Dog Days of Summer Reading Challenge-My Magical Mutt Tag

La La in the Library created two dog tags for our Dog Days of Summer Reading Challenge fun.  One was the I, Dog Bot Tag and the other was The Magical Mutt Tag.  I decided to do the Magical Mutt Tag since I read more Fantasy than Sci-Fi.  Check out her Magical Mutt Tag answers HERE!

If you do either tag in August and enter your link HERE , you will be entered for a $12 international e-gift card for Amazon or Better World Books courtesy of La La in the Libray.

1. Who is your favorite magical or Fantasy genre dog? It can be from a movie, television show, or book. Why?

Obivously, Padfoot from Harry Potter but since I have seen that answer around I am going to choose Ghost from Game of Thrones.  He is a dire wolf. He is Jon Snow’s dire wolf so that answers the why haha!

2. Would you rather have a canine familiar, or be able to shape-shift into a dog? Why?

Shape shifting.  As a dog it would be so cool to have their amazing hearing and smelling and the ability to run so fast.  My only concern is where would my clothes go???

3. If you had a dog familiar, daemon, or were an animagus and changed into dog form, what combination of breeds would it be? It has to be a mix because the tag says magical mutt, ha ha! Why would you choose them?

There are so many great breeds to chose from.  I would choose a pit bull because of their strength and the misconception that they are mean.  I would prove everyone wrong.  And a husky because of their intelligence and beauty, especially their eyes.

4. What would your familiar’s, daemon’s, or your dog form’s name be?

Luna.  I have always wanted a pet named Luna after Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter.  She is one of my  favorite characters because she is true to herself and doesn’t care what other think about her.

5. If you had a magical dog what three powers would be important for them to have? For example: speech, invisibility, finding lost objects, levitation, changing into another animal. Why?

The ability to change size so that I could make my dog really, really small and put in my purse and travel undetected or make my dog really big so I could ride him like a horse and have fun outdoors. Another would be to live the same amount of time as humans.  I wouldn’t want my dog to be immortal because they would get left behind when I died and would be sad but if they could live at least 50 years or more instead of only 10-15 that would be awesome! Telepathy would be great too so we could chat while I am at work but I am afraid most of what I would hear would be “squirrel”, “rabbit”, “treat”!

6. If your magical dog could talk what accent would it have, if any?

Irish or Scottish.  I just love listening to those accents.

7. If your fantasy dog had one odd magical habit (ex: making the water disappear from the tub at bathtime), or wore some strange talisman on its collar (ex: a vial of wolf blood to help them run faster), what would it be?

An invisibility collar. I would put it on when we went shopping or to my parents house lol!

8. If you were going to write a Fantasy story with a canine main character what would the premise be and what title would you have in mind?

The premise would definitely be some kind of rescue mission of shelter dogs waiting to be put down.  The canine main character, Roscoe, would break in and set all the animals free.  He would lead them to homes where they could be adopted.  The title would be Roscoe to the Rescue.

Don’t forget about my Giveaway!

Click HERE to enter.

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Can’t Wait Wednesday

Can’t Wait Wednesday, is hosted by Wishful Endings  to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. 

From the show’s creators comes the groundbreaking novel inspired by the Broadway smash hit Dear Evan Hansen.

Dear Evan Hansen,

Today’s going to be an amazing day and here’s why…

When a letter that was never meant to be seen by anyone draws high school senior Evan Hansen into a family’s grief over the loss of their son, he is given the chance of a lifetime: to belong. He just has to stick to a lie he never meant to tell, that the notoriously troubled Connor Murphy was his secret best friend.

Suddenly, Evan isn’t invisible anymore–even to the girl of his dreams. And Connor Murphy’s parents, with their beautiful home on the other side of town, have taken him in like he was their own, desperate to know more about their enigmatic son from his closest friend. As Evan gets pulled deeper into their swirl of anger, regret, and confusion, he knows that what he’s doing can’t be right, but if he’s helping people, how wrong can it be?

