November 2015 Wrap-Up

November wasn't a bad reading month and I think I actually tackled more books with were on the TBR(P) than previous months.  I was off from work for the holiday, and had hoped to read more, but ended up catching up on a lot of TV shows and movies instead.  In my defense, it was also our wedding anniversary week and Cassius' birthday so it was a lot of festivities to cram into 9 days.  Anyway, here's what I managed to finish and you can click on the title to go to my Goodreads review:

The Wicked & The Divine Vol 1: The Faust Act: Gillen, McKelvie, Wilson, & Cowles
This Monstrous Thing: Mackenzi Lee
A Likely Story (Library Lover's Mystery #6): Jenn McKinlay
Put A Ring On It: Beth Kendrick
Harlow & Sage (and Indiana): A True Story About Best Friends:  Brittni Vega
Carry On: Rainbow Rowell
The Ripper's Wife: Brandy Purdy
Harley Quinn Vol 2: Power Outage: Amanda Conner
The Three Sisters (The Krampus Chronicles: Book 1): Sonia Halbach

So it looks like I read 7 novels and 2 graphic novels.  I had two 3-paw reads, six 4-paw reads, and one 5-paw read.

Also, 8 of these 9 books were actually listed on my TBR(P) - My personal best yet!

So what did you guys read this month?  Did you check any of these out as well?

This Monstrous Thing

TITLE: This Monstrous Thing
AUTHOR: Mackenzi Lee
PUBLISHER: Katherine Tegan Books
PUBLISHING DATE: September 22, 2015

FROM GOODREADS: In 1818 Geneva, men built with clockwork parts live hidden away from society, cared for only by illegal mechanics called Shadow Boys. Two years ago, Shadow Boy Alasdair Finch’s life shattered to bits.

His brother, Oliver—dead.

His sweetheart, Mary—gone.

His chance to break free of Geneva—lost.

Heart-broken and desperate, Alasdair does the unthinkable: He brings Oliver back from the dead.

But putting back together a broken life is more difficult than mending bones and adding clockwork pieces. Oliver returns more monster than man, and Alasdair’s horror further damages the already troubled relationship.

Then comes the publication of Frankenstein and the city intensifies its search for Shadow Boys, aiming to discover the real life doctor and his monster. Alasdair finds refuge with his idol, the brilliant Dr. Geisler, who may offer him a way to escape the dangerous present and his guilt-ridden past, but at a horrible price only Oliver can pay…

MY THOUGHTS: 
I have been wanting to read this book since it first came out so I was happy to see it available recently at my library. I knew this book was a sort of retelling of Frankenstein, and that Mary Shelley was actually a character in the book, so to say it had me intrigued from the beginning is a real understatement.

Although I found the book slow at times, I was overall engrossed in the plot. I enjoyed many characters such as Clemence and Alasdair. Also, Oliver is such a great, misunderstood "monster." I really felt for him and truly cared about what happened to him. He in no way asked to be recreated and suffered tremendously for his brother's impulsive acts. I must add that I didn't like Mary's character much at all. I didn't feel connected to her and actually felt she was more of a monster than Oliver.

Like I mentioned, the plot is somewhat slow at times, but once past the 50% mark, it did really pick up. I found Lee's writing pleasurable and since this is only her debut novel, I am really interested to see what she comes out with in the future.

I would like to add my favorite quote from the book and one I feel sums it up quite nicely "...you made a human being. And humans are, by nature, monstrous."

RATING: 4 PAWS

 

Stacking the Shelves (42)

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

I received an digital ARC of a book from Entagled Teen this week which I was really wanting to read, plus two from Penguin's First to Read program:





That's basically this for this week. I may pick up a few Kindle titles I have been looking at, but if I do, I will haul them next week. Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday weekend and if you are shopping (I am not - can't stand crowds), be safe! Also, be sure to let me know where to check out your hauls!

Booker T says "Where is that turkey hiding!!!"

The Wicked + The Divine Vol 1. - Some kind of crazy!

TITLE: The Wicked +The Divine Vol. 1: The Faust Act
AUTHOR: Gillen, McKelvie, Wilson & Cowles
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PUBLISHING DATE: November 12, 2014

FROM GOODREADS:  Every ninety years twelve gods incarnate as humans. They are loved.  They are hated.  The team behind critical tongue-attractors like Young Avengers and PHONOGRAM reunite to create a world where gods are the ultimate pop stars and pop stars are the ultimate gods. But remember; just because you are immortal, doesn't mean you are going to live forever.

