Can't Wait Wednesday (188)

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: Caitlin of House Sans Merci is the young half-human pilot of a sentient mechanical dragon. Returning from her first soul-stealing raid, she discovers an unwanted hitchhiker.

When Caitlin is framed for the murder of her brother, to save herself she must disappear into Industrialized Faerie, looking for the one person who can clear her.

Unfortunately, the stakes are higher than she knows. Her deeds will change her world forever.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  I'm going to be honest, I don't know if I really want to read this or if I'm just in love with the cover.  I mean, LOOK AT IT!  And yes, I'm yelling.  If anyone has read this author, let me know all the reasons I should definitely give this one a go!

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

TTT - Worst Books of 2018

The top 10 weekly meme used to be hosted by The Broke and the Bookish they  handed over the reins to ThatArtsyReaderGirl who can be found HERE.  Each week she will focus on lists which cover various topics related to books and reading. 

This week is a freebie topic and the ones that immediately came to mind are actually being featured soon so I am sharing some of my worst reads of 2018.  

Let me add that this is just my opinion.  I know lots of people who have loved these books so you know, different strokes for different folks.  I do not mean to offend. And because I'm pretty selective with what I even add to the TBR, I'm only featuring 5.

Okay, this one has to be a surprise to NO ONE!

I still love the cover but this one didn't work for me at all.

While not a favorite, it definitely is one of the weirdest books I've read.

I know I'm in the minority with this choice.

I KNOW to stay away from hyped books!

So there you have it, 5 books that just didn't work for me.  So I know plenty of people will disagree with me here, but who feels the same???

Well At Least There's Some Nostalgia...

TITLE: Unmemory
AUTHOR: Krista DeMeester
PUBLISHER: Tallhat Press
PUBLISHING DATE: 2018

FROM GOODREADS: An original, 9,000-word short story by Kristi DeMeester, with 10 illustrations by Yves Tourigny. A university student attempts to track down the briefly-glimpsed Christmas film which traumatized her as a child.


MY THOUGHTS: So this is a "chapbook" that was included in the Night Worms Horror Subscription box, Christmas edition which I bought as a treat for surviving the fiasco of "the horror box which shall not be named."  While I loved that it featured Christmas, horror and cool illustrations, I think I'd have a hard time spending $15.00 on it so I'm glad it was included with some other. For real, it took me 1/2 hour to read and that was also while I was watching the Steelers self destruct or it might have went faster.  And while I love short story collections, it's odd because short stories don't really work for me.  I need more information people!  

But anyway, enough ranting.  When Ashleigh was a young child, she sneaked down into a neighbor's basement and saw a horrifying scene on the TV of an evil Santa sticking a blond kid in his sack and the kid crying for his mom.  Not having much exposure due to her bible-thumping mother, this scene haunts Ashleigh for years to come.  Fast forward to her college days and now Ashleigh wants to do a paper on this movie, but she doesn't know its name.  Her quest to find it leads to some quick sex with her professor (really?), an encounter with an odd woman and a videotape (see nostalgia).  

This story was fine and the woman with the tape VERY weird.  The ending was decent but other than that, I don't know what to say.  Oh, the artwork was great!  I have heard some wonderful things about DeMeester and own another one of her books.  I do want to read more from her because I know she is raved about as a wonderful woman horror writer.  However, I could take of leave "Unmemory." 

RATING: 3 PAWS

Books to Bark and Crow About (Dec. 2018)

We're back!  It's us, Booker T and Cass and since Christmas seems to be all about giving and getting gifts, we've decided to gift you with our presents (we know Mom, it's PRESENCE).  It's been a while since we've shared some books with you but Mom made us a cool new graphic and we wanted to show it off.  So we've each pick 2 books which are coming out soon featuring fellow 4-legged friends.  Hope you enjoy!