No longer tangled in his once-incapacitating anxiety, this new Evan has a purpose. And a website. He’s confident. He’s a viral phenomenon. Every day is amazing. Until everything is in danger of unraveling and he comes face to face with his greatest obstacle: himself.

A simple lie leads to complicated truths in this big-hearted coming-of-age story of grief, authenticity and the struggle to belong in an age of instant connectivity and profound isolation.

This  book publishes October 9, 2018

Tell Me (Top Ten Tuesday)

Tell Me Tuesday is a weekly blog feature put on by La La in the Library.  It is where we discuss what we have been, currently are, and will be reading.  What are you reading? Tell me.

WHAT I READ LAST

Check out my review of these books HERE!

CURRENTLY READING

WHAT I AM READING NEXT

 

I am co-hosting the 2nd annual Dog Days of Summer Reading challenge with La La in the Library during August.  Check out the details to join us HERE!  Basically you read as many books about dogs as you want in August. Here is the next dog book I am going to read.

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

THIS WEEK’S TOP TEN TUESDAY TOPIC IS…

Back to School/Learning Freebie so I chose

 Books that take place at school/boarding school/university.

 

It’s Monday! What are YOU Reading?

IT’S MONDAY! WHAT ARE YOU READING? IS A PLACE TO MEET UP AND SHARE WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN, ARE, AND ABOUT TO BE READING OVER THE WEEK. IT IS HOSTED BY KATHRYN AT THE BOOK DATE.

WHAT I READ LAST

Check out my review of these books HERE!

CURRENTLY READING

WHAT I AM READING NEXT

 

I am co-hosting the 2nd annual Dog Days of Summer Reading challenge with La La in the Library during August.  Check out the details to join us HERE!  Basically you read as many books about dogs as you want in August. Here is the next dog book I am going to read.

Weekend Wrap Up #53

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @The Caffeinated Book Reviewer It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. Here is what I have been up to this last week.

Click HERE for my latest Dog Days of Summer Reading Challenge Post. I did a buddy read with my co-host La La in the Library We read a great middle grade book, Missing Mike. Check out her review HERE!

IF YOU HAVEN’T JOINED US YET IN THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER READING CHALLENGE, IT IS NOT TOO LATE! ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS A READ A BOOK ABOUT DOGS OR WITH A DOG IN IT.

AND FOR EVERY BOOK WE READ, I WILL DONATE $1 TO THE RESCUE I VOLUNTEER AT. (UP TO $100)

DOG BOOK GIVEAWAY!!!!

Click below on the link (not the photo)  to win these amazing dog books! Giveaway ends September 2nd.

Click HERE to enter the Giveaway!

CURRENTLY READING

Saturday Situation is put on by Pure Imagination. It is were we review our latest reads. Be sure to check out theirs as well.

I grew up reading Dave Barry’s newspaper columns and always found him funny. So I knew his book about his beloved dog Lucy was going to be good.  He talks about how  later in life, Lucy has taught him how to be a better person.  For example, he talks about how Lucy loves and befriends everyone and doesn’t hold a grudge.  Barry realizes that as he has aged, he isn’t that way and strives to finish out his years striving to be more like Lucy.  I highly recommend this light-hearted read.  I promise, it has a happy ending.

This was a great heart warming story about a little boy, Owen, who has many physical disabilities and his three legged dog and how they relied on each other to live their lives to the fullest.  The story of how Haatchi lost his leg is sad but the story of all the many people who fought for him to survive and find a family is very happy.  The only thing I didn’t like about the story is that it focused a bit too much on Owen’s parents divorce and troubles.  But overall another happy story.  You can even follow Haatchi and Little B on Facebook HERE.

I picked this book because the author adopted a senior dog from the shelter and had to deal with the pain, guilt, and questions that come with having a senior dog and knowing when the right time to say goodbye is.  Since I had just recently gone through the same thing,  it was reassuring to read how the author dealt with it and had the same doubts and sadness I did but also joy in knowing you gave a dog the best last years of their lives.  Warning!!!This book will make you cry!

Stacking the Shelves is put on by Tynga at Tynga’s Reviews. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves. Here are the books I have added to my TBR list this week.

