Weekly Reads/Stacking the Shelves (177)/Sunday Post

So I was wondering if anyone has a preference of whether I combine all of three of these posts or if you'd rather see it on separate days like it's been in the past.  It's a combination of being lazy/wanting to add some new Friday content on my part but I've not made any real decisions yet.

The only real movie we streamed this week was The First Purge.  It wasn't bad and Mr. Barb is a huge fan of the franchise so we enjoyed it.  We've also been watching the limited series on USA Network so by the end of it, I'll be purged out.  Other than that we've been watching some of our favorite TV shows which just started back up - Law & Order SVU, The Big Bang Theory, This is Us and Chicago PD.

Booker T and Cassius are doing fine.  Booker T made me laugh so hard this week.  I came home from work one evening and ran upstairs to change.  Cass followed and I was kind of playing with him so I kept yelling for Booker.  He never came.  I went downstairs and where we have a throw on the chair in the foyer, he had rubbed against it and had trapped it over his whole body.  He was standing on it and couldn't move but was moving his head back and forth.  He was basically my little ghost doggy.  Then he got excited because I was laughing so hard.  I don't know what I'd do without my pups.

Nothing has really changed on the reading front.  Because I picked up a book on a whim, I'm still working on "Ten Thousand Thunders" and also "The Cheerleaders."

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 cans you cam 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. And it now has a new co-host where individuals can link up as well - Marlene from Reading Reality.  Clicking on the book (or title) should take you to the Goodreads page.  I'm also now linking up with the Sunday Post which is hosted by Kimberly@Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

I went to what I call my not-so-local library today (which is still less than 5 miles away).  They recently broke up with our county library - aka went out on their own - so I had to get a library card just for them.  Their new borrowing times are 30 days at a time with 2 renewal as long as there are no holds.  I don't know why they have to be different from the other two but they do.  While I was there I grabbed "The Elizas," "Strays Like Us," and "One of Us."  

Next up are a few review copies.  "After the Fire" seems kind of dark as does "The Lady in the Cellar" which is described as True Crime.  Next the pups are representing the cozy murder books "The Novel Art of Murder" and "A Midwinter's Tail."  I love the Bethany Blake series so much I have to admit it's hard not to start that one already.  

So how was your week.  Read or watch anything interesting?  And what new books did you add to your shelves?

Books in the Freezer Readathon

So Books in the Freezer is a wonderful horror podcast hosted by two Booktubers - Shades of Orange and That's What She Read.  To celebrate their year anniversary, they are hosting a readathon.  Lots of Booktubers are participating and I love horror and I love Halloween so I decided I wanted to do so as well.  It runs Monday, October 1st through Sunday, October 14th.  So here's what I wanna read!

So there you have it.  It's not the only readathon I'm participating in this month but it's one I definitely think I'll have fun with. Let me know if you are joining in as well!

Two Bloggers One Book - With a Twist!

So this month Stormi and I decided to shake up our buddy read a tad.  Instead of reading the same book, we both picked a book the other has been wanting us to read for a long time.  It was really fun and encouraged us both to read a book from our backlist.  Overall I'd say it was a success.  So once you read the review of the book Stormi picked up for me, make sure to stop by her blog HERE and check out what I chose for her!

TITLE: The Moor

AUTHOR: Sam Haysom

PUBLISHER: Unbound Digital

PUBLISHING DATE: May 8, 2018

FROM GOODREADS: It begins with a ghost story around a campfire. Teenagers out on a walking trip, trying to act brave in front of each other. 

But as the walk gets underway and the boys begin to fall out, odd things start to happen. 

Noises in the night. A severed rabbit’s foot outside someone’s tent. 

Soon, the boys begin to disappear. 

As panic sets in and a storm approaches, the remaining boys must band together to face a darkness not even the local ghost stories could help them predict.

MY THOUGHTS:  I've been wanting to read this for quite some time but as the cover reminds me of a certain book I didn't like that everyone else loves (AKA: Katsu's The Hunger) I kind of put it off. However, with some encouragement from my blogging BFF, I finally picked it up, and she was right, I really did like it.

