Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone! May your day be filled with treats and not tricks, and try not to eat too much candy! I'm off to pass out candy to all the little ghouls and goblins at our annual Halloween Parade. This year I'm going as the Princess of Halloween in my pumpkin hoodie and skeleton leggings. Hopefully the kids will get a kick out of it.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Waiting on 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.

For centuries, doctors have struggled to define mental illness-how do you diagnose it, how do you treat it, how do you even know what it is? In search of an answer, in the 1970s a Stanford psychologist named David Rosenhan and seven other people -- sane, normal, well-adjusted members of society -- went undercover into asylums around America to test the legitimacy of psychiatry's labels. Forced to remain inside until they'd "proven" themselves sane, all eight emerged with alarming diagnoses and even more troubling stories of their treatment. Rosenhan's watershed study broke open the field of psychiatry, closing down institutions and changing mental health diagnosis forever.

Why I'm Waiting: Because I have never read of this before and now I kind of need to know. Because what?!

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

Hope had abandoned them to the wrath of all the waters.

At the end of the twenty-first century, the world has changed dramatically, but life continues one thousand feet below the ocean's surface. In Great Britain, sea creatures swim among the ruins of Big Ben and the Tower of London, and citizens waver between fear and hope; fear of what lurks in the abyss, and hope that humanity will soon discover a way to reclaim the Earth.

Meanwhile, sixteen-year-old Leyla McQueen has her own problems to deal with. Her father's been arrested, accused of taking advantage of victims of the Seasickness-a debilitating malaise that consumes people,often claiming their lives. But Leyla knows he's innocent, and all she's interested in is getting him back so that their lives can return to normal.

When she's picked to race in the action-packed London Submersible Marathon, Leyla gets the chance to secure his freedom; the Prime Minister promises the champion whatever their heart desires. The race takes an unexpected turn, though, and presents her with an opportunity she never wanted: Leyla must venture outside of London for the first time in her life, to find and rescue her father herself.

Now, she'll have to brave the unfathomable waters and defy a corrupt government determined to keep its secrets, all the while dealing with a secretive, hotheaded companion she never asked for in the first place. If she fails, or falls prey to her own fears, she risks capture-and her father might be lost forever.

HAPPY READING!!

Mini Reviews

This was my first jaunt into the DC Black Label and I wasn't disappointed. It's definitely targeted for a more adult audience. Literally Bruce bares all in this books, all of it. Every single bit. So that happened. The story is a lot darker as well and I enjoyed the twist on the original story. I also really enjoyed the cast in this one. And, it's narrorted by one of my favorite DC characters of all time, Constantine. Which makes the narration a little hard follow here and there, but I do enjoy him and the way he annoys everyone living or dead. The artwork was also top notch. It matched with the grit and grime of the story, but also wasn't done in a way lot of other graphics are done. More visual on the blood and gore. The anatomy... I just wasn't expecting that okay. There was no warning! My only complaint about Batman: Damned is the shape of the book makes it awkward to read. 3 Stars!

I wasn't sure what to think when I picked up His Hideous Heart, because I was only familiar with two of the authors listed in the table of contents. Add on the fact I'm a huge fan of Poe's work. I was going into not expecting to devour it in one day. But, it's good to be wrong. Honestly, I couldn't find one story of thirteen that I didn't like. Even when it came to some of Poe's work that isn't my favorite, thee retellings kept me glued to the pages. It was a great introduction to eleven new authors whose books I'll have to pick up at some point. I will say that the I Pit and the Pendulum retelling was my favorite. It was so good I nearly burned dinner. 4 Stars!

HAPPY READING!! 

Cover Runway Sundays

They say don't judge a book by its cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes it's the cover that originally catches our eye, drawing us to give a book a closer look. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday I'm going to post some of my favorite covers of books coming soon! Some are by authors I already enjoy, some are the reason I gave the book a longer look. Either way they're all going to find their way here!

Everyone knows Emma. Neesha’s her best friend, Aiden’s her basketball star boyfriend, and Evan’s her shadow, following Emma’s every move. She stands out, which is hard to do at Redemption Prep, a school where every student has been handpicked to attend its remote campus in the forest of Utah. So when she goes missing in plain sight, everyone notices. And everyone becomes a suspect, especially at a school with strict rules: Don’t skip mass. Don’t break curfew. Don’t go into the woods.

Emma’s disappearance ignites an investigation, and Neesha, Aiden, and Evan all want to find her—for different reasons. But they each have their own secrets to hide, and not everyone wants Emma to be found.

As the search continues, the students realize that they’re not the only ones trying to hide something. Redemption Prep has secrets, too—secrets bigger than any of the students could have imagined, and Emma could be the key to finding out the truth… if anyone can find her.

HAPPY READING!!

