A to Z April: W Reviews - Watchers by Dean Koontz/Wolf's Hour by Robert McCammon/Why Girls Are Weird by Pamela Ribon

There were a lot of books that begin with the letter W, and there were 3 that I just couldn't give up when I tried to narrow it down.  So today you get three mini-reviews!

First is Watchers by Dean Koontz.  I know that I've already talked about one book by Dean Koontz, Strangers, but I couldn't leave out my very favorite one of his books, one that I read over and over, and still remember so many things about.  They did make a movie out of it, and it starred one of the actors I'd had a crush on, Corey Haim. But the problem is that the characters weren't supposed to be young, so he was definitely not the right actor.  Well, that's not the only problem, the movie really just sucked.  But I still remember the dog, Einstein, a golden retriever of course since that is the kind of dog Dean Koontz owns and loves.  And so much about the dog that made me sad, and happy as well.  Here's the very short blurb from Goodreads:
When Travis Cornell and Nora Devon meet "Einstein", they are touched by the dog's intelligence. Einstein is one of two altered life forms escaped from a top-secret lab. The other--The Outsider--is a deadly hybrid. To protect themselves, Travis and Nora must learn to be deadly as well.

Second is Wolf's Hour  by Robert McCammon.  It's another one of the books I used to read over and over.  It contains as you might guess from the title, a werewolf.  But it also takes place during World War II with the Nazis, and so it is a time period that I read a lot from.   Here's the blurb from Goodreads:
D-Day is threatened, but one man could rip the heart of the Nazis -- with his bare claws....

He is Michael Gallatin, master spy, lover -- and werewolf. Able to change shape with lightning speed, to kill silently or with savage, snarling fury, he proved his talents against Rommel in Africa. Now he faces his most delicate, dangerous mission: to unravel the secret Nazi plan known as Iron Fist. From a parachute jump into occupied France to the lush corruption of Berlin, from the arms of a beautiful spy to the cold embrace of a madman's death machine, Gallatin draws ever closer to the ghastly truth about Iron Fist. But with only hours to D-Day, he is trapped in the Nazis' web of destruction....

The third book is kind of a chick lit type of story, although maybe a bit deeper than some of the others that I've shared.  It's called Why Girls Are Weird. Something I liked was that it had a companion book titled Why Moms Are Weird that was also good.  Here's the blurb from Goodreads:
She was just writing a story.
When Anna Koval decides to creatively kill time at her library job in Austin by teaching herself HTML and posting partially fabricated stories about her life on the Internet, she hardly imagines anyone besides her friend Dale is going to read them. He's been bugging her to start writing again since her breakup with Ian over a year ago. And so what if the "Anna K" persona in Anna's online journal has a fabulous boyfriend named Ian? It's not like the real Ian will ever find out about it.
The story started writing itself. 
Almost instantly Anna K starts getting e-mail from adoring fans that read her daily postings religiously. One devotee, Tess, seems intent on becoming Anna K's real-life best friend and another, a male admirer who goes by the name of "Ldobler," sounds like he'd want to date Anna K if she didn't already have a boyfriend. Meanwhile, the real Anna can't help but wonder if her newfound fans like her or the alter ego she's created. It's only a matter of time before fact and fiction collide and force Anna to decide not only who she wants to be with, but who she wants to be.

Have you read any of these books?  Do any sound good to you?  Will you add any to your TBR list?  And while you're here, don't forget to enter my giveaway below!


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Cover Characteristic - October 20th, 2014 - Dogs

Cover Characteristics is hosted at  Sugar and Snark.  Here are the guidelines for how it works if you want to join in:

Each week we will post a characteristic and choose 5 of our favorite covers with that characteristic. If you want to join in and share your 5 favorite covers with the weeks particular characteristic, then just make a post, grab the meme picture (or make your own) and leave your URL in Linky (so we can visit).
You don’t even need to participate, just stopping by and saying hi would be great! Don’t forget to stop by the other participants! 

I always try to pick books I've already read, in no particular order.

This week's characteristic:  Dogs

1.

 

 Such a good story, but so sad.  I could never read it again. Could barely watch the movie after I'd read it.

2.

 I love this book.  It amuses me that so many of them seem to be dachshunds!!

 3.

 This is a really good book, and I like the main character having a dog that helps her with her autism. 

 4.

 

 And I love all things dachshund, and so while I'm not necessarily a big art fan, I had to get and read this book.

5.

 I love this one because it includes two of my favorite things, dinosaurs and dachshunds!

And I had to throw in this last one, even though I haven't read it yet, because it is so cute!! (I also got a cool tote bag with this on it at BEA this summer.)