I finally got this from my local library.  I was on the hold list.  I will be buddy reading this with Greg @GregsBookHaven, La La in the Library, and Annemieke  @ADanceWithBooks.

The Book Blogger Hop is put on by The Coffee Addicted Writer . There is a weekly prompt featuring a book related question.

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION IS SUBMITTED BY Elizabeth @ Silver’s Reviews.

This weeks prompt is…

Where do you post your reviews besides your blog? Please list them all so perhaps we can find some new sites.

My answer…

I post on Goodreads.  You can see my reviews at the link HERE.

Dog Days of Summer Reading Challenge-Post #5

La La in the Library and I buddy read this book for our Dog Days of Summer Reading Challenge. We each thought up some questions to answer about the book. Be sure to check out her review and answers HERE.

Book Blurb

Mike is eleven-year-old Caera Donovan’s dog, and they love each other absolutely. Usually her pet follows Caera everywhere, but on the day the family first smells smoke in the air, Mike becomes anxious. Pine Grove is in the path of a wildfire, and the family is ordered to evacuate. In the ensuing chaos, Mike runs off. And then the unthinkable happens; there is no time to search for Mike. They are forced to leave him behind.

My Review

This was the first book I have read by this author and I absolutely loved it!  The imagery was fantastic.  Being from Iowa, I don’t have any experience with forest fires but the author describes it so vividly.  The descriptions of the heat and smell of the wildfire made feel like I was there.  The book is beautifully written in verse which I think is perfect for middle grade.  My favorite things about this book is one, the family got Mike from a shelter.  Two, even during a crisis, the main character, Caera, volunteers to help other people displaced because of the fires. And three, I loved the theme of family and the feeling of being home even when you can’t be home and what that means to different people.  This was brought up several times during the story and was cleverly done by it being talked about with Caera and the different people she meets at the crisis center.

1. Do you read many Middle Grade books?

No, not many.  Maybe five a year but my nieces are going into middle school soon so I need to read more MG books so I can recommend some to them.

2. Have you read other books written in verse? Did you like them?

Yes and Yes.  My favorite was Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson.

3. There was a push several years ago to publish more MG and YA books featuring broken and troubled families so there were books for kids living in similar situations to relate to, but recently there has been a call for more stories with stable families because children need to also read about families who are thriving, to show it is possible. This story’s MC had a solid family unit. What do you think about this?

To be honest I didn’t think much about it at all.  There was another character that came from a broken home and she still felt loved which I think is the most important thing.

4. Missing Mike had both happiness and sadness in the ending. Do you think Middle Grade books should at least have one positive occurrence/experience in the conclusion because the books are for 7-11 years old?

Yes, because I think at this age and with all the distractions of technology out there, it is important to get kids to read and so having a happy ending helps with that goal.  I remember be traumatized by the book Bridge to Terebithia.  It didn’t stop me reading but I was more careful about what books I read.

5.  The family has to leave their home suddenly and only take the essentials.  What would you grab that you couldn’t live without?

I would grab my kids’ baby books because I don’t have digital copies of their baby pictures.

6.  Have you ever been in an emergency situation similar to the one in the book?

I have never had to evacuate my house.  We get tornadoes here in Iowa so I have had to go hide in our basement a few times.  In 2010, a tornado wiped out houses just a mile away from me.

7.  The main character in the book helps out at the shelter where they are staying during the evacuation.  Have you ever helped out in an emergency situation?

Last summer, the dog rescue I volunteer at took in a bunch of dogs from Houston, Texas when the city was flooding.  I went and helped walk and play with dogs when they arrived.

8. The main character can’t find her dog, Mike, before they leave.  Would you leave your pets in an emergency?

Only as a last resort.  I wouldn’t endanger my family by sticking around to keep looking.  Animals have that instinct to survive so I think they would find a safe place until we could look for them again.