BOOKER T's PICKS

THE SCENT OF MURDER: KYLIE LOGAN

This is the start of a new mystery series featuring a woman who trains cadaver dogs and her pup Luther.  What a cool job.  Hey Mom, can I be a cadaver dog??????  It releases in May 2019

PLEASE DON'T FEED THE MAYOR: SUE PETHICK

As you can tell, I'm exploring career options and if I was Mayor, Mom wouldn't have to be concerned about that stupid vicious dog law they're STILL trying to pass.  This tale is all about a Border Collie named Shep who wins a town's mayoral race by a landslide.  You can grab this one in February 2019 and I'm sure Mom will be reading it then as well

CASSIUS' PICKS

LUCK OF THE WITCH - K.E. O'CONNER

I think this is a cute pick for people who like cozy mysteries with a hint of supernatural.  Of course the main reason I picked it is because there's a cute sidekick named Wiggles.   I think he kind of looks like the dog down the street.  And as a bonus, this one is out NOW!

A DOG NAMED BEAUTIFUL - ROB KUGLER

So this is a non-fiction pick which Mom explained to me is another word for real life.  It's a story about a Marine, an extraordinary dog and a road trip.  People always seem to enjoy tales about military and dogs and rightfully so, both do so much awesome stuff for us.  This doesn't come out until May 2018 though.

So there you have it folks.  Hope everyone finds something they like.  And we both want to wish you the happiest and safest of holidays this year!  Hey Mom, how about Santa and his Elf?  Sounds like good jobs for us (Cass, you can be the elf).

Stacking the Shelves/Sunday Post 12-08-18

So this week is pretty much a small haul but man, am I ever excited for these three books.  First up is "The Nursery" which I just discovered is #3 in the Bayou Hauntings series.  However, it seems like each one is about a different bayou location so I think I can go ahead and read this.  Next up is "Hollow Kingdom" and you might remember that I recently gushed about this one on a Can't Wait Wednesday feature.  And finally is "A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World."  Can I just say HAPPY DANCE!

So there you have it - short and sweet.  What did you add to your shelves this week?

Weekly Reads (12/07/18) - With Kitchen Pics

So I hope everyone has had a wonderful week.  This might be a long one so make sure you have a favorite beverage of choice.  Things here at The Farm have been good.  Last Sunday I got all the Christmas decorations up except our tree which won't go up until the 16th.  The house is looking pretty festive.  I also got my truck back so things seem more normal. 

So Mr. Barb's birthday is Sunday so I'm planning to make Boozy cupcakes.  I also make him cupcakes and when I asked what kind he wanted, he joked and said "bourbon ones."  Well, I actually found a recipe so he's getting Chocolate Bourbon Cupcakes with Vanilla Vodka icing.  Wish me luck because it might be scary. 

So the kitchen remodel is basically done.  Before I show you the pics, let me just explain that we live in kind of a low-end historical district.  If we both had 6-figure salaries, then it would look awesome. As it is, we don't so I've worked hard to make our 118 year old house look cozy - not extremely elegant.  Mr. and the neighbor basically did the flooring and a new ceiling for an anniversary gift (and jacked the floor up) because people, it's 118 years old :)  I really love it.  I did all the painting, including the cabinets and let's just say, there's A LOT to paint in a kitchen.  Remind me some day to tell you about our haunting and the bones in the wall!

I've accented the kitchen with llamas.  Don't ask why because they basically just popped in my head.  Thank heavens for Etsy.  I still have one more print to frame and one more I'm thinking of ordering.

So on to the reading.  I'm hoping to finish "Fatal Festival Days" tonight and start something new tomorrow.  Look one post back if you want to see my December TBR and what I'm basically choosing from this month.

Also, I've been listening to one of favorite Christmas albums of all week - A Barenaked Holiday by Barenaked Ladies.  Seriously guys, check it out. The best song is "Elf's Lament."

 So hope you all have a great one and what new books are you reading?

December Contenders

So what's Christmas without dogs and horror?  Strange question you ask?  Well not in my household.  So this month has a wide variety of reads.  I've actually already read "The Beast's Heart" and even have my review up.  And I'm also about 70% done with "Fatal Festival Days" so even though by the time you're reading this, it's the 7th, I'm really not THAT far behind.  At the bottom you will also find the books I lined up for my 12 Books of Christmas Challenge I mentioned earlier this week.

12 Books of Christmas Challenge

So can you recommend any of these?  What is on your agenda this busy month of December?