Explore This! The Cascades (and surrounding area)

This week, I thought it would be nice to travel to the North West of the United States. I’ve picked up a few books over the last six months that prominently feature this area. In Clive Cussler’s The Wrecker, there’s a madman attempting to tear down the Cascade Canyon Bridge. In The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting, the main character, Violet, lives in small town Washington but has the Cascade Range as a constant backdrop in her tale. And, of course, in The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer, we start off in Seattle but ultimately end up in Forks, Washington, chasing after Bella swan et al. (I think, technically, Forks is within the Olympic Mountain Range, but these areas are so close together that I’ve included them both here.)

I’ve always been fascinated …

Explore This! Yellowhead

For this week’s virtual travel, I get to show you a bit of my own country, Canada! I recently read Tay John by Howard O’Hagan, which is the legend of a man born in the late 1800’s and of his cursory attempts to meld into society, as the Western parts of Canada were being developed and the trains were being extended to our West Coast.

I’ve personally never visited these areas before, but as you can see from the pics, there’s still a lot of wilderness here; so much that remains untouched by man. What I have for you today are images of Yellowhead Lake, which according to O’Hagan’s novel was named after Tay John’s people (Tay John was a mispronunciation of “Tete Jaune”, as he was a yellow haired native.) I’ve also included the Athabaska river, which features prominently …

New Releases – July 6, 2010

Demon Blood (The Guardians #6) by Meljean BrookGenre: PNR

Long before she was transformed into a Guardian and trained to fight demons, Rosalia knew darkness all too well. Raised by a demon, Rosalia learned to guard her heart–and her soul–until she found a man worthy of her love. Once, she thought that man would be the powerful vampire, Deacon…until he betrayed the Guardians. After losing everything to the lies of a demon, Deacon lives only for revenge–and is taken aback when Rosalia offers to help. A vampire who has nothing–who is nothing–isn’t worthy of her attention. But Rosalia wants to do more than just look, and the explosive need between them can’t be held in check. And when Deacon’s vengeful quest creates a dangerous alliance of their enemies, she will be his only hope…

Book Depository.co.uk, 

Explore This! Indonesia

This week, we travel to Indonesia, to see the sites and lifestyle this group of islands has to offer. I’ve been reading Sea by Heidi R. Kling, where Sienna, the main character travels with her father’s group, Team Hope, to help out at an orphange. The kids living there include a large number that were devastatingly affected by the tsunami in 2004. The worst of the impact hit an area called Aceh, so Kling’s Sea features a character, Deni,  from this area who survived but lost his family, as did so many others.

Most of the story takes place in Yogyakarta (also known as Jogja, Yogya, Jogjakarta) which is in Java. There’s discussion of the different religions that are found in this part of the world, from Buddhism, illustrated by the temple Borobudur, as seen in these first 2 images (which is a very …

New Releases – June 22, 2010

Dark Flame by Alyson Noel
Genre: YA

At the start of this mesmerizing new installment of the Immortals series, Ever is helping her friend Haven transition into life as an immortal. But with Haven drunk on her new powers and carelessly putting them all at risk, their friendship becomes more and more strained. At the same time, Ever delves deeper into magick in order to get control over her enemy Roman and free Damen from his power. But when the spell she casts on Roman backfires, she’s bound to her deadliest enemy. Frantic to reverse the spell the moment the moon enters a new phase, she finds her efforts are fruitless—there’s a strange, foreign pulse coursing through her, one that propels her toward Roman. Desperate to break free of this terrible curse before Damen or the twins can discover what …

Explore This! Sweden

This week’s tour takes us to Sweden. I decided upon this destination for a few reasons: I have a contest running over at my own blog for a copy of Stieg Larsson’s The Girl Who Played With Fire (click here to enter….after reading this post 🙂 I’m also a big fan of Eric (played by Alexander Skarsgard, a native of Sweden) in the HBO series True Blood, which had its season premiere last night. Let’s just say it left quite the impression, to say the least…

I’ve realized that in previous posts, I had neglected to include a map, so I’ve corrected that issue here.

New Releases – June 8, 2010

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

Genre: YAScarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris– the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She’s determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.

Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts fiercely alongside her. Now Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves and finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax– but loving him means betraying her sister and has the potential to destroy all they’ve worked for.Twenty-five-year-old Jackson Pearce delivers a …

Review: Beauvallet by Georgette Heyer

Format: Trade PaperbackNumber of pages: 304Release Date: Jan. 1, 2010Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca Formats available: Paperback, Audio, eBookPurchasing info: Goodreads, Amazon

Synopsis:What happens when a pirate falls in love with his captive?

During her return to Spain with her father, the lovely Dona Dominica de Rada y Sylva is horrified when their ship is set upon by pirates. Far worse is her discovery that their captor isn’t just any pirate — he is the notorious Sir Nicholas Beauvallet, an Englishman with a scandalous reputation for plundering Spanish ships. But Dominica’s pride braces her determination to be no one’s hostage . . .

It should have been easy for Sir Nicholas. It was, after all, just another ship. But instead, Sir Nicholas finds himself captivated by Dominica’s dark beauty and indomitable courage. After returning his captives …

Explore This! Greece

My inspiration for our virtual tour this week comes from my recent delve into Oedipus Rex (which I reviewed on my personal blog here.) While finding actual pics of what Greece looked like circa 429 BCE, when Sophocles originally wrote this tragic play, is difficult, the Greek civilization is one that has endured, evolved and been remembered for thousands of years. We can still readily find architecture and landmarks that highlight the ancient aspects of their culture, but also see what Greece has become over these millenia.  Everytime I see articles in magazines featuring this stunning country (yes, the shiny pictures always grab my attention), I sigh and think, “One day…” So, feast you eyes on Greece and travel with me, vicariously:

New Releases – May 25, 2010

Endless Summer by Jennifer Echols

Genre: YATwo irresistible boys. One unforgettable summer. Lori can’t wait for her summer at the lake. She loves wake boarding and hanging with her friends–including the two hotties next door. With the Vader brothers, she’s always been just one of the guys. Now that she’s turning sixteen, she wants to be seen as one of the girls, especially in the eyes of Sean, the older brother. But that’s not going to happen–not if the younger brother, Adam, can help it.

Lori plans to make Sean jealous by spending time with Adam. Adam has plans of his own for Lori. As the air heats up, so does this love triangle. Will Lori’s romantic summer melt into one hot mess?

Endless Summer is the sequel to The Boys Next Door. This edition includes The …