9. Have you ever lost a pet?

Yes.  For about 5 years we had backyard chickens. One day one of the younger chickens, Penelope, got spooked by a visiting dog and flew over our fence and was gone.  My daughter made signs “Lost Chicken” and put them up around the neighborhood as we searched all over for her.  (I promise I am not making this up!) The next day still no chicken. I googled “how to call a chicken” and it said to make chicken noises and get any other chickens from the flock to make noise, so of course I did.  I am not kidding, but 5 minutes later, Penelope came strutting across the road to our yard and went into the coop.  I think she hid in a pine tree for the night across the street.  So that answers the question, Why did the chicken cross the road?

10.  One of the themes of the book is the feeling of home and how it is different for everyone.  What does feeling at home mean to you?

I feel most at home when my family and I are all around the dinner table.  It doesn’t matter if we are eating, talking, playing cards, or playing a game just being together at the table for some reason makes me feel at home.

 

If you haven’t joined us yet in the Dog Days of Summer Reading Challenge, it is not too late! All you have to do is a read a book about dogs or with a dog in it.

And for every book we read, I will donate $1 to the rescue I volunteer at. (up to $100)

Can’t Wait Wednesday

Can’t Wait Wednesday, is hosted by Wishful Endings  to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. 

Eugene and Tatiana could have fallen in love, if things had gone differently. If they had tried to really know each other, if it had just been them, and not the others. But that was years ago and time has found them far apart, leading separate lives.

Until they meet again in Paris.

What really happened back then? And now? Could they ever be together again after everything?

I love anything Paris! This publishes January 8, 2019

Tell Me Tuesday

Tell Me Tuesday is a weekly blog feature put on by La La in the Library.  It is where we discuss what we have been, currently are, and will be reading.  What are you reading? Tell me.

WHAT I READ LAST

This was a very hard book to read.  Even though the story of Peter and all the other volunteers that tirelessly work to get dogs out of kill shelters in the south and safe in the north is inspiring and heroic, the huge number of dogs that are abused, abandoned, and euthanized in the south is staggering!  These statistics are mentioned many times throughout the book as Peter and the author visit various shelters and their volunteers on their travels.  If you are interested in any type of rescue work, I highly recommend this book.  It is full of great advice and heart warming stories among tragic stories.

This book interested me because I have done some dog fostering before.  There is also great advice in this book about rescue work.  The author does a great job of being open and honest about her successes and failures as a foster parent to dogs and puppies.  She talks about how having these dogs come and go in her house affected not only herself, her three teenage kids, and husband, but also their resident dog, Gracie.  These are all things to consider before fostering animals.  Overall, this a great book with mostly happy endings and funny moments as the family deals with having sometimes up to 12 puppies in their house.  If you are thinking about fostering, this is a great read.

CURRENTLY READING

WHAT I AM READING NEXT

 

I am co-hosting the 2nd annual Dog Days of Summer Reading challenge with La La in the Library during August.  Check out the details to join us HERE!  Basically you read as many books about dogs as you want in August. Here is the next dog book I am going to read.

DOG BOOK GIVEAWAY!!!!

Click below on the link (not the photo)  to win these amazing dog books! Giveaway ends September 2nd.

Click HERE to enter the Giveaway!

It’s Monday! What are YOU Reading?

IT’S MONDAY! WHAT ARE YOU READING? IS A PLACE TO MEET UP AND SHARE WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN, ARE, AND ABOUT TO BE READING OVER THE WEEK. IT IS HOSTED BY KATHRYN AT THE BOOK DATE.

WHAT I READ LAST

This was a very hard book to read.  Even though the story of Peter and all the other volunteers that tirelessly work to get dogs out of kill shelters in the south and safe in the north is inspiring and heroic, the huge number of dogs that are abused, abandoned, and euthanized in the south is staggering!  These statistics are mentioned many times throughout the book as Peter and the author visit various shelters and their volunteers on their travels.  If you are interested in any type of rescue work, I highly recommend this book.  It is full of great advice and heart warming stories among tragic stories.

