Stacking the Shelves (5)

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!  The original meme was started over at Tynga's Reviews.  So this week I am going to focus on hard copies and a library haul, as well as some approvals from netgalley.  These all look so awesome, I don't know where to start.  Any ideas?

First here is what I found at the library (some were on hold and of course all came in at the same time!) - Sorry for the glare.

Tank Girl One (Remastered): Jamie Hewlitt and Alan C. Martin - I already read and posted a review for this one.
Tank Girl Two (Remastered): Jamie Hewlitt and Alan C. Martin
Through the Woods: Emily Carroll - I also read this and already posted a review.
The Deep: Nick Cutter
Greenglass House: Kate Milford
The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place: Julie Berry


These are the books I purchased - some from Books A Million during a sale and some at a local outlet store.

The Exorsistah (Exorsistah #1): Claudia Mair Burney - Never heard of this but for a $1.00, figured it was worth a shot.
Shattered Souls (Souls #1): Mary Lindsey
Shelter Me (Second Chance Ranch #1): Catherine Mann - Bought this one after I bought #2 because it had a boxer on the cover and then realized it was part of a series - not big on romance, but maybe they will be ok.
Rescue Me (Second Chance Ranch #2): Catherine Mann - See above.  Strictly a cover buy.
Changless (Parasol Protectorate #2): Gail Carriger - Trying to collect this series so I can binge read it.
The Sorcerer's House: Gene Wolfe
Singing the Dogstar Blues: Allison Goodman - Love this cover.

And finally from Netgalley.


Undertow: Michael Buckley - I really wanted to get my hands on this one.  Releases 5/5/15.  Thanks Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group.  This one promises to be great!
The Awesome: Eva Darrows - Another one I was dying to have and was thrilled to be approved.  Releases 5/26/15. Thanks Rebellion!

The Unleashing (Call of Crows #1): Shelly Laurenston -Out 3/31/15.  Thanks Kensingtonn Publishing.

Bomb: Sarah Mussi - Releases 5/7/15.  Thanks Hachette Children's Books
The Astrologer's Daughter: Rebecca Lim - Available 6/9/15.  Thanks Text Publishing Company.
Moonlands: Steven Savile - Releases 4/17/15.  Thanks Badpress.

Man, I need to get reading huh?  What did you guys get?  Leave a link to your StS and help next week's haul grow - haha!

March TBR Jar Pick

 
OK, this TBR jar may be getting the best of me.  It's a good idea in it is making me pick up some books that have been on my shelves for what seem like forever.  However, I couldn't make myself finished last month's pick so I am carrying it over to March, and then my March pick doesn't exactly thrill me.  I know what books are in the jar (see post for specifics) and all I can think of is ones I wished I had drawn out instead of this one  But I refuse to give up and here is March's addition to the TBR list:

Those Who Fight Monsters - Edited by Justin Gustainis.  I have to admit I do love the cover.  Has anyone read this?  What were your thoughts?

Hold on to your koala bears!

TITLE: Tank Girl One (Graphic Novel)
AUTHOR: Jamie Hewlett & Alan C. Martin
PUBLISHER: Titan Books
PUBLISHED: April 28, 2009 (as an anniversary edition)

FROM GOODREADS: She’s back to wreck her own unique brand of havoc! From the depths of the outback she charges, astride her fabulous tank! Run for the Hills! It’s... Tank Girl!

Join everybody’s favorite beer-swilling, chain-smoking, kangaroo-worrying lunatic as she blitzes her way through a dazzling array of bizarre adventures, including bounty hunting, delivering colostomy bags to Australian presidents, kangaroo boxing... and many more outrageous and mind-warping thrills! Marking the 20th anniversary of Tank Girl, with a new introduction from Alan Martin, and rarely seen material from Jamie Hewlett, this is the start of the ultimate collection. Presented for the first time, in chronological order and in glorious black and white - the way nature intended!
Warning: Adults only!

