Weekly Reads (07/08/16)

This has been a heck of a stay-cation so far.  As I am typing this (Thursday - getting read for Friday's post) I can say I am getting a lot of things done and am enjoying myself, but not doing as much reading as I had hoped.  We had friends and family over for a cookout on 7/3 since the 4th called for rain all day.  On last Friday, Booker T had to go back to the ER vet for his 3rd trip in as many weeks, but I can say after much care and attention, I think he is finally on the mend.  However, the 4th has been a horrible holiday in that the idiots in our neighborhood let off tons of fireworks Friday night, Saturday night, Sunday night, Monday night and Tuesday night.  On two occasions, they were trying to shoot out electric lines and street lights so at least the cops responded to that.  Needless to say, I was ready for the holiday to be over.  We did discover thought that doggy Xanax (same as human Xanax) does help take the edge off Booker's anxiety and it will be helpful with storms.  He still has about 2 weeks of meds to take though.

I also got some updates done to the house and hung some pics and out up a new cube stand in one room so hopefully I will add some pics soon. We also went to visit Grandpa and he had a fish fry yesteday (almost 95 and he still loves to fish!)  As for the dreaded reading, I managed to read an ARC novella from Tor, which I really enjoyed, and 2 graphic novels.  There are 4 days left to vacation so I still hope to get a book or two finished.  For now, the stack looks the same as last week so I will spare you the duplication - The Hatching, Madness of Mercury and Dog Gone.

Hope everyone else had a great week!

Waiting on Wednesday (63) Mom's On Vacation!

"Waiting on" Wednesday" is weekly meme hosted over at Breaking the Spine which spotlights upcoming anticipated releases. Mom's on vacation this week (which basically means that she is home spending time with me, Dad and Cassius) so I think it's time for another high-jack.

November 8, 2016

FROM GOODREADS:
When my death came it was swift. Swift as a running horse. It wasted no time.

Daisy, age twelve, has died in a car accident. She finds herself in the afterworld, which resembles nothing more than a job center. Her soul is being returned to Earth, but not as a human being—she’s returning as a dog. A dog who retains Daisy’s thoughts and pluck and is determined to get back to her parents and to get back home. What she doesn’t expect is that life as a dog named Ray would come with such worries—and moments of jubilation—as she grows to care for others in a whole new way. Told in a compelling first-person voice, Linda Coggin’s incredible novel touches on loyalty and freedom, connection and acceptance, and is sure to stay with readers long after the story is done.

 November 8, 2016

FROM GOODREADS:
At the heart of this psychological suspense novel is the haunting depiction of a family’s fall and the extraordinary gifted dog, Caity, who knows the truth. As the drama unfolds Caity evolves from protector to savior, from scapegoat to prop, and eventually, from avenger to survivor. She is an unselfish soul in a selfish world—and she is written with depth and grace by authors Ketchum and Mckee, who display a profound understanding of a dog’s complex emotions. With her telling instincts and her capacity for joy and transformative love, Caity joins the pantheon of great dogs in contemporary literature.  
Eleven year old actress Delia Cross is beautiful, talented, charismatic. A true a star in the making. Her days are a blur of hard work on ­set, auditions and tutors. Her family—driven, pill­-popping stage mother Pat, wastrel dad Bart, and introverted twin brother Robbie—depends on her for their upscale lifestyle. Delia in turn depends on Caity, her beloved ginger Queensland Heeler—and loyal friend—for the calming private space they share. Delia is on the verge of a professional break through. But just as the contracts are about to be signed, there is a freak accident that puts Delia in the danger zone with only Caity to protect her.

WHY CASSIUS AND I ARE WAITING:  We really like the covers and come on, dogs feature predominately in these books.  (Plus, Mom can never have too many dog books to break up all that scary horror and fantasy she reads so much of!) 

What are you guys waiting for this week? 

 

 

TTT - Top 10 Books I've Enjoyed That Have Under 2,000 Ratings on Goodreads

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 the topic focuses on books which have under 2,000 ratings on Goodreads.  I am featuring some of my favorite 4/5 paw reads so click on the title if you want to learn more!

Soapsuds - Finola Hughes. I've always lived Finola as Anna on General Hospital and I remember reading this one when it was released while my Dad was having surgery.  It only has 9 ratings on Goodreads.

Still Surviving Henry - Erin Taylor Young.  So are you tired of seeing this one yet?  It has 17 ratings.

Pride's Spell - Matt Wallace.  I've given each book in this series 5 paws and am really surprised more people aren't reading them.  This one has 25 ratings.

A Girl Like You - Michelle Cox.  I was surprised how much I liked this historical mystery.  51 ratings.

The Krampus Chronicles - Sonia Halbach. A good eerie Christmas tale.  I'm surprised it only has 84 ratings. 

