Waiting on Wednesday (38)

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





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September 2, 2016

 FROM GOODREADS: From the author of the New York Times bestselling Undead novels comes a delightfully addictive new series about past lives and bad habits—and one woman paranormally predisposed to getting at the bottom of both. It’s her job.
 
You couldn’t arrest someone for killing in a past life. You couldn’t bring a civil suit against them, either. They could only be legally penalized for what they did this time around—and what a dark circus the legal system had been before that legislation passed! (It was still a dark circus, but perhaps not as dark.)  But you could spot them, and watch them. You could set traps for them.
 
Leah Nazir is an Insighter. Reincarnation is her business. But while her clients’ pasts are a mess, Leah’s is nothing short of tragedy. She’s been murdered. A lot. If left to that bitch, destiny, it’ll happen again. Leah wants to know who’s been following her through time, and who’s been stalking her in the present...

P.I. Archer Drake has been hired by Leah’s mother to keep an eye on her. But the more time he spends watching, the more he finds himself infatuated. Before long, he even finds himself agreeing to help find the person who wants her dead. Over and over again.

Now going full-on “rewind,” Leah hopes it can stave off the inevitable. After all, she’s grown fond of this life—and even fonder of nerdy Archer. But changing her pattern means finding out who her killer is today. And as Leah fears, that could be anyone she has come to know and trust. Anyone.

WHY I'M WAITING:  Although the Queen Betsy novels have gotten a tad "out there,"  and I have to admit the Queen Betsy books remain a guilty read for me and I grab the news one from my library when I see them - I can't help it.   Soooo, I am really excited to see what Davidson can do with a new series.  

What are you waiting for this week? 

 

The Dogs of Littlefield

TITLE: The Dogs of Littlefield
AUTHOR: Suzanne Berne
PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster
PUBLISHING DATE: January 12, 2016

FROM GOODREADS: A “brilliantly done” (Sunday Times, London) comedy of manners that explores the unease behind the manicured lawns of suburban America from the Orange Prize–winning author of A Crime in the Neighborhood.

Littlefield, Massachusetts, named one of the Ten Best Places to Live in America, full of psychologists and college professors, is proud of its fine schools, its girls’ soccer teams, its leafy streets, and charming village center.

Yet no sooner has sociologist Dr. Clarice Watkins arrived to study the elements of “good quality of life” than someone begins poisoning the town’s dogs. Are the poisonings in protest to an off-leash proposal for Baldwin Park—the subject of much town debate—or the sign of a far deeper disorder? Certainly these types of things don’t happen in Littlefield.

With an element of suspense, satirical social commentary, and in-depth character portraits, Suzanne Berne’s nuanced novel reveals the discontent concealed behind the manicured lawns and picket fences of darkest suburbia. The Dogs of Littlefield is “a compelling, poignant yet unsentimental novel that examines life, love, and loss” (Sunday Mirror, UK).

MY THOUGHTS: 
I honestly have to say I have a lot of conflicting feelings about this book. It's a mystery, but not really a mystery, it has a lot to say about stereotypes, but what does it really say, and on and on - you get the point.

The story centers around Littlefield, Massachusetts, supposedly one of the best places to live, which I basically see as a "preppy little suburb." There is a huge uproar on whether the park in town should allow space for a dog park so the dogs can run free and play during portions of the day. This debate soon divides the town with graffiti protests popping up everywhere and family pets soon dying.

There are quite a few characters in the book, but mainly it centers around the dysfunctional family of Margaret and Bill Downing and their daughter Julia. Their marriage is slowly falling apart, Margaret enters an affair even though her heart isn't really into it, they both are seeing hallucinations, and Julia becomes obsessed with death after Mike the goldfish dies and she wasn't told and therefore couldn't give it a proper burial. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Add in Dr. Clarice Watkins, who has come to town to teach for a year at a local college but who is actually doing some sort of sociological study on the residents, and at times you might wonder what in the world is hidden in the drinking water of Littlefield.

I liked this book well enough. There were a few humorous parts and perhaps because of my own childhood, I like reading about dysfunctional families who often appear normal from the outside. While not a whole lot of the book centers on the dogs dying, enough of it did so if nothing, I mainly kept reading to see what happened to them. This books strong point is its take on stereotypes. Everyone assumes Dr. Watkins had a hard time finding a rental in town because she was African American and that she is Muslim because she wears a turban - when in actuality she wears a turban around her hair because she is secretly in love with her thesis adviser and his wife wears her hair in that fashion - nothing more. Also, everyone assumes the murderer is the Ethnic guy who attends law school and works in the local diner making donuts every morning, just because he is "different."

I think that perhaps my favorite character in the book is Julia, the daughter. She is so lost in the middle of the drama between her two parents that she doesn't know which way to turn. In fact, I feared she might suffer the same outcome as the family pets in town - and perhaps she does, you will just have to read it to find out.

