Weekly Reads (08/11/17)

I know there is plenty of summer left but I can't help but feel Fall is in the air.  That's okay with me because it's definitely my favorite season but I hope it doesn't come too quickly because I'm afraid it will be a precursor to a longer, colder winter.  I can say the pups have been enjoying the cooler evening temps and have been fully taking advantage of some extra walks.

The rest of the family is fine as well.  Grandpa is home and seems to be doing well.  He has lots of people checking on him which is good.  Football has started!  Yes, it's only preseason and honestly I prefer college but it's been nice to catch some parts of games.  I usually get some of my best reading done while Mr. Barb and I are watching football (it's all about the multi-tasking).

We ended up watching "Alien:Covenant" last weekend.  It was a decent movie but I still like the original the best.  There just didn't seem to be enough aliens in it for me.  And Lance Henrickson will always be the best droid in my book.  "Game of Thrones" was epic this week and I'll be honest, if one of Dany's dragons dies (and I think it may be headed there) - I'll never forgive George RR Martin or HBO.  Kill all the people you want (well, maybe not Jon Snow) but leave the dragons alone.  Also, we caught the first episode of "Mr. Mercedes" Wednesday night.  All I can say is AWESOME!  Stormi and I are reading the book together next month and I'm sure watching it will spoil it some but I couldn't resist.

I do plan on reading some this weekend and especially while watching the Steelers tonight.  I need to finish "Northwoods Magic" by next Friday but am already half way through so it shouldn't be a problem.  To be honest, I'm having a hard time finding something that holds my interest so I hope that changes or I may end up picking up something random and giving it a go.

So what are your plans this week???

Cloak & Dagger August Link-Up

Wow, I can't believe the year is over half way done.  Seems time has been flying lately.  I hope everyone is doing well with their challenges.  I finished this one last month hitting 28/25 but I plan on keeping on going and see how I fare at the end of the year.  Then I'll have an idea where to set 2018's goals.  Here's where you can link up all those great and excited books you all are reading.  Happy mystery solving!

August  Link-up

A Whole Lot of Juju - Akata Witch Review

TITLE: Akata Witch
AUTHOR: Nnedi Okorafor
PUBLISHER: Speak
PUBLISHING DATE: July 11, 2017

FROM GOODREADS:  Sunny Nwazue lives in Nigeria, but she was born in New York City. Her features are West African, but she's albino. She's a terrific athlete, but can't go out into the sun to play soccer. There seems to be no place where she fits in. And then she discovers something amazing—she is a "free agent" with latent magical power. And she has a lot of catching up to do.

Soon she's part of a quartet of magic students, studying the visible and invisible, learning to change reality. But just as she's finding her footing, Sunny and her friends are asked by the magical authorities to help track down a career criminal who knows magic, too. Will their training be enough to help them against a threat whose powers greatly outnumber theirs?

MY THOUGHTS: 
I actually put of starting "Akata Witch" for a few weeks because I just wasn't sure it would click with me. I initially requested it because of the cover and didn't know a whole lot about the story. However I couldn't have been more wrong. I fell in love with this book quickly and after the first 50 pages or so, had a hard time putting it down.

Sunny is an young Albino girl living in Nigeria. She was originally born in Nigeria but lived many years in the States before returning and that, coupled with her differences, has led to her feeling as if she never fits it. In addition, Sunny loves playing soccer but due to her condition, can't formally play and is relegated to playing with her brothers after the sun goes down. Sunny's father is very critical of his daughter and she feels like she can never make anyone in her family happy.

One day Sunny makes friends with a young boy in her class, Ohle. Through him, she is introduced to Chichi and together she learns that she holds some pretty unique powers. She starts sneaking away from home and studying with a Leopard People Elder - Anatov. Through these lessons she learns about her Leopard People heritage and the magic she can create. A second young boy, Sasha, who is sent to Nigeria from New York because his powers are getting him into some serious trouble soon joins the group and the fun begins. There is a serial killer on the loose and the four youth learn that it may be up to them and their unharnessed abilities to stop him before something happens and life as they know it ends.

