Inside of a Dog: October 2017

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

First Paragraph/Teaser Tuesday: Written in Red by Anne Bishop

Every Tuesday Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea posts the first paragraph of a book she is reading or planning to read. She provides a linky for others to post theirs.

Here's mine:

From A Brief History of the World:

Long ago, Namid gave birth to all kinds of life, including the beings known as humans. She gave the humans fertile pieces of herself, and she gave them good water. Understanding their nature and the nature of her other offspring, she also gave them enough isolation that they would have a chance to survive and grow. And they did.

Chapter 1:

Half blinded by the storm, she stumbled into the open area between two buildings. Hoping to hide from whomever was hunting for her as well as get some relief from the snow and wind, she followed an angled wall and ducked around the corner. Her socks and sneakers were soaked, and her feet were so cold she couldn't feel them. She knew that wasn't good, wasn't safe, but she had taken the clothing available just as she had taken the opportunity to run.

Link up here. It is very easy to play along.

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! Everyone loves Teaser Tuesday.

Here's mine:

Thinking of herself as Meg instead of cs759 had been her first silent act of rebellion.

Written in Red: A Novel of the Others

Anne Bishop

March 4, 2014

Monday, October 30, 2017

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Oct. 30, 2017)

Truth Be Told by Kendra Elliot - novella companion to Twisted Truth by Melinda Leigh; review posted on Nov. 7.

An Ancient Peace by Tanya Huff - first in Peacekeepers space opera series; review posted Nov. 22

A Peace Divided by Tanya Huff - second in Peacekeepers space opera series; review posted Nov. 23

Haven by Mary Lindsey - YA Review urban fantasy book; review posted Nov. 15

Currently

Rosemarked by Livia Blackburne - YA fantasy review book released Nov. 7

Next Week

The Human Division by John Scalzi - on TBR mountain since May 15, 2013; space opera

From the Review Stack:

Lure of Oblivion by Suzanne Wright (Nov. 21)

No Place Like You by Emma Douglas (Dec. 5)

Pathways edited by Mercedes Lackey (Dec. 5)

Rugged Texas Cowboy by Lora Leigh (Dec. 5)

Reviews Posted

On Ms. Martin Teaches Media:

Golden by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan

On Inside of a Dog:

Rituals by Kelley Armstrong

Death at the Emerald by R. J. Koreto

The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi

Twisted Truth by Melinda Leigh

Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

Bought:

The Prisoner of Limnos by Lois McMaster Bujold

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines

Love's Taming by Maryann Jordan

Dreaming Spies by Laurie R. King

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

Lord of the Bears by Kimber White

New Review:

Rosemarked by Livia Blackburne (YA, Nov. 7)

Prince in Disguise by Stephanie Kate Strohm (YA, Dec. 19)

The Ambrose Deception by Emily Eaton (YA, Feb. 13)

The Sweetest Kind of Fate by Crystal Cestari (YA, Feb. 13)

The Window by Amelia Brunskill (YA, April 3)

New and Already Read:

A Peace Divided by Tanya Huff

Haven by Mary Lindsey (Nov. 7)

Truth Be Told by Kendra Elliot (Nov. 7)

What was your week like?

Saturday, October 28, 2017

Book Review: The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi

The Collapsing Empire
Author: John Scalzi
Series: ?
Publication: Tor Books; 1st Edition edition (March 21, 2017)

Description: The first novel of a new space-opera sequence set in an all-new universe by the Hugo Award-winning, New York Times-bestselling author of Redshirts and Old Man's War

Our universe is ruled by physics. Faster than light travel is impossible―until the discovery of The Flow, an extradimensional field available at certain points in space-time, which can take us to other planets around other stars.

Riding The Flow, humanity spreads to innumerable other worlds. Earth is forgotten. A new empire arises, the Interdependency, based on the doctrine that no one human outpost can survive without the others. It’s a hedge against interstellar war―and, for the empire’s rulers, a system of control.

