Can't Wait Wednesday (94)

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: Fifteen people are trapped on Skek, a barren island in the middle of the North Sea somewhere between the coasts of the UK and Denmark. Over the years this place has served many purposes a fishing settlement, a military outpost, a scientific base but one by one its inhabitants have abandoned its inhospitable shores. Today it s home to Hazleton Adventure Experiences, an extreme sports company specializing in corporate team building events.

Life there is fragile and tough. One slip is all it takes. A momentary lapse leads to a tragic accident, but when the body count quickly starts to rise, questions are inevitably asked. Are the deaths coincidental, or something else entirely? Those people you thought you knew well, can you really trust them? Are you standing next to a killer, and will you be their next victim?

A horrific discovery changes everything for everyone. There s no way home now, and a trickle of rumors becomes a tsunami of fear. Is this really the beginning of the end of everything, or a situation constructed by the mass hysteria of a handful of desperate and terrified people?

The lower the population, the higher the stakes.

Kill the rest of them, before one of them kills you.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  The simple nature of the cover immediately caught my eye and I really want to find out what is causing the body count to rise.  

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

Nemesis - So the Science Fiction Element Didn't Really Confuse Me

TITLE: Nemesis
AUTHOR: Brendan Reichs
PUBLISHER: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
PUBLISHING DATE: March 21, 2017

FROM GOODREADS: It’s been happening since Min was eight. Every two years, on her birthday, a strange man finds her and murders her in cold blood. But hours later, she wakes up in a clearing just outside her tiny Idaho hometown—alone, unhurt, and with all evidence of the horrifying crime erased.

Across the valley, Noah just wants to be like everyone else. But he’s not. Nightmares of murder and death plague him, though he does his best to hide the signs. But when the world around him begins to spiral toward panic and destruction, Noah discovers that people have been lying to him his whole life. Everything changes in an eye blink.

For the planet has a bigger problem. The Anvil, an enormous asteroid threatening all life on Earth, leaves little room for two troubled teens. Yet on her sixteenth birthday, as she cowers in her bedroom, hoping not to die for the fifth time, Min has had enough. She vows to discover what is happening in Fire Lake and uncovers a lifetime of lies: a vast conspiracy involving the sixty-four students of her sophomore class, one that may be even more sinister than the murders.

MY THOUGHTS: 
This book was a pleasant surprise. I really wasn't sure what I expected from it, but reading it was a really enjoyable experience. Every two years on her even birthdays Min, who resides in a small town trailer park, is killed by a man in a black suit. The next day, she wakes up in the same spot of the forest and returns home. Min's mother and the school shrink attempt to make Min think she has mental problems, and eventually, Min stops talking about what happens altogether. Little does she know but a classmate, Noah, who comes from the ritzy neighborhood, is having similar experiences. Add in the fact that the world seems set for destruction from an asteroid dubbed "The Anvil" and that natural disasters are happening everywhere, and you have a book with a heck of a lot of action. Eventually Min, Noah and Min's best friend Tack, join forces to find out what is going on and why the government seems to have taken over their town of Fire Lake.

This book switches gears quite a lot throughout the story and at sometimes, it felt a tad disjointed. However, it was a really fast paced novel and I had a hard time putting it down. The main issue I had with the books were some of the characters. You have the class bully, Ethan, who basically thinks he is God and his animosity with Tank becomes quite repetitive. Then you have Tank himself who I respect because he stands up for himself, but he does so sometimes without exhibiting common sense or restraint and as a reader, I found his attitude annoying. And finally you have Min and Noah. Min is my favorite because she is smart, strong and independent. Noah on the other hand needs to grow a spine and although there were reasons for him acting the way he did, I just wanted to shake him or maybe even worse. The book itself is told from Min and Noah's dual perspectives and I do tend to enjoy books written in this fashion. The transitions always flowed well and both sides are critical to the plot.

"Nemesis" is definitely for those who enjoy science fiction, or who, for newbies like me, want to read more in this genre without risking being utterly confused. Also, I referenced it before in an update but "Nemesis" has a strong "Red Dawn" vibe. One warning though, if cliffhangers drive you crazy, you may want to wait until book two is released because "Nemesis" ends with a bang. While there was some resolution and satisfaction in the ending, it really makes the reader immediately want more. I will definitely be watching for the sequel.

RATING: 4 PAWS

 

Stacking the Shelves (98)

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 (or title) should take you to the Goodreads page. 

I didn't really acquire much this week but the few I got were more than enough when you consider my last haul.  I received the following from the Penguin First to Read program.  The Night Ocean sounds pretty unique and I didn't realize The Forgotten Girls was the 6th in a series.  I don't know if I will be able to read it since I am pretty much a stickler about reading books in order.

I also picked up a few books from Amazon for my Kindle.  They always post new specials each month so I was able to grab some books of my wishlist for $2.00 or less each.  I've checked out A Murder in Time and The Great Hunt from my local library and never got to them and I couldn't resist the lure of Fraulein Frankenstein and Burning Man.