"The Moor" has dual timelines, something I really tend to enjoy, and tells the story of a group of boys who go on a camping trip with a coach and his son in the moor, an area wrapped up in urban legend and ghost stories. Over the course of several days, some of boys disappear, and it's up to those remaining to escape from an indescribable entity (and really, it is indescribable but I'll get to that in a moment). Because of the way the novel is arranged, the reader knows right away some of the campers have survived, and as the tale weaves on, we are clued in to what really happened on that camping trip.

As I mentioned, I liked the dual timelines and I also enjoyed reading the book from the boys' POV.  The setting was very atmospheric and spooky with just a hint of monsters and the supernatural.  That being said, I was a tad disappointed in the ending because I felt the the author never did let the reader know what was really happening.  I love reading about monsters but I do prefer to know what they are!

That being said, "The Moor" was a engrossing read and I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for any future works from this author.  I also think this would be a great book to pick up with Halloween and the spooky season right around the corner.  

MY RATING: 4 PAWS

Can't Wait Wednesday (176)

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

FROM GOODREADS:  One night in an isolated college town in the hills of Southern California, a first-year student stumbles into her dorm room, falls asleep—and doesn’t wake up. She sleeps through the morning, into the evening. Her roommate, Mei, cannot rouse her. Neither can the paramedics who carry the girl away, nor the perplexed doctors at the hospital.

Then a second girl falls asleep, and then a third, and panic takes hold of the college and spreads to the town. As the number of cases multiplies, classes are canceled. A quarantine is established. Mei, an outsider in the hierarchy of dorm life, finds herself thrown together with an eccentric, idealistic classmate.

A psychiatrist summoned from Los Angeles attempts to make sense of the phenomenon as it spreads. Those infected, she discovers, are displaying unusual levels of brain activity, higher than has ever been recorded before. They are dreaming heightened dreams—but of what?

Gorgeously written, The Dreamers is a breathtaking novel, startling and provocative, about the possibilities contained within a human life—in our waking days and, perhaps even more, in our dreams.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  I saw this on someone's blog last week (sorry I can't remember where or I'd give you credit) and while the cover caught my eye, it was the synopsis that kept my attention.  I want to earn more about why all these people are falling asleep and won't wake up.  

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK?

TTT - Books By My Favorite Authors That I Still Haven't Read

The top 10 weekly meme used to be hosted by The Broke and the Bookish they  handed over the reins to ThatArtsyReaderGirl who can be found HERE.  Each week she will focus on lists which cover various topics related to books and reading. 

This week we are looking at books from our favorite authors that we haven't read yet. Since my wishlist/TBR is miles long, this shouldn't be too hard.

This series made Bishop one of my favorites but I still can't bring myself to read book #5 (so sad this part ended even though I know there is a spin-off).

I've loved almost everything I ever read by this author so I don't know why I never started this series.  

I love Briggs and I adore this series but for some reason, I ended up stopping when this book came out.  I need to read it.

Cameron's Repo Man Mystery books made him one of my faves but for obvious reasons, I've not started this book.

I've joked that I'd read a phone book by Seanan McGuire if she wrote it and people love this series so I don't know why I've not read the first one.

Everyone knows I LOVE King and I could pretty much include all of these on my list.  

I adore Shea's creature features and this one has been on the TBR forever. 

No words and no excuses

I preordered this one but I think because it got mixed reviews, I put it off and now I'm scared it will disappoint me

I really have to remedy this one soon.

So what books from your favorite authors haven't you read???

Burn Baby Burn! - Campfire Review

TITLE: Campfire
AUTHOR: Shawn Sarles
PUBLISHER: Jimmy Patterson
PUBLISHING DATE: July 17, 2018

FROM GOODREADS: While camping in a remote location, Maddie Davenport gathers around the fire with her friends and family to tell scary stories. Caleb, the handsome young guide, shares the local legend of the ferocious Mountain Men who hunt unsuspecting campers and leave their mark by carving grisly antlers into their victims' foreheads.

The next day, the story comes true. 

Now Maddie and her family are lost in the deep woods--with no way out--being stalked by their worst nightmares. Because there were other, more horrifying stories told that night--and Maddie's about to find out just how they end...

MY THOUGHTS: Five years ago Maddie lost her mother to a horrific accident.  Ever since then, extended family and friends have made it a point to take vacations together each year and this year, they are going on a two week camping excursion.  What starts out as fun takes a deadly turn when the campfire tales they starts sharing slowly come to life.  Everyone is suspect and it's a race for survival to see who will come out alive.