This book interested me because I have done some dog fostering before.  There is also great advice in this book about rescue work.  The author does a great job of being open and honest about her successes and failures as a foster parent to dogs and puppies.  She talks about how having these dogs come and go in her house affected not only herself, her three teenage kids, and husband, but also their resident dog, Gracie.  These are all things to consider before fostering animals.  Overall, this a great book with mostly happy endings and funny moments as the family deals with having sometimes up to 12 puppies in their house.  If you are thinking about fostering, this is a great read.

CURRENTLY READING

WHAT I AM READING NEXT

 

I am co-hosting the 2nd annual Dog Days of Summer Reading challenge with La La in the Library during August.  Check out the details to join us HERE!  Basically you read as many books about dogs as you want in August. Here is the next dog book I am going to read.

DOG BOOK GIVEAWAY!!!!

Click below on the link (not the photo)  to win these amazing dog books! Giveaway ends September 2nd.

Click HERE to enter the Giveaway!

Weekend Update #52

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @The Caffeinated Book Reviewer It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. Here is what I have been up to this last week.

Click HERE for my latest Dog Days of Summer Reading Challenge Post. It is about children’s books featuring dogs.

DOG BOOK GIVEAWAY!!!!

Click below on the link (not the photo)  to win these amazing dog books! Giveaway ends September 2nd.

Click HERE to enter the Giveaway!

CURRENTLY READING

Book Blurb

Owen-known to his family as “little buddy” or “Little B”-has a rare genetic disorder that leaves him largely confined to a wheelchair. Before being united with Haatchi, Little B was anxious and found it difficult to make friends.

Haatchi-an adorable Anatolian Shepherd puppy-was abused and left for dead on railroad tracks. He was struck by an oncoming train, and although his life was saved, his leg and tail were partially severed. Haatchi was left massively disabled and totally dispirited.

But kind-hearted Will and Colleen Howkins, Little B’s father and step-mother, decided to introduce the big dog and the little boy to each other, and an unbelievable bond was formed that transformed both boy and dog in miraculous ways.

Saturday Situation is put on by Pure Imagination. It is were we review our latest reads. Be sure to check out theirs as well.

This was a very hard book to read.  Even though the story of Peter and all the other volunteers that tirelessly work to get dogs out of kill shelters in the south and safe in the north is inspiring and heroic, the huge number of dogs that are abused, abandoned, and euthanized in the south is staggering!  These statistics are mentioned many times throughout the book as Peter and the author visit various shelters and their volunteers on their travels.  If you are interested in any type of rescue work, I highly recommend this book.  It is full of great advice and heart warming stories among tragic stories.

This book interested me because I have done some dog fostering before.  There is also great advice in this book about rescue work.  The author does a great job of being open and honest about her successes and failures as a foster parent to dogs and puppies.  She talks about how having these dogs come and go in her house affected not only herself, her three teenage kids, and husband, but also their resident dog, Gracie.  These are all things to consider before fostering animals.  Overall, this a great book with mostly happy endings and funny moments as the family deals with having sometimes up to 12 puppies in their house.  If you are thinking about fostering, this is a great read.

Stacking the Shelves is put on by Tynga at Tynga’s Reviews. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves. Here are the books I have added to my TBR list this week.

I grabbed this at a rummage sale for a dollar.  I enjoyed the other two books I read by this author.  This is one of her earlier works.

Book Blurb

When her husband announces that he wants a divorce after 20 years of marriage, Anne Colwater retreats to her childhood home in Mystic, Washington, where she rediscovers love, but also emotional hardship.

The Book Blogger Hop is put on by The Coffee Addicted Writer . There is a weekly prompt featuring a book related question.

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION IS SUBMITTED BY Amber @ The Literary Phoenix.

This weeks prompt is…

Do you follow other book blogs and if so, who are your top 3 bloggers?

My answer…

Yes I follow several blogs but my top 3 are La La in the Library , Greg @GregsBookHaven, and Barb @BookerTsFarm.

La La in the Library reads lots of great YA and middle grade books. We co-host the Dog Days of Summer Reading Challenge together.  Greg posts about movies and adult fiction and sci-fi books.  Barb is a fellow dog lover like me and reads a lot of mystery and dog books.