Waiting on Wednesday (19)

"Waiting on" Wednesday is weekly meme hosted over at Breaking the Spine which spotlights upcoming anticipated releases.  Here is what I am most waiting for this week:



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Marked in Flesh (The Others #4): Anne Bishop

From Goodreads: Fourth in the “flawless” (The Reading Café) New York Times bestselling series from the author of Vision in Silver.

For centuries, the Others and humans have lived side by side in uneasy peace. But when humankind oversteps its bounds, the Others will have to decide how much humanity they’re willing to tolerate—both within themselves and within their community...

Since the Others allied themselves with the cassandra sangue, the fragile yet powerful human blood prophets who were being exploited by their own kind, the delicate dynamic between humans and Others changed. Some, like Simon Wolfgard, wolf shifter and leader of the Lakeside Courtyard, and blood prophet Meg Corbyn, see the new, closer companionship as beneficial—both personally and practically.

But not everyone is convinced. A group of radical humans is seeking to usurp land through a series of violent attacks on the Others. What they don’t realize is that there are older and more dangerous forces than shifters and vampires protecting the land that belongs to the Others—and those forces are willing to do whatever is necessary to protect what is theirs…

I adore this series and wish I had it in my grubby little hands right now.  I can't wait until March 1, 2016.  Well, I got an ARC of the last one so maybe I will luck out with this one as well.

What are you waiting for this week?

 

Top 10 Tuesday - Most Read Authors

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 focusing on the top 10 authors I have read. 

1.  STEPHEN KING - I haven't read all of his books, but have read over 50 of them.  I usually purchase all his new releases the week they come out unless I know I am getting them for gifts soon after their release.  He was my first real introduction to horror and suspense and in my opinion, he is still the best.

2.  DEAN KOONTZ - I'll admit I haven't read a lot of his stuff lately, but years ago, I used to devour everything of his which I could get my hands on.  I still plan on reading a lot of his releases and he is also one of my favorites.

3.  CHARLAINE HARRIS -  I have read 22 of her books and love her Midnight Texas series as well as her Harper Connolly series.  I have also read most of her Sookie Stackhouse books but still need to finish the last 2.  Boy am I glad that series ended.

4.  MARYJANICE DAVIDSON - Although somewhat reluctant to admit it, I still follow the Betsy the Vampire Queen series.  I think they keep getting more worse as they continue, but I still snag them from the library when I can.

5.  Kelley Armstrong - I love Kelley Armstrong and have completed the Women of the Underworld series.  I love her writing, her characters and her world building.  I am really loving her new Cainsville series and can't wait to get my hands on Deception

6.  LAURELL K. HAMILTON - She started my love of urban fantasy and while I think the Anita Blake books have gotten "out there" and that there are way too many of them, I haven't completely ruled out reading more of them.

7.  YASMINE GALENORN - Another great urban fantasy pick.

8.  PATRICIA BRIGGS - Mercy Thompson - need I say more?

9.  KIM HARRISON - I definitely see a trend forming here.  As much as I'll miss Ivy, Jenks and Rachel, I am also looking forward to seeing what her new series has to offer.

10.  LUCY DILLON -  While there are some authors I have read more from, I have to mention Lucy Dillon.  I love her contemporary fiction books so much.  She has such great characters and she weaves a wonderful love of dogs and their healing powers, into all of her books.  I can't recommend her enough.  I have managed to read all of her books except her last one.

Who made your list?  Do we have any in common?  Leave me a comment so I can check yours out!

Stacking the Shelves (27)

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.  

I picked up 2 books from the library this week which I had on reserve.  I am in the middle of COYER, and have been trying to read my own books and arcs, but I had to grab these two when I saw they had came available:

Lumberjanes #1: Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Brooke A. Allen -
At Miss Qiunzilla Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet's camp for hard-core lady-types, things are not what they seem. Three-eyed foxes. Secret caves. Anagrams. Luckily, Jo, April, Mal, Molly, and Ripley are five rad, butt-kicking best pals determined to have an awesome summer together... And they're not gonna let a magical quest or an array of supernatural critters get in their way! The mystery keeps getting bigger, and it all begins here. 




Nimona: Noelle Stevenson -
Nemeses! Dragons! Science! Symbolism! All these and more await in this brilliantly subversive, sharply irreverent epic from Noelle Stevenson. Featuring an exclusive epilogue not seen in the web comic, along with bonus conceptual sketches and revised pages throughout, this gorgeous full-color graphic novel is perfect for the legions of fans of the web comic and is sure to win Noelle many new ones.