Dewey's Readathon

Two in one year! I have no idea how I managed it, but here I am gearing up to start reading at 5am tomorrow. Once again I'm not alone, my bookish friends, Sarah, will be joining me and my flatmate for a bit before she's off on a Halloween adventure. Snacks are being bought today along with Red Bull and coffee, because we're going to need all the help we can get. I've been a bit behind on my reading this month. Which is not surprising at all considering I've been on a horror movie binge, both good and bad. 

I've set aside some smaller books to read tomorrow in hopes I'll devour as many as possible. That is unless the Shining pulls me in and doesn't let me go. Who needs to sleep with the lights off?

My goals for tomorrow is just to catch back up on my Spooky TBR. I have a lot of good books sitting on there, and a few more since I posted. But, I'll be happy if I finish my graphic novel and one other book. If you following along on Twitter, I'll be posting under my hand @_sullybear_. There is bound to be shenanigans by the time Sarah gets there.

There are always shenanigans when we're together!

HAPPY READING & GOOD LUCK!! 

Waiting on 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.

In the Cyrilian Empire, Affinites are reviled. Their varied gifts to control the world around them are unnatural—dangerous. And Anastacya Mikhailov, the crown princess, has a terrifying secret. Her deadly Affinity to blood is her curse and the reason she has lived her life hidden behind palace walls.

When Ana’s father, the emperor, is murdered, her world is shattered. Framed as his killer, Ana must flee the palace to save her life. And to clear her name, she must find her father’s murderer on her own. But the Cyrilia beyond the palace walls is far different from the one she thought she knew. Corruption rules the land, and a greater conspiracy is at work—one that threatens the very balance of her world. And there is only one person corrupt enough to help Ana get to its core: Ramson Quicktongue.

A cunning crime lord of the Cyrilian underworld, Ramson has sinister plans—though he might have met his match in Ana. Because in this story, the princess might be the most dangerous player of all.

Why I'm Waiting: Mostly because it sounds like I'm going to adore Ramson. I love a bad guy doing bad things for good reasons.

HAPPY READING!!

Cover Runway Sundays

They say don't judge a book by its cover, but we all know we do it. Sometimes it's the cover that originally catches our eye, drawing us to give a book a closer look. It's the first thing we see, our first impression. Every Sunday I'm going to post some of my favorite covers of books coming soon! Some are by authors I already enjoy, some are the reason I gave the book a longer look. Either way they're all going to find their way here!

Summer, 1518. A strange sickness sweeps through Strasbourg: women dance in the streets, some until they fall down dead. As rumors of witchcraft spread, suspicion turns toward Lavinia and her family, and Lavinia may have to do the unimaginable to save herself and everyone she loves.

Five centuries later, a pair of red shoes seal to Rosella Oliva’s feet, making her dance uncontrollably. They draw her toward a boy who knows the dancing fever’s history better than anyone: Emil, whose family was blamed for the fever five hundred years ago. But there’s more to what happened in 1518 than even Emil knows, and discovering the truth may decide whether Rosella survives the red shoes.

HAPPY READING!!

BINGO 2020

I cannot believe we're making plans to get together and talk about BINGO 2020. This year has flown by, and personally I've danced around BINGOs all year. Like I'm freaking allergic to them. I'm just not a planner when it comes to my reading really. At least not on a scale enough to get several BINGOs this year. One of my friends who plays along with us is in fact a planner and always blows us out of the water.  

Every year we like to change it up a bit when it comes to each square. We add squares for books we've been meaning to read and squares for genres some of don't really read. Or, picking a square that none of will read. The Edwardian Genre was just a bad idea all around.

We throw ideas out all year around, but sadly I never think to write them down. So we're always scrambling at the end of the year to come with ideas. This year I thought to try something different. I thought to post our empty BINGO card and ask everyone else for help.

Current Square Ideas:

Disaster 

Nonfiction

Orange Cover

Finish a Series

Let us knows some of your ideas to fill our cards up with this year? Can it be anything really: genre bases, types of characters, places. There aren't wrong answers for this. All of read a wide range of books and love a challenge when it comes to picking new books. Help us come up with some great ideas to expand our reading in 2020!

HAPPY READING!!

Book Haul

No adventure with my Ma would be complete without a stop to at least one bookstore. This trip had three, and my Pops was a trooper at each stop. I actually managed to keep my hands to myself in the first bookstore, but I cannot be held responsible when I'm inside a comic book store. The last bookstore stop sort of just happened. We just happened to wander that direction.

Being the reason I'm a reader, my Ma finished her book on the first plane. So she found a few gems at our first stop and was set for the rest her visit. I indulged in the vacation spirit and got Dammed while picking up the newest Umbrella Academy at one of favorite, yet least visited, comic book shops. Lady Killers has been on my list forever and I couldn't help myself at our last stop. It fits right into my December plans.