MY THOUGHTS:  I don't know if I just wasn't in the mood to read this book, or if it was because of Turkey hangover, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.  The artwork is really nice and has bright, vibrant colors which I usually enjoy, and the story wasn't bad, but I was lost at times, but I don't know if I can blame the book.  I have heard such great things about this series that maybe my expectations were too high.  I do really like some of the characters, especially Lucie and The Morrigan, but others reminded me of a rip-off of Rhianna and scary Lindsey Lohan.  Nevertheless, I will be checking out the next installment if I can locate it at my library because it did sort of end on a cliffhanger and I want to know what happens next.

RATING: 3 Paws

What An Animal IX 2016 Challenge!

This challenge is perfect for me and I think that between this one, the one I am co-hosting with Stormi, and the New Release Challenge, my 2016 is basically done.  I will still do the smaller ones throughout the year, and if I can find a horror related one, I may have to add it as well.  Either way, they all look like fun,  I found this one over at Socrates' Books Reviews and couldn't help myself. Here are the rules:

Read at least 6 books that have any one of the following requirements:

a.  There is an animal in the title of the book.
b.  There is an animal on the cover of the book.
c.  An animal plays a major role in the book.
d.  The main character is (or turns into) an animal - define that however you like.

Level 1 - read at least 6 books.
Level 2 - read 7-12 books.
Level 3 - read 13-20 books.
Level 4 - read 21 books or more.

The animal can be any kind of animal (real or fictitious) - dog, cat, monkey, wolf, snake, insect, hedgehog, aardvark,..dragon, mermaid, vampire, centaur, werewolf...you get the idea.

Challenge runs January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016.

Books can be fiction or nonfiction.

You may make a list ahead of time or add as you go along,

You can swap out books at any time if you did make a list.

There is a goodreads group.

Books can be in any format.

I am signing up for Level 2.  I have went back and forth between Levels 2 and 3, but finally settled on 2.  If you are interested, check out Socrates' blog and sign up!

It's COYER Time Again!

It's time for another challenge and I personally can't wait to get started.  I found out this year I really like participating in various challenges posted throughout the year and this past COYER was my favorite.  This time around it's "Back to the Basics" which is new for me because the summer rules were so different and it was the first time I participated.  Anyway, here are the rules this time around.

COYER runs from December 19, 2015 until March 4, 2016.  It is hosted by Fantasy is More Fun, Because Reading and Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My!  COYER stands for Clean Out Your E-Reader, which mine could definitely use,

You can find the rules at any one of these sites, and I encourage you to sign up.  Basically you can read any book which is on your e-reader and includes library books, review books, tour books, books from Netgalley and Edelweiss and if bought, it has to be under $5.00 in price.  Audiobooks count as well, but I don't really use them.  If you do like them, they have to be under $16.00 to count,

Basically you link up your reviews and there will be prizes, twitter parties, a facebook group and an instagram challenge.  The guys that host this challenge are great and I look forward to hanging out with them again!

You can find the complete rules and sign up HERE!

Waiting on Wednesday (31)

"Waiting on" Wednesday is weekly meme hosted over at Breaking the Spine which spotlights upcoming anticipated releases. 







*********************************************************************************

January 5, 2016

FROM GOODREADS: Gia Kearns would rather fight with boys than kiss them. That is, until Arik, a leather clad hottie in the Boston Athenaeum, suddenly disappears. While examining the book of world libraries he abandoned, Gia unwittingly speaks the key that sucks her and her friends into a photograph and transports them into a Paris library, where Arik and his Sentinels—magical knights charged with protecting humans from the creatures traveling across the gateway books—rescue them from a demonic hound.

Jumping into some of the world's most beautiful libraries would be a dream come true for Gia, if she weren’t busy resisting her heart or dodging an exiled wizard seeking revenge on both the Mystik and human worlds. Add a French flirt obsessed with Arik and a fling with a young wizard, and Gia must choose between her heart and her head, between Arik's world and her own, before both are destroyed.

WHY I'M WAITING:  I have seen this one around for a while and it deals with libraries, which should be an automatic perk for a book lover.  I am sort of cheating since Entangled Teen sent me a digital review copy 2 days ago, but I still wanted to share.  You'll see it again in this week's haul.