From Edelweiss I received:

The Subterranean Season: Dale Bailey.  This book has been described as a "darkly comic novel that explores the horrific possibilities of wish fulfillment."  Sounds good enough to me.  Plus the author is from West Virginia which doesn't happen that often.

From Netgalley I received:



I Will Marry George Clooney (by Christmas): Tracy Bloom.  This sounds like an funny romantic read  and sometimes I just need a book like that.  It is already out.
Lost Princess (Kingdom of Cymmera #1): Dani-Lyn Alexander. This comes out October 13, 2015 from Kensington Books and Lyrical Press.
Rainy Day Sisters: Kate Hewitt.  See the dog on the cover?  Of course I had to have it.  This one came out August 4, 2015 from Penguin.

And finally I received a request from Entangled Teen to read and review the following:

The Summer Marked (The Winter People #2): Rebekah L. Purdy.  This comes out September 22, 2015.  I am really liking that cover.

Thanks to Netgalley, Edelweiss and Entangled Teen for all the books this week.  Have you read any of these and what landed on your stack this week?

Cat Out of Hell - Roger that!

TITLE: Cat Out of Hell
AUTHOR: Lynne Truss
PUBLISHER: Melville House
PUBLISHING DATE: March 3, 2015

FROM GOODREADS: For people who both love and hate cats comes the tale of Alec Charlesworth, a librarian who finds himself suddenly alone: he’s lost his job, his beloved wife has just died. Overcome by grief, he searches for clues about her disappearance in a file of interviews between a man called "Wiggy" and a cat, Roger. Who speaks to him.           

It takes a while for Alec to realize he’s not gone mad from grief, that the cat is actually speaking to Wiggy . . . and that much of what we fear about cats is true. They do think they’re smarter than humans, for one thing. And, well, it seems they are! What’s more, they do have nine lives. Or at least this one does – Roger’s older than Methuselah, and his unblinking stare comes from the fact that he’s seen it all.

And he’s got a tale to tell, a tale of shocking local history and dark forces that may link not only the death of Alec’s wife, but also several other local deaths. But will the cat help Alec, or is he one of the dark forces?

In the deft and comedic hands of mega-bestseller Lynne Truss, the story is as entertaining as it is addictive” (The Sunday Telegraph) – an increasingly suspenseful and often hysterically funny adventure that will please cat lovers and haters alike. And afterwards, as one critic noted, “You may never look at a cat in quite the same way again”

MY THOUGHTS: This book is extremely unique and I still am not sure quite what I think about it. The novel is told in stories and emails from a core group of people who have encountered Roger, a talking cat. As a young kitten, Roger was taken in by an older, much larger cat, Captain, who put him through the "Nine Lives" ordeal which made him immortal and also provided him with the means to talk. Roger lives through many years and encounters many people, most who are killed when they "no longer have the will to live."

This entire book is basically a commentary on cats and all their stereotypes. The author describes many of their characteristics as misplaced evilness and throughout the book, you wonder who will die next. Captain and Roger are portrayed as very manipulative and cunning, which I am sure is how we all think of cats. In one part of the book, Truss states that cats hunt birds and mice because they have lost the power to kill larger animals/humans as they have done in the past. She states that purring is a hypnotic technique cats used for many years to put their victims in a trance so they are more easily killed. Also, cats kneed your legs not in an attempt to get comfortable, but as practice to slash your femoral artery.

This book is eerie, and creepy, but not really scary. Unless you own an evil cat, and then I suggest you read it while looking over your shoulder. The novel is short, but enjoyable and I found it to be an interesting read. I did fly through it because I wanted to see what happened in the end. Anyone who likes horror or is in the mood for something out of the ordinary should give it a go!

RATING: 4 PAWS

COYER SCAVENGER HUNT CHALLENGE # 56 - Read a book with a traditionally evil character as a main character.  (Roger and Captain, the main "characters" are murderous evil cats and Beelzebub also makes an appearance as dictator and leader of evil cats throughout the ages).

BOOKER T's THOUGHTS:  CATS...where??? Must chase cats!  Cats are dumb - I don't care if Roger and Captain can talk.  They get a 1 Paw rating from me - that's 1 paw up against their head!

PS- Why won't Mom let me chase cats?  All I ever hear is "They'll put your eye out."  Is this The Christmas Story or what!

Waiting on Wednesday (18)

"Waiting on" Wednesday is weekly meme hosted over at Breaking the Spine which spotlights upcoming anticipated releases.  Here is what I am most waiting for this week:






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Burning Glass (Burning Glass #1): Kathryn Purdie - March 1, 2016

From Goodreads: Sonya was born with the rare gift to feel what those around her feel—both physically and emotionally—a gift she’s kept hidden from the empire for seventeen long years. After a reckless mistake wipes out all the other girls with similar abilities, Sonya is hauled off to the palace and forced to serve the emperor as his sovereign Auraseer.

