Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Did I Notice Your Book? Blogfest


What is this blogfest all about? Here's how the blog sponsors described this event:

Did I Notice Your Book Blogfest, October 17, 2012
Post about a book you’ve noticed.

You can choose a book that you’ve read, something you saw on a blog or social media site, Goodreads, or a sales website. Anything that caught your eye because of a great cover, blurb or reviews, but DON’T tell the author that their book has been noticed. Instead, shout out on social media sites, and encourage others to do the same, until the author finds his/her book.

Leave a blog comment at Ninja Captain Alex (aka Alex J. Cavanaugh) or Ciara Knight when the author finds their book.

Only two rules:
1) You can’t post about your own book.
2) The book shouldn’t be on the New York Times or USA Today bestseller list. This is your chance to shout out about a book that might not have been noticed by others.

Let’s blow up the blogsphere with great new reads!


The book I've chosen is Three A.M. by Steven John.

The synopsis and book cover are from the Macmillan website.  The author's website is at Steven John Books.  He has a book page on Facebook and can also be found on Twitter.


"Fifteen years of sunless gray. Fifteen years of mist. So thick the streets fade off into nothing. So thick the past is hazy at best. The line between right and wrong has long been blurred, especially for Thomas Vale.

Long gone are the days when new beginnings seemed possible—when he was a new recruit, off to a new start fresh in the army. He had hoped to never look back. Not like there was much to see, anyway.

First came the sickness, followed by the orders: herd the healthy into the city, shoot the infected. The gates closed and the bridges came down… followed by the mist.

Fifteen miserable years of the darkest nights and angry, awful gray days.

Thomas Vale can hardly fathom why he keeps waking up in the morning. For a few more days spent stumbling along? Another night drinking alone? Another hour keeping the shadows at bay….

But when Rebecca Ayers walks into his life, the answers come fast. Too fast."


I picked this book up from the new fiction shelf at the library because I liked the cover art and the synopsis, and because I've been on a post-apocalyptic reading binge lately. I wasn't disappointed. The book has a couple of interesting and surprising twists to the plot, which I liked a lot. I also liked the author's writing style. The reviews, especially Kirkus, were not as good as the novel deserves.

I will warn you that this is a dark novel and best suited for those who can handle the hard stuff (reading matter, that is).

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Pat - What an interesting choice for this blogfest! I have to admit I've not done a lot of reading that has a post-apocalyptic setting, but this one really does sound interesting. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Patricia .. great review you've done - but I have to say I'm not good at the hard stuff - interesting you're pursuing your present genre right now ... I wonder if Steven John will find you ... cheers Hilary

Libby said...

I'm all about dark novels! I've only been on three websites so far for the fest, but this is the second book I've seen that references a time in the day. Probably won't see another one, but thought it was cool. :)

http://libbyheily.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

Sounds like a great read!

Maryannwrites said...

This sounds like an amazing story. I really enjoyed the excerpt you posted. Another one to add to my list. (smile)

Lynn Proctor said...

you got me wondering about it---sometimes i can handle the hard stuff :)

Unknown said...

Hi Patricia, I'm dropping in from the blogfest. Yes, I can handle dark reading matter and this one by Steven John sounds very compelling. Onto my tbr list! Thank you for the recommendation.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Sounds creepy and disturbing!
Thanks for participating in our blogfest.

Sherry Ellis said...

Sounds like an intriguing book!

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Sounds like a fresh take on a post-apocalyptic plot. Thanks for sharing.

Ciara said...

I love the opening of that blurb. It sets the tone for the book. Great pick. Thanks for participating.

Tara Tyler said...

it sounds like a great change is coming! thanks for the rec!

Anonymous said...

I've been readin gthese types of books lately. I'm going to download this one. Thanks Patricia for the review.

LynNerdKelley said...

This sounds really good. I loved The Hunger Games, so I think I could handle this one. Thanks for the recommendation!

Angela Brown said...

Ooohhh...this sounds like a very dark one to embrace. I think I am in the mood for something dark. Thanks for noticing this book and mentioning it :-)

Tyrean Martinson said...

Sounds chilling and dark . . .but good.

cleemckenzie said...

I love a dark book once on a while! Thanks.

Trisha said...

This has mixed reviews on GR, but I've added it to my TBR. Love the cover!

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

Your choice looks riveting, Patricia.

LD Masterson said...

Might be a little heavy for me right now but you've definitely piqued my interest.

Cynthia said...

Saying hello from the blog hop...I like the book's cover, and I appreciate the warning about the content.

J.L. Campbell said...

The cover has a mysterious feel.

Laura Eno said...

This sounds like a good one. The synopsis has me very curious.

Captain Catastrophe said...

Well, being as I'm the author, I agree... great pick, Patricia! And thanks for getting the word out there.