Stacking the Shelves (69)

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've decided there really is nothing like a weekly haul that puts book buying/collecting into perspective.  But I stopped making excuses months ago so I will just show you the books!

From the Penguin First to Read program I received: 

I also finally received the 3 books I ordered from Book Depository what seems like ages ago.  Thank heavens for free shipping and decent deals (I rarely order from them as Amazon is just too darn easy).  Yes, I finally got my big, beautiful copy of Hex!

And then I received the following from Netgalley and the publishers for review:



Finally I was contacted bu Brian Adams to see if I would be willing to read his book, Kaboom! and provide a review.  It's set in the coal mining towns of WV so I thought it might be interesting to see what I think since I am a WV native and he has agreed to do an author interview as well so keep your eyes open for that.

So what made it to your stacks this week? Have you read any of these?  Leave me a comment and I'll make sure to stop by and see your hauls (and more than likely add to my growing TBR pile)!

Weekly Reads (06/17/16)

It's been icky sticky hot here in my neck of the woods with constant threats of storms looming - and I hate both hot weather and storms.  I did manage to get some books read and some movies watched so I'll start with that update.  First of all......

The Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup!!!!

The Sharks put up a good fight though and it went 6 of 7 games so at least it was a thrilling series to watch.  I am not a HUGE hockey fan but we do love the Pens so whenever they make it to the playoffs, we try to watch.  Movie wise we watched "Cell."  I learned early last week that this Stephen King movie was coming to VOD on Friday and was thrilled when I found it on Amazon.  Hubby and I both loved it and it stars John Cusack and Samuel Jackson, both who I adore.  Saturday we went to a car show with my grandfather and then watched "13 Hours."  I don't really like military movies, but it was well done and kept my interest.  We also watched "10 Cloverfield Lane" which as enjoyable, but which left me feeling like I watched two different movies at one time.

So this weekend I hope to work some more on my library renovation and do some reading.  Here is what is up next on the agenda:

They are having the annual Cultural Festival in our town this weekend so I am sure we will head there at some point this weekend as well.

So what are you planning on for the weekend and following week?

Still Surviving Henry Review

TITLE: Still Surviving Henry - The Untold Stories
AUTHOR: Erin Taylor Young
PUBLISHER: Erin Taylor Young
PUBLISHING DATE: February 26, 2016

FROM GOODREADS: The rogue torpedo of a dog is at it again! Henry hauls author Erin Taylor Young and her readers into mischief, mayhem, hilarity, and heartwarming adventure. Come join Henry, canine catastrophe extraordinaire, as he romps through an all new collection of true life—and near-death—tales. You’ll laugh yourself silly—and maybe even shed a tear or two—as Henry shows that there’s a lot more to life than merely surviving.

For anyone who’s read Young’s first book, Surviving Henry: Adventures in Loving a Canine Catastrophe, it won’t be a surprise to learn that she couldn’t fit all his antics into one book. For readers who haven’t yet met Henry, here’s to your full-tilt initiation.

MY THOUGHTS: 
"Surviving Henry" was one of the first ARCs I ever received and one of the first big reviews I posted on my blog. That book holds a special place in my heart because not only am I a boxer mother, but about the time I read it, I had lost my 16 year old boxer Barkley who truly was my puppy soulmate. Reading about Henry and Erin and how he grew to be such an important part of her home really comforted me when my heart was breaking. 

Barkley

I recently heard that Henry passed away. I can only imagine what the Young household has been going through, but upon discovering that, I also learned Young recently published this book, so I had to run and grab it for my Kindle because what better way to honor Henry. Plus, I had a Henry too, but his name was Cooper, and I wanted to read more about the crazy dog antics which happened with the Young family and their catastrophic dog. This is a relatively short book which is put together of different stories about Henry. They are all cute and endearing and Young's sense of humor shines through each tale. It was so funny to read that while on a conference call with the publishers of "Surviving Henry," Young was trying to keep her cool and keep Henry from eating a snake he found in the yard. What a way to get a book deal!

Cooper - My Henry

I'm sorry the Young family lost their dear friend. I hope they are able to open their hearts to a new pal someday, but even if they do, I can tell Henry will always be on their mind. You would probably guess I am a tad biased with my rating on this one and you would be right, but if you love animals, especially dogs, I don't think you will regret the time you spend reading this one.