Tasked with sensing the intentions of would-be assassins, Sonya is under constant pressure to protect the emperor. One mistake, one small failure, will cost her own life and the lives of the few people left in the world who still trust her.

But Sonya’s power is untamed and reckless, her feelings easily usurped, and she sometimes can’t decipher when other people’s impulses end and her own begin. In a palace full of warring emotions and looming darkness, Sonya fears that the biggest danger to the empire may be herself.

As she struggles to wrangle her abilities, Sonya seeks refuge in her tenuous alliances with the volatile Emperor Valko and his idealistic younger brother, Anton, the crown prince. But when threats of revolution pit the two brothers against each other, Sonya must choose which brother to trust—and which to betray.

BURNING GLASS is debut author Kathryn Purdie’s stunning tale of dangerous magic, heart-rending romance, and the hard-won courage it takes to let go. 


That cover is beautiful and it sounds really interesting.  I stumbled across it earlier this week and now I am once again wishing the months away hoping it was here.  What are you waiting for this week?

Top 10 Tuesday - Fairytale retellings

The 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 fairytale retellings.  I have read quite a few, but am splitting it up into 5 I have read, and 5 I want to read.

5 which I have read (in no particular order):

A Court of Thorns and Roses: Sarah J. Maas.  Not my favorite book this year, but overall it ended strongly so I definitely want to continue.  It contains elements of Beauty and the Beast..

Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1): Marissa Meyer.   I loved this book so much I don't know why I not continued on with the series.  I am collecting them all though.  A cyborg Cinderella, what an awesome concept!

Sisters Red: Jackson Pearce.  Another book which I didn't care much for, but I am starting to realize that I haven't actually read that many retellings.  I do adore this cover though and it is what drew me to the book in the first place.  In case you can't tell, it's a retelling of Red Riding Hood - another one of my favorite fairytales.

The Book of Lost Things: John Connolly.  This one mixes bedtimes stories and mythology.  I really like reading Connolly's work from time to time.

Wicked: Gregory Maguire - I need to reread this someday as I eventually want to read the whole series.  









Now on to 5 I really want to read:

Crimson Bound: Rosamund Hodge.

Mechanica: Betsy Cornwell.

Egg & Spoon: Gregory Maguire.  This one revolves around Baba Yaga - more witch stories - bring them on!  It is tremendously long though and I checked it out of the library twice and still never read it.

A Wicked Thing: Rhiannon Thomas.  This would be my first Sleeping Beauty retelling if I ever did get to it.

Scarlet: A. C. Gaughen.  This one centers around Robin Hood and has been on my TBR for ages!










What made your list?  Have you read any of these?  And how many lists will contain Winter by Marissa Meyer this week?

June/July 2015 Wrap Up

So I fell behind and didn't even get a wrap up posted for June so this week I am going to try to cover both months.  Both months were fairly decent reading months but the TBR is growing out of control, so they weren't as good as I wanted.  I started the COYER (Clear Out Your E-Reader) challenge in June and have been having a blast with it so that is one positive thing I want to mention.  Click on the link below if you want to go to my review.

A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1): Sarah J. Maas
Courtney Crumrin Vol. 3 The Twilight Kingdom: Ted Naifeh
Lock & Key Vol. 4 Keys to the Kingdom: Joe Hill & Gabriel Rodriquez
Survive the Night: Danielle Vega
Lawyer for the Dog: Lee Robinson
The Saga of Rex: Michel Gagne
Love is Red: Sophie Jaff (Nightsong Trilogy #1)
The Library at Mount Char: Scott Hawkins
The End of the World is Rye: Brett Cottrell
Ink and Bone (The Great Library #1): Rachel Caine
Worthy: Catherine Ryan Hyde
The Ghost of Popcorn Hill: Betty Ren Wright, Karen Ritz
Ghost Chasers: The Curse of Steel: Dedrick Frazier
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: Lewis Carroll, Camille Rose Gaarcia
Stepdog: Nicole Galland

So overall I read 12 novels and 3 graphic novels.  Not too bad for 2 months I guess.  I had three 5-star ratings, six 4-star ratings, five 3-star ratings and on 2-star rating.  Booker T guest reviewed 4 books and even received some author feedback.  I have also read 62 of 66 books for my Goodreads challenge.  It feels good to know I will complete that goal way ahead of schedule.

So how are your challenges going so far this year and did you read any of these as well?  Leave me a comment so I can check out your blog - I love communicating with fellow bloggers.