A few catch-up reviews

TITLE: Saint Anything
AUTHOR: Sara Dessen
PUBLISHER: Viking Juvenile
PUBLISHING DATE: May 5, 2015

FROM GOODREADS: Peyton, Sydney's charismatic older brother, has always been the star of the family, receiving the lion's share of their parents' attention and—lately—concern. When Peyton's increasingly reckless behavior culminates in an accident, a drunk driving conviction, and a jail sentence, Sydney is cast adrift, searching for her place in the family and the world. When everyone else is so worried about Peyton, is she the only one concerned about the victim of the accident?

Enter the Chathams, a warm, chaotic family who run a pizza parlor, play bluegrass on weekends, and pitch in to care for their mother, who has multiple sclerosis. Here Sydney experiences unquestioning acceptance. And here she meets Mac, gentle, watchful, and protective, who makes Sydney feel seen, really seen, for the first time.

The uber-popular Sarah Dessen explores her signature themes of family, self-discovery, and change in her twelfth novel, sure to delight her legions of fans.

MY THOUGHTS: 
I received an advanced copy of this book from Penguin First to Read, but that will not influence my review. I have never read a Sarah Dessen novel, but have heard people rave about her writing so when I saw this I had to request it right away. I will be honest and admit that the title and the carousel on the cover caught my immediate attention and after reading the synopsis, still couldn't tell what they had to do with the book. However, I can thankfully say that at the end of the book, it all made sense.

I almost gave this a 3 star rating, and after thinking, realized I might be doing so because this is not my normal read. After giving it much thought, I realized that the book was well written, the plot was engrossing and I did grow attached to several of the characters. This book addresses lots of teen issues, but not in an "in your face" manner. Without giving much away, I loved the ending as it sort of just continues and doesn't necessarily wrap everything up with a nice, neat bow - something that often drives me nuts.

The only thing that really bothered me about this novel is that there were a lot of characters which sometimes added to a jumbled down story line. Other than that, it was a pleasure to read. I am sure Dessen fans will devour this novel and rave about it and they rightfully should.

RATING: 4 PAWS

TITLE: Courtney Crumrin Vol 1: The Night Things
AUTHOR: Ted Naifeh
PUBLISHER: Oni Press
PUBLISHING DATE: April 11, 2012

FROM GOODREADS:  Fan-favorite and critical darling Courtney Crurmin is back in a series of newly remastered, full-color hardcover editions! Courtney''s parents have dragged her out to a high-to-do suburb to live with her creepy Great Uncle Aloysius in his spooky old house. She''s not only the new kid in school, but also discovers strange things lurking under her bed!

MY THOUGHTS: 
I absolutely love this graphic novel. Vol. 1 contains the first 4 stories in Courtney's saga. After her parents overspend, they are forced to move into an eerie old mansion with Courtney's great uncle. Little does Courtney know that she is a witch and through interaction with her uncle, will learn what skills she possesses.

The art in the book is amazing. The panels are done in dark tones and I don't know how to describe it other than saying it is creepy and cute - what a combination, but it works. The tales involve goblins, witches, spells, mean kids, stupid parents and a talking cat named Boo.

This book is a definite recommendation for anyone who likes graphic novels and is interested in checking out a new, dark series of tales. I will definitely be picking up future books in this series.

RATING: 4 PAWS

 

 

Waiting on Wednesday (2)

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

Last night I arrived home from work to find Booker T in distress and pain.  It was obvious something was wrong and he seemed to be staggering.  After a frantic hour for his dad and I, he was finally rushed to the vet with the hopes of being seen.  Well, suffice to say our vet is the greatest.  He worked Booker right in.  He believes he suffered some kind of trauma to his back over the past few days and with his resting more once we returned to work, he got stiff.  He was given a shot, pain pills and 2 weeks worth of inflammatories.  Several hours later he was resting comfortably at home but he has to take it easy for a few days.  Almost impossible with a 95 pound pup in the house.  It was a very stressful night at the farm (Booker promises me he wasn't hunting zombies while his dad and I were at work, but I am not so sure:).  Anyways, today's waiting on Wednesday is in his honor and features dogs!

BITE THE BISCUIT: LINDA O. JOHNSTON - Releases May 8th, 2015.  Sometimes I just need a quick read and I find cozy mysteries just that.

Carrie Kennersly, a veterinary technician, has become known for offering healthy and popular dog treats at the clinic where she works. When the local bakery's owner moves away, Carrie jumps at the chance to convert it into the Barkery, a shop to make and sell her canine delights.

But Myra Ethman, co-owner of another pet product store, hates the new competition. At the Barkery's opening party, she badmouths Carrie's homemade dog biscuits, insisting she'll find a way to shut the place down. So when Myra is found dead with a Barkery biscuit beside her, Carrie must prove she didn't do it before she's collared for murder.

HONORABLE MENTION:

OUT TODAY!  ELLIE'S STORY: W.  Bruce Cameron

I love Cameron's Repo Man series and have collected all of his dog-related works so I will be on the lookout for this one!

Thanks for visiting and leave me a comment so I can see what you are waiting on.

Top5Wed - Frustrating Characters

Top 5 Wednesday was created by Gingereadslainey on booktube and can also be found on goodreads.  The link is located HERE.  This week we are looking at the Top 5 Frustrating Characters.  Although these are not in any particular order, #1 is and probably will always be the most frustrating character I have encountered.

1.  Bella Swan from Twilight.  Seriously, can you get more frustrating?  Many times I wanted to reach right in the book and smack her hard...and repeatedly.  So she was a teen? I don't recall being that stupid as a teen.  Now that I think about it, I could almost fill the entire Top 5 with Twilight characters...but I won't.

