Book: Dogland

 Book: Dogland

Author: Tommy Tomlinson

Pages: 256

This is my 194th read for the year

The author takes a deep dive into the land that is dog shows.  Ater watching the Westminster dog show on TV, he wondered what the lives of those dogs and their handlers were like.  Over the course of three years he meets and follows several owners, handlers and dogs and tries to form a picture of what dog shows are about and why people do them.  He does a deep dive into the start of dog lives over 15,000 years ago when wolves forms bonds with humans to what dogs have become today.  He talks to researchers who look at dog/human bonds as they try to find out if dogs truly love us, or we just think they do. 

This was a great book.  It is well written and well researched.  It even has some humor, along with some sadness (get your tissues ready, there is a section of this book where he recounts the loss of his own dog).  He talks to a lot of handlers but follows very closely the handler of a dog named Spiker who is among the best of the best in the dog world.  I learned a lot about different breeds of dogs, research, history, and the Dog Show world and I am glad I read this one.

Stars: 5

Book: After Annie

 Book: After Annie

Author: Anna Quindlen

Pages: 304

This is my 193rd read for the year

When Annie suddenly dies, she leaves behind a husband and 4 young children.  Her family is floundering and trying to figure out how to move on.  Bill, her husband, didn't realize how much he relied on Annie until she was gone.  The eldest, Ally, at 13 feels like she needs to step in and take over some of the adult chores of the house when her father goes into a deep depression at the loss of his wife.  His three sons at 11, 8, and 6 are all grieving in their own ways - the little one hardly understanding what has happened to his mother.  Annie's best friend Anne Marie steps in to try and help since Annie helped her at her lowest.  Over the course of the year this family goes from profound grief to pulling themselves up and trying to figure out how to move on.

This was a decent book.  It took me a little bit to get into - at first feeling like it was just a rambling story.  But then I started to realize that was kind of the purpose.  This is what would probably happen to most of us if we lost a mother or father/wife or husband.  I liked most of the characters - except Bill's mother.  I think the author wrote her especially awful.  It was a bit repetitive, but it did pull together in the end.

Stars: 4

Book: The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England

 Book: The frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Pages: 384

This is my 192nd read for the year

From Amazon:

A man awakes in a clearing in what appears to be medieval England with no memory of who he is, where he came from, or why he is there.  Chased by a group from his own time, his sole hope for survival lies in regaining his missing memories, making allies among the locals, and perhaps even trusting in their superstitious boats.  His only help from the "real world" should have been a guidebook entitled The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, except his copy exploded during transit.  The few fragments he managed to save provide clues to his situation, but can he figure them out in time to survive?

This was a decent book.  It took me a little while to get into it, but after awhile, I enjoyed the stoy. There are a ton of characters, so you need to pay attention.  It is a bit silly, and a fast read.  The blurbs from the handbook that were put in between the chapters were probably the best part.

Stars: 4

Book: Thinner

 Book: Thinner

Author: Stephen King

Pages: 432

This is my 191st read for the year

This is the story of Billy Halleck.  Billy is an attorney who has it all - nice house, nice family - until a tragedy changes everything.  When he kills a woman with his car, his connections gets him off with a slap on the wrist.  However a gypsy who was the father of the woman he hit curses Billy with just one word - Thinner.  Billy, a very overweight guy, doesn't know what to make of this until he starts to shed pounds without trying.  Soon there will be nothing left unless he can find the gypsy who cursed him.

This was a pretty good book.  It was a bit too long in my opinion - we know how wordy King can be.  But overall a solid read.  I have seen the movie but somehow missed reading the book.  Ends just like the movie did, which was satisfying to know only because I know somehow shows can take liberties with books and change how things go. 

Stars: 4

Book: Holidays on Ice

 Book: Holidays on Ice

Author: David Sedaris

Pages: 176

This is my 190th read for the year

This is  book of short stories revolving around the big holiays - Christmas, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving.  It starts with a diary from a Macy's store elf who has to work the holiday rush in various jobs around the Santa Village and ends with a secret santa exchange among barnyard animals.

This was a weird book.  I liked a few of the stories - probably about half.  Some of them were just okay.  I really liked the first two.  David Sedaris is a tricky writer for me - I love/dislike his stuff.  I think he is a good writer, but I don't always like the content.  I read this to fill two book challenges (this was on the Rory Gilmore list).  

Stars: 3

Book: Midnight Sun

 Book: Midnight Sun

Author: Stephanie Meyers

Pages: 832

This is my 189th read this year

What Amazon says:

When Edward Cullen and Bella Swan met in Twilight, an iconic love story was born.  But until now, fans have heard only Bella's side of the story.  At last, readers can experience Edward's version.  Told through Edward's eyes it takes the reader on a new and decidedly dark twist.  As we learn more fascinating details about Edward's past and the complexity of his inner thoughts, we understand why this is the defining struggle of his life.

This book is a tome.  And it was fine.  I read it for a challenge where I needed a vampire book.  I have read all the other ones, saw this at a Used books store for 99 cents and thought why not.  I listened to it which made it a little less painful.  It is way too drawn out.  There are pages and pages of dialogue that Meyer could have left out.  Hundreds of pages of inner monologue, or question and answer sessions between he and Bella that did not need to be written for us to get the point.  Twilight fans loved this thing, and like I said - it was fine.  I knew the story and hearing if from Edwards side was a unique take.  Just too long.

Stars: 3

Book: Vox

 Book: Vox

Author: Christina Dalcher

Pages: 352

This is my 188th read for the year

This is the story of Dr. Jean McClellan.  She and all the other women in the US have been limited to speaking 100 hours a day.  They wear bracelets that if they go over that number they get an electric shock.  They are not allowed to hold jobs, to read or write.  Dr. McClellan is then approached by the government to develop a serum for the president's brother who was in an accident.  She is freed from her bracelet for the time she is working.  And as she starts her work with her team, she discovers what is truly going on and begins to formulate a plan to fight back.

I wanted to like this book more than I did.  I liked the idea of it when I picked it up, but it isn't well written.  It reads more like Handmaid's Tale fan fiction than a stand alone novel.  The use of the word "Babe" was very overdone.  Too much foul language that just seemed off in the context of the story.  It felt so disjointed.  Didn't care for any of the characters.  

Stars: 2