Can't Wait Wednesday (210)

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.

May 30, 2019

FROM GOODREADS:  Everyone in Ballyfran has a secret, and that is what binds them together…

Fifteen-year-old twins Madeline and Catlin move to a new life in Ballyfran, a strange isolated town, a place where, for the last sixty years, teenage girls have gone missing in the surrounding mountains.

As distance grows between the twins - as Catlin falls in love, and Madeline begins to understand her own nascent witchcraft - Madeline discovers that Ballyfrann is a place full of predators. Not only foxes, owls and crows, but also supernatural beings who for many generations have congregated here to escape persecution. When Catlin falls into the gravest danger of all, Madeline must ask herself who she really is, and who she wants to be - or rather, who she might have to become to save her sister.

Dark and otherworldly, this is an enthralling story about the bond between sisters and the sacrifices we make for those we care about the most. For fans of Frances Hardinge and Laure Eve. 

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  First of all I love the cover.  I think it's gorgeous.  I am also always in for topics of witches and this one seems to have a Gothic feel to it as well.

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

TTT - Books to TV/Movie Adaptations: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

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 adaptations.  Now I am one whose general rule is read the book before watching the show.  And to be honest, usually the book is better.  I have ran into a few I really really enjoyed and in a few isolated incidents, where I actually liked the movie better.

THE GOOD

What Dreams May Come (from Richard Matheson's book of the same name) - This is one of my favorite movies EVER.  If you haven't seen it do so NOW!  I actually read the book and didn't care for it at all.  

Bridget Jones's Diary (Helen Fielding) - Having seen the movie years before I read the book, I actually think the movie was pretty good and think it's a good watch even without ever reading the novel.

The Shining - Stephen King.  Now the book is probably my favorite King book ever but I really enjoyed the movie as well. I have difficulty with the endings being off but I liked them both.  And I think the casting was spot on.

Practical Magic - Alice Hoffman -  Again, I actually liked the movie better than the book.  That being said, the prequel book that came out last year, The Rules of Magic, is another favorite book and I can't recommend it enough.

Rosemary's Baby - Ira Levin.  The book was pretty good but I really liked the movie as well.

THE BAD & THE UGLY

The Midnight, Texas Trilogy - Charlaine Harris.  These books were soooo much better than the series and a lot better than the Sookie Stackhouse mysteries.

Gone Girl - Gilliam Flynn.  I think I'm just a little biased on this one because I hated both.

Eragon - Christopher Paolini.  Save yourself and don't even watch this movie. 

Interview with a Vampire - Anne Rice.  I think lots of people really liked the movie but I couldn't get past the casting.  Tom Cruise = creepiest vampire ever.  

Dreamcatcher - Stephen King.  I really just liked the book better.  If I hadn't read it, maybe I wouldn't have been as disappointed with the movie adaptation.

So actually I had better luck with this topic than I anticipated.  Can't wait to see everyone else's list this week!

Books to Bark & Crow About - Cass Is In the House!

So hello everybody!  Cass here.  I'm a tad nervous because this is my first post all by myself.  As you can imagine, I'm missing my big brother Booker T something fierce but I promised him I'd take care of Mom and Dad and he handed the blogging reins over to me when he passed so I want to make him proud.

I scoured the internet and I think I found some good cozy mysteries for you guys.  Since summer is coming up, I figured some of you might like to sit by the pool (I wish - hey Mom, I want a pool!), lounge on the porch or have a beverage of choice (is there anything other than water?) while delving into a quaint new mystery.  So here's some I found.

TITLE: Needled to Death (A Helping Hands Mystery)

AUTHOR: Annelise Ryan

PUBLISHING DATE: July 30, 2019

SYNOPSIS: As a colleague of deputy coroner Mattie Winston, social worker Clothilde “Hildy” Schneider is no stranger to unsolved murders at Sorenson General Hospital. Except this time, it’s up to her to crack the case . . .  

Motivated by her own difficult past, Hildy has an unparalleled commitment to supporting troubled clients through grief and addiction in Sorenson, Wisconsin. But when a distraught group therapy member reveals disturbing details about her late son’s potential murder, Hildy goes from dedicated mental health professional to in-over-her-head amateur sleuth . . . 