As I mentioned, I did like this book well enough, but it just wasn't what I expected. While reading it, I did manage to discover what is now one of my favorite book quotes - "Kids are for people who can't have dogs." Absolutely classic! Overall it is fairly short, which is good, because had it been longer, I might have lost interest. Just don't pick this book up if you only expect a good old-fashioned mystery because you really won't get it.

I received this book from the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

RATING: 3 PAWS

 

TTT - Top 10 2015 Releases I Meant To Get To But Didn't

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 last year's releases which I had every intention of reading in 2015.  Oh well, there's always 2016!

Well, hopefully I can remedy some of these in 2016.  So what made your Top Ten Tuesday this week?

Dark Days Club - Let's Go Kill Some Demons!

TITLE: The Dark Days Club (Lady Helen #1)
AUTHOR: Alison Goodman
PUBLISHER: Viking Books for Young Readers
PUBLISHING DATE: January 26, 2016

FROM GOODREADS: New York Times bestseller Alison Goodman’s eagerly awaited new project: a Regency adventure starring a stylish and intrepid demon-hunter!

London, April 1812. On the eve of eighteen-year-old Lady Helen Wrexhall’s presentation to the queen, one of her family’s housemaids disappears-and Helen is drawn into the shadows of Regency London. There, she meets Lord Carlston, one of the few who can stop the perpetrators: a cabal of demons infiltrating every level of society. Dare she ask for his help, when his reputation is almost as black as his lingering eyes? And will her intelligence and headstrong curiosity wind up leading them into a death trap?

MY THOUGHTS: When I first started reading this book, I found it to be pretty slow paced. I understand that it is the first in a series and I expected quite a bit of world-building and set-up, which it did accomplish. At 496 pages, in my opinion it takes until about page 175-200 for much action to start taking place. So if you too find it slow, I would recommend that you don't give up until you at least get that far. However, once the plot starting kicking it, I was really pleased with almost all aspects of the book and devoured the rest of it in a day. Also, I'd like to add that I know this book is being marketed as a YA, but in all honesty, if it wasn't for Lady Helen just turning 18, there really isn't much about it that I feel makes it YA and I think it could just as easily be classified as a adult book (of course to me it doesn't matter how they decide to classify it).

Set in Regency London, upon her 18th birthday, Lady Helen is preparing to make her entry into proper society and find a suitable husband who will represent her and her family well and erase some past family embarrassment. When she was 8, Lady Helen's mother and father were killed, and most of England believes her mother died a traitor to the throne. Lady Helen has always questioned what happened to her parents, and becoming an adult has only fueled that fire - that and the fact that she learns she has some unique capabilities such as extreme athletic ability, unique healing capabilities and the ability to see auras and determine if someone is in fact possessed by a demon. Lady Helen soon discovers she is a Reclaimer and as a rare breed, she is being recruited to join the "Dark Days Club" where she can assist in keeping evil from causing havoc and eventually taking over the land.

I really liked Lady Helen and many of the other characters in the book. Lady Helen is strong, curious and is not overly consumed with finding the appropriate mate and becoming a proper wife. She does not back down from challenges and her friendship with her personal maid, Darby, is admirable because she truly sees Darby as a friend and partner-in-crime and not just as a servant. There are plenty of other characters to enjoy as well. The Duke of Selbern starts courting Lady Helen, while Lord Carlston, who is scandalous and has been questioned for killing his previous wife Elise, takes Darby under his wing to assist her in learning about her newfound capabilities. There is also a lot of tension because the Duke and Lord Carlston hate each other because they both vied for Elise's love and affection.

I commented several times while reading this book that it is extremely detailed and sometimes I felt like I was drudging through a regency fashion magazine. That being said, Goodman is a wonderful writer and I respect the amount of research she must have done to accurately portray the time period. The ending to the book did not disappoint and definitely left me wanting the sequel. I have not read "Eon" and "Eona" by Goodman, but definitely think I may be seeking them out in 2016 and giving them a go. If you like paranormal books, historical fiction, action and good writing, then I suggest you give "The Dark Days Club" a chance.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the Penguin First to Read Program in exchange for an honest review.

RATING: 4 PAWS 

 

Stacking the Shelves (48) - Who Said Christmas Has To Be Over???

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.

So who said Christmas had to be over?  I was granted access to some really terrific galleys this past week or so and also picked up a few Kindle books for myself.  Looking back, the Kindle books were free except for the one First Reads choice which is also free for me because I am a Prime member.  So anyways, here we go!
(click on the pic to go to the Goodreads description).