The Flow is eternal―but it’s not static. Just as a river changes course, The Flow changes as well. In rare cases, entire worlds have been cut off from the rest of humanity. When it’s discovered that the entire Flow is moving, possibly separating all human worlds from one another forever, three individuals―a scientist, a starship captain, and the emperox of the Interdependency―must race against time to discover what, if anything, can be salvaged from an interstellar empire on the brink of collapse.

My Thoughts: This books starts an epic space opera. Humans have spread out across the universe using a system called The Flow to get around the speed of light. The whole system is run by the Interdependency which is a government featuring an emperox, a parliament, trade guilds, and a church.

Cardenia is one of the viewpoint characters. She is going to be the next Emperox despite the fact that she is the product of a liaison between the current Emperox and her mother. She was raised mostly outside the center of imperial politics. When her older half brother dies, she becomes the heir - like it or not. Now her father is dying and she is getting ready for a job she hasn't been trained for.

Lady Kiva is another viewpoint character. She is a member of one of the merchant families and is very interested in profit for her family. She is also foul-mouthed and tricky. She meets an old rival on End who manages to totally disrupt her plans.

Also on End is Lord Marce whose father has been doing some research on The Flow at the request of the Emperox for more than thirty years. Both Marce and his father are physicists who study The Flow. When they come to an understanding of what is happening to The Flow, Marce has to get to the Emperox to share his findings.

But End is experiencing one of its periodic revolutions - this time orchestrated in part by Lord Ghreni Nohamapetan whose family has plans for End - and they don't want Marce's information going anywhere.

This was an engaging story. I liked the characters and the political intrigue. The dialog was crisp. The worldbuilding was well done. The story was fast-paced. Being the first book in a series, the big problem - the collapse of The Flow - wasn't resolved. There was resolution to the plot which encompassed the Hohamapetan family's attempt to exploit the situation.

I look forward to reading more in this world.

Favorite Quote:

"They want to preserve an existing potential alliance."

"An alliance with terrible people."

"Really nice people don't usually accrue power."

"You're saying I'm kind of an outlier," Cardenia said.

"I don't recall saying you were nice," Naffa replied.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Friday, October 27, 2017

Friday Memes: The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi

Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Beginning:

The mutineers would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for the collapse of the Flow.

Friday 56:

"I understand your concern, sir, and that is why the House of Lagos is willing to assist you."

The duke squinted at Kiva. "What do you mean?"

This week I am reading The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi. This book is from my TBR mountain. Here is the description from Amazon:

The first novel of a new space-opera sequence set in an all-new universe by the Hugo Award-winning, New York Times-bestselling author of Redshirts and Old Man's War

Our universe is ruled by physics. Faster than light travel is impossible―until the discovery of The Flow, an extradimensional field available at certain points in space-time, which can take us to other planets around other stars.

Riding The Flow, humanity spreads to innumerable other worlds. Earth is forgotten. A new empire arises, the Interdependency, based on the doctrine that no one human outpost can survive without the others. It’s a hedge against interstellar war―and, for the empire’s rulers, a system of control.

The Flow is eternal―but it’s not static. Just as a river changes course, The Flow changes as well. In rare cases, entire worlds have been cut off from the rest of humanity. When it’s discovered that the entire Flow is moving, possibly separating all human worlds from one another forever, three individuals―a scientist, a starship captain, and the emperox of the Interdependency―must race against time to discover what, if anything, can be salvaged from an interstellar empire on the brink of collapse.

Thursday, October 26, 2017

ARC Review: Death at the Emerald by R. J. Koreto

Death at the Emerald
Author: R. J. Koreto
Series: Frances Ffolkes Mystery
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (November 7, 2017)

Description: One-named stunning actress Helen mysteriously vanished 30 years ago. An elderly family friend is unable to bear not knowing any longer and commissions Lady Frances Ffolkes to track her down. Taking on the role of Lady Sherlock, with her loyal maid Mallow drafted as her Watson, Frances finds herself immersed in the glamorous world of Edwardian theater and London’s latest craze―motion pictures.