The Demonists - Thomas E. Sniegoski.  Seriously people!  Why aren't you reading this????? 96 ratings.

Death Warmed Over (Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. #1) - Kevin J. Anderson.  This whole series is a blast.  It has just under 1,100 ratings but I would think it would have more.  

Love is Red  (Nightsong Trilogy #3) - Sophie Jaff.  A wonderful eerie twist on vampires.  I just don't know when book 2 is coming out! Hope the author knows trilogy means 3.  267 ratings.

The Thirteenth Sacrifice (Witch Hunt #1) - Debbie Viguie.  Its been so long since I read this but I always planned to read the last 2.  369 ratings.

Plague Town (Ashley Parker #1) - Dana Fredsti. One of my favorite zombie series.  I recommend it to anyone who likes horror.  1,245 ratings.

I can't wait to see what made everyone's list this week!

July 2016 TBR(P) - The Firework Edition

While you are reading this, know that I am probably somewhere cursing some fools for putting off fireworks and scaring my dogs half to death.  I'm not talking about official fireworks...I can deal with that.  I'm talking about idiots in our neighborhood that have to let them off for 5-6 hours before and after the official festivities.  Anyway......

So today I'm showing you what I am now dubbing my "HIGH HOPES OF JULY TBR."  I simply need to get some of these books out of the way - gee, I make that sound like a chore...it really isn't.
I'm posting more than usual, but 4 are graphic novels and 4 are repeats from June that I didn't get read but really want to read so I carried them over.  Plus I have a week's vacation and once the festivities of a the 4th are over, hopefully I can kick back and do something I want to do - read and watch the Gilmore Girls.  So on with the books!

So there you have it! Wishful thinking I am sure but hey, everyone has HIGH HOPES sometime. Everyone celebrating have a happy and safe 4th of July!!!!!

Stacking the Shelves (71)

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 received a few books for review:

I received both Resurrecting Sunshine and Penny from Netgalley and the publishers.  Many thanks!!!

And then I did some retail therapy at Amazon when I had to order a new stand/shelf for the bedroom and added a few books I wanted to have copies of to read:





I have heard great things about "Lily and the Octopus" and am pretty sure I will love it so I just had to grab it.

So what did you add to your shelves this week?

Weekly Reads (07/01/16)

My hectic week last week has continued on and all I can say is I am definitely ready for a "STAY-cation" which luckily starts today after I finish work.  As a result of the storms last week, Booker T ended up with a stress-inducted bout of pancreatitis which led to his second visit to the ER vet in less than 3 weeks.  Needless to say, it's a good thing I didn't have vacation plans and that his daddy started his vacation a week earlier so someone is at home to keep an eye on him.  Thank Heavens we think we caught it early and he was sent home that night after an IV and with a month full of meds. He is doing much better.  Now if we can survive the 4th of July - Damn fireworks!

There has been nothing on TV much this week except for the great season finale of Game of Thrones and of course, we are still enjoying Outcast on Cinemax.  Not many movie releases so I hope that picks up some while I am off.

I read a great book this week - The Suicide Motor Club - and if you love horror, check out my review and the book as well.  I am working on my June TBR but I think these are the books which are up next.  I have actually started Dog Gone so "Go Me!"



Since I'll be off for 9 days, I am hoping to get a tad more reading done than usual - we will see. Those are usually my last words right before I hit a slump. I also need to stay away from The Gilmore Girls on Netflix - it's an addiction I tell ya.

So what are you plans this coming week???

June 2016 Wrap Up

I can't believe the year is half over!  June seemed like a slow reading month but I read some really good books.  Some were pretty long so maybe that is why it seems like reading went so slow. I managed to complete 8 overall so I guess that's not too shabby.  I am also pretty pleased with the progress of my challenges.  In addition, Summer COYER started this week and I'm thrilled to be interacting with this great bunch of people again.  On with the update!

GOODREADS: 59/100
WHAT AN ANIMAL IX: 13/12 (FINISHED!!!!!!)
CLOAK & DAGGER CHALLENGE: 14/20
HORROR READING CHALLENGE: 12/16
NEW RELEASE CHALLENGE: 39/30 (FINISHED!!!!!!)
SUMMER COYER CHALLENGE: 3

So as you can see, I have finished 2 challenges already but I plan to keep going because I really can't see a reason not to.  All the rest seem to be in good shape.  As far as quality of books this month, I read 1 2-paw read, 1 3-paw read, 2 4-paw reads and 4 5-paw reads. Not a bad month!

I wanted to take a quick glance at an additional statistic since we are at the half-year mark and see what categories/genres I have read.  I love being an eclectic reader and hope to continue down that path.

ADULT BOOKS: 32
YOUNG ADULT BOOKS: 12
MIDDLE GRADE BOOKS: 1
NON FICTION BOOKS: 2
GRAPHIC NOVELS: 12

So how has the first half of the year been for you guys?