Can't Wait Wednesday

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about what we have yet to read. Generally they are books that have yet to be released, but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous at Breaking the Spine. 

Release Date: January 2nd, 2018

Author: Ian Mortimer

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 400

December 1348. What if you had just six days to save your soul?

With the country in the grip of the Black Death, brothers John and William fear that they will shortly die and suffer in the afterlife. But as the end draws near, they are given an unexpected choice: either to go home and spend their last six days in their familiar world, or to search for salvation across the forthcoming centuries – living each one of their remaining days ninety-nine years after the last.

John and William choose the future and find themselves in 1447, ignorant of almost everything going on around them. The year 1546 brings no more comfort, and 1645 challenges them in further unexpected ways. It is not just that technology is changing: things they have taken for granted all their lives prove to be short-lived.

Why I'm Waiting: I've read one book by Ian Mortimer and loved it! Second, do you see this cover?! Also it sounds really good. Very excited!

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme started by the Broke and the Bookish.  Each week they chose a new meme and bloggers pick their Top Ten Books, TV Shows, Movies, etc that fit that theme. This week the theme is: Books I'm Looking Forward to in 2018!

1. Tempests and Slaughter by Tamora Pierce
2. Obsidio by Jay Kristoff & Jamie Kaufman
3. Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu

1. The Disappearance of Winter's Daughter by Micheal J. Sullivan
2. Iron Gold by Pierce Brown
3. The Tombs by Deborah Schaumberg

1. The Stowaway: A Young Man's Extraordinary Adventure to Antarctica by Laurie Gwen Shapiro
2.  Noir: A Novel by Christopher Moore
3. Age of War by Michael J. Sullivan

1. The Mermaid by Christina Henry

HAPPY READING!!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone! I hope it's full of family and friends, warm memories, good food, and of course all the books you can read! My it a safe Holiday for everyone as well. For those of you with snow, enjoy it and build the best snowman you can. For those don't have snow, enjoy the warmth for me. I'm going to start my Christmas morning with building a snowman with the snow that's still coming down! Stay save and loved this Holiday Season, and hopefully no one gets a visit from Krampus!

HAPPY READING!!

Chew - A Review

Author: John Layman and Rob Guillory

Genre: Graphic Novel

Format: Paperback

Pages: 1636 (all 12 Volumes)

Tony Chu is a detective with a secret. A weird secret. Tony Chu is Cibopathic, which means he gets psychic impressions from whatever he eats. It also means he's a hell of a detective, as long as he doesn't mind nibbling on the corpse of a murder victim to figure out whodunit, and why. He's been brought on by the Special Crimes Division of the FDA, the most powerful law enforcement agency on the planet, to investigate their strangest, sickest, and most bizarre cases.

This is one of those series that I kept running into, and finding on blogs, and kept meaning to pick up. Only for another year to pass without actually reading it. So this year I made a point of putting it on hold at my local library to read.

Why did I what so long?!

I love Tony Chu and is ability is super rad, and super gross.  What is his ability? So glad you asked. Tony is a Cibopath. This means he can get impressions from anything he eats. Like the grove an apple grew on and the types of pesticides used to grow said apple. Cibopathy is one of many different kind of food based powers that people inside the world of Chew. All of them are just as weird and kind of badass as the next.

Tony hasn't had an easy life, but he's a pretty stand up agent. His ability giving him an edge. The characters through all twelve volumes are solid and a lot of fun.  John Colby is probably my favorite of all the characters. Mostly because he's sort of the stereotype good guy, special agent. The guns blazing, bag and tag them Special Agent Colby. Though he doesn't hold a candle to Amelia Mintz who doesn't need no saving from the big bad Special Agents. Because she can take care of herself.

As for the story, I thought it flowed well over twelve volumes. Each new adventure was weird, wild, and way out there, but I enjoy each issue. I felt like the plot moved smoothly from one issue to the next. Slowly every thing started to come together and make sense the closer to the end we got, and I really liked the way the book ended. I won't say it was all tied up with a bow, but I was satisfied with it. Even if I'd of liked certain characters to survive that didn't.

I adored the universe that John Layman and Rob Guillory created. You come into the story years after there's been a prohibition on eating chicken thanks to Bird Flu. And, even when the plot pulls away from the point here and there, it always seems to sway back to it in the end. It takes all twelve volumes but we finally find what's behind the prohibition and why. 

Chew was an amazing series and I enjoyed every minute of it, putting one book on hold the second a new one arrived. I'm glad I took my time with it and read it between other books so I could enjoy not just the story, but the amazing artwork inside. I was sad to finish the series and not have anymore time with Tony Chu and Poyo, but what a ride!

Buy, Borrow, or Skip: Anyway you can possibly get your hands on it do it! It's an amazing story with great characters! If your a fan of the X-Files, Grimm, and anything weird and out there, pick this up!

HAPPY READING!!

Can't Wait Wednesday

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about what we have yet to read. Generally they are books that have yet to be released, but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous at Breaking the Spine. 

