Book Lizard's 2016 Idiomatic Category Challenge

Welcome! I decided to take a page from my 141414 challenge and have 8 categories with 2 subcategories each. In 2014, I was trying to push myself to try new authors. This year, I'm trying to read more books outside my comfort zone.

1. More of the Same - Familiar series and New-to-Me ones
2. The Best of Both Worlds - Nonfiction (real world) and Science Fiction (possible world)
3. Second Childhood - Not dotage, but an interest in childlike things: Children's (Juv.) or Teen (YA)
4. Heard It Through the Grapevine - Book Bullets and Advanced Reading Copies
5. On Second Thought - Rereads and unfinished books or ROOTs (Once I own them, I never give them a second thought)
6. On the Same Page - Book Clubs and Group/Shared Reads or CATs/KITs
7. Neither Fish nor Fowl - Books by familiar or New-to-Me authors that don't fit any other category
8. Dog-Eared - Books read for the BingoDOG challenge (I'll indicate which books I read just for the challenge)

No requirement on the number of books per category - at least 2, 0, 1, or 6.

1. More of the Same



a. Series

1. Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs *DOG
   

b. New-to-me Series

1. Rivers of London: Body Work by Ben Aaronovitch *DOG
   

2. The Best of Both Worlds



a. NF

b. SF

1. The Force Awakens
   

3. Second Childhood



a. Juv.

1. Esio Trot by Roald Dahl *DOG
   

b. Young Adult

1. More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera *DOG
   

4. Heard It Through the Grapevine



a. Book Bullets

1. Saga by Brian Vaughan - BB from LauraBrook
   
2. Saga, Volume 2 by Brian Vaughan
   
3. Be Frank With Me by Julia Clairborne Johnson
   

b. ARCs

1. Staked by Kevin Hearne * DOG
   
2. Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
   
3. Eligible: A Modern Retelling of Pride and Prejudice by Curtis Sittenfeld
   
   

TBR:

5. On Second Thought



a. Rereads or Unfinished

1. The Force Awakens by Alan Dean Foster
   

b. ROOTs

6. On the Same Page



a. Book Clubs or Shared Reads

b. CATs or KITs

7. Neither Fish nor Fowl



a. Familiar Authors

b. New-to-Me Authors

8. Dog-Eared

1. More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera
   
2. Saga Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan
   
3. The Summer Nick Taught His Cats to Read by Curtis Manley
   
4. Eligible: A Modern Retelling of Pride and Prejudice by Curtis Sittenfeld
   
5. 
   
   
6. The Rogue Not Taken by Sarah Maclean
   
7. Bookshop on the Corner
   
8. Rivers of London: Body Work by Ben Aaronovitch
   
9. 
   
10. 
    
    
11. Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs
    
12. 
    
13. 
    
14. Esio Trot by Roald Dahl
    
15. 
    
    
16. Staked by Kevin Hearne
    
17. 
    
18. 
    
19. 
    
20. 
    
    
21. 
    
22. The Force Awakens
    
23. 
    
24. 
    
25. 
    
    

My answers for the year-end meme:

Describe yourself: Ink and Bone
Describe how you feel: The Girl in the Spider's Web
Describe where you currently live: Boston Strong
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: A Court of Thorns and Roses
Your favorite form of transportation: Black Ships
Your best friend is: Fairest
You and your friends are: Chosen
What’s the weather like: Winter
You fear: The Shadows
What is the best advice you have to give: Smile
Thought for the day: F*ck Feelings
How I would like to die: Furiously Happy
My soul’s present condition: Veiled

Nice setup! I like the "On second thought" category, that's an idea worth copying some time.

I like the dual categories set-up and love the meme answers.

>10 BookLizard: I do enjoy reading those year-end memes! Love your answer for how you'd like to die.

Great setup! Enjoy your reading year.

Good luck on reading outside your comfort zone. I hope you find new genres/authors that you will like. Happy 2016!

Nice set up BL. Your meme is awesome! Kind of like you.

Love the "neither fish nor fowl" category

11> Thanks. There are a few series that I've started before but couldn't get into, but every time a new book comes out in that series, it looks good and I want to read it. I also borrow so many library books. I read them first since they have a due date and never get around to reading the books that I actually bought.