So what do you think of my covers? 

Innocence by Dean Koontz

First of all thanks to Bantam Publishing and Edelweiss for allowing me to read an e-galley of this.  I must admit I'm a bit behind on my Dean Koontz books, well at least the Odd Thomas ones.  But when I saw a chance to get to read a Dean Koontz book early through Edelweiss I jumped at the chance!  You see I'd probably rank Dean Koontz as one of the authors I most want to meet, but one that I rarely see any opportunities to meet.  And you know from following my blog that I try to meet every author I get the chance to.  This was a good story, much quicker and easier to read than the last one that I did struggle through a bit, 77 Shadow Street.
Our main character is a man named Addison Goodheart.  Addison has lived a hard life.  When he was born, there was something so horrific about him that the midwife and her assistant wanted to kill him.  His mother didn't let them, and sent them away.  But even she had trouble having him around and looking at him.  Once he reached a certain age, she made him live outside the house, in the forest, often he would sleep in the garage.  Once in awhile she would call him up to talk with her and she'd tell him things about her past.  But then one day she called him up to tell him she couldn't live with him even that close anymore, and she told him to leave.  He did, because he loved his mother, and knew she loved him in her own way.  On the way, he heard a gunshot, and knew that she had killed herself.  Whether it was something she'd planned, or if she just couldn't bear having to send her son away, he didn't know.  As he traveled, he came upon people that would hurt him.  One time he saw a man that had been beat almost to death, and he tried to comfort him.  But when this man looked into his eyes, he began to try to attack Addison, even though he was dying himself.  Also along the journey, there were some dogs, and while Addison had never had any trouble with the wild animals in the forest, he assumed that since dogs were tamed and the most like humans, that they, like humans would be repulsed and try to hurt him.  But that wasn't the case, as with all Dean Koontz books, the dogs are the good guys.  The dogs liked him and wanted to play with him, and maybe even would have traveled with him.  But when Addison heard a hunter's voice, he told the dogs to go back, and he ran as fast as he could to get away.  He hopped onto the back of a truck, and just stayed on it until it stopped.  Which was in a city.  In the city he ran into a man that was like him.  This man kind of adopted him, and became his father.
We join the actual story after Addison's father has died, and all these things we've learned through flashbacks.  Addison meets Gwyneth on one of  his late night forays into the city.  His father was given a key to the food bank, and also a good will for clothes.  And he also taught Addison how to get around the city at night without being seen.  Including visits to the library, so that they can find books to read.  As they must live underground, in a long forgotten room.  This night he is in the library when he sees a girl run past.  He hides, as he doesn't want anyone to see him, as that is dangerous for him.  And he soon hears a man that is chasing her.  The girl is able to give the guy the slip, and she ends up hiding in a secret room in the library.  Addison knows the room, and goes to knock on the door, and tell the girl that if she wants to talk to him, he will be in a specific area waiting for her.  Once they meet, he stays back, telling her that he doesn't want to be seen.  This works well as she also has a social type of phobia in that she doesn't want to be touched.  Both agree to do as the other has asked, and a sort of friendship begins.  One that also leads them both into more trouble, and to the main storyline of the book I guess.  I won't go much more into the story, just to say that what we are told may not be what really is, even based on what the characters themselves think not being true.  There are secrets to find, even in the tragedies that have occurred.  And in the end, could it be that Addison and Gwyneth's "shortcomings" could be what will save the world?
I like how we are given hints of what is actually happening through brief scenes of what is showing on the tv, or on a newspaper's headlines.  As I said before, as I was reading, I just remember how much I love the way Dean Koontz always makes the dogs good guys.  I love dogs, when I see one, I just want to pet it and hug it.  I own two dogs now, and can't imagine life without them, even in the midst of housebreaking one of them.  Truly, there is only one issue I had with the book, and it is the use of a term, that I did look up, but I'm not sure why it was needed.  The term is "groin-vaulted" ceiling.  Yes, it is a real term, and I looked up the pictures on line.  But not sure it really added to the story?  Was a kind of distraction to see that and picture in my mind what that might be before I actually looked it up.  But that is not the story, and as I said, the story was really good.  If you are a long-time Dean Koontz fan, I believe this is one you will really enjoy, as it hearkens back to his earlier books.

Hazards of Working at a Bookstore May 2012

I haven't done one of these posts for a looooooooong time, it's not that I haven't found lots of books I want, I just haven't had the time to post the entries.  So I decided to do one today.  I also wanted to say that in the next couple weeks I may have a few posts that aren't book reviews, or contests, or memes.  When I go to BEA I may post some stuff about my experiences there.  So look for those in the next couple weeks.