As Frances and Mallow make their way through the theaters, they meet colorful figures such as George Bernard Shaw and King Edward II. Tracking the theaters seems like a dead end. That is until one of Helen’s old suitors is suddenly murdered. With the stakes raised, Frances and Mallow work quickly to uncover a box of subtle clues to Helen’s whereabouts. But someone unexpected wants that box just as badly and is willing to kill to keep it shut.

The stage is set for murder and Frances and Mallow are determined to unravel the decades-old conspiracy in Death at the Emerald, R. J. Koreto’s third installment in the captivating Lady Frances Ffolkes mysteries.

My Thoughts: Lady Frances Ffolkes and her intrepid maid/assistant Miss Mallow have another case. Lady Torrance has heard about Frances's previous cases and has hired her to locate her daughter who ran away from home about thirty years earlier.

Lady Frances's investigations take her into London's theater world where Louisa fled taking the stage name of Helen. While Frances finds men who loved her, Helen is long gone. When Helen learns that one of the men who loved her has been killed, she knows that she is on the right track.

Lady Frances and Mallow investigate and try to retrace Helen's path. There are secrets within secrets in this story complicated by the fact that theater folks are used to illusions, secrets, and disguises. Meanwhile, Frances is considering how her work as London's first female private investigator is going to mesh with her marriage to a prominent solicitor.

The setting was great. I enjoyed the mystery and thought it was a nicely complex story. I enjoyed the glimpse into the motion picture industry. I also enjoy that Frances is a suffragist while still being part of the upper class and not even really realizing how privileged her life is.

Fans of historical mysteries will enjoy this one.

Favorite Quote:

She thought of Mary's impending motherhood. Mothers were a theme here. Lady Torrence, losing her daughter as an adult, and Emma Bradley's mother, losing her daughter as a child. And some mother losing the baby they found in Helen's grave.

It would no doubt become clear later. Meanwhile, it was back on her bicycle to the suffrage meeting.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Book Review: Rituals by Kelley Armstrong

Rituals
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: The Cainsville Series
Publication: Random House Canada (August 15, 2017)

Description: When Olivia Taylor-Jones found out she was not actually the adopted child of a privileged Chicago family but of a notorious pair of convicted serial killers, her life exploded. Running from the fall-out, she found a refuge in the secluded but oddly welcoming town of Cainsville, Illinois, but she couldn't resist trying to dig out the truth about her birth parents' crimes. She began working with Gabriel Walsh, a fiendishly successful criminal lawyer who also had links to the town; their investigation soon revealed Celtic mysteries at work in Cainsville, and also entangled Olivia in a tense love triangle with the calculating Gabriel and her charming biker boyfriend, Ricky. Worse, troubling visions revealed to Olivia that the three of them were reenacting an ancient drama pitting the elders of Cainsville against the mysterious Huntsmen with Olivia as the prize.

In the series' fifth and final novel, not only does Gabriel's drug addict mother, who he thought was dead, make a surprise reappearance, but Kelley Armstrong delivers a final scary and surprising knock-out twist. It turns out a third supernatural force has been at work all along, a dark and malevolent entity that has had its eye on Olivia since she was a baby and wants to win at any cost.

My Thoughts: This is the final volume of the Cainsville books and brings the story to a satisfying conclusion. Gabriel's mother makes a surprising reappearance. After years of abusing him, she abandoned him when he was fifteen leaving him to survive on the street. Gabriel is a success but it has come at great cost. It is only recently the Liv discovered photos showing that Gabriel's mother died of an overdose soon after she abandoned him. Turns out that Seanna faked her own death and ran from trouble.