RATING: 5 PAWS

BOOKER T'S THOUGHTS:  R.I.P. Henry. 

Waiting on Wednessday (60) - Double Feature

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

 

AUGUST 4, 2016

FROM GOODREADS: When Olivia's life exploded--after she found out she was not the adopted child of a privileged Chicago family but of a notorious pair of convicted serial killers--she found a refuge in the secluded but oddly welcoming town of Cainsville, Illinois. Working with Gabriel Walsh, a fiendishly successful criminal lawyer with links to the town, she discovered the truth about her parents' crimes in an investigation that also revealed the darker forces at work in the place that had offered her a haven. As if that wasn't enough, she also found out that she, Gabriel and her biker boyfriend Ricky were not caught in an ordinary sort of love triangle, but were hereditary actors in an ancient drama in which the elders of Cainsville and the mysterious Huntsmen who opposed them had a huge stake.

Now someone is killing street kids in the city, and the police have tied Ricky to the crimes. Setting out with Gabriel's help to clear Ricky's name, Olivia once again finds her own life at risk. Soon the three are tangled in a web of betrayals that threatens their uneasy equilibrium and is pushing them toward a hard choice: either they fulfill their destinies by trusting each other and staying true to their real bonds, or they succumb to the extraordinary forces trying to win an eternal war by tearing them apart.

WHY I'M WAITING: I've loved Kelley Armstrong since I read the first book in the Otherworld series and I can say I can't remember very many, if any, of her books disappointing me.  She was one of the first urban fantasy series authors I stumbled on.  I am really love with the Cainsville series and can't wait to see what happens to Olivia next.

 

October 18, 2016

FROM GOODREADS:  Mari is an Earth Walker, heir to the unique healing powers of her Clan; but she has cast her duties aside, until she is chosen by a special animal ally, altering her destiny forever. When a deadly attack tears her world apart, Mari reveals the strength of her powers and the forbidden secret of her dual nature as she embarks on a mission to save her people. It is not until Nik, the son of the leader from a rival, dominating clan strays across her path, that Mari experiences something she has never felt before…

Now, darkness is coming, and with it, a force, more terrible and destructive than the world has ever seen, leaving Mari to cast the shadows from the earth. By forming a tumultuous alliance with Nik, she must make herself ready. Ready to save her people. Ready to save herself and Nik. Ready to embrace her true destiny…and obliterate the forces that threaten to destroy them all. 

WHY I'M WAITING:  Honestly, that cover.  I would also like to add that it sounds really good and it clocks in at 608 pages so I believe it will be a really great fall/winter under-the-covers read.  But in all truth...it's most likely the cover.  

So what are you waiting for this week?

 

 

TTT - Top 10 Most Anticipated Releases for the Second Half of the Year

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 we are looking at anticipated releases for the second half of the year.  Should be easy enough so here we go (in no particular order):

November 1, 2016 - YA Murder

October 11, 2016 - Adult Horror

August 11, 2016 -  Adult Fantasy/Mystery

August 15, 2016 - New Adult/Gothic Fantasy

October 18 2016 - YA Fantasy

September 20, 2016 - Adult Horror

November 27. 2016 - YA Science Fiction

September 27, 2016 - YA Horror

August 23, 2016 - Adult Mystery

November 8, 2016 - Unsure

Actually this list probably could have had 10 more.  I doubt too many people had trouble coming up with 10 and it was probably more like they had to narrow it down to 10.  So what made your list and are you looking forward to any of these as well???

To Catch a Treat - Barkery & Biscuits #2

TITLE: To Catch a Treat (Barkery & Biscuits Mystery #2)
AUTHOR: Linda O. Johnston
PUBLISHER: Midnight Ink
PUBLISHING DATE: May 8, 2016

FROM GOODREADS: When a Dog-Snatching Scheme Leads to Murder, Carrie Must Sniff Out the Truth

Carrie Kennersly, veterinary technician and owner of the Barkery and Biscuits bake shop, agrees to a day of hiking with her brother Neal—mostly because she wants to meet and critique his latest romantic interest, Janelle Blaystone. But instead of judging her, Carrie feels only sympathy for Janelle, whose beloved black Labrador, Go, was recently dognapped.