This book is truly beautiful. It was so interesting being introduced to the Nigerian culture of the Leopard people and the magic/power system Okorafor has created is unlike anything I've recently read. Sunny tries so hard to fit in but eventually learns that she can celebrate her uniqueness and be herself and still be liked by those around her. She makes a powerful transition as the story progresses and I think this middle grade novel would be a great read for any child struggling to find their place in the world. In addition, the four main characters develop such a wonderful bond that I couldn't help but be slightly reminded of the Harry Potter crew.

I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone who enjoys middle grade tales or who has an interest in supernatural and mythical tales. The writing is well done and the book is fast paced so people who crave action won't be disappointed. I am already greatly anticipating the release of the second book in this series because I can't wait to spend some more time with Sunny and her friends.

I received this book from the Penguin First to Read program in exchange for an honest review.

RATING: 5 PAWS

Can't Wait Wednesday (118)

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:  Welcome to Oddity, New Mexico, where normal is odd and odd is normal.

Ada Roundtree is no stranger to dodging carnivorous dumpsters, distracting zombie rabbits with marshmallows, and instigating games of alien punkball. But things haven't been the same since her twin sister, Pearl, won the town's yearly Sweepstakes and disappeared . . .

Along with her best friend, Raymond, and new-kid-from-Chicago Cayden (who's inability to accept being locked in the gym with live leopards is honestly quite laughable), Ada leads a self-given quest to discover Oddity's secrets, even evading the invisible Blurmonster terrorizing the outskirts of town.

But one of their missions goes sideways, revealing something hinky with the Sweepstakes . . . and Ada can't let it go. Because, if the Sweepstakes is bad, then what happened to Pearl?

Join a tough eleven-year-old as she faces down zombie rabbits, alien mobs, and Puppet Cartels while trying to find her missing twin in Sarah Cannon's imaginative middle-grade debut, Oddity.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  This middle grade tale sounds like tons of fun.  I really want to learn more about zombie rabbits and Puppet Cartels, don't you?  Also, aren't those zombie rabbits on the cover adorable???

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

TTT - Some of My Favorite Bloggers (Part 2)

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 meme is actually on hiatus for a few weeks but a few bloggers are doing their own topics for a while and I've missed this post. Last November I did a post featuring some of my favorite bloggers.  Now that list still stands and I'm linking it HERE.  I basically visit those bloggers several times a week if not daily. However, I've since made some new blogging friends and found some regular pit stops so I thought I'd share my more recent finds with you.

ALYCE @  EVERYTHING ALICE

Alice reads a variety of books and also does a lot of reviews focusing on music.  She's been to some awesome concerts as well.  She starts university soon and I wish her the best!

JENNIFER @ THE BOOK DEN

Jennifer loves horror and I always find so many good recommendations there.  Her monthly spotlight of new horror releases is always bad for my TBR.

JACKIE BOUCHARD @ POOCHES SMOOCHES

Technically not a book blog but Jackie is one of my favorite authors and I am in love with her dog Rita.  I can't wait to read her new book either.

VERUSHKA @ POP.EDIT.LIT

Verushka is such a kind blogger.  She is always making wonderful recommendations and I love the fact that she lives in Sydney - a place I've always wanted to visit.

CAROLE @ CAROL'S RANDOM LIFE IN BOOKS

Carole posts so many reviews that I'm guaranteed to find a new book for the wishlist there at least once a week.  She has a daughter in band as well as some other activities and it's always fun to read about what she's been up to.  Plus, we usually request the same books from First to Read.

CLARE & ANN @ DUAL READS

These two sisters read such a prolific amount of books each month.  They read from a variety of genres, especially a lot of fantasy.  They also participate in a lot of cool memes and tags.