Liv has some mother-issues too. Her parents are convicted serial killers. She was adopted and her new family had a loving father and a distant mother. Now that her adoptive father is dead, she doesn't have much of a relationship with her adoptive mother. Gabriel was her parents' lawyer which is how they met. After growing up as a trust fund baby, Liv now works for him as an investigator. They are investigating the murders her parents supposedly committed. Liv would love to get her father out of prison because she is convinced that it was her mother who was the murderer. But her father remains loyal to her mother and isn't quite as innocent as Liv believes.

Learning more about the crimes is where the magic comes into this story. Liv, Gabriel and Liv's ex-boyfriend Ricky are the latest iterations of an ancient trio who control the fates of the fae. Gabriel and Ricky represent the two main kinds of fae with Liv supposed to choose which of them to love. And by choosing, strengthening that sort of fae. Throughout these stories Liv has been told that she has to choose and both groups are courting her.

It is in this story that Liv, Gabriel and Ricky learn that there is a third sort of fae who has been manipulating them all from before they were born. The sluagh manipulated events that caused Gabriel's birth and Liv's parents' crime spree. Unlike the other two groups of fae, they are threatening Liv rather than trying to court her. This manipulation makes Liv, who is already stubborn, even more determined to chart her own path. All three agree that they need to stand together to set their own future instead of repeating the errors of the past.

The story was filled with action and adventure. I liked the romance between Gabriel and Liv. I also like the touches of humor supplied by the dryads and also liked how they became heroes too. This was a very enjoyable series with a fascinating story and engaging characters.

Favorite Quote:

He turned a baleful stare on me, as if he understood. I'm convinced TC isn't just a cat, no more than Lloergan is just a dog. Maybe someday, when I'm moments from perishing at the hands of an intruder, TC will save me in a sudden and awe-inspiring display of supernatural power. Or maybe he'll decide I haven't given him enough tuna that week and leave me to my fate. He's a cat, so I figure my chances are about fifty-fifty.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

ARC Review: Twisted Truth by Melinda Leigh

Twisted Truth
Author: Melinda Leigh
Series: Rouge Justice Novella (Book 1)
Publication: Montlake Romance (October 31, 2017)

Description: When Detective Seth Harding responds to shots being fired, he faces a familiar sight: a double homicide. However, he is shocked to find a young boy chained in the basement. The terrified child refuses to speak, but Seth knows he is the key to something sinister.

Reluctantly, Seth calls the only social worker he trusts with the traumatized boy—his wife. Carly is recovering from her own trauma suffered on the job, but she can’t turn away from this case, not from another child in trouble. With torrential rain bearing down, threatening to isolate their little town in a killer flood, Seth and Carly know the best way to keep the boy safe from danger is to take him back to their farm.

But danger is as relentless as the storm. And it’s following them all the way home.

My Thoughts: This novella is packed with excitement. It begins with Seth called to the scene of a double homicide and finding a young boy chained in the basement. New police officer Bruce, Carly's younger brother, is the only one the child trusts. Carly is the social worker on duty for the county. Seth calls her to come take care of the boy. Carly is still dealing with the trauma of going to another client's home and finding a child killed. Now, she needs to take the boy to the hospital to be checked out. The boy is almost kidnapped from the hospital by a man dressed as a doctor.

While Seth is investigating, Carly takes the boy home with her. She arranges for him to see a child psychiatrist because he is visibly traumatized and not talking. The psychiatrist helps Carly when she has a panic attack and confirms that their treatment of the boy is correct. Seth's investigation leads to the identity of the child but there are still many questions about who kidnapped him and why.

Being a novella which will be followed by a second novella in a week, there were a number of threads hanging at the end of this story. I can't wait to read the second to find out how it all resolves.

Favorite Quote:

But as Seth watched the boy tremble in Bruce's arms, he knew that it wouldn't be all right. Two people who had been keeping the child prisoner in their basement had been shot in their bed execution-style, and the killer was missing.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

First Paragraph: India Black by Carol K. Carr

Every Tuesday Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea posts the first paragraph of a book she is reading or planning to read. She provides a linky for others to post theirs.