Alongside her loyal therapy Golden Retriever, Hildy stumbles through incriminating clues—and an unlikely partnership with Detective Bob Richmond, the irresistibly headstrong cop who shares her passion for helping others. With signs of foul play surfacing all over town, can Hildy and Detective Richmond pinpoint the deadly traits of a sharp-witted killer before another seat gets filled at grief therapy? 

Mom loves a good cozy and the fact that this one has a therapy dog is definitely a plus!

TITLE: Pit & Miss Murder (Barkside of the Moon #4)
AUTHOR: Renee George
PUBLISHING DATE:  May 21, 2019

SYNOPSIS: When Lily Mason's uncle is accused of murdering a prominent Moonrise citizen, the amateur detective and her loyal pit bull Smooshie must dig out the truth and find the real killer.  

Integrating isn't easy for a shifter in an all human town, but Lily Mason is finally making it work. She has love in her life, enjoys a great job, attends community college, and best of all, her fixer-upper house is nearly livable. She couldn't be happier.  

Until her Uncle Buzz is accused of murder. A prominent member of the community has been found murdered in the parking lot of her uncle's cafe,The Cat's Meow. And thanks to a contentious relationship with the victim, Uncle Buzz is the number one suspect. 

Now Lily, Smooshie, and the Moonrise gang must solve the murder before Lily's only family ends up behind bars. 

Everyone knows Smooshie is my book girlfriend and Mom loves this series. It comes out soon so I hope she can read it and it will cheer her up some.

TITLE: What's Bred in the Bone (XK9 Bones Trilogy #1)

AUTHOR: Jan S. Gephardt

PUBLISHING DATE: May 22, 2019

SYNOPSIS: XK9 Rex is a dog who thinks too much—and it could get him killed. 

He and his Packmates were bio-engineered and cyber-enhanced to be the most advanced forensic tools available to law enforcement. Transplanted to a habitat space station in the Human Diaspora and separated from his Packmates, Rex has only his human partner Charlie to depend on. Then Rex’s rookie mistake during a catastrophic explosion on the space dock sends Charlie to the ICU. 

Now Rex is truly all alone. Without Charlie, he’s sidelined. Written off by the humans. But his keen senses picked up a vital clue on the space dock that the investigation needs know. He must get the humans to listen somehow! 

Rex doesn’t realize that larger forces are at work. The XK9s are more than just forensic tools, and they’re more than their new owners, the Orangeboro Police Department, ever bargained for. When Rex accidentally unmasks a disturbing secret, he blows open an international conspiracy that could destabilize the entire System—and places himself, his Pack, and all XK9s everywhere in mortal peril. 

This is a mix of science fiction and canines and for some reason, I found it really interesting. And since I love Star Wars, I may convince Mom to give this one a chance.

So there you have it guys.  I think I found some good books and hopefully made my brother proud!

What's Happening...(05-11-19)

So I'm doing things a tad bit differently this year and will be combining all of my regular weekend posts.  This will enable me to add more content on Fridays and it is just starting to make more sense.  I'll still be linking up with Stacking the Shelves at Tynga's Reviews and Sunday Post at Caffeinated Reviewer.  Both blogs are awesome so make sure you check them out.

So we had all kinds of different weather this week.  Some heat, some rain and then this weekend the highs are supposed to be in the low 60s.  It's kind of crazy but I'm glad we haven't had storms and I do feel badly for everyone getting tons of rain and flooding.  

We managed to watch a few movies this past week which was kind of nice.  We finally watched "Bumblebee" which yep, made me tear up.  We also watched "The Highwaymen" on Netflix which was good but kind of slow.  I finished "Santa Clarita Diet" but am still ticked off it didn't renew.  I also started "Dead to Me" which I am really liking, so Netflix will probably cancel it too.  Lastly we rented "The Prodigy" Thursday night but when it was clear that the poor dog was going to come to a gruesome end we shut it off.  I won't be revisiting that one.