ERICA @ ERICA ROBYN READS
I just met Erica through the Monthly Comment Challenge and I can already tell she will become a regular blog stop.  She reads a little bit of everything, her blog is very pleasing aesthetically, and she has already added several graphic novels to my wishlist for me to check out.

MARIA @ A NIGHT'S DREAM OF BOOKS

I've been visiting Maria's blog for what seems like forever.  She always find such great books to show on her Can't Wait Wednesday feature and she's always sending cute messages to Booker T and Cass.  Even though she doesn't like horror, she still visits my blog regularly and I'm glad she feels welcome.

JOLENE @ JO'S BOOK BLOG
I only recently discovered Jo's blog but I'm loving it.  Not only is she an avid reader but she also fosters dogs so there are always tons of puppy posts so I can get my weekly doggy fix.  Considering we both like recommending dog books, we may end up costing each other some money.

LA LA IN THE LIBRARY
Another blog I found after visiting Jo's.  She also likes dogs and is co-hosting the Dogs Days of Summer Challenge.  Also, her blog has AWESOME graphics.

DRAGONFLY @ OURFAMILIARIUM
If you haven't visited her blog, you don't know what you're missing.  It has a lovely layout and her reviews are just plain awesome. Dragonfly is currently working on a book (or 2, or 3) and I've already told her I patiently waiting on an ARC one day.  We have so much in common we often joke we were related in a past life 

LILYN G. & GRACE K @ SCI-FI & SCARY
This is an awesome go-to blog for book and movie reviews/info on both the science fiction and horror genres.  They do special features and guest interviews and the blog is put together wonderfully.  They are the hosts of this year's Horror Reading Challenge too!

These are just a few of my more recent discoveries and I'm sure I could have listed many more.  ANd yes, I know I've featured twelve - my blog, my rules  Hope this helps you discover some new and wonderful sites to visit.  And don't forget to check out last year's link!

August Musts & Mights

Well, I'm not running as late as normal and while I was tempted to just post a huge question mark, I did manage to come up with a list. I've kind of been on a mood reading kick lately and am having trouble sticking to my Summer Reading List Challenge.  Although after one more book I can add 5 new ones which is basically the only thing saving me right now.  Anyway, on to the books!


MUSTS

MIGHTS

So there you have it. Although to be honest, it will probably have changed by the time it has posted!

Stacking the Shelves (122) / Sunday Post

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. And it now has a new co-host where individuals can link up as well - Marlene from Reading Reality.  Clicking on the book (or title) should take you to the Goodreads page.  I'm also now linking up with the Sunday Post which is hosted by Kimberly@Caffeinated Book Reviewer. I'm hoping to discover some new blogs to love.

Today is pretty much a digital haul.  I actually purchased a book or two off of Amazon for my Kindle and grabbed a couple of good looking freebies.  I then received a few digital copies.  And oh yeah, I don't think I've shown you what I've grabbed from First to Read lately.  First is the Amazon haul. "The Ghosts of Larkwood Asylum" was a total cover grab but hey, it was free so no harm, no foul.  "Blackbriar" was $0.99 and it's about a haunted house so I grabbed it as well.  I think it's at that price for the month of August.  The same thing goes for "The Mountaintop School for Dogs and Other Second Chances" but it was $1.99.  Finally "Loose Ends" was another free grab.

The following three are review ARCs I received from Netgalley.  "She Be Damned" sounds like a good historical mystery.  I had to find out "What It's Like to Be a Dog" because Booker and Cass are being stubborn and won't tell me.  Finally, I've had my eye on "Under the Pendulum Sun" for some time and was thrilled to get a copy. 

Finally, here's what I grabbed from First to Read the past few weeks.  I loved the first Lady Sherlock book so I am thrilled to have "A Conspiracy in Belgravia" to read.  I couldn't resist the cover and synopsis for "Beasts Made of Night."  And finally, I have no excuse/reason for grabbing "Whispers of Warning" other than I just plain wanted to!

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