2.  Nick Dunne from Gone Girl.  Whether you loved him or hated him, at the ending I am sure you thought about thumping him.  Although he was not a standup character, he still seemed like a fairly smart man who made stupid decision after stupid decision. 

3.  Sookie from Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series.  This girl had a way of driving me mad.  I enjoyed the first few seasons of True Blood, and while I watched them to the end, the last few years the TV show and the books all blurred together and I don't know what happened where.  All I know is that it was a good thing she had fairy blood in her which is why so many people found her attractive, or else I can't imagine any man putting up with her for more than a few dates.

4.  Vampire Queen Betsy from Mary Janice Davidson's Undead series.  The first few books were hilarious and I still follow the series although I think it should have ended 4 books ago.  But even if you like her, Betsy is maddening.  She never does what she should, is always finding herself in trouble, and doesn't listen to reason.  Enough said.

5.  Shelby Jane Cooper AND her psychotic mother from Nick Lake's There Will Be Lies.  Shelby drove me crazy, which was fitting because basically the book is a whole lot of crazy.  She was an unreliable narrator and while I could live with that, I couldn't live with her stupidity.  I found her and her mother so frustrating I almost DNF'ed this book.






So there you have it?  Who made your list and do you agree or disagree with any of these.  Share your thoughts :)

Stacking the Shelves (11)

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. This week was rather slow which is nice as it has been an extremely busy week and I don't feel like doing a long post - haha.

From Netgalley:


The First Twenty: Jennifer Lavoie - I read another book by this author several years back and was pleasantly pleased.  I didn't even realize it was the same author until after I requested it so I hope it is good as well.  Releases May 18, 2015.  Thanks Bold Strokes Books.
The Singular & Extraordinary Tale of Mirror & Goliath: Ishbelle Bee - Man, that title is a mouthful.  It sounds like an interesting Sci-Fi/Fantasy.  Releases on June 2, 2015.  Thanks Angry Robot.
From A Distant Star: Karen McQuestion - Releases May 19, 2015.  Thanks Amazon Publishing.

I bought these as impulse buys for my Kindle this week.  I think they were all $2.99 or cheaper.  What can I say,  it was that kind of week.


Don't Look Inside: Spike Black
This Crumbling Pageant: Patricia Burroughs
Last Days: Adam Neville

Have you read any of these?  What did you guys get this week?  Leave a link so I can check out your stacks. 

While I can say this is not one of my dogs, this is definitely what I plan on doing before I do ANY reading this weekend.

The Haunting of Sunshine Girl

TITLE: The Haunting of Sunshine Girl
AUTHOR: Paige McKenzie
PUBLISHER: Weinstein Books
PUBLISHING DATE: March 24, 2015 (out now)

FROM GOODREADS: Based on the wildly popular YouTube channel, The Haunting of Sunshine Girl has been described as “ Gilmore Girls meets Paranormal Activity for the new media age.” YA fans new and old will learn the secrets behind Sunshine—the adorkable girl living in a haunted house—a story that is much bigger, and runs much deeper, than even the most devoted viewer can imagine…

MY THOUGHTS:  I found this book to be rather surprising as I went into it not expecting much. For a YA horror novel, there were some parts which were very suspenseful. I also found the lore regarding Sunshine's supernatural abilities to be a fresh take on a much done subject.

What I liked most about this book was the characters. I actually grew to care about what happened to them, especially Sunshine's mother. In addition, this book is full of kooky individuals - some real, and some not, which only adds to its flavor.

I am sure by the way that it ended, there is another book in the works. I enjoyed this one enough to pick it up if there is. I have never checked out the youtube channel which sprouted this novel, and I really don't know that I will. I fear it might somehow spoil my impressions and leave me questioning whether or not I want more. This is a great first novel by Ms. McKenzie and I am thankful for netgalley for a chance to read and review it.

RATING: 4 PAWS

 

April TBR(P) - Better Late Than Never

So technically I believe I am probably averaging reading about half of what is on my TBR each month, but I do find it helps me narrow down the possibilities.  Also, as previously mentioned, the TBR jar has died, but may be resuscitated in the future.  Anyway, since this is a tad late, I have already finished some of this but will put them on the list anyway.





If you click on the picture, it should take you to the Goodreads description. I doubt I get to them all, but it sure would be nice. Are any of these on your list? What were your thoughts?

Waiting on Wednesday

 
"Waiting on" Wednesday is weekly meme hosted over at Breaking the Spine which spotlights upcoming anticipated releases.  This is my first week participating and it looks like a lot of fun. 

This week's can't-wait-for-release is..............

THE APPEARANCE OF ANNIE VAN SINDEREN: KATHERINE HOWE
 Publication Date: September 15, 2015

A haunting, contemporary love story from the New York Times bestselling author of Conversion

It’s summertime in New York City, and aspiring filmmaker Wes Auckerman has just arrived to start his summer term at NYU. While shooting a séance at a psychic’s in the East Village, he meets a mysterious, intoxicatingly beautiful girl named Annie.

As they start spending time together, Wes finds himself falling for her, drawn to her rose petal lips and her entrancing glow. But there’s something about her that he can’t put his finger on that makes him wonder about this intriguing hipster girl from the Village. Why does she use such strange slang? Why does she always seem so reserved and distant? And, most importantly, why does he only seem to run into her on one block near the Bowery? Annie’s hiding something, a dark secret from her past that may be the answer to all of Wes’s questions . . .


I love this cover and it sounds great.  What are you guys waiting for?