Cass is doing well and look for him to take over some blogging duties soon.  I've been walking him a lot by myself after work while Mr. Barb is at the gym and I think both of us find it therapeutic.  I also got some reading done.  I FINALLY started "NOS4A2" and will be squeezing it in between some other obligations.  This weekend I will be adding "Antarctic Ice Beasts" and it would be nice if I could get it finished quickly.  

I also received a few books for review which I am thrilled about.  First up, I almost jumped up and down when I received an approval for "The Toll."  I LOVE Cherie Priest and can't wait for this one.  I couldn't resist the cute little bunny on the cover of "Left Fur Dead" which is the first in a new cozy mystery.  And finally, "The Dead Girls Club" sounds too spooky and too good to pass up.

So what did you guys add this week?  Have you been watching anything good?

Kind of a Disappointment

TITLE: The Hiding Place
AUTHOR: C.J. Tudor
PUBLISHER: Crown
PUBLISHING DATE: February 5, 2019

FROM GOODREADS: Joe never wanted to come back to Arnhill. After the way things ended with his old gang--the betrayal, the suicide, the murder--and after what happened when his sister went missing, the last thing he wanted to do was return to his hometown. But Joe doesn't have a choice. Because judging by what was done to that poor Morton kid, what happened all those years ago to Joe's sister is happening again. And only Joe knows who is really at fault. 

Lying his way into a teaching job at his former high school is the easy part. Facing off with former friends who are none too happy to have him back in town--while avoiding the enemies he's made in the years since--is tougher. But the hardest part of all will be returning to that abandoned mine where it all went wrong and his life changed forever, and finally confronting the shocking, horrifying truth about Arnhill, his sister, and himself. Because for Joe, the worst moment of his life wasn't the day his sister went missing. It was the day she came back. 

MY THOUGHTS: I really, really, really have mixed feelings about this book.  Part of me wants to be all serious with my review yet part of me wants to be kind of snarky because I didn't really enjoy it and I need to get SOME fun out of it.

So "The Hiding Place" is about a family who loses their cat and seeing his children's grief, the father buries it in an eerie cemetery.  The next day it comes back but it isn't the same.  Whoops, that's "PET SEMATARY."  Let's try this again.  So when Joe was a kid, his sister tragically died but only he knew about it.  Several days later, she returns but she is not quite right.  Many years pass and Joe, afraid that the same thing is happening and spurred on by a mysterious email, returns to his hometown to try to put a stop to evil once and for all.

Well I guess snark won.  As I said before, I didn't not really care for this book.  I felt like I had already read it and I when I read Tudor's first release, "The Chalk Man," which I also think played out like an early Stephen King novel, I had similar feelings.  Joe was an okay character.  He was HIGHLY flawed but I felt he had been through a lot which explained why.  I also liked Beth, the emo art teacher who befriends Joe even though she knows he has tons of secrets.  The novel goes back and forth between present day and the past which is a writing technique I really enjoy so it also had that going for it.  But man, I could not shake the feeling that this book was kind of a rip-off from one of my favorites.

There were several twists and turns throughout the book but even if I didn't know what they would specifically be, I expected them to come.  Yet there were some positives about "The Hiding Place."  Tudor does write well-paced books and I find her writing style itself enjoyable.  In fact, I highlighted more quotes and passages in the book on my Kindle than I have in a long time.  I also never really considered putting the book down so it did kind of draw me in.

I can see why people love Tudor's books so much.  I really wanted to as well, both with this one and "The Chalk Man."  I think if I wasn't such a King fan and had never read his books, I would have rated this one much higher.  I really think these books are probably great for someone who is not an avid horror reader.  So see, I am being somewhat objective.  I think if people are interested in checking this book out they should do so.  It's very popular and quite well-loved. And hey, if King hasn't considered suing her, then who am I to judge?

RATING: 2 PAWS

I Knew There Were Gonna Be Snakes....

TITLE: The Cold is in Her Bones
AUTHOR: Peternelle van Arsdale
PUBLISHER:  Margaret K. Elderberry Books
PUBLISHING DATE: January 22, 2019

FROM GOODREADS: Milla knows two things to be true: Demons are real, and fear will keep her safe. 

