Doggie Detectives By: Papa Paws

 

This is a cute little book for story time with younger children. The doggy detectives are taking up the case on finding their toys that are mysteriously disappearing one by one. Through great illustrations and engaging storytelling, the book leads readers, and listeners to where the missing toys are and who is the culprit. I even smiled at the end of the book because the little Yorkie said what I had been thinking. This book would make a great addition to a home library of pre-readers that enjoy story time with a loved one. 5 out of 5 stars.

1000 Fun Facts for Immature Adults: Random Trivia and Weird Truths You Should Know Vol. 1 By: Bryan Spektor

 

This is a good book for fans of Uncle John’s Bathroom readers and useless trivia facts. There are different categories in this book and the author injects some of his humor in presenting these facts. Some of the facts I already knew while there were still plenty that I had not heard about before. I did like that the author included a reference page so readers could see where he got his information from. I am a little suspect that these are all facts as some of the articles he links to the authors of those pieces do not give information on where they came across the facts. 4 out of 5 stars.

Game of Survival (Voracious World Book 1) by Dune Chambers

 *I got a free advanced copy for an honest review.

When the Walking Dead television series there seemed to be an influx of zombie books to capitalize on its popularity. It has been a while since I read a zombie series because I wanted to leave the theme for a while to cleanse my palette so to speak. When I came across this novella that is a part of a series, I thought it might be a good time to jump back in with zombie stories. This Game of Survival has an interesting premise of a second wave of undead after the first initial phase. Kind of like an aftershock following an earthquake. It would be interesting to see how the survivors would react to having to go through the experience again. The problem with the book in my opinion is that I found it hard to believe that the main characters survived the first event. They are constantly making mistakes of getting into situations where you wonder how they survived at all. I look forward to the day when I read a series that keeps me engaged, unfortunately this series is not one to do it. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman

 

Here is a book that I did not know I had an emptiness for. Ever since reading Between Two Fires I have been looking for a medieval horror story to fill the void. This book has it all from historical fiction, to adventure, various haunting entities and more. Some parts of the book kept me reading well late into the night because I needed to see where it was going next. Other parts were so well written that I had a sense of dread as if I was right there in the story. At some points the book got a little long but it is easily overshadowed by all the other good things the book does right. There were scenes in the book that I feel could have been their own stand alone story and be fleshed out more and I so wish that I could find more like it that gave me all the feelings that this book did. 5 out of 5 stars.

Howls From the Wreckage: An Anthology of Disaster Horror

 

There was a decent number of stories in this anthology that felt more science fiction less than horror. I’m not saying that it is a bad thing but if you are looking for a pure horror anthology, I would look elsewhere. My two favorite stories were Don’t Play in the Closet by David Worn and Crickets by Solomon Forse. If you are a fan of survival science fiction, you might like this better than I did. I want to thank Netgalley for the ARC. 3 out of 5 stars.  

Contest by Matthew Reilly

 

Doctor Stephen Swain and his daughter, Holly, get transported to the New York Public Library by an unknown force to be a part of a contest that has a very simple premise for the night, be the last one alive of the seven contestants. If you are a fan of action movies or books I highly recommend this book. It is a fast-paced story with contestants that are unique and memorable. The battles that the contestants have keeps the reader engaged and the setting for the contest is one I just love. 4 out of 5 stars.

Tales from the Gas Station: Volume One by Jack Townsend

 

This book is one of the rare instances where I like first person point of view in books. Jack is a gas station worker who deals with some really weird stuff, think what you would see in a stand-alone episode of the X-Files. The absurd things that happen in this book is humorous yet mysterious enough to keep you reading to see what is going to happen next and what exactly is going on. The book feels like what would happen if Clerks had a crossover with the X-Files. I look forward to reading more of the series and see where the books take the reader next. 4.5 out of 5 stars.