MY THOUGHTS: 
Tank Girl is everything I like in a female role - cocky, confident, independent. She is also more than slightly vulgar and while that didn't put me off at all, it is a warning for anyone else reading this book. I recall watching the movie years and years ago and it might be worthy of trying to find a copy to watch again now that I have finished this. The book gave some back info on the writers and how Tank Girl evolved, which was extremely informative and interesting. The artwork is great, but I do feel the frames are extremely congested and sometimes downright busy. Because of this, it took a while to complete this book and even though I could have finished it in one sitting, I didn't because of visual overload. There is lots to Tank Girl's story and the dialogue is intense. I was slightly surprised at the complexity of this graphic novel. I have Tank Girl Two on my shelf and will be getting to it in the next few weeks. This is a must for any Tank Girl fan or anyone who likes a strong female lead.

RATING: 4 PAWS

Down for the 3 count!

Hey, it's me guys, Booker T.  And I am here to tell you I am REALLY REALLY REALLY sick of winter!  Now normally I love snow and any chance I get to roll Cassius around in it, but Snow + Below 0 temps/wind chills = Mom and Dad will not let us go out and play!  I am going stir crazy here.  You can only watch soooo any zombie movies looking for new tips to attack the herds, and only play so many games of keep away and chase around the kitchen table, before it all gets to you.  I am so hoping it warms up this weekend so Cass and I can go play football at our favorite field.  Mom was so desperate for entertainment the other night we ended up sporting these get-ups (in an attempt to stay warm) and wrestling around on the floor.  If you can't tell, Cassius lost!

That's all for now folks!  Stay warm and as always, keep an eye out for the undead!

Top 5 Wednesday - Best Character ARCs

 Top 5 Wednesday was created by Gingereadslainey on booktube and can also be found on goodreads.  The link is located here. I have read quite a few series, which I feel are best suited for this topic.  However, I also am including 2 stand alones in which I feel the characters make some dramatic changes throughout the course of the book.  These are in no particular order.

1.  Mercy Thompson (Mercy Thompson series) - Patricia Briggs.  There are currently 8 books and an anthology from this series and over the years, Mercy has grown in strength and made some progress at not being the loner she was when we first met her.  I don't want to give a lot away, but I can say Mercy is working her way toward a happy ending - it may be an always eventful and often dangerous happy ending, but for her, she would probably consider that to be just fine.

2.  All of the sisters from The Otherworld/Sisters of the Moon series - Yasmine Galenorn.  There are 17 books in this series, and although I have only read the first 8, Delilah, Menolly, and Camille have some of the best storylines and ARC's I have read in years.

3.  Drusilla Jaco (Sentinels of New Orleans) - Suzanne Johnson.  There are currently 3 books out in this series with the 4th coming next month.  This is a great series and Johnson does a wonderful job of making Drusilla more complex with each installment.  If you haven't read this series yet, please give it a try!

4.  Jamie Morton from Revival - Stephen King.  This books takes place over years of time and we see Jamie develop from a young child to a middle-aged man, and every stage in-between.  The reader sees Jamie grow, struggle with his own personal demons, and manage to come out the other side.  I personally think Stephen King is a master at character development so he should definitely be included on this list.

5.  Danny Torrence (The Shining and Dr. Sleep) - Stephen King.  I never thought King would write a sequel to The Shining, especially after so much time had lapsed, but it was great to visit this world once again and see how Danny has grown and perhaps stumbled, over the years.  Some people did not like this sequel, but overall, I think it was a good adaptation and the evil beings Danny comes up against scare me more than most included in King's books.  Danny deserves to be on my list.

Who made your list?  Leave me a link so I can check it out!

Embrace/Cherie Colyer - Review

TITLE: Embrace (The Embrace Series #1)
AUTHOR: Cherie Colyer
PUBLISHER: Omnific Publishing
PUBLISHING DATE: December 20, 2011 (out now)

FROM GOODREADS: Madison is familiar enough with change, and she hates everything about it. Change took her long-term boyfriend away from her. It caused one of her friends to suddenly hate her. It’s responsible for the death of a local along with a host of other mysterious happenings. But when Madison meets a hot new guy, she thinks her luck is about to improve.

Madison is instantly drawn to the handsome and intriguing Isaac Addington. She quickly realizes he’s a guy harboring a secret, but she’s willing to risk the unknown to be with him.

Her world really spins out of control, however, when her best friend becomes delusional, seeing things that aren’t there and desperately trying to escape their evil. When the doctors can’t find the answers, Madison seeks her own.