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on 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.

In this funny and frothy novella that picks up where the New York Times bestselling The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue leaves off, freshly minted couple Monty and Percy fumble through their first time together.

Monty’s epic grand tour may be over, but now that he and Percy are finally a couple, he realizes there is something more nerve-wracking than being chased across Europe: getting together with the person you love.

Will the romantic allure of Santorini make his first time with Percy magical, or will all the anticipation and build-up completely spoil the mood?

Why I'm Waiting: Because I'm late to this party and I love Percy, okay. I want him to have all the good things!

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

The year is 2172. Climate change and nuclear disasters have rendered much of earth unlivable. Only the lucky ones have escaped to space colonies in the sky.

In a war-torn Nigeria, battles are fought using flying, deadly mechs and soldiers are outfitted with bionic limbs and artificial organs meant to protect them from the harsh, radiation-heavy climate. Across the nation, as the years-long civil war wages on, survival becomes the only way of life.

Two sisters, Onyii and Ify, dream of more. Their lives have been marked by violence and political unrest. Still, they dream of peace, of hope, of a future together.

And they're willing to fight an entire war to get there.

HAPPY READING!!

Gone Fishin'

Okay so not really, but things around here going to be super quiet the next few days. I'm finally taken some time away from work and the blog. My parents will be in town and we've got things to do. Things! Well, mostly a lot of eating, pubs, and a hockey game. Plus, it's my Dad's first trip out here since I moved and I cannot wait to show him the life I've built for myself. I might be able to sneak some books shopping in here and there. After all, my Ma will need something to read on the trip back.

So have an amazing weekend! Things will be back to normal here on Tuesday.

HAPPY READING!!

Waiting on 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.

Astrid is the surrogate for Princess Renya, which means she bears the physical punishment if Renya steps out of line. Astrid has no choice—she and her family are Outsiders, the lower class of people without magic and without citizenship.

But there is a way out of this life—competing in the deadly Race of Oblivion. To enter the race, an Outsider is administered the drug Oblivion, which wipes their memory clear of their past as they enter a new world with nothing to help them but a slip of paper bearing their name and the first clue. It’s not as simple as solving a puzzle, however—for a majority of the contestants, the race ends in death. But winning would mean not only freedom for Astrid, but citizenship and health care for her entire family. With a dying father to think of, Astrid is desperate to prevail.

Why I'm Waiting: It sounds like could be wild ride since Astrid has to lose her memories to solve a puzzle that leads to her freedom. It seems hinky and I'm interested.

HAPPY READING!!

New Release Tuesday

Once upon a time, a princess slept in a magical tower cloaked in thorns and roses.

When she woke, she found no Prince Charming, only a surfeit of hair and grotesquely long fingernails--which was, honestly, better than some creep who acted without consent. She cut off her long braids and used them to escape. But she kept the beard because it made a great disguise.

This is not a story about finding true love's kiss--it's a story about finding yourself. On a pirate ship. Where you belong.

But these are no ordinary pirates aboard The Puffy Peach, serving under Filthy Lucre, the one-eyed parrot pirate captain. First there's Vic, a swole and misogynistic centaur on a mission to expunge himself of the magic that causes him to conjure tea and dainty cupcakes in response to stress. Then there's Tempest, who's determined to become the first dryad lawyer--preferably before she takes her ultimate form as a man-eating tree. They're joined by Alobartalus, an awkward and unelfly elf who longs to meet his hero, the Sn'archivist who is said to take dictation directly from the gods of Pell. Throw in some mystery meat and a dastardly capitalist plot, and you've got one Pell of an adventure on the high seas!

HAPPY READING!!

Mini Reviews

I was pretty excited to pick this one up because I love the Oatmeal and I'm a die hard Catlady. For me this one started off really strong. The artwork and jokes I know and love from the Oatmeal. However it sort went downhill after the first few pages. While I don't love good far joke as much as the next person, less is more. We get it, the baby poops a lot. Also the pages concerning the dog were kind of not needed. I picked this book because it was about cats. So.. But there were a few gems hidden between the pages. The diary pages were the best part in my opinion. The last few pages were adorable as well, so it ended in a laugh just like it started. Just didn't need to be this big, less pages would help keep it funnier I feel. 2 Stars.

This was one of those amazing library finds. I've been a big fan of Poe's stories and poems since high school. This was a really cool way to reread some of my favorite works by Poe. Gareth Hinds artwork is amazing, Annabel Lee was my favorite in the whole book. Only closely followed by the panel The Raven with one of the Raven's wing have death drawn as its' feathers. It is also the first time that I've read The Masque of the Red Death. I enjoyed every panel inside each story from cover to cover. The complemented each beautifully, and can't wait to at some of Gareth Hinds other work. 4 Stars.

HAPPY READING!!