12>Thank you. I had some good book titles to choose from for my meme this year.

13> Reminds me of an old joke: I'd like to die in my sleep like my Grandfather, not screaming in terror like the passengers in his car.

14>You too!

15> Thanks. I really need to get some good Book Bullets this year. I only got a handful last year.

I've been hearing a few ricochets so it should not be a problem.

Welcome back! Great meme answers!

16> Thanks. My meme is awesome & kind of like me? LOL And thanks for reminding me about the meme. I really got lucky with my titles this year - a couple of years ago, the best I could come up with for "you and your friends" was Warm Bodies.

17> I was happy to find that idiom - originally I was just going to go with "Everything but the Kitchen Sink" (which I think I've used in the past).

19> I've gotten 2 already! Downloaded and started reading Saga, Volume 1. Also requested Fashion Victims: The Dangers of Dress Past and Present from the library.

20>Thanks! I have your thread starred but I keep seeing the number of posts (now at 148) and getting intimidated. Long weekend coming up! Time to catch up on some reading . . . of threads.

Great to see you here - looking forward to following along this year too!

What I meant is that your meme was awesome and you are awesome. Lol! Of course the meme is like you. Forgive my sleep deprived comments. :D

23> I was being self-deprecating. You're the awesome one. I don't know how you do everything you do and still find time to read.

22>Thanks! I've got your thread starred too.

Saga Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan ****



So glad I finally listened to everyone who liked this series. Star Wars put me in the right state of mind to read a "Space Opera."

>25 BookLizard: Glad you enjoyed it.

Yeah, another fan of Saga!

>25 BookLizard:
Yey! Always happy to see Saga-love.

>25 BookLizard: Woo hoooooo!!! I'm so happy that you took the BB hit and read Saga! AND enjoyed it too!!!!! See? This kool-aid tastes great, doesn't it?!? ;)

Nice to see I'm in good company. Downloaded books 2 & 3, but haven't had a chance to read them yet. And I do want to pace myself.

29> This kool-aid tastes great, doesn't it? * glug, glug, glug*

I'm another one that is glad to see you drank the kool aid that is Saga. I am really loving this series.

Staked by Kevin Hearne ***1/2



I was disappointed in this book. I imagine it would be even worse if I hadn't read the novella in Three Slices. Part of the problem was that the narrative kept switching between 3 characters - Atticus, Granuaile, and Owen. I guess that was important to the plot, but it was also disruptive. Parts of the book felt like a setup for the next book in the series, but other issues were resolved. It's worth reading, but I just didn't love it. It lacked the humor of some of the earlier books, which probably didn't help.

Movie Title Typos: Making Movies Better by Subtracting One Letter by Austin Light ***1/2



Cute. Some worked better than others. My favorite was "Cat Away" (instead of Cast Away). The cat gets locked out while the humans are away on vacation and he goes half-feral - grows a long shaggy beard and has a ball of yarn with a cat face drawn on it. There's a table of contents at the front that lists the different movie spoofs. There's also a list with the real names in case you don't know them, but half the fun was trying to figure out the real movie and guess what sort of picture the author would pair with it. I had trouble getting the e-book to display on my devices - I think I ended up using the Overdrive App on my Android device, but it could have been my Kindle Fire. In any case, the book is a quick read, but doesn't stand up to a second reading.

Has anyone read Being Mortal? My cat is really sick - possibly dying. My friend said I should read this book - that it would help - but she's not always the most reliable judge of things like that. Would it help me decide how far I should go to treat her and when it's time to let go? Thanks.

>34 BookLizard: YES! I gave it to my friend whose cat was dying. She said it really helped put perspective. I know it's about people but for us who love our animals as family members, it will help.

ETA: Corrected autocorrect of cat to car.

I would also suggest Going Home: Finding Peace When Pets Die by John Katz. I haven't had to deal with it yet, but I found it very well written and it is about deciding what to do and how to decide when to let your pet go. So sorry you're going through this.

>34 BookLizard:
I don't have any input on the book, but I wanted to send a virtual hug to you and to your cat.