Nothing can prepare her for what she is about to discover.
Dangerous, intoxicating, and darkly romantic, Embrace is a thriller that will leave you spellbound.

MY THOUGHTS: Let me first say this is one of the books which I honestly hate to define by Goodreads ratings. It is a strong 3.5 and does deserve more than 3. I received this book, which is the first in a series (trilogy?), as a gift from the author. It was Ms. Colyer's first novel and an interesting one at that. Let's first discuss what I liked about the book. It was a YA paranormal and it was a quick, easy read. That is not an insult. There are lots of times I need to read a book where I don't have to think too hard and this definitely got me out of the book hangover created by my last major read. Also, it was extremely well written. There was quite a bit of dialogue in the book, which only enhanced the action. And lastly, this book was about witches. "Witch" is a strong book buzzword for me and I will give almost anything which has to do with them a chance.

Now, what I didn't like about the book. There was a love triangle of sorts and what I would almost consider insta-love. Now while I find both annoying, there was quite a bit of explanation about the causes and some of the insta-love actually tied in with the plot, so that is why the book still rated so highly.

This was an enjoyable read and I will be looking for additional works by Ms. Colyer in the future. If you like YA and witches, please consider giving this book a glance.

RATING: 3 PAWS

 

Apocalypse Bow Wow Review

TITLE: Apocalypse Bow Wow
AUTHOR: James Proimos III (Illustrated by James Proimos Jr).
PUBLISHER: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
PUBLISHING DATE: January 6, 2015 (out now - GO BUY IT!)

FROM GOODREADS: The end has come. The world is in shambles. Everyone is gone…except for the dogs!

Brownie and Apollo are two dogs living in bliss with a big, comfy couch to laze on. But unbeknownst to them and seemingly overnight, the world has turned to utter chaos. What they do know is their owners are MIA, they are starting to get on each other's nerves, and it's dinner time. What has happened? Who will feed them? What if their people are gone for good?!

With bellies rumbling, Brownie and Apollo decide to set out into the wide world, where they discover other pets and stray animals who have been left behind. But not everyone is man's best friend. It's a dog-eat-dog world now! With the help of a friendly neighborhood police dog and a small but mighty side-kick tick, Apollo and Brownie must figure out how to survive these dark times and locate their ultimate goal: dinner!

MY THOUGHTS:   I checked this out via my libraries Overdrive system when I was in need of a quick way to occupy some down time and while I thought I might regret it, I most certainly did not. This graphic novel/children's book is great for anyone who has ever owned dogs. The art is hilarious and I can honestly say it had me laughing out loud in a few places. The two main characters, Brownie (the mutt) and Apollo (the purebreed) have such funny interaction. They wake up to find their humans are gone and finally, driven by their need to eat, venture out looking for food. They meet up with a few other animals (cat, mouse and other canines) in a food mart and end up forming their own routine. While Brownie and Apollo do not always get along, it is soon clear they form a great team when partnering with these other critters. Brownie is so cute, and I especially liked it when he thinks he found a way out of their locked house by licking the doorknob and causing a deer to crash through the picture window - I am sure my dogs think they have these paranormal capabilities as well.

I am so glad I picked this up. There has to be a sequel and I cannot wait to get a hard copy of both this book and any following installments for my collection.

And oh yeah, I think children would enjoy it too!

RATING: 4 PAWS

BOOKER T'S RATING (aka - Pup Thoughts): 5 PAWS

This book was very interesting.  It has two dogs - Brownie and Apollo.  Brownie is a mutt and Apollo is a purebreed like me and my brother.  Now I personally think mutts are great and my family raises money for our humane society each year which promotes rescues so I already give Brownie 5 stars.  Apollo is slightly annoying, like my brother Cassius, and he never thinks Brownie has good ideas and he does!

If you have read any previous entries, you know I take an apocalypse very serious and I think it is great that this book looks at what animals should do faced with this possibility.  My only concern is I have never had a GOOD flea, let alone one which whispered thoughts and solutions in my head - they only cause me irritation and it just doesn't seem very real.  Then again, I am a zombie hunting blogging dog so who am I to question reality?  If you love dogs - buy it now!

  

 

Stacking the Shelves (4)

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!  The original meme was started over at Tynga's Reviews.