From Amazon I grabbed: 



Harmony Black comes out February 1, 2016 and is about an FBI agent who is also a witch and investigates occult activity and "real" monsters such as The Boogeyman. Sounds right up my alley. The Sea Witch has tentacles on the cover and over the past few months I have discovered that is pretty much all I need to buy the book - sad, but true.

I received the following from Netgalley and the publishers. A few of these I have really been looking forward to so overall, I am pleased.


I am thrilled to have a copy of The Progeny as it builds on the history of Elizabeth Bathory and that has always fascinated me. Also, Into the Dim is so hyped, how could I not be glad to have an early copy?


Also, Michael Phillip Cash and his publisher sent me an unsolicited ARC of his new novella and some swag (notepad, highlighter, lifesavers etc.)  Hope to work it in soon.





Sounds like an interesting horror read, but I think it has a lot of triggers in it because there was a note attached to the package.  Luckily I can read about anything if it doesn't involve animal abuse/killing.

What did you get this week?  Leave me a comment so I can make sure to pop by your blog.  The pups and I wish everyone a happy reading weekend! 

January 2016 TBR(P)

Well, it's a new year and of course in January, everyone wants to read as many books as possible and kick off the year right.  I would say I was probably 50% successful with my TBR(P) - where P stands for POTENTIALS - last year but I did find it was a nice way to look at what ARCs or library books needed to be read, and a decent reference throughout the month.  And even though I never completed all 12, it was a good number to chose from (and of course some randoms reads always get thrown in here or there, because as much as I like lists, I am also a mood reader).  So anyway, here it goes! (click on link to go to Goodreads description).



Of course, I haven't really included any "dog-themed" books for Booker T to review, and I really want him to continue on with that so he can enhance his skills, so I will have to see what I can throw in. He may end up commenting on Blacksad or The Dogs of Littlefield, even if it really isn't about dogs from what I can tell so far.  I've also already read The Bazaar of Bad Dreams and The Dark Days Club since this is getting posted late. 

What are you reading this month?  Have you finished any of these?  Does anyone know anything about Blacksad - this hardback, beautifully illustrated graphic novel I grabbed from the library on a whim?

The King is Back! (not that I think he ever really left)

TITLE: The Bazaar of Bad Dreams
AUTHOR: Stephen King
PUBLISHER: Scribner
PUBLISHING DATE: November 2, 2015

FROM GOODREADS: A master storyteller at his best—the O. Henry Prize winner Stephen King delivers a generous collection of stories, several of them brand-new, featuring revelatory autobiographical comments on when, why, and how he came to write (or rewrite) each story.

Since his first collection, Nightshift, published thirty-five years ago, Stephen King has dazzled readers with his genius as a writer of short fiction. In this new collection he assembles, for the first time, recent stories that have never been published in a book. He introduces each with a passage about its origins or his motivations for writing it.

There are thrilling connections between stories; themes of morality, the afterlife, guilt, what we would do differently if we could see into the future or correct the mistakes of the past. “Afterlife” is about a man who died of colon cancer and keeps reliving the same life, repeating his mistakes over and over again. Several stories feature characters at the end of life, revisiting their crimes and misdemeanors. Other stories address what happens when someone discovers that he has supernatural powers—the columnist who kills people by writing their obituaries in “Obits;” the old judge in “The Dune” who, as a boy, canoed to a deserted island and saw names written in the sand, the names of people who then died in freak accidents. In “Morality,” King looks at how a marriage and two lives fall apart after the wife and husband enter into what seems, at first, a devil’s pact they can win.

Magnificent, eerie, utterly compelling, these stories comprise one of King’s finest gifts to his constant reader—“I made them especially for you,” says King. “Feel free to examine them, but please be careful. The best of them have teeth.”

MY THOUGHTS:  As much as I want to give this book 5 paws, because come on, it is Stephen King and he is one of my top three authors, if not number one, I can't. I am not a huge fan of short stories, but for some reason, this book did flow pretty good and I actually enjoyed reading them. Also, although a lot of these have been published in different formats, almost all of them were new to me, except Mile 81 which I know I have read before, but which must have not stood out back then because it seemed really new reading it again.

The main complaints I have are basically with one story, and two works of poetry. I don't mind poetry, but "The Bone Church" and "Tommy" would have been better had they just been brief stories, rather than poetic prose. I also did not like the story "Premium Harmony." Anyone who follows me or my blog will know why immediately upon reading it.

Overall I was rather pleased with this collection and it followed in the tradition of reading a new King release each year at Christmas/New Year's time. My favorite stories are "Drunken Fireworks,"
"Obits," "Batman and Robin Have an Altercation," and "Under the Weather." Even giving it 4 stars, this is a must-have for any King fan.

I would also like to add that King's little prologue about each story giving the reader some tidbits on when it was written, what prompted him to write it, etc. are awesome peeks into his mind. 

RATING: 4 PAWS