Janelle thinks the culprit is Ada Arnist, a wealthy homeowner spotted at the dog park where Go was stolen. Soon after Janelle confronts Ada, though, the woman is found dead. With Janelle and Neal on the suspect list, Carrie must solve the mystery before the police bark up the wrong tree.

MY THOUGHTS: 
I knew soon after reading "Bite the Biscuit" I would need to dive into "To Catch a Treat" so some of the information would stay fresh and also because it's an ARC which I really should have read in May. I will say this installment was a nice continuation to the first book and while you wouldn't per se have to read "Bite the Biscuit" first, this one's going to make a whole lot more sense if you do.

Carrie continues her jobs as business owner of the local bakery/barkery and as a vet tech at the local vet office. Once again she finds herself in the middle of a murder, but this time she isn't the suspect, her brother Neal's girlfriend Janelle is. I really like the characters in this quaint little town and it's nice to see Carrie and Neal's close relationship explored more. And not only is there a murder mystery to solve, it all revolves around a dognapping ring so there are dogs galore in this installment. The usual cast of characters is present, and we learn more about Carrie's love life, but new players are also introduced and it's nice to see the overall town dynamic grow and evolve.

I highly enjoyed the plot of this book as well as the first one in the series. Johnston managed to again keep me guessing about the identity of the perpetrator while also throwing in a few twists and turns throughout the pages. I adore the quaint mountain setting and as I already mentioned, am attached to many of the characters. Yet that being said, I am still finding something off with the way this series is written. Maybe it's Johnston's writing style, and I anticipate I will soon discover if that is the case as I have 2 more books to read by her this year. I can't quite pinpoint what it is that is annoying me but it may have to deal with the fact that Carrie thinks a lot and the story is in first person so when she is thinking through things, there is a lack of dialogue and lots of repetition. Also, again it seems like Johnston is using Carrie to get across dog ownership points she wants to make. For example, Carrie's friend wants her to adopt a rescue dog named Sweetie and several times Carrie mentions she wants to but thinks to herself she could never take time away from Biscuit. So, can't a person love multiple animals at once? Don't some dogs thrive with another companion? Am I a bad person in the author's eyes because I have more than one dog? I wouldn't necessarily draw these conclusions but since Carrie seems to think the same thought numerous times in the book, I don't know what message, if any, I am supposed to get.

So enough ranting. I still gave this book 4/5 because I love the characters, the plot is good and the setting/town is perfect for a cozy mystery series. Plus...DOGS! I am sure if there is another in the series I will want to read it as well and hopefully I can either adjust to the writing style or it becomes less bothersome to me over time.

RATING: 4 Paws

 

Stacking the Shelves (68) Retail Therapy

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.  

If you read yesterday's post,  you know it was somewhat of a stressful week, which unfortunately (or fortunately - however you look at it), it resulted in a little of retail book therapy.  I also had to stop by the library to pick up a reserve book and I was granted some AWESOME ARCS so the book collection grows.

From the library I grabbed: 



Then I grabbed this beautiful book on my weekly Walmart run:

And no I haven't even started the trilogy yet but it's a must that I buy all of King's new releases in hardback and all three of them do look glorious together!!

For my Kindle I grabbed these titles.  I think I spent less than $10.00 for all 4 so that isn't too bad.

I saw "Rosehead" on Elena Reads Books Booktube channel this week and it sounds super quirky so I was immediately sold.  "Surviving Henry" was one of the first review books I featured on my blog and I loved his story so much.  I found out recently Henry passed away and as he got me though the death of my beloved Barkley, even though we never met, I had to grab this when I learned it was already out.  And my husband and I love the movie "The Drop" so when I saw it as a Kindle deal this month, I figured why not.  Tom Hardy is awesome in this movie and it is quickly becoming one of my favorites!

And finally I received the following ARCS from netgalley and the publishers:


I was so excited to get "Repo Madness" I think I did a little dance. I had not heard of "Hammers on God" before Tor sent the invitation but after reading the synopsis, I had to accept it. Finally, I received the email invitation for "She Bites" late Sunday night while sitting at the ER vet with Booker T. and since it is about a vigilante veterinarian, I thought it was fate. I think the authors will be doing something for my blog soon so I am excited.

So what did you add to your growing TBR's this week?  Have you read any of these????