Stacking the Shelves #89

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! Click on the link under the book to find its page on Goodreads or Smashwords. 

Please note that I always leave a message on your STS/SP if you visit me, but if you use DISQUS or a similar third party I will not be able to leave a comment on your page. And sometimes, I have problems leaving messages on blogs hosted by Wordpress so you might get a double message sometimes! Blame them, not me!

          

This has been quite a productive week. I've launched my new reading challenge-to get over 100 books off the tbr by the end of the year-or as near as possible anyway! I'm off to a decent start with 8 completed novellas/short stories and 3 or 4 abandoned books. Nice! I'll be posting updates about my progress on a blog post after the weekend. So things are good on the reading front PLUS I've showed suitable restraint in book buying so it's another small haul for me this week. If I can keep this up I might hit my book targets! 

DOWNLOADS:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25156064-two-tales-of-the-iron-druid-chronicles 

BOUGHT PAPERBACKS:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23211040-dog-with-a-bone

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2010857.Forty_Years_of_Coronation_Street

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10023209-coronation-street-the-novel

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Chuckles Corrie Mania #4

Welcome to Chuckles Corrie Mania! I watched Coronation Street all through the late 70's, 80's and early 90's but lost touch with it by 1999 due to work. So discovering that kind Corrie viewers have uploaded a ton of classic episodes on YouTube was great! I've spent two years gathering as many as I can, ready to get watching, and as I work my way through them, I'll be reviewing what I watch and sharing my thoughts. Would love to hear the thoughts on these episodes from other fans.

Thank you to Auntie Corrie(1976-1994), Mr Magister(1961,1995-2000), Classicsoap(2001+), CLKfanvideos(2006,2010,2011), corriestuff(various), OZZY45100(1960's, 1970's), FullEps(2009), XCorrieClassicsX(2006-2009), albiondean(2012-present), Sevin Alsoylar(2006,2011), Soap Fan 2013(various), JonathanOpenshaw(various) and everyone else who has supplied episodes online.

I have now reviewed the 8 episodes that featured in the 1960 section of the dvd box set. The next 8 episodes were screened on Granada Plus and can all be found on YouTube. I'm starting to review those episodes here.

Episode 9: January 6th 1961
Lucille packs to go back to the Orphanage and Harry asks Concepta out on a date. Frank is furious that Ken is receiving political mail at the house and threatens to kick him out of the house if he goes on the protest march with Susan. An insurance man investigates May's death to Christine's dismay. Ena and Martha are still not talking and Elsie (right) gets a visit at the shop from Norah to pester her about the divorce.

Ken is so annoying in this episode, looking down his note at his dad again and refusing to accept than anything other than his opinion is correct. You really do want to give him a slap! I love watching Elsie in a temper and the fued with Ena and Martha was amusing. It reminds me of those childhood fights with your best friend!

Episode 10: January 11th