I am going to start taking part in this meme and plan to use books that I want to read from my TBR mountain for this meme.

India Black: A Madam of Espionage Mystery

Carol K. Carr

The day that Bowser kicked it was a bleak winter Sunday like any other in the year of our Lord, eighteen hundred and seventy-six. The fog had set in early that afternoon and a fine mist was falling, muffling the sound of the church bells around the city. The whores were all asleep in their beds upstairs, their customers having departed early to share the comforts of hearth and family, a joint of mutton, and the Book of Common Prayer. Or, if they were young blades, they had trundled off to their soft feather mattresses to sleep off a night of debauchery while I counted their sovereigns.

I purchased this book on March 8, 2011. I don't know why I haven't read it yet. I like historical mysteries.

Monday, October 23, 2017

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Oct. 23, 2017)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

I will be combining my YA and adult reading and purchases on this one weekly roundup. YA and middle grade reviews will still be posted on Ms. Martin Teaches Media - my other blog.

Other Than Reading...

This was an interesting week. My brother came down with the flu on Sunday night and laid around listlessly on Monday. I came down with it Tuesday afternoon and didn't really feel better until Friday afternoon. Not leaving the house did have a positive effect on what I finished reading this week. Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend it.

On this past rainy Saturday, my brother and I went car shopping for the first time in ten years. My 2007 Civic has only 70,000 miles and, if I thought I could get up my new driveway in the winter, I would keep it. My steep driveway makes it really unlikely. My FitBit tells me I have done a flight of stairs when I go to the mailbox and back. I intend to keep my new car at least ten years which is certainly possible based on Subaru's reputation for reliability and durability.

We were going to check out a couple of dealerships selling different brands of small SUVs before hitting my first choice - Subaru. But with the weather, we decided to start at Subaru instead. My first thought based on reviews was that I wanted a 2018 Crosstrek but the only one they had with the options I wanted was orange. I couldn't picture myself living with an orange car for ten years. I own nothing orange. I avoid orange.

The salesman suggested that perhaps a Forester would meet my needs and added as an incentive that there was a deal for 0% interest with no costs or fees for six years available for that model. When walking to get to the Forester, I passed a new Outback and asked my brother why I hadn't thought of that one. It also had the 60 month 0% interest deal. We already have a 2003 Outback that we both like. The 2003 is my brother's winter car.

I test drove both the Forester and the Outback. My main concern was for a comfortable ride and good visibility. Both have back-up cameras as standard features which is a nice change from my 2007 Civic in which I can't see either the front of the hood or the back of the trunk. Both have great visibility both in comparison to my Civic and to the Crosstrek. Both rode comfortably. I decided on the Outback though because of one small detail: the speedometer. On the Outback it was digital and easy to see without taking my eyes off the road. On the Forester it was analog and I had to look down, away from the road, to see it and figure out how fast I was going. That just seemed dangerous to me. Also, it was a couple thousand dollars less than the Forester.

So on Monday morning, I need to go to my insurance broker and get insurance for my new Outback. Monday afternoon, I'll pick it up and the salesman will confuse me about what every knob, button, and switch in the cockpit does. (He already showed me the engine to which I said "How nice! An engine." My car knowledge being largely limited to where the gas goes in, where the key goes in, and the dealer's phone number.) I'll try to remember to shoot a picture of my new Crimson Red 2018 Outback for next week.

On the blogs, I am reading from my adult TBR mountain and neglecting my YA blog next week. Nothing on the YA TBR mountain is calling to me (or even seems interesting). I did a lot of whining to myself as I looked over YA TBR Mountain saying: "I don't want to read that... No more fantasy... Why did I ever buy that?" and similar sorts of things. My next YA review book isn't released until Jan. 9 but I'm sure something YA will grab me before then.

Read Last Week

Review Books: