Hi there!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.
Today, we're joining Penguin Young Readers for a stop along their TOUR OF EPIC PROPORTIONS featuring the latest release from author Chris Rylander. You may remember his previous works such as the Codename Conspiracy series or The Fourth Stall saga (so much fun!), and that familiarity may lend you to pay closer attention to this one. TRUST YOUR GUT. If it says READ THE BOOK, well then, you know what to do... ^_^ ...speaking of which, MY gut is telling me to get on with the post, so here we go! First up, a quick SPOTLIGHT on the title celebrating its BOOK BIRTHDAY today...
An Epic Series of Failures, Book 1
by
Chris Rylander
9781524739720
G.P. Putnam and Sons
About the book...
A boy discovers his destiny could totally stink in this riotously funny fantasy-adventure
Risk-averse Greg Belmont is content with being ordinary. He's got a friend--that's right, just one--at his fancy prep school, and a pretty cool dad (even if he is obsessed with organic soaps that smell like a mix of salted pork and Icelandic bog). The problem is, Greg isn't ordinary . . . he's actually an honest-to-goodness, fantastical Dwarf!
He discovers the truth the day his dad brings home a gross new tea--one that awakens bizarre abilities in Greg. Then a murderous Bro-Troll kidnaps his dad and Gregis whisked away to the Underground, where Dwarves have lived for centuries right beneath the streets of Chicago.
With the help of some awesome new friends and a talking ax, Greg learns all about the history of the Dwarves, which has been marked with tales of epic failure since the dawn of time. However, the return of the magic they once wielded means big changes are afoot, escalating tensions with the Dwarves' sworn enemy: the Elves.
Brimming with humor and action, Chris Rylander's The Legend of Greg turns dwarf lore on its head, delivering an adventure readers won't be able to resist.
Sound good?
Right!?! I knew you'd agree!
So, of course when I heard about this tour, I had to join in. My stop, a special TOP FIVE post with the author himself about...his favorite beverages. Hey, you DID read the synopsis up there, right? Then my choice of topic TOTALLY makes sense! Without further ado, let's check out...
⛾ TOP FIVE BEVERAGES ⛾
with
AUTHOR CHRIS RYLANDER!
1. Coffee: always and forever.
2. Pineapple Juice: even though the spiky things scratch my throat terribly... wait, am I not drinking this right?
3. $8 Coke Zero at a Cubs game: because it means I'm at a Cubs game!
4. Peanut Butter Milkshakes: because I'm a human being with tastebuds.
5. Star Wars Space Punch: because it's the official drink of Jedi
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About the author...
Chris Rylander is the author of the Fourth Stall saga and the Codename Conspiracy series. A fan of chocolate, chips, and chocolate chips, he lives in Chicago.
Now, I was suppose to stop there, but...yeah, I just couldn't HELP myself! Once I had this one in my hot little hands, I couldn't NOT read it, and then having read it, I couldn't NOT share it! So, here's your BONUS POST for the day...
Once upon a time, there was a meat loving boy with a voracious appetite for life. He had a caring yet somewhat absent and eccentric father, went to an ELFing amazing school, and had a lifelong friend in the most unlikely of persons imaginable. Yes, life was perfectly perfect and couldn't get any better...*guffaw*...and now for the reality of it all.
Once upon a time, there was a boy named Greg who was MUCH MORE THAN WHAT HE SEEMED, as aptly pointed out by Froggy who basically muttered (mostly) to himself in random fragments, but was also more than what HE seemed, but that's a story for another time. Greg's father was a holistic health professional of sorts, and from time to time, his son was the guinea pig. Whether it was a new organic soap or a new brew, he was there for it all...after all, it's his dad, and he loved the guy, so yeah...bring on the stink or possible unsavory taste! That is until one day, the taste wasn't exactly unsavory...nor was it meant for him...and things in their carefully constructed world begin to fall faster than a house of cards. Secrets are reveled, destinies uncovered, and the magical war that's been at bay for thousands of years is possibly maybe about to get a GIANT SIZE kick in the pants.
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| Familiar? Yes...but according to these guys, not good representations! |
Along the way, we'll make friends with Dwarves of all sizes, shapes, and backgrounds, learn that not every one or every thing can be fully trusted, and that most "people" have just as much capacity for love as hatred, revenge as peace, and murderous intent as mercy. Greg will grow in many ways (size, personality, ability, etc) and become more like himself than he's been his whole life...but he's not the only one of note here. Whatever group you identify with most, be it punks, outcasts, populars, nerds, ecetera, there's someone here for you to get behind and root for. From Glam and her questionable hair choices (not judging!) yet penchant for slamming things to Ari and her kick-butt-but-with-peace-if-possible attitude and stunning smithing techniques, Froggy and his unusual nature but kind spirit to Eagen and his awesome storytelling abilities....even Edwin had his pluses and minuses, popular kid with a seeminingly genuine kindness (too bad things are the way they are). There's a wide cast of characters to loath and love as this exciting adventure unfolds.
All in all, LOVE IT! Can I just say that I'm SO GLAD it ended the way it ended and left us hanging yet not? Good because I'm saying it. You'll understand when you read it, but trust me, this is only the beginning in SO MANY ways.
Special thanks to Friya at Penguin Young Readers for the ARC for review as well as the chance to bring this tour to you, and to author Chris Rylander for indulging my curiosity. Hey, you write a book about a life altering tea (in a way), I gotta know what drinks would be your Achilles heel! This title is available now via G.P. Putnam and Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing. Be sure to check out the rest of the sites on the tour for more bookish fun...
WEEK ONE
June 5 – Lacey Does Lit
June 6 – A.Wrinkle.in.pages
June 7 – The Reading Corner for All
June 8 – Declarations of a Fangirl
WEEK TWO
June 11 – Bri’s Book Nook
June 12 – Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers
June 13 – Four Violet Reviews
June 14 – Books4yourkids
June 15 – The HSP Bookshelf
...and because more is just simply MORE FUN, CLICK HERE for the NEW BOOK TRAILER!
Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!
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