Weekly Reads (09/15/17) Mid Month Already?

Happy Friday!  Hope everyone out there remains safe and is surviving all the recovery efforts in Florida and Texas.  I am hoping the weather in the US quiets down some because there is so much those areas need.  Last week was pretty good at The Farm.  I visited Grandpa Saturday, which was the first visit since the cousin and his wife returned, and I didn't see them at all.  They hid in the field.  Actually I guess they took their son to play in the field behind Grandpa's house.  Wonder what they will do to avoid me when the weather gets cold???  The pups are fine and are enjoying the cooler weather, as am I.  I also got quite a few books read last week.

American Horror has returned to TV and it's as weird as ever.  I find that it takes me about 4-5 episodes each season to determine if I'm going to like it and by then, even if I don't, it's easier to finish the season out than always wonder.  Fear the Walking Dead also started back up but in my opinion, it's pretty much filler until The Walking Dead starts in October and I don't like any of the characters so I hope they all get eaten by zombies.  

We also watched "It Comes at Night."  I was not impressed for several reasons.  First, watching this movie was like starting a new book but opening up to page 100 and starting from there.  No real explanation of what happened, how it got that way or anything.  Secondly, you never learn what "it" is.  I mean, for all I know, "it" means Pennywise the clown in a cross-over.  And also, IT doesn't just come at night - I cry false advertising.  Finally, STANLEY.... adorable pooch STANLEY.  You can fill in your own blanks.  I would not recommend this movie to anyone, although it seems to have some fairly decent ratings and reviews.

So I'm hoping my reading trend continues.  There's lots of football to watch this weekend (hopefully most of our favorite teams won't lose like last week) which means I can multitask.  I honestly don't know what's up next but here is one I'm in the middle of and one I seriously eyeing.

So I hope you all have some wonderful plans for this upcoming week.  Thanks for stopping by The Farm!!!

Giving an Author a Second Chance (When I Am Through With You Review)

TITLE: When I Am Through With You
AUTHOR: Stephanie Kuehn
PUBLISHER: Dutton
PUBLISHING DATE: August 1, 2017

FROM GOODREADS: “This isn’t meant to be a confession. Not in any spiritual sense of the word. Yes, I’m in jail at the moment. I imagine I’ll be here for a long time, considering. But I’m not writing this down for absolution and I’m not seeking forgiveness, not even from myself. Because I’m not sorry for what I did to Rose. I’m just not. Not for any of it.”

Ben Gibson is many things, but he’s not sorry and he’s not a liar. He will tell you exactly about what happened on what started as a simple school camping trip in the mountains. About who lived and who died. About who killed and who had the best of intentions. But he’s going to tell you in his own time. Because after what happened on that mountain, time is the one thing he has plenty of.

When I Am Through With You is a gripping story of survival and the razor’s-edge difference between perfect cruelty and perfect love.

MY THOUGHTS:  This is the second Kuehn book I've read. When I first became interested in it, I didn't realize it was the same author who did "A Smaller Evil" and I really wasn't a fan of that book when I read it last year. In fact, if I had made the connection, I might have not picked up "When I Am Through With You." However, while I am starting to believe she has a "definite type" when it comes to plots and their characters, I did like this book considerably more.

The story is told from the MC Ben's POV and pretty early on the reader discovers Ben in sitting in jail and that some people have ended up dead. The tale then backtracks and we find out what exactly happened to Ben. Ben has not had the easiest childhood. His mother will not win any parent of the year awards and his father is absent. Ben ends up dating Rose, a fellow high school student and right away, it seems Rose is in charge of the relationship. In fact, they end up dating because Rose tells him he's going to be her boyfriend. Ben ends up joining a hiking club at school, despite the fact that he has numerous health problems, and one weekend, his teacher and a ragtag group of students leave their home county to hike up some California mountain. Trouble ensues and death soon follows.

I actually thought I would hate Ben throughout the entire book but actually ended up disliking Rose and her twin brother much more. There were times I really felt for Ben and wished like hell that he would stop putting himself in horrible situations. Even when Ben tries to take charge, he pretty much fails. This book was somewhat thrilling in that there are several twists and turns along the way and as a reader, I was constantly guessing about what was happening and I'm sure I had a "WTF" look on my face during the last 100 pages or so. I had the look a lot longer when reading "A Smaller Evil."

