The Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the books that made it to the semi-finals with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title.

Blurb

MAGUS… The Magus were the protectors of magic, armed with a magic caster’s power and the strength of a warrior. They were able to summon various magical weapons from specialized caches they wore as an armored pauldron known as an Armory of Attlain. They were legendary among the people of Attlain, until the Magus Rebellion. When a few Magus decided they should lead the people instead of protecting them, they rebelled; but the insurrection ended from within the Magus ranks. However, the rebellion already did the damage. The Magus were cast out, feared, and outlawed except for those few who remained loyal to the crown and lived as adventurers. For generations, they had all but disappeared from the landscape of Attlain.

Marcus Gideon awoke at the crossroads outside the border town of Armändis. Lost, with no memory of his past life, he was left for dead by brigands… Stabbed through the heart. His life was saved by a blacksmith’s kindness who replaced his damaged heart with a mechanical, magical miracle—a clockwork heart. The gears turned, the motor spun, and his heart was beating again, powered by his magical energy.

Gideon was alive, but his savior was no ordinary blacksmith. Henry Botàn was a Magus, hiding out in Armändis to protect the weapons within his magical armory. The swords, spears, and other-worldly artifacts were potent in their rights, some cursed and even forbidden to wield. His responsibility was to protect these weapons from falling into the wrong hands, but he was old and past his prime. He needed an apprentice, and Marcus Gideon may be the one he waited all these years.

Now begins a new adventure, as Gideon searches for clues to his past, looking ahead toward his future in Attlain as THE LAST MAGUS.

Book Details

Length: 274 Pages

Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction

Age Category: New Adult

Date Published: May 3, 2021

Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/fpoPH0x (Canada) https://a.co/d/1am4iig (USA) https://amzn.eu/d/eMXUPz4 (UK)

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58275189-the-last-magus

The Story Graph Link: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/42174246-9190-4b26-bc7e-039b944bb494 

Or buy it from your local independent bookshop, which is my preferred option.

Author Bio

A native of Phillipsburg, N.J., Mark Piggott is a 23-year veteran of the U.S. Navy. He retired in 2006 as a Chief Petty Officer. His first book, Forever Avalon l, was published in 2009. Mark self-published several books before signing with Curious Corvid Publishing in 2021. He has won several book awards, including The Bookfest Book Award, the Firebird Book Award, AGI Indie Book Award Grand Prize for Fiction, and the Golden Wizard Children’s Book Award. Mark works as a writer-editor in Washington, D.C. He lives in Alexandria, Va., with his wife, Georgiene.

About BBNYA

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 16 finalists and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

The Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the books that made it to the semi-finals with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title.

Blurb

In 1922, private investigator Tatum “Shoe” Shoemaker—fresh off a sensational case and a Pulitzer Prize nomination—finds himself working in a bad section of Washington, D.C., and drowning in debt. So when a well-heeled solicitor offers a substantial retainer to solve the brutal murder of a wealthy industrialist’s daughter, he jumps at the chance.

Against the advice of his girlfriend-cum-wise-cracking assistant, Shoe decides to risk potential retribution from elected officials and return to Nevis, Maryland—the bayside town that ran him out six months earlier for exposing corruption in government. But his hope of solving his new case is immediately imperiled when he learns archrival Rudy Becker has been retained on the same case. Clues pile up without connection as neither investigator fully trusts the other, and each withholds information vital to solving the case. Soon, both investigators find themselves prime suspects in the murder, and they must either learn to work together with complete trust, or one of them will certainly go down for the murder.

Book Details

Length: 273 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery

Age Category: Adult

Date Published: August 16, 2021 

Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/jdztoZ6 (Canada) https://a.co/d/6PkLNEZ (USA) https://amzn.eu/d/9GWGdnm (UK)

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58897030-the-dame-on-the-dock

The Story Graph Link: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/2e38997b-74fb-49a0-bce4-77d79b4b0138 

Or buy it from your local independent bookshop, which is my preferred option.

Author Bio

Louise Gorday is an award-nominated author of eleven novels, many of which center on life in a small fictional Southern Maryland town based loosely on Chesapeake Beach, Maryland. Her plots range from historical fiction describing the founding of the amusement park in the early 1900s and a private investigator in the 1920s to the modern-day fantasy escapade of an immortal battling Pandora’s grandson for the dark muse of Edgar Allan Poe. Whether it be Solomons Island, Upper Marlboro, or a trip down a notched road, she loves to include local places and Maryland customs in her stories. Louise lives in Dunkirk, Maryland, with a very patient husband, two Shelties, and Emmett, an African Grey who sings the Sponge Bob Square Pants theme song.

Louise’s novel Edgar and the Flyboys was recently a finalist in Poe Baltimore’s 2022 Saturday “Visiter” Awards, which honor artistic works that continue Edgar Allan Poe’s legacy.

Website and to subscribe to Louise’s mailing list: https://www.louisegordaybooks.com/ 

About BBNYA

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 16 finalists and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

The Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the books that made it to the semi-finals with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title.

Blurb

An unlikely savior emerges to prevent the advent of mass destruction and genocide descending on the world…

By Day

Los Angeles, 2040. When the terrorist known as Medusa threatens to kill millions with a stolen nuclear bomb, Nick Jameson makes a fateful decision. He reveals himself on global television as a Daywalker – a vampire with a soul. To save Los Angeles, Nick exposes not only his own gifts but three separate cultures based on millennia-old magic.

By Night

The three metahuman races exist in careful balance, working to maintain a fragile peace. Nick and his fellow Daywalkers successfully master their natural bloodlust. The Sentinels, armed with both magic and steel, repress their warlike instincts. And even some Nightwalkers, normally their natural enemies, have deserted the Court of Shadows to join the triple alliance. Nick Jameson is deeply involved with two such Nightwalkers – handsome Lorcan and powerful Rory. Both men love Nick. But neither can protect the new Ambassador to Humanity from the events he has set in motion.

By the Sword

Jeremy Harkness was lured into Medusa’s service under false pretenses. A loner with no one and nothing to cling to, he was willing to die for his cause. But the night Medusa tried to obliterate Los Angeles, Jeremy met Nick Jameson, triggering the onset of his own psychic gifts. For Jeremy is the third race of metahuman, a Sentinel, born to kill the Nightwalkers with no quarter asked or offered. And neither Medusa nor the Court of Shadows will settle for peace when they can make war.

Betrayal and treachery lurk around every corner on the road to coexistence, and at every turn, Nick must question who to trust among his metahuman allies, friends, and lovers—before their civilization is plunged into the depths of darkness and bloodshed. With millennia-old magic, emerging romance, and ever-shifting allegiances, this inventive series unveils a scintillating, homoerotic world of Nightwalkers, Daywalkers, Sentinels, and Humans, who battle for world dominance in the not-too-distant future.

Book Details

Length: 504 Pages

Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction

Age Category: Adult

Date Published: February 1, 2011

Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/3nZLnkQ (Canada) https://a.co/d/gTmg6fT (USA) https://amzn.eu/d/7MO5WfI (UK)

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16154442-sunset

The Story Graph Link: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/d9cb555a-9786-42ad-8e35-4c245450eef6 

Or buy it from your local independent bookshop, which is my preferred option.

Author Bio

Arshad Ahsanuddin is a hematopathologist living in Canada. The irony of a physician who specializes in blood disease writing a series of vampire novels has been remarked upon by roughly every person he has ever met. This is his first novel. If you enjoyed this book, then feel free to visit his website at http://www.pactarcanum.com and leave him some feedback.

About BBNYA

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 16 finalists and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

I am shining a spotlight on The Vanitas and Other Tales of Art and Obsession by Jake Kendall to celebrate its publication in the US.

I read, and really enjoyed the short story collection earlier this year and reviewed it here.

Blurb

Spanning three hundred years of art history, The Vanitas & Other Tales of Art and Obsession tells the stories of those with an insatiable hunger for creation – those who may sacrifice friendships, careers, romance, and even their own happiness in pursuit of a vision.

Weaving art styles such as Cubism, Surrealism, and the Baroque into his prose, Jake Kendall has crafted a vivid and inventive collection. Each story is complemented by a black and white illustration, drawing out the visually evocative nature of the writing and offering readers a unique artistic delight.

About the author

Jake Kendall was born in Oxford and studied an MSc in Creative Writing with the University of Edinburgh. He takes inspiration from the visual arts, a theme that formed his debut collection. The Vanitas & Other Tales of Art and Obsession (Neem Tree Press) refracts contemporary issues and anxieties through timeless imagery and artistic movements. Jake lives and works in Edinburgh and spends his free time visiting bookshops, exhibitions, theatre, and independent cinemas.