I really had pretty low expectations when I picked up "Campfire" from my local library. I didn't even expect to read it as soon as I did but I picked it up on a whim and pretty much devoured it in a 24-hour time period.  I wanted a fun slasher-type read and although I had a few issues with the novel, in the end, it hit the spot.  I will caution anyone who is thinking about picking this up that the book is pretty slow in the beginning.  Basically it takes about 180 pages for the real action to start.  Up until then, it's pretty much some back story and people camping.  The main thing that save those first 180 pages though are the campfire tales.  Each night, when an individual takes a turn, that tale becomes it's own chapter with a story title.  It's a nice addition and keeps the reader engaged.

Finally, when the action does start taking place, the pace quickens and the fun begins.  The author really had me guessing about who/what was going on and threw a few twists and turns in I totally didn't expect.  There is some normal teenage angst, which is to be expected since it's a YA novel, but it wasn't too annoying.  There is no insta-love, but there is an insta-crush, which I didn't mind because Maddie totally realized what it was and didn't try to make it into some love at first sight connection.  

If you are looking for a fun read, then consider "Campfire."  It's a solid debut in my opinion and even though the beginning of the book was struggling to be even a 3/5 read, the ending really made my overall opinion jump.

RATING: 4 PAWS

Weekly Reads/Stacking the Shelves (176)/Sunday Post

So for the sake of time, you all are getting one combo post for me but that's okay, I think it will work out fine.  Things here at The Farm have been hot.  We're have unseasonable temperatures all week but there is a cool down anticipated this weekend.  I don't want winter but I am ready for fall. Booker T and Cass are doing well and have been gracing Instagram with their mugs so make sure you following if you want more pup pics (although there will still be plenty here on the blog).

We managed to watch three movies in the past week or so.  First up was "Final Score" which was really enjoyable and is about someone trying to blow up a huge soccer arena.  Next up was "Jurassic World" which was exactly what I expected from the franchise.  It was really good but I have to admit I was teary-eyed in one part.  For anyone who has seen it...the poor dino watching the boats leave.  STILL makes me sad.  And finally we watched "Mandy," a new horror movie with Nicholas Cage.  Strange is an understatement and I don't think I really enjoyed it that much.

I am hoping to finish my current read tonight - "Providence."  I am really enjoying it and have only about 25% left.  After that, I will be switching it up between a science fiction novel and a historical mystery.

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 cans you cam 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. And it now has a new co-host where individuals can link up as well - Marlene from Reading Reality.  Clicking on the book (or title) should take you to the Goodreads page.  I'm also now linking up with the Sunday Post which is hosted by Kimberly@Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

I was lucky enough to win a gift certificate from La La in the Library during Dog Days of Summer so I bought "A Borrowing of Bones" which was just released this month. 

And of course I had to drop off a book at the library and another hold was in - "Campfire."  Plus they had just received a new Bentley Little book - "The Handyman."

So what did you add to your shelves this week???

Netflix Book Tag

I saw this tag over on Stormi's booktube channel which you can check out HERE and it originated with A Darker Shade of Whitney which you can see HERE.  I thought it looked fun and hey, Netflix i a staple in our home so here we go!

1.  RECENTLY WATCHED - The last book you finished reading

2.  TOP PICKS - A book that has been recommended to you based on a book you previously read

Stormi knows I love horror so she said I had to read this one. I did and my review will be coming next week

3.  RECENTLY ADDED - The last book you bought

4.  POPULAR ON NETFLIX - Books everyone knows about (1 you've read and 1 you won't)

I read Dread Nation

and I wont' read

Woman in the Window

5.  COMEDIES - A funny book

I don't think I EVER reviewed this one but it was hilarious

6.  DRAMAS - A character who is a drama queen/king

Totally stealing Stormi's answer because she hit that nail on the head - QUINCY!

7.  ANIMATED - A book with cartoons on the cover

8.  WATCH IT AGAIN - a book or series you want to re-read

9.  DOCUMENTARIES - A non-fiction book you'd recommend to everyone

10.  ACTION AND ADVENTURE - An action packed book

11.  NEW RELEASES - a book that just came out or is coming out soon that you can't wait to read

So I really don't usually tag people but if you want to, go for it, and leave me a link so I can check it out!