>34 BookLizard: >37 -Eva-: Sending more virtual hugs.

>34 BookLizard: Checking in on you to see how things are going?

Thanks for the help and support. We have an appointment with the neurologist at 2 in the afternoon. We were in the ER a few weeks ago because she was stumbling. They couldn't find anything wrong with her and think she might have had a mini-stroke. I guess cats can recover from them better than humans can - must be the 9 lives :-)

I'm hoping this doctor will have some answers. If I knew what we were dealing with, it might be easier to make some tough decisions.

Sending hugs for you and your fur baby too. Am dealing with some newly diagnosed things with my girl kitty, and her brother had some surgery in October. I'll get both of those books mentioned above for myself, in preparation of the worst.

It's wonderful having a pet, and even though you know your time together will eventually end, it most certainly does not make it any easier.

Will be thinking of you both!

>34 BookLizard: and >40 BookLizard: That's rough. I am wishing you and your cat the best. I have read Being Mortal and it's excellent. Parts of it could be applicable to pets too.

Well, the news isn't good. The neurologist found something wrong on her spine that's making her weak on one side. It could be a lesion. It could be cancer. The only way to find out would be to spend $4,000 on all sorts of testing - then the options would be surgery or chemotherapy. She's 17 years old, so I know I'm not going to put her through either of those. The plan is to try her on a course of steroids to see if they help, then just keep her comfortable until it's "time."

Thanks for all the support. I started Being Mortal and so far it's just depressing, but maybe it will get better.

Thanks again.

>43 BookLizard:
Oh no. I said goodbye to my little guy this winter, so I'm feeling for you. But our friends' comfort has to come first. Sending virtual hugs!

>43 BookLizard: That's unsettling news. I agree that it's the best option to do what we can to make our pets the most comfortable without putting them through a lot when we know it's a risk that may not pay off. That's pretty much the thinking Atul Gawande advocates in his book. So maybe you don't have to worry about slogging through it if you're finding it too depressing.

>43 BookLizard: I'm so sorry about your cat BL. I agree 100% with >45 Tara1Reads:. Put the book aside for now. Sounds like you are doing everything your cat needs.

Sounds like you've made the absolutely right choice. Enjoy this time with her.

I'm sorry you've had to make such a hard decision. I would really like to suggest the Jon Katz book I mentioned earlier since it talks about not only how to decide about what and when to make certain choices but also how to deal with guilt and grief.

>43 BookLizard: So sorry to hear about your cat. I had the same experience a year ago so I understand completely. Enjoy your time together.

Thanks everyone.

44> Eva, sorry for your loss.

45 & 46> I returned Being Mortal. There's a long list of people at the library who will enjoy it more than I would.

47> Trying to just be with her without worrying about every little thing.

48> I'll keep it in mind. Lately, I haven't been able to read much of anything.

49> It's never easy, it? I'm getting in some computer time while she's asleep.

We started the steroids last night. She seems a little more active than she has been, but that could just be because I was home with her all day instead of at work. She's eating a little better, with encouragement.

I was able to read Rivers of London: Body Work on my tablet. I liked it well enough.

>43 BookLizard: I'm so sorry. It's awful all around.

>44 -Eva-: Eva, I'm so sorry for your loss.

It was a frigid long weekend here in Boston. Got down to 9 below Saturday into Sunday. That might not be so cold for any of you Canadians, but it's the coldest we've been in almost 60 years - so the coldest I've ever been, ever in my life. Got in some reading and some cuddling time with my little girl cat Briana. I have an old picture of her on my profile page - she was grumpy before grumpy was "in." I've been trying to get a new picture of her to share, but the only ones that look good are the ones where she is sleeping. She's gotten a bit "walleyed" - like the opposite of cross-eyed. The prednisone seems to be helping, but when it wears off, it seems like she's in worse shape. Don't know what I'm going to do except keep at it and pray for the best.

Books I read:

The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher - loved it. Read a lot like a YA novel, maybe because the other main characters were teens. The main threads follow Captain Grimm (the aeronaut), Gwen, and Bridget (both royal guard trainees who have to grow up too fast).



Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn (ARC) - loved it. If you like historical romance with humor, I highly recommend her Bridgerton series.



Saga, Volume 2 - another good one. Might have to borrow and read Volume 3 tonight - so glad it's on Hoopla.



More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera - SUCH a disappointment. It's a YA LGBTQ speculative fiction book that got great reviews. It starts out great - about a teen living in a project in the Bronx with his mother and brother. The speculative fiction part is that a company has created this "procedure" to help people remove traumatic memories. The first half or so is realistic, then there's this BIG REVELATION, then the aftermath of the revelation, and then it just goes on and on and on. And on. If you've been meaning to read it, go ahead and try it. Despite being disappointing, it is, more good than not.

So sorry to hear about Brianna! Here's hoping for some more good cuddle time with her. Poor girl.

>52 BookLizard: Cuddling with a cat sounds like an excellent way to spend a frigid weekend. Minus 22 Celsius is pretty darn cold!

Give Briana an extra cuddle for me. You're both in my thoughts.

53 & 54> Thanks. She's camped out in her heated condo now, but I did get a picture of her earlier.

>55 BookLizard: - What a sweet face she has!

>55 BookLizard: Briana is so pretty! I love all cats but light gray ones are especially gorgeous. I am sending good thoughts to you and Briana.

>55 BookLizard: Awww!

>55 BookLizard: Awwww! Beautiful!!

Thanks, everyone.

57> She's a torbie - dilute tortoiseshell on top (gray with orange highlights) and a light brown/gray tabby on the bottom. She also has some white including a locket and on her tummy, but no white paws. (I'm a sucker for white paws.)

>55 BookLizard: Briana is adorable!

61> Thanks!

So far we've been having a good day. *knocks on wood* It was warm enough to crack open the windows, so she spent some time on her cat tree enjoying the fresh air. Checked in with her vet on Friday and we're keeping her prednisone dose the same for now, and I've been giving her a pain medication when she looks uncomfortable. She's getting an appetite stimulant in the morning which she hates, but it works, and I discovered a new treat for her - duck heart! Gross, huh? The folks at my local pet store gave me some to try and she loves it. It's freeze-dried, so less gross than it could be, and I just try not to think about it when I feed her.

Forgot to add a couple of books. They work for my BingoDOG and I'm also listing them in their categories.

Eligible: A Modern Retelling of Pride and Prejudice by Curtis Sittenfeld. ***1/2



This book started off promising with some clever takes on the original story. Most of the characters were well represented and the changes the author made worked well for this story line. It certainly had its funny moments, but it all kind of fell apart at the end. I don't read much chick lit, so maybe other people will be more forgiving than me. I don't feel like it was a waste of time reading it, I'm just disappointed in the ending.

Esio Trot by Roald Dahl. ***1/2



I have Eva to thank for this short BB I took for the "Read a book by an author born in 1916" BingoDOG square. I liked that it was short, but I didn't love the story. That's just me though.

>63 BookLizard:
I thought it was quite charming, but it's far from my favorite Dahl. I do want to see the film.

64> I didn't know there was a movie, but I think I'll take a pass on it.

My little girl has been having her ups and downs. I worry about her. I said I was just going to make her comfortable, but it's hard to stick to that decision. Every time something goes wrong, I want to rush her to the vet or ER. But then I have to factor in the stress the vet visit would put on her and decide if it's worth it. Her breathing has been rapid for some time, but the vet said she's still getting enough oxygen. I just keep telling myself, as long as she's somewhere between panting and not breathing, I just won't worry about it. Hasn't been working so far - I still worry.

>65 BookLizard: I would be frantic with worry if I were in your shoes too. Just hang in there and trust yourself to make the right decisions.

Glad to hear Brianna is doing well. She's been on my mind. She's lucky to have someone to pay such close attention to what she needs. When my husband's beloved cat was very old, she would only eat this terrible smelling canned food from Thailand. I think that the contents were just what they hosed off of the fish processing plant's floor at the end of the shift. Lots of scales and tentacles. I kept expecting to see an eyeball or two, but fortunately that didn't happen. I'm glad she likes the duck hearts!

I read a book!

