Win an Amazon Gift Card. Up to $50 in prizes!

Here's how it works: Purchase any of the books shown below during the month of January and you will be entered in our gift card drawing. One entry for each book purchase. Already purchased all of them? Why not gift one to someone you love? Forward your reciept to breakoutbooks (at) gmail (dot) com to be entered. (Subject Line: January Blog Tour Giveaway)

Best Picks for 2010

I've read so many great books this year, so picking my favorite is not an easy task. Honestly, I did not read a bad book at all this year, so any of the books that don't make the list should be considered to be honorable mentions. Without furthur ado, here are my top picks for 2010.


5. Learn Me Good by John Pearson - This truly was the funniest book I read all year. I laughed all the way through it and was dissapointed that it had to end. John has mentioned that he might be working on a sequel. I hope he does, because I will be the first in line to buy it!

4. Color Me Grey by J.C. Phelps - Maybe it's the fact that we're from the same little state of South Dakota, or maybe it's just that Jean writes a really great book. I loved this one. It had a great plot and was so well written. I've yet to read the rest of the series, but I've been told they were just as good, if not better. I plan on finding out in the next few days.

3. Equilibrium by Imogen Rose - Honestly, I need to include the whole series in this post. The Portal series is a fabulous story and it has certainly won its way into the hearts of all the teenage girls in my house. Many have said that Portal was a great book and Equilibrium was an awesome book. I have to agree. Imogen seems to outdo herself every time she comes out with a new book. I'm hoping that Quantum is as good as I expect it to be.

2. NoHeart by Ronnell Porter - Vampires, voodoo, monsters? Who could ask for more. I loved this book. It was both fun and exciting. A good mystery is one you don't figure out right up to the end, and this one gave nothing away. Highly reccomended.



1. Flaming Dove by Daniel Arenson - While I really enjoyed all the other books, this was truly my favorite. From the moment I started reading it, I could not put it down. While the religious overtones might not be appealing to all readers, I found myself intrigued by it and couldn't help but adore this tale.



For those of you who didn't make the list, just know I had a hard time picking just five. So many of the books I have read this year are so dear to me. I want to thank all of you for the opportunity to read your stories. I wish you all the best of luck in the future!

Kindle Review

Since we are constantly reviewing our favorite kindle books, I think it's only logical that we give you our opinion of the kindle itself. My K3 was delivered yesterday afternoon. Prior to its arrival, the only time I got a chance to play with one was a few moments at Target on Christmas Eve. You heard me right, the first time I've ever held a real kindle was six days ago. To say that I was immediately hooked was definitely an understatement.
It had been on my wish-list for a long time, and after spending a few moments playing with the display model, there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted one as soon as possible. In actuality, we had gone to Target to purchase one. My husband wanted to surprise me. Unfortunately, they were sold out and it would be several days before they received another shipment. Disappointed, we left empty handed.
Of course that meant there wasn't one sitting under the tree Christmas morning. Don't get me wrong, I had a wonderful Christmas morning. No complaints whatsoever. But I had been bitten by the kindle bug, and now I wanted one more than ever. Sunday morning, my husband asked if I had went ahead and ordered one from Amazon. "What? Really?" Two minutes later, I received an order confirmation email and was grinning like a Cheshire cat. Now, I just had to wait for it to show up.
I expected it to take a while, what with all the orders they had been shipping out for the Christmas rush, so when I got an email Monday morning saying it had been shipped and I should receive it by Friday, I was tickled pink. Imagine my surprise when it showed up two days early. I could hardly wait to get home to play with it. I didn't have to wait long, however, because my wonderful husband decided to bring me lunch and brought the kindle with him.
I have been unable to put it down ever since.
There are so many features I like about this thing. The fact that I can turn my review files into mobi files and load them onto the kindle is beyond amazing. Another feature I love is the text to talk. This little feature is especially handy when driving or when I'm doing something that takes me away from reading. I got to test it out first thing this morning while I sat in the dentist's chair for two hours. What might have been a completely miserable experience was made to be much more enjoyable. I can see this feature is going to become one of my favorites.
I also love how easy the kindle is on the eyes. While I loved the kindle app on my laptop, it was straining to my eyes, and quite often I could read for no more than an hour at a time. The kindle didn't see to cause the eye strain that I experienced with the laptop. I was amazed at how much the screen resembles actual paper. I'm not sure how they did it, but it is cool!
I know I've said many times before that I love my printed books, and I do, but I think having a kindle is going to bring my reading experience to a whole new level. If you've been considering getting one but you aren't quite sure, go play with one. You will make up your mind right then and there. Do I think it's worth the money? Absolutely. But don't take my word for it. Try it yourself.