Release Date: January 19,2018

Author: Lauren Willig

Genre: Mystery

Pages: 384

Annabelle and Bayard Van Duyvil live a charmed life: he’s the scion of an old Knickerbocker family, she grew up in a Tudor manor in England, they had a whirlwind romance in London, they have three year old twins on whom they dote, and he’s recreated her family home on the banks of the Hudson and renamed it Illyria. Yes, there are rumors that she’s having an affair with the architect, but rumors are rumors and people will gossip. But then Bayard is found dead with a knife in his chest on the night of their Twelfth Night Ball, Annabelle goes missing, presumed drowned, and the papers go mad. Bay’s sister, Janie, forms an unlikely alliance with a reporter to uncover the truth, convinced that Bay would never have killed his wife, that it must be a third party, but the more she learns about her brother and his wife, the more everything she thought she knew about them starts to unravel. Who were her brother and his wife, really? And why did her brother die with the name George on his lips?

Why I'm Waiting: I love mysteries, especially ones with a bit of Gothic setting. Perfect for the winter up here with a blanket and hot chocolate!

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme started by the Broke and the Bookish.  Each week they chose a new meme and bloggers pick their Top Ten Books, TV Shows, Movies, etc that fit that theme. This week the theme is: Books I Hope Santa Brings!

1. Anno Dracula: One Thousand Monsters by Kim Newman
2. The Butchering Act by Lindsey Fistzharris
3. Anno Dracula 1895: Seven Days of Mayhem by Kim Newman

1. Hot Mess Kitchen by Gabi Moskowitz & Miranda Berman
2. William Shakespeare's Force Doth Awaken by Ian Doescher
3. It Devours! by Joseph Fink & Jeffery Cranor

1. Secret Lives of the First Ladies by Cormac O'Brien
2. 1888: The Ripper File by Lora Edwards
3. Arrowood by Mick Finlay

1. From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death by Caitlin Doughty

HAPPY READING!!

Distillery Cats - Review

Author: Brad Thomas Parons

Genre: Non-Fiction 

Format: Hardback

Pages: 112

Distillery Cats cheekily tells the tale of the historical role of these spirited cats and their evolution from organic pest control to current brand ambassadors. James Beard Award-winning author (and noted cat enthusiast) Brad Thomas Parsons profiles 30 of the world's most adorable and lovable distillery cats, featuring "interviews," a hand-drawn portrait of each cat, plus trading card-style stat sheets with figures like "super-power" and "mice killed." Featuring 15 cocktail recipes to enjoy while you page through, Distillery Cats is a quirky but essential addition to any cat or spirits lover's bookshelf.

This is probably the cutest book I read all year!

Since moving away from home the biggest joke in our house is how our cats should get a job to pay for the pet rent that's added onto our actually rent. While Eleanor would make a good bookstore cat because she loves attention. Maxwell would love to be one of these cats. His favorite game is stalk birds and bugs out our patio window.

Distillery Cats is a quick and fun read about some hard working felines across the country. I really enjoyed it. Probably my favorite bus book of the year. It was the perfect way to end a long shift at my job to read about the adorable cats that keep the vermin out of the distilleries and breweries. It was cool to see a couple of local places make the list as well.

Each profile was a fun, and cute, little bio about each cat and how the came to their jobs. I adored that most were either shelter cats or strays. We've adopted both our furbabies, so it's warms my heart to hear these where cats in the same boat as our furry kids.

You could tell Brad Parsons enjoyed his research and time spent learning about these business and their feline employees. The book has such a light and fun feel to it as you flip through the pages, and a little boozy fun here and there. We've definitely saved some of the recipes to try later. 

All-and-all it was a fun read and I've already passed it on to my flatmate to enjoy!

Buy, Borrow, Skip: Buy it! It's super cute and is an amazing gift for any cat lover! Plus, boozy recipes!!

HAPPY READING!!

Can't Wait Wednesday

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about what we have yet to read. Generally they are books that have yet to be released, but don't have to be. It is based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous at Breaking the Spine. 

Release Date: January 2nd, 2018

Author: Holly Black

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 384

Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.

In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

Why I'm Waiting: I'm a big fan of Holly Black's other books, and I'm really excited for her new release!

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme started by the Broke and the Bookish.  Each week they chose a new meme and bloggers pick their Top Ten Books, TV Shows, Movies, etc that fit that theme. This week the theme is: Favorite Books I Read in 2017! Okay, so maybe there eleven. I'm not sorry because I read a lot of good stuff this year.

1. Gemina by Jay Kristoff and Jamie Kaufman
2. Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook by Christina Henry
3. Anno Dracula: 1899 by Kim Newman

1. Berserker by Emmy Laybourne
2. Tortall: A Spy's Guide by Tamora Pierce
3. Warlock Holmes: The Hell-hound of the Baskervillles by G.S. Denning

1. Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners by Therese Oneill
2. Warren the 13th and the Whispering Woods by Tania del Rio
3. Chew by John Layman

1. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
2. Spider-Man/Deadpool by Joy Kelly