March 26 and I've only read one book? This is terrible. I need to get my act together, especially since I have 4 library books I've been waiting for on my Kindle.

On the cat front, Briana is hanging in there. It's been a roller coaster ride, but I finally figured out that her appetite stimulant was causing a lot of her problems. She was getting overstimulated - she couldn't sleep and it was making her miserable (you know how much cats like to nap). She'd just crouch in her bed with her chin hanging over the edge with a vacant look in her eye. It was disturbing - I was afraid she was nearing the end. But now that I've figured out the problem, I've cut the dose way back and it seems to help.

We saw the vet this week and she's gained a little weight, her blood work came back normal/stable, and she doesn't have any fluid build-up (which I was worried about with the rapid breathing and her weird crouching). We're keeping our fingers crossed that she'll hang in there for a while longer.

Now for the book:

The Rogue Not Taken by Sarah MacLean ****



I really like this author and the story had me LOL on several occasions. I always love humorous books. If any of you are closet historical romance readers, I highly recommend this author.

Good news on Briana. I'm glad you figured out the medication was making things worse. Sending you both my best.

>68 BookLizard:
Poor Briana - hope she gets to have some proper naps now. Sending all my best thoughts!

Good to see that Briana is improving and great job on figuring out the medication problem! That is hard to do when Briana is unable to tell you what is wrong.

Glad you were able to figure out the medication problem. Thinking of you both.

Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs ***1/2



I was a little disappointed by this installment of the series. I can't say it was filler, but it wasn't up to the usual standards. The start had action, the end had action, but the middle was politics with lots of explanations. It didn't drag, but it wasn't all that enjoyable in the middle.

Hmmm . . . I haven't written anything since April. Not good. I've done some reading - not as much as usual. Spent Saturday & Sunday mostly in bed, reading and snoozing. Finished Heir to the Jedi by Kevin Hearne. I've been on a Star Wars kick this year and it was Kevin Hearne, author of the Iron Druid Chronicles, so how bad could it be, right? Meh. I enjoyed it overall, but some of the expressions or slang pulled me out of the story. (He totaled a speeder? Really? What type of insurance does he have?) Some other things just didn't click with the movies either. It's supposed to take place between A New Hope & The Empire Strikes Back. He's experimenting with the Force and gets this important insight which he apparently forgets by the time he starts his real training with Yoda. Meh.

Heir to the Jedi by Kevin Hearne ***1/2






Also read:

Outtakes from the Grave by Jeaniene Frost ****



This is a collection of cut scenes, etc. from The Night Huntress series. If you like Urban Fantasy, you should read this series. Cat is something unheard of in her world - a half-vampire. In her spare time, she hunts vampires, staking (no pun intended) out bars where they hunt for easy prey. She's pretty successful at what she does until she runs into Bones, a sexy Master Vampire with an English accent. I really need to read the series again now that all 7 books have been published. Frost has done some spin-off novels that are good - Cat & Bones make an appearance in most, if not all, of them.

Finally reading Feverborn by Karen Marie Moning. The book has a list of people, places, and things in the back which was a great refresher for me.

My little girl cat is hanging in there. She made 18 in May. We've been having our ups and downs. We've sort of reached an agreement that I'm not going to take her to the ER as long as she's still interacting with me. More stress on me worrying about her, but less stress on her since she hates the vets.

Hope all is well with you.

Glad to hear from you and sending hugs to your girl cat.

Aw, hugs for your little cat.

Thinking of you BL.

Thanks, rabbitprincess and Eva.

Good to hear from you, Roberta.

My laptop crashed and burned. Bought a new computer, but still getting used to it. Can only think of 2 books I finished:

Feverborn by Karen Marie Moning



Took me forever to read - probably mostly my fault. Cliffhanger ending.

The Phantom Bully by Jeffrey Brown



Another fun installment in this series.

Good to hear from you. So sorry about your computer woes. I hope life is treating you kindly. Miss you around here.

On staycation and returning to my natural, nocturnal state. Up until dawn reading. Didn't sleep at all last night, trying to finish Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah Maas. My Kindle loan had expired so I wanted to make sure I finished it before it could disappear.