Winner, winner!

Here are the winner's from this week's sponsor giveaway.

1. Will Prince

2. Alicia Dale

3. Nancy Johnson

4. Gabrielle Campbell

5. Jill Seiffertt

Watch your inboxes for your Amazon alert. Congratulations and enjoy your copy of Reining In by Dawn Judd.

Up next: I will be giving away 5 kindle copies of Portal by Imogen Rose in next week's newsletter. If you haven't already subscribed to our newsletter, now is your chance. Don't miss out on our weekly sponsor giveaways and our monthly giftcard drawings!

My Blood Approves by Amanda Hocking

Seventeen-year-old Alice Bonham's life feels out of control after she meets Jack. With his fondness for pink Chuck Taylors and New Wave hits aside, Jack's unlike anyone she's ever met.

Then she meets his brother, Peter. His eyes pierce through her, and she can barely breathe when he's around. Even though he can't stand the sight of her, she's drawn to him.

But falling for two very different guys isn't even the worst of her problems. Jack and Peter are vampires, and Alice finds herself caught between love and her own blood...


About the Author

Amanda Hocking is a lifelong Minnesotan obsessed with John Hughes and Jim Henson. In between making collages and drinking too much Red Bull, she writes young adult urban fantasy and paranormal romance. For more information on Amanda and her books, visit her blog.

Dawn's Review
Amanda Hocking is quickly becoming a name to recognize. As such, her books have been on my TBR pile for a while now. So it was a pleasant surprise when I discovered I already had a copy of My Blood Approves. Immediately I dropped everything to sit down and read it. How I wish I would have come across it sooner. This was such a great book. Amanda's writing style is fun and unique, and of course who can resist a good vampire tale? I loved every minute of it. I'm very anxious to move on the next book in the series. I have no doubt that it will be just as good as this one!

Lessons (and other morbid drabbles) by Michael Crane

LESSONS AND OTHER MORBID DRABBLES is a collection of 25 100-word shorts that range from darkly comic to downright terrifying and wrong. Some shorts feature ghouls and monsters while others are simply about people behaving very, very badly. Which is scarier? Find out in this sick and twisted collection.

They may only be a few words long, but that doesn't lessen the bloodshed any...

Imogen's Review

It takes talent to engage a reader in a hundred words, and then to shock her. Each of Michael Crane's drabbles did just that. Each story is a nugget of unexpected evil. Mr. Crane's style is easy and enjoyable, journeying the reader into a false sense of security and then, bam! I look forward to the next collection of drabbles from this gifted author.

About the Author

Michael Crane is an indie author and scribbler of inane babble that can sometimes end up as stories. He went to Columbia College Chicago where he earned a BA in Fiction Writing. He is currently the author of two short story collections, and he also might've written two books while he was in high school, but he refuses to own up to them and that's why they aren't included on the page. He lives in Illinois and is always trying to work on something new, unless he's battling stupid writer's block.

Some of his favorite writers are Raymond Carver, Richard Yates, Kurt Vonnegut, Chuck Palahniuk, Bret Easton Ellis and Hunter S. Thompson.

LINKS

Amazon

B&N

Blog

Winner Winner!

Here are the winner's from this week's sponsor giveaway.

1. Nancy Johnson
2. Sharon Sayegh
3. Jill Seiffertt
4. Patricia Puddle
5. Barbara Pappan

Watch your inboxes for your Amazon alert. Congratulations and enjoy your copy of Color Me Grey by J.C. Phelps.

Up next: I will be giving away 5 kindle copies of Reining In by Dawn Judd in next week's newsletter. If you haven't already subscribed to our newsletter, now is your chance. Don't miss out on our weekly sponsor giveaways and our montly giftcard drawings!