Okay, I now have 3 books to talk about, ones that I would really like to have, but I just don't have the money right at the moment to spend on books like these.

First is one that really is cool.  When I got my tattoo, I had exactly what I wanted in mind, it had a meaning for something that was important for me, one of my favorite books.  I've always also thought it would be cool to have a dinosaur tattoo, as I'm a huge fan of dinosaurs too.  And this book has some people who do have them!  It is called Science Ink.  Here is the description from Goodreads.com:

If you have ever thought of having an image of the double helix imprinted on your forearm or buttocks, this is the book for you. We should note however that the science-minded men and women represented in this weirdly arresting illustrated book have tattoos that go far behind decorative DNA diagrams. Listen for example, as software designer Zermelo-Fraenkel talks about his arm-covering tat: "This tattoo is the Zermelo-Fraenkel with Choice axioms of set theory. From these nine axioms, one can derive all of mathematics."
















Second is another "science" related book.  It's about my favorite tv show, The Big Bang Theory.  Like a lot of other tv shows and movies, it now has its own book about the philosophy of the show.  See the description from Barnesandnoble.com:


A lighthearted meditation on the philosophical quandaries of the hit television show The Big Bang Theory

Ever wonder what Aristotle might say about the life Sheldon Cooper leads? Why Thomas Hobbes would applaud the roommate agreement? Who Immanuel Kant would treat with "haughty derision" for weaving "un-unravelable webs?" And—most importantly—whether Wil Wheaton is truly evil? Of course you have. Bazinga!

This book mines the deep thinking of some of history's most potent philosophical minds to explore your most pressing questions about The Big Bang Theory and its nerdy genius characters. You might find other philosophy books on science and cosmology, but only this one refers to Darth Vader Force-chokes, cloning Leonard Nimoy, and oompa-loompa-like engineers. Fo-shizzle.

• Gives you irresistibly geek-worthy insights on your favorite Big Bang Theory characters, story lines, and ideas
• Examines important themes involving ethics and virtue, science, semiotics, religion, and the human condition
• Brings the thinking of some of the world's greatest philosophers to bear on The Big Bang Theory, from Aristotle and Plato to Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, Simone de Beauvoir, and more

Essential reading for every Big Bang Theory fan, this book explores whether comic-book-wielding geeks can lead the good life, and whether they can know enough science to "tear the mask off nature and stare at the face of God."

And finally, I really don't read too many books about dogs.  Like Marley and Me they are almost always going to have an ending that makes me cry almost uncontrollably.  There is not much that I love more than dogs.  And having had to make the decision to put two dogs to sleep on my own in the past 10 years, it really hits me hard.  I don't know for sure this book ends this way, but maybe I could read up until the end.  It is called Giant George, and here is the description from Goodreads.com:

With his big blue eyes and soulful expression, George was the irresistible runt of the litter. But Dave and Christie Nasser's "baby" ended up being almost five feet tall, seven feet long, and 245 pounds. Eager to play, and boisterous to the point of causing chaos, this big Great Dane was scared of water, scared of dogs a fraction of his size and, most of all, scared of being alone.

GIANT GEORGE is the charming story of how this precocious puppy won Dave and Christie's hearts and along the way became a doggie superstar. In 2010, George was named by Guinness World Records as the Tallest Dog in the World-ever. He appeared on Oprah, and even has his own global fan club. But to Dave and Christie, this extraordinary animal is still their beloved pet, the one who has made them laugh, made them cry, and continues to make them incredibly happy.

So, those are the 3 books I saw the past few weeks that I remembered to post about.  I'll try to do a posting each month maybe, if I don't end up with too many!  :-)

You Have to Kiss a Lot of Frogs by Laurie Graff

You Have To Kiss A Lot Of Frogs by Laurie Graff

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This was my latest book to keep by the big bathtub for reading while taking a bubble bath. It had some really hilarious moments. I also at first was unsure as I started reading whether it was supposed to be a memoir or was just fiction. I'm guessing from reading the "about author" part that it is based on some real stories from her life. The guys that she dates, well, some of them are just unbelievable in the way they act. The main character is Jewish, and so I enjoyed reading about the types of issues that Jewish women have when dating. In fact, the end of the book really touches on this with something called the Shiksa complex. This is where Jewish men want to find non-Jewish women to date and take home, and then when they get married, these women convert to being Jewish. There is one part where the main character even pretends to not be Jewish just to get a Jewish guy. Only at a Jewish holiday, she finally can't hold it in anymore and lets out her secret. The guy gets all upset and even says he had been going to ask her to marry him that night, but now he can't. And what's weird is that he doesn't say it's because he can't trust her for lying, it's because he doesn't want to marry a Jewish girl! It's crazy. Then she dates a guy who can't make up his mind. So annoying. But what's kind of worse is that she keeps getting in and out of a relationship with him! I could see keeping him around as a friend with benefits, but I could never let someone that annoying keep getting in and messing with my head like she seemed to do.