I am glad I read this book and my opinion on Kuehn has changed somewhat. I know a lot of bloggers who love her work so I'm glad I'm no longer basing my not-so-glowing previous opinion on just one book. If you like YA, thrillers and unreliable characters, you will find it all in "When I Am Through With You."

I received this book from the Penguin First to Read program in exchange for an honest review.

RATING: 4 PAWS

 

Can't Wait Wednesday (123)

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:  A year ago, Sunny Nwazue, an American-born girl Nigerian girl, was inducted into the secret Leopard Society. As she began to develop her magical powers, Sunny learned that she had been chosen to lead a dangerous mission to avert an apocalypse, brought about by the terrifying masquerade, Ekwensu. Now, stronger, feistier, and a bit older, Sunny is studying with her mentor Sugar Cream and struggling to unlock the secrets in her strange Nsibidi book.

Eventually, Sunny knows she must confront her destiny. With the support of her Leopard Society friends, Orlu, Chichi, and Sasha, and of her spirit face, Anyanwu, she will travel through worlds both visible and invisible to the mysteries town of Osisi, where she will fight a climactic battle to save humanity.

Much-honored Nnedi Okorafor, winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy awards, merges today’s Nigeria with a unique world she creates. Akata Warrior blends mythology, fantasy, history and magic into a compelling tale that will keep readers spellbound.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  I read "Akata Witch" last month and LOVED it.  In fact, I even gave it 5 paws. I was so excited to see I wouldn't have to wait long to read the sequel and see what happens next.  If you haven't picked up the first book, there's still time before this one comes out! 

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK??? 

Binge Watching - This Is Us (So Late Jumping on the Bandwagon!)

Do you spend hours in front of the TV, maybe days?  Did you ever want to chat with other Binge Watchers or ask people for suggestions or maybe just review the season you watched.  Stormi from Books, Movies, Reviews, Oh My! and Michelle from Because Reading had the perfect idea to create a bi-weekly meme to do just that. 

I actually finished watching "This is Us" a month or so ago.  Mr. Barb got stuck late at work one night so I thought to myself "I'll just watch one episode to see what the hype is about."  I knew he wouldn't be interested in it so it was the perfect opportunity to watch one episode and write it off as "not for me."  A weekend later I had watched the entire first season and am now counting the days until the next one starts!

I quickly fell in love with all of the characters and can honestly say, there isn't one that I don't like.  It's even hard for me to pick a favorite. I also really enjoy how the story is told (flashbacks, moving forward, moving back again).  It really is formatted in such a genius fashion.  For someone who grew up an only child, it's so interesting for me to watch all the family dynamics.  And the way it ended last season.  Thank heavens I didn't watch it when it came out because at least I haven't had to wait as long as everyone else.  

So if you like dramas, you HAVE to try this show. It has a great cast an I think Mandy Moore and Milo Ventimiglia are awesome in this and even though I thought he would always be Jess in my mind, I think now he will always be Ben.

TTT - 5 of My Favorite Childhood Books

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 I'm sharing my 5 favorite books I liked as a kid.  I've never been a real traditional reader and started reading adult books rather young, but these are the children books that I recall the best (I read a lot of Anne Rice and Stephen King the minute I hit the 6th grade).

I loved Bunnicula so much growing up that just last year, I bought the complete box set.  This book was a perfect match for "Child Barb."  It had animals and vampires - who cared if he sucked carrot juice.  

I also loved Black Beauty and remember reading it several time.  I also collected horse figurines because my mom used to raise and ride quarter horses.

I had a whole collection of Nancy Drew books as a child.  I remember belonging to a subscription where I was sent two each month.  I couldn't wait to get them in the mail and then I would quickly devour them.  Probably where my love of mysteries started.

It has to be no real surprise that I loved Clifford the Big Red Dog.  

I remember getting the box set of this series one year for Christmas and I was thrilled.  I loved reading the books but for some reason, always liked Mary more that Laura.  

Did you read any of these books or have any other favorites?

I'll Never Look at a Bee the Same Way Again! (Black Bird of the Gallows review)

TITLE: Black Bird of the Gallows
AUTHOR: Meg Kassel
PUBLISHER: Entangled Publishing
PUBLISHING DATE: September 5, 2017

FROM GOODREADS: A simple but forgotten truth: Where harbingers of death appear, the morgues will soon be full.