Finally, I don't think I ever mentioned it.  I got a new 8 inch Kindle Fire for Christmas and here is the cover I ordered and now use - isn't it the cutest? I LOVE IT!

So what did you add to your shelves this week???

Weekly Reads (02/03/17)

I feel like every week I'm coming her and mentioned what a crazy, hectic week it's been.  In fact, I'm now starting to think that crazy and hectic are the norm.  Mr. Barb is taking a Public Speaking class this first 1/2-term for college so I've been busy recording them and then figuring out technology so he can post them, view other and attend live ones on line.  Also, I've had to travel two days this week for work which has worn me out.  I don't mind driving, but I'm finding it really exhausts me over time.

We watched a few movies this week.  We ended up watching "When the Bough Breaks" which for some reason I thought was a remake of "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" - guess what, nope, it's not.  It was pretty good but pretty predictable in the "crazy surrogate" way.  Then we rented "The Girl With All the Gifts" which I really loved.  I haven't read the book, but do plan to since there is a sequel coming out.  The young lady who played the MC is awesome and I think it's a must-watch for any horror lover.  Finally, we watched Tyler Perry's "Boo! A Madea Halloween."  It was just what I expected but was good for a few laughs and I didn't have to think to hard to enjoy it.

I am almost finished with my current read, Bredan Reich's "Nemesis" and I am loving it.  However, I've heard it ends on a huge cliffhanger so we'll see how I feel about it at the end. After that, I hope to move on to "Death by Chocolate Lab" and "Guardian of Secrets" so not much has changed from last week.

The pups are doing great and Booker T has been taking hip and joint supplements (since he is almost 7 - no real problems yet) and he seems to want to play with Cassius more so they have been having some fun.  Not a lot of walks though because of rain and/or snow.

Hope everyone else out there has an awesome week ahead and thanks for stopping by.

February Musts and Mights

So the new Musts and Mights TBR got pretty good feedback last month so this month I'm officially making it my new TBR.  I also managed to read three of my "musts" last month and almost three of my "mights."  February's stack looks a little more ominous because I have quite a few ARCs to rad and there are some older books I want to get to.  So, let's make February's lists longer than January because it's a shorter month after all (yes, I am questioning my own reasoning).  Anyway, here we go!

MUSTS

MIGHTS

So yes, basically I want to read ALL the books - new year yet nothing has changed.💫💫💫

January 2017 Wrap Up

January was not as good of reading month as I had initially hoped. While I don't think "Little Heaven" necessarily caused a reading slump, it definitely was the cause of a slow-down.  I'm happy to say things have picked back up though.  I managed to read 5 books and am more than half-way through a 6th which means I should have an early February finish.  I also got approved for some ARCs I really wanted during the month so I'm thrilled about that (and thank heaven many of the don't come out until after June).  So.....on with the update! (how did I end up with 7 challenges??? - Oh well).

GOODREADS: 5/100
2017 CLOAK & DAGGER CHALLENGE: 1/25
(A Perilous Undertaking)
2017 FLIGHTS OF FANTASY CHALLENGE: 3/18
(Certain Dark Things, The Corner Store Witch, Down Among the Sticks and Bones)
2017 HORROR READING CHALLENGE: 2/25
(Certain Dark Things, Little Heaven)
2017 WHAT AN ANIMAL CHALLENGE: 1/20
(Certain Dark Things)
2017 NEW RELEASE CHALLENGE: 3/61
(Little Heaven, Down Among the Sticks and Bones, A Perilous Undertaking)
BLOGGER SHAME REVIEW CHALLENGE: 0/12 (Boo!)

Of the 5 books I read, I had 1 3-paw read(which was closer to 2/5 than I hate to admit), 1 4-paw read and 3 5-paw read (and those 3 were awesome!)  So far, "Certain Dark Things" has been my favorite horror read and "A Perilous Undertaking" my favorite.  I really need to pick things up in February though.

So how was January for you guys???

Can't Wait Wednesday (93)

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 Great Winged One will soon arise and cast his fearsome shadow upon the land. And just as Night slays Day, and Day slays Night, so also shall another Black Witch rise to meet him, her powers vast beyond imagining.

So foretells the greatest prophecy of the Gardnerian mages. Carnissa Gardner, the last prophesied Black Witch, drove back the enemy forces and saved her people during the Realm War. Now a new evil is on the horizon, and her granddaughter, Elloren, is believed to be Carnissa’s heir—but while she is the absolute image of her famous grandmother, Elloren is utterly devoid of power in a society that prizes magical ability above nearly all else.

When she is granted the opportunity to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming an apothecary, Elloren is eager to join her brothers at the prestigious Verpax University and finally embrace a destiny of her own, free from the shadow of her grandmother’s legacy. But she soon realizes that the University, which admits all manner of peoples—including the fire-wielding, winged Icarals, the sworn enemies of her people—is an even more treacherous place for the granddaughter of the Black Witch.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  I love anything witchy and can't wait to learn more about the world Forest has created.  The cover is absolutely gorgeous and the book is a whopping 608 pages so I really hope it's awesome!

What book can't you wait for this week?