Karrie Kline is her name, and as an actress she moves out to LA at one point in the book. Here we get to see what dating is like out there. Again, there are some crazy men. We do get a little bit of information about her family. Like she never knew her real father because he supposedly ran away to be a clown, literally. And we do meet him in LA. At the end she gets a dog, and I loved that part. It is true that they give you unconditional love. But I disagree with her in that she is okay waiting for someone because she now has this love. I've had my dog for over 12 years now, and I still want to find a boyfriend. It's a different type of love. So the ending was a bit disappointing.



View all my reviews

Breathless by Dean Koontz

First off, Dean Koontz is one of my favorite authors ever. His last few books though haven't been my favorite types of his, because he does have a wide range of stories in my opinion. This book came out last December, when I was broke. I normally buy all his books, well the last 10 or so, in hardcover. However, I had to wait until this came out in paperback, and I even had to wait longer. But this was really back to the type of his books that I like. My favorite Dean Koontz book of all time is Watchers. I love the way Dean Koontz writes about animals, dogs especially. The way he makes them out to be is exactly how I see dogs in my life. This book has a dog that fits this perfectly. It's not a Golden Retriever for a change, but that's okay. The expressions and actions of the dog are just perfect, you know Koontz loves his dog and other dogs from the way he writes about them. Another thing I loved about this book is that I had just been reading an article in Discover magazine about how science theories/laws that we believe are being disproved, and this book touches on that. Not that I agree with all he has to say about evolution, but it still makes you think.

As usual, we meet different characters, that we can't see how they would be connected to start with. But in the end, they do all come together. What happens is one of our main characters, Grady Adams sees two creatures playing when he's out on his daily walk with his Irish wolfhound. These are creatures he's never seen before, and can't find anything to tell him what it is. And that is our big mystery that in some way connects all the characters.

The only thing about this I didn't really like, is how we had all the build up, but then I felt the end just was rushed and over so soon. I feel Grady and his helpers got away from the bad guys really quickly and easily and that there was just an anticlimactic ending. I wanted more. But I loved it all up to that point.

Take a Chance on Me by Susan Donovan

This was your basic romance book. I'd read another book by this author called He Loves Lucy. I enjoyed it, and this was okay, but almost too much your stereotypical romance. And one thing, it is like FOREVER before they actually have sex. It's kind of a big tease, even in the chapter where they finally do, it takes page after page after page leading up to it. Seriously. It was frustrating. I did enjoy the little dog, and can't remember if my sister has read this yet, but if not, the dog is a little chinese crested, like her dog.

Okay book, I won't read again, and will probably not keep this, I'll put it in a garage sale. It's actually not a strip cover believe it or not.

Later tonight I'll post my review of The Guinea Pig Diaries by A.J. Jacobs.

Book Review 42: Waggit's Tale by Peter Howe

As I said in my last blog, I'm not a huge fan of books from the animal point of view. But all in all, I overcame that and enjoyed this book.

At first, the dog, Waggit is left in the park by his owner, and is adopted by a "gang" of dogs, led by Tazar. He soon figures out that his owner isn't coming back, and settles in to a life in the "wild". I was a little unsure how I would like that, as the dogs living in the park think that life is better there than with an "upright" or human. After a long, hard winter, spring comes, and Waggit happens upon a woman who is eating lunch in the park every day, and she thinks he's cute so she always gives him food. One day he shows up and she's not there, and he gets caught by the "Ruzelas" or I would guess they are actually dog catchers. He goes to the pound, or the "great unknown". After a few days there, the woman comes and finds him and takes him home. It takes him a while to get used to it, and he feels a bit like he's betrayed his family in the park. But at the end he's able to get out and go let his family know that he's okay, that sometimes going to the "great unknown" isn't a bad thing.

I do know there is a sequel to this book because I've seen it at the store I work at, so I'll have to look into reading it some day when I've got some extra time.

The next book I started is one of the two horse books on the list. Again, the title sounded really dumb in my opinion, but it has been a pretty amusing book so far. It is called The Truth About Horses, Friends, and My Life as a Coward by Sarah Gibson.