I have a serious problem.  It seems like since I started participating in this meme, I am actually accumulating more books.  I guess it could be that I always accumulated this many, and just seeing them in one place makes it seem like more, but has anyone else noticed anything similar?  On the good side, many are ebooks and eARCs, so they don't take much space, and I do utilize the library quite a bit, so I am not placing myself on a ban just yet.  Anyway, on to the the haul. (As always, the title will take you to the goodreads description).

From netgalley:



Naomi Grim: Tiffany Nicole Smith - Thanks All Night Reads
Big Paws, Bigger Heart: James R. Loveless - Thanks Smith Publicity
Chasing Vito's Ghost: G.R. Benyue - Thanks SDP Publishing

I had a pretty decent Kindle Haul as they had some great books as daily deals this past week.  One-click buying is evil!



War of the Worlds: H.G. Wells - This was a free pickup.  I love this tale and hope to read the book one day.  And not to mention, I think that cover is gorgeous.
Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow: Jessica Day George, Uninvited: Sophie Jordan, Ready Player One: Ernest Cline - These are purchases I made because I became a victim of the Kindle Daily Deal.

The Book of Barkley: L.B. Johnson and Fat Vampire: Johnny B. Truant - More freebies I added.
Reconstructing Amelia: Kimberly McCreight, Etiquette & Espionage/Curtsies & Conspiracies/Waistcoats & Weaponry: Gail Carriger - More daily deal victim purchases but hey, I managed to get the whole series for under $6.00!

Hard copies (couldn't get a decent pic so this is from Goodreads)

Bunnicula in a Box!: James Howe. - Bunnicula is one of the first chapter books I recall reading when I was a very young child.  I have always loved the tale and credit it for fueling my love of horror books and movies.  It truly did shape my reading habits.  When I learned there was a box set, I couldn't resist as I no longer have my childhood copy.  I can't wait to read these as I only ever recall reading the first one.  The set contains Bunnicula (#1), Howliday Inn (#2), The Return to Howliday Inn (#3), The Celery Stalks at Midnight (#4), Nighty-Nightmare (#5), Bunnicula Strikes Again (#6), and Bunnicula Meets Edgar Allan Crow (#7).


As this is getting long enough, I think I will save my library haul for next week.  What did you guys get?  Have you read any of these?  Leave me a comment so I can check out your stacks as well.

Tired of Winter and a Review

OK, now before I say this, I will admit I am grateful that I am not in Boston, or any other New England area state, but can I say that I am sick of winter.  I can handle snow, and would gladly take more of it if I could trade the single digit, sometimes in the negative, temps we have been having.  The dogs are tired of being cooped up, as are their owners.  I am tired of seeing blankets all over the house and hearing the steady drip of water needed to protect the pipes in this 145 year old abode.  Oh well, complaining won't change things so enough said and onto the books!

 TITLE: Through the Woods (Graphic novel)
AUTHOR: Emily Carroll
PUBLISHER: Margaret K. McElderry Books
PUBLISHING DATE: July 15, 2014

FROM GOODREADS: It came from the woods. Most strange things do.'

Five mysterious, spine-tingling stories follow journeys into (and out of?) the eerie abyss.

These chilling tales spring from the macabre imagination of acclaimed and award-winning comic creator Emily Carroll.

Come take a walk in the woods and see what awaits you there...

MY THOUGHTS: 
I have wanted to get my hands on this for quite some time so I was thrilled to learn my library had recently purchased it. I was in between Kindle chargings late one night so I picked this up and devoured it in one sitting.

Through the Woods is a graphic novel collection of 5 stories. The stories are dark, dreary and scary, and while I enjoyed the book, I was left wanting something more. The artwork is harsh and stark, which works well with the scary tales. It is primarily done in black, white and red, with some blue thrown in from time to time. This simplistic approach works well with the subject matter and some of the pictures are rather graphic (imagine a face of worms).

I guess I am not an easy scare. The stories, while interesting, just didn't give me the terrifying vibe I was anticipating. Don't get me wrong, the book is definitely worth a read, but I am glad I did not purchase my own copy as I don't see me ever picking it up again and for an hour or so read, my money could best be spent elsewhere. 

RATING: 3 Paws