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah Maas *****



Second book in the Court of Thorns and Roses series. The first book had a Beauty & the Beast sort of theme to it. This book blew it away. I knew if I accidentally closed it on the Kindle and lost it, I would have bought it just to finish. YA book but for older teens - healthy amount of sex and more detail than usual in a YA work, but not gratuitous. Next book doesn't come out until May 2017.

Be Frank with Me: A Novel by Julia Clairborne Johnson ****1/2



Fictional story that reads more like truth. Alice relates the story of her experience with reclusive author Mimi and her eccentric 9 year old son Frank. Mimi is famous for writing one phenomenal work years ago that has become a staple in high school classrooms (think To Kill a Mockingbird). Now that she has fallen on hard times, she contacts her old editor - one of the few people she trusts- to see about writing another book. He sends Alice to be Mimi's "assistant" to keep her writing on schedule, but instead of proofing Mimi's work, Alice ends up trying to entertain Mimi's son Frank - an incredibly smart depository of facts, an old film buff, and a socially inept mystery. Funny, charming, touching. A friend recommended it to me, so I'm passing it on to you.

Dirt on the Ninth Grave by Darynda Jones ****



12th book in the Charley Davidson series. Just kidding - it's the ninth book. LOL. I have a strange relationship with this series, which I've probably mentioned before. Whenever a new book is coming out, I jump on the waitlist, but when I actually get it, I put off reading it in favor of something else. Then when I do read it, I enjoy it. The stories are funny - mostly because of the quotes that start each chapter. My favorite in this book - "Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance . . . The five stages of waking up. - bumper sticker." That is SO me when the alarm goes off in the morning. Charley reminds me of Stephanie Plum - more lucky than savvy - but she happens to be a grim reaper, but a good, funny one. If you're looking for a light-hearted urban fantasy - this series is it.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, et al. ****



I actually read this in print instead of on the Kindle. CANNOT believe I would ever be saying that, but I'm old and my eyesight isn't what it used to be. This was easy to read, however - probably because it's a screenplay and not a novel - plenty of white space. That made it a quick read. Was good, but not great. Nothing really new and exciting. I need to reread the ending because I feel like there was a loose thread left dangling, but maybe I just overlooked it in my rush to find out what happens.

If you are old what does that make me? Ancient I fear. I have my print copy of Cursed Child waiting for September. The Dirt on the Ninth Grave series is noted.

81> Well, you have chronic health conditions too, don't you? You know how those can steal your youth. I can't completely blame my age for the poor eyesight - at least one of my medications causes blurry vision. :-(

Curse of the Tenth Grave by Darynda Jones ****



More happens in this volume than in the previous one. Charley actually has a case to solve. Did I mention she's a PI? A lot of the "chapter quotes" in this volume were about coffee (which I don't drink) or they were more truisms than actually funny. My fave was probably a funny truism: " My family's coat of arms is a wraparound and ties in the back. Is that normal? - mostly true fact."

I've read stuff but haven't been posting about anything.

Read Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and the sequels Hollow City and Library of Souls. Liked the series, but didn't love it. I read the ebook versions so I didn't get the full effects of the pictures. They were included but small on the Kindle and I had to enlarge them and look at them kind of piecemeal with the magnifier.



Also been reading more of the Elemental Assassin series by Jennifer Estep: Widow's Web, Deadly Sting, Kiss of Venom, and currently reading Heart of Venom. On book 9 of 16, so I have more books to hopefully enjoy.



Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine - sequel to Ink and Bone. Was slow starting, mostly because I couldn't quite remember who all of the characters were since it's been ages, it seems, since I read the first one. The premise of the series is pretty cool - the Library at Alexandria never fell, but now it's become this all-powerful entity that controls everyone's access to books and knowledge.



Read a few other books, but those are the biggies. Have The Red Queen borrowed on Kindle - I've been wanting to read this for a while. Also borrowed a couple of historical romance novels by Johanna Lindsey - comfort reads.

Not much else going on. Little girl still hanging in there. Still having our ups and downs. She was very cuddly this weekend. Here's a picture of her from last month on one of her "good days." You can see the position of her paws is kind of weird - she's weaker on her left side and has to compensate for it.

