mart takes place in a not-too-distant future, one in which the collective and all-powerful entity known as "Corporate" owns and controls every aspect of society. One held in place by complacency and mediocrity.

One that could very easily come to pass . . . very soon.

What does your future look like?

A New World: Chaos - John O'Brien

This hard-hitting, action-packed series begins with Jack Walker being suddenly thrust into a world where the infrastructure which cherished Armani suits, night clubs, fast and expensive cars and watching the daily stock market are gone. Left in its place is the material world mankind built but a majority of the population has vanished; replaced by a new, savage, unrelenting, cunning, animalistic species which hunts and operates at night.

Trudge: Surviving The Apocalypse - Shawn Chesser 

Unable to get ahold of Brook and Raven and unwilling to leave them at the mercy of some distant politician’s inability to hold the nation together, he begins an impossible 3,000 mile journey across a reeling United States with presumably millions of infected in his path and only one acceptable outcome: find Brook and Raven alive—or die trying.

Black Virus- Bobby Adair 

Alienated in a world where he doesn’t fit in, Christian Black survives because he’s different. Then the virus came, and made the world turn different, too.
Now people are dying by the million. Food supplies are short. Riots are blazing through the streets, and Christian’s only goal is to keep his family alive. But safety lies far from the city, and just getting out will be tougher than anyone knows.

Next: Aftermath - Scott Nicholson

But as a half-mutant, Rachel’s choice isn’t as simple as mere survival—the mutant way of life might be more promising than anything humans could hope to restore. And Rachel’s next decision could tear apart her family and the entire world.

The Death of Kaylis - Jaime Johnesee

In a post apocalyptic future, Kayliss and her vultures rule the wastelands with an iron fist. Nobody'd ever had the guts to stand up to her until her sister came home. Sasha doesn't like the person Kayliss has become and vows to stop her by any means necessary. In a world where the lawless make the rules can anyone truly make a change?

Dead Hunger - Eric A. Shelman 

Something happened to the earth. Inexplicable. Not a product of man, but of nature.

Now Flex Sheridan and Gem Cardoza must do all they can to protect Flex's six-year-old neice Trina and find ways to survive a massive outbreak that has caused most of humankind to metamorphose into the walking dead.

Return of The Phoenix - Heath Stallcup

Humanity has spent its time enjoying the peace that can only be had through blissful ignorance. For centuries, stories of things that go 'bump' in the night have been shared. When creatures of the night proved to be real, the best of America’s military came together to form an elite band of rapid response teams. Their mission: to keep the civilian populace safe from the monsters that go bump in the night and hide all evidence of their existence.




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