About the Book

Genre: Art History Fiction, Short Stories

Length: 272 pages

Published: February 2024 in UK and September 2024 in US

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199245520-the-vanitas-other-tales-of-art-and-obsession?ref=nav_sb_ss_5_12

Amazon UK 

Amazon US

I would encourage you to support your local independent bookshop to purchase this book.

I wasn’t tagged but I saw this tag on TheArtsyReader and loved it so I thought I’d give it a go! Not sure how secure my memory is but here goes…

Here are the rules:

ANSWER THE PROMPTS WITHOUT USING THE INTERNET OR LOOKING AT YOUR BOOKSHELVES. YOUR ANSWERS HAVE TO ALL COME FROM MEMORY! MAKE SURE TO LINK TO THE PERSON WHO ORIGINALLY TAGGED YOU AND, ONCE YOU’RE DONE, YOU CAN TAG FIVE OTHER PEOPLE IF YOU’D LIKE.

NAME A BOOK WRITTEN BY AN AUTHOR CALLED MICHAEL

Little Rabbit Foo Foo by Michael Rosen

“Little Rabbit Foo Foo, I don’t like your attitude…” is one of my favourite lines of all time. So much scope for doing the voices. This is a story in which LRFF finds out that actions (bopping things on the head) have consequences.

NAME A BOOK WITH A DRAGON ON THE COVER

Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell.

This superb book is a recent read so wasn’t difficult to remember the cover. Gatekeepers, mythical creatures in danger of extinction…what’s not to love. The clearly memorable cover illustration is by Daniel Egneus.

NAME A BOOK WRITTEN BY AN AUTHOR WITH THE SURNAME SMITH

The No1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

Those was the first author I came up with, having read a few of these many moons ago. I remember loving the descriptions and characters.

NAME A BOOK SET IN AUSTRALIA

Tiddalick, the frog who caused a flood by Robert Roenfeldt

Based on an Aboriginal Dreamtime story, Tiddalick was so thirsty that he drank up all the rivers and billabongs in the land. And the other animals had to find a way to get the water back – much humour follows.

I could not think of any other books for this one. I remember this one as the classes I read this to in my early teaching career loved it for story time. I did misremember the title though. I recalled it as “the wide mouthed frog” but reckon that was me mashing up this title with one of my favourite jokes.

NAME A BOOK WITH THE NAME OF A MONTH IN THE TITLE

October October by Katya Balen

So good they named it twice. The story of a girl and yer dad living in the woods, embracing the wild and then when something happens to cause October to have to live in the city, she struggles to find the wild there. This was my introduction to Balen’s sublime writing and I encourage you to read this and her other works. Cover art is by Angela Harding.

NAME A BOOK WITH A KNIFE ON THE COVER

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness,

from the Chaos Walking trilogy.

I thought of two for this category, this one and The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman, from His Dark Materials trilogy. I went with this one as it was the first to come to mind. It is also from a trilogy.

Todd is on the cusp of manhood in a world of men and can hear everything they think. Realising they are hiding things from him and that he is in danger he has to flee. The story is about making choices, growing up and dealing with differences.

NAME A BOOK WITH THE WORD ‘ONE’ IN THE TITLE

Quite Ugly One Morning by Chris Brookmyre

And so began my unrequited love affair with investigative journalist Jack Parlabane. Brookmyre’s acerbic wit and corking dialogue tells the story of a journalist who is not afraid to bend or break (mainly break) the rules to get to the heart of a story.

NAME A BOOK WITH AN EPONYMOUS TITLE

The Haunting of Aveline Jones by Phil Hickes

I came up with a lot of books that fit this category, but have chosen the first of the three Aveline Jones books Hickes has written so far, all eponymous. I say so far, as I am forever hopeful he will write more. Considering this is an MG book, the scares and spine chills are next level. I have said before that Phil Hickes’s writing evokes more goosebumps and foreboding than a lot of stories written for an adult audience. Those scarecrows! The superb cover illustration is by Keith Robinson.

NAME A BOOK TURNED INTO A MOVIE

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

My favourite book…EVER.

I enjoyed putting this together. Can you think of a book for each category? In some I could have listed many, but I struggled with a couple. For example, I have read lots by Michael Connelly but cannot for the life of me recall the titles. I tend to remember the characters, Bosch, Haller etc. As you can see from my choices, I am also an MG reader and lover of picturebooks.

Thanks for reading.