Milla's whole world is her family's farm. She is never allowed to travel to the village and her only friend is her beloved older brother, Niklas. When a bright-eyed girl named Iris comes to stay, Milla hopes her loneliness might finally be coming to an end. But Iris has a secret she's forbidden to share: The village is cursed by a demon who possesses girls at random, and the townspeople live in terror of who it will come for next. 

Now, it seems, the demon has come for Iris. When Iris is captured and imprisoned with other possessed girls, Milla leaves home to rescue her and break the curse forever. Her only company on the journey is a terrible new secret of her own: Milla is changing, too, and may soon be a demon herself.  

The Cold Is in Her Bones is a novel about the dark, reverberating power of pain, the yearning to be seen and understood, and the fragile optimism of love. 

MY THOUGHTS:  I sort of picked this up on a whim at the beginning of the month.  Basically it was a library book I knew had to go back soon so I thought I'd give it a chance. And honestly, at first I wasn't sure about it and even when I finished, I was still kind of undecided but after a few days have passed, I realize how much I really enjoyed "The Cold in Her Bone." 

Let's get the obvious out of the way.  There are snakes.  Lots of them.  In fact, the main character, Milla, ends up with two growing - yes I said growing, in her hair.  And they all sort of become best buds.  In a snake-in-your-hair-what-are-you-gonna-do-way.  I managed not to totally freak out but have to admit I did not read it before bed, or in bed, you get the picture.

So the MC Milla has grown up in the country, near a town which has been cursed.  She has only her brother, her mother and her father and none of them really like her all that much.  She lives a very sheltered life so you can imagine how she feels when Iris moves next door and she finally has a friend.  However, Iris becomes possessed and is taken away so Milla decides she wants to rescue her only friend and hey, if she can learn more about this curse and the snakes growing from her head, then that's a plus as well.

Now while you definitely won't gather it from my review, the author has written a really lyrical tale. It's a great mix of folklore and fairy tales.  She has also done a great job featuring strong female characters.  Milla wants to rescue her friend and is not depending on anyone to help her.  And Milla is not afraid of battles.  Of course with her permanent hair friends she usually has the upper hand.  I think the novel is as much about friendship as it is about snakes, oops I mean Medusa. And I have to admit I know little about the Medusa myth.  Does this surprise anyone?

So basically this was kind of a hidden gem for me.  It's a rather short book and I did find it a tad slow at times but the story was worth a few pacing issues here and there.  If you like fairy tales, mythology or retellings, then I'd highly suggest you pick this book up.

RATING: 4 PAWS

If I can give a snaky book 4/5 paws then that's definitely high praise right?

Can't Wait Wednesday (209) - Hunter Shea May Edition!

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: Five years after final girl Ashley King survived the infamous Resort Massacre, she's found hanging in her basement by her fiance, Todd Matthews. The lone survivor of a team of urban explorers who ran into a faceless killing machine, she was never able to overcome the fear that the killer would find her and finish what he'd started. A puzzle addict, she leaves behind clues as to what really happened that night, clues that may reveal the identity of the killer the press has called The Wraith. With the help of his friends, Todd goes back to the crumbling Hayden Resort, a death-tinged ruin in the Catskills Mountains. The Hayden was once a premier destination in what was called the Borscht Belt. Now, it's rotting, abandoned, and the epicenter of a series of murders that goes back decades. Todd and his friends are joined by Sharon Viola, broken and lost sister of Ash's best friend, Sheri, who was murdered the night of the Resort Massacre. Sneaking in at night on the cusp of winter, the Hayden is the definition of eerie and foreboding. They find the breadcrumbs of a deep, dark mystery that Ash had left behind, all but forgotten in her amnesia of the fateful night. An escaped Nazi had fled to America, masquerading as a cook in the resort's restaurant. The discovery of his true origins by the all Jewish staff was handled with brutal efficiency, lynch mob style. It was the first of what would be many more murders, escalating under the cover of secrecy after the resort burned down in the mid 1970s. The Hayden may have been deserted, but it was never empty of fresh corpses. Someone, or something, has been murdering anyone who dares to wander amidst its crumbling buildings. It knows Todd and his friends have come, and there will be hell to pay for trespassing.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  Pretty much because Shea is an auto-read author for me.  But I have to admit, even if he wasn't, I'd still be picking this one up.

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