Angie Dovage can tell there’s more to Reece Fernandez than just the tall, brooding athlete who has her classmates swooning, but she can’t imagine his presence signals a tragedy that will devastate her small town. When something supernatural tries to attack her, Angie is thrown into a battle between good and evil she never saw coming. Right in the center of it is Reece—and he’s not human.

What's more, she knows something most don't. That the secrets her town holds could kill them all. But that’s only half as dangerous as falling in love with a harbinger of death.

MY THOUGHTS: This book has been on my radar since I first saw that gorgeous cover and you have to admit, it is a pretty well done cover. I believe this is Kassel's debut book and I can firmly say that I am interested in seeing what she writes in the future and will make sure to give any new books by her a chance.

"Black Bird of the Gallows" tells the story of Angie Dovage, a high school senior living with her father and their lovable and trusty dog in a town called Cadence. Reece Fernandez, a new boy, moves in next door and while Angie is immediately aware of how gorgeous he is, she is also aware that something isn't quite right. In addition, Angie and her friends, Lacey and Deno, are not part of the "in" crowd so she finds it to think that Reece is interested in her whatsoever. Anyone thinking this is just a "typical" YA love story, stop because it's so much more and it's the "more" that made this book totally readable for me. 

Reece is a harbinger of death who morphs into a crow and feeds upon death energy. He and the other harbingers have flocked to Cadence in preparation for a huge disaster that is forecast. This disaster has also brought forth a "Beekeeper." This individual brings death and destruction wherever he arrives by stinging people with the bees that reside within his mouth. Once stung, the individual loses their mind and starts becoming more and more violent until they eventually are killed or die on their own. Reece knows what's in store and he wants nothing more than to keep Angie safe.

This was a very quick and engaging read. Although there were some elements of paranormal romance, the book also contained elements of bullying, drug abuse and non-traditional families (I loved that Angie's father is actually present in the book and not your typical absent YA parent). Their is tons of action in the later half of the book and overall, there is a very dark tone to the entire plot. The beekeepers are rather scary individuals and although I had flashbacks to the "Candyman" movie, they are a pretty original concept.

My main concern with the book is that the ending seemed rushed and wasn't quite what I wanted. I don't want to give anything away, but I feel like everything was wrapped up in a nice and neat package at the end and I didn't think it was necessarily called for. As far as I know this is a stand-alone novel so the ending works, but it could have went in a different direction and still not called for a sequel. 

If you love dark tales and don't mind some YA angst thrown in amidst some good horror and great writing, then I would suggest you pick up "Black Bird of the Gallows." 

I received this book from the author and Entangled Teen in exchange for an honest review.

RATING: 4 PAWS

Stacking the Shelves (127) / Sunday Post

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. 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'm hoping to discover some new blogs to love.

This week a preorder arrived.  Look out pretty and let me tell you, the photos inside are gorgeous. Basically it's the photographer, who worked with Prince for years, sharing his photos and telling little stories and anecdotes about him.  For example, sometimes Prince would answer his ow phone at his studio and put on a fake country accent and act like it was a restaurant and that he didn't know anyone named Prince.  Things like that.  I can't wait to read all of Picturing Prince.

I also picked up a few books I had on hold at the library and by a few, I mean six.  Is there some rule that they all come in all the time?  My library finally got in Chew Vol. 5 and Chew Vol. 6.  They also ordered in Chew Omnivore and I'm trying to figure out where it goes in the series.  I've been wanting to give Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur a go so I'm glad they finally came in and of course, I need to see how Rituals wraps up the Cainsville series even though I'll be sad to see it go.

And finally, a few books for review.  I saw The Devil's Wedding Ring on someone's blog (wish I could remember who, it may have been Tracy) so when I saw it on Netgalley, I couldn't resist.  One look at the pup on Rescued and my C-ADHD kicked in and finally, I feature Glass Town on a Can't Wait Wednesday post years ago and am glad to finally have a copy.

I mentioned yesterday I hope everyone is staying safe with all the catastrophes happening.  Well, the boys can't stand to be left out so they want to ask that you keep in mind all the pets and animals being traumatized and help if you can.  They've already made their Harvey and Irma donations!

What books did you add this week?  

I'll close with Cass and his purple bandana doing his Prince "I'm not looking at you" impression!