I just read Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children for the Oct Random Cat and I kind of felt the same. Not sure I even liked it enough to finish the series.

Your kitty is cute. It's so hard when they start to weaken. My dog has problems with her back hips and I've seen a similar posture with her. And she lists a little to one side too.

Sending cuddles to your kitty.

On the reading front, glad to hear you have a nice long series to indulge in!

Sending you my best for your beautiful girl. I know you are enjoying every moment with her.

Hugs to you and your beautiful little kitty.

85> I thought the series would get better once he was immersed in the peculiar world, but ... not so much. I think the problem for me was that I felt like the author was writing down to his readers.

Best wishes to you and your dog. It is hard caring for a senior. I figured out my cat is 89 in cat years.

86> Thanks. Waiting for new books in a series can be SOOOOO frustrating. I like when I can read 2-3 books back to back. It's nice to get drawn into another world and spend some time there.

87> Thanks. I have to laugh - I do try to enjoy the time I have with her, even when she's being annoying or gross. I give her Miralax for her constipation and it sometimes gives her gas . . . like when I'm lying down reading in bed and she farts in my face! (At least she's small so the odor doesn't linger - LOL) She's also being weird and annoying about her water bowls (plural). She liked her fountain, but liked it better when Momma poured water in to refill it. She started trying to drink from the stream I was pouring so I bought her a new fountain with streaming water and she won't use either now. Caught her drinking from my water glass on the nightstand - won't drink from a glass on the floor though. She's a challenge but also amusing.

88> Thank you. She was never one for hugs, but she's mellowed with age.

>84 BookLizard:
I read the first one, but I didn't love it either. The pictures are fantastic, but I felt the author squeezed a story to fit the pictures rather than let the story be the main part. I'll probably just look through parts 2 and 3 at the library to see the pictures.

Your little girl is lovely. ♥

90> Thanks. Lovely is not a word usually used to describe her. My brother calls her ratly because she's small, gray, and tends to skulk around.

On the reading front:

The Spider by Jennifer Estep ***



Such a disappointment. The only reason I finished it was in case there was something important to the rest of the series. This book is a flashback to how Gin became the Spider. She's allegedly telling this to her current boyfriend. The "mystery" couldn't be any more obvious - it's hard to believe she didn't suspect the truth. I'm glad I'm not caught up on the series because if I had to wait a year to read the next book, I'd be so annoyed.

Taking the morning to play catch-up on all the threads in the group.

>84 BookLizard: - What a sweet picture of your little kitty!

Hoping all is well with you.

On Saturday, 1/7/17, our vet helped Briana make her journey to the Rainbow Bridge.



Rest in Peace, my sweet girl.

>94 christina_reads: How sad! Hope you are doing OK.

>93 BookLizard: So sorry for your loss.

Oh no! I'm so sorry. Sending hugs.

Oh, I'm so so sorry. Your sweet girl is probably romping around up there, feeling good, though I know it's a massive loss you're feeling. What a beauty she is.

Lots of hugs, and please, take care of yourself and take all the time you need to grieve. OXO

So sorry to hear. So very difficult when our little ones leave us. ♥

Thank you, everyone.

I just realized it's been exactly one month since her passing. Took me all day to realize it, so I guess that's progress, right? On Saturday, I knew it had been 4 weeks, but the actual date didn't register with me. (Although I'd rather be sad on the 7th of every month instead of every Saturday!)

Next week, on Valentine's Day, I get to take my 2 boys for their annual exams and rabies shots. I was going to say, "It will be my first time back to the animal hospital," but then I remembered - I went there to pick up her ashes. But it will be the first time seeing our vet, so I'm sure I'll be a little emotional. Hopefully things will get easier after that.

Thanks again for your kind words and support. I'm working through my grief. I still miss her, but I know she's better off not suffering.

>93 BookLizard: - what a beauty. I'm so sorry for your loss.

Hi BL. Just checking in on you.

I'm reading Shadowed Souls with the story Cold Case by Jim Butcher. Of course I always think of you whenever Harry comes up.

Take care my friend. Miss you.