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR THIS WEEK?

Top Ten Tuesday - 10 Authors I Am Thankful For

This top 10 weekly meme is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and can be found HERE.  Each week they focus on lists which cover various topics related to books and reading. This week is basically a Thanksgiving themed freebie so I am sharing with you the 10 authors I am most thankful for in no particular order.

The King!

And his son - Joe Hill

J.K. Rowling

Jackie Bouchard (and Rita)

Kim Harrison

Dean Koontz

Lucy Dillon

Anne Bishop

W. Bruce Cameron

Kelley Armstrong

Do you share any of these favorites?  Leave a comment so I can make sure to see what bookish things you are thankful for this year.

2016 Cloak and Dagger Challenge

Stormi over at Stormi's Books, Movies, Reviews Oh My! mentioned she wanted to do a challenge next year which incorporated different types of mystery and crime novels she loves to read.  She had participated in a similar one in the past, but it is no longer running so she created her own.  She was looking for a co host and since I read a lot of books from that genre as well, here we are!

Here are the rules:

*** You can read any book that is from the mystery/suspense/thriller/crime genres.  Any sub-genres are
       welcome as long as they incorporate one of these genres.

*** You don't need a blog to participate but you do need a place to post your reviews to link up (blog,
       Goodreads, booklikes, shelfari, etc).

*** Books need to be novellas or novels, please no short stories (at least 100+ pages).

*** Crossovers into other challenges are fine.

*** Challenge will be from January 1, 2016-December 31, 2016

*** There will be a monthly link up so that others can check out your progress and look at your reviews.  At
       the halfway mark, and then again at the end, for those participating.

*** If you tweet about your progress or reviews please use the hashtag #2016CloakDAggerChal so others
       can see it.

*** You can pick a level that you are comfortable with and you can always upgrade you challenge to the   
        next level if you find that you picked one that was too easy.

       LEVELS:
          1-10 books - amateur sleuth
         11-20 books - detective
         21-30 books - inspector
         31+ books - special agent.

*** Make a goal post and go link up on Stormi's blog.

I look forward to doing this challenge and hope I can persuade some of you to do it as well.  Good luck!

Stacking the Shelves (41)

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

I don't think I actually bought any books this week, which I haven't been able to say in quite some time.  However, I figure I will remedy that over the next week.

Here are some ARCs I received this week:



I was thrilled to get approved for a galley of Black Five since I featured it on W.O.W. a few weeks ago. All 4 of these release next year, which I guess isn't very far away. Thanks to Netgalley and all the publishers!


I also picked up a few notable freebies from Amazon:


I've been stuck on the same library book most of the week and though I can't say it's a slump, I just haven't been getting what I want to read done. What did you guys pick up this week? Leave me a comment so I can make sure to check out your hauls!

Bookish Thanksgiving Tag

I saw this tag over on Booktube and wanted to do something for the upcoming holiday so here we go!  The original creator is Fangirlcity.

1.  Bread - What book is purely fluff and has no real plot? (I actually really liked this book and couldn't come up with a choice with no real plot since I plan out most of my reading).

2.  Turkey - What book made you want to fall asleep? (I couldn't get into this one and it was purely a cover pick).

3.  Gravy - What book makes the whole series worth reading? (I chose one of my favorite, less known of series, but there were so many I wanted to pick).

4.  Stuffing - What book is stuffed full of action scenes? (I loved this book and can't wait for the next one).

5.  Mashed Potatoes - What book looked good and then wasn't?

6.  Cranberries - What book has the sweetest romance?

7.  Corn - What is the corniest book you ever read? (It had to make the list somewhere...but I will say at the time I read it, I did find it entertaining).

8.  Green beans - What book is too long and needs to be shortened? (I really liked this book except for the ending, but given how long it is, I am sure it could be shortened somehow).

9.  Pumpkin Pie - What book do you read to get out of a reading slump? (I don't do a lot of re-reads but I will say any cute contemporary or romance with a dog on the cover such as this one -  I always fly through them).

10. Dog/Cat - What's your favorite Thanksgiving food you would steal from the table?

STUFFING!!!!!(Although T would say turkey)

If you enjoy this tag, feel free to do it as well.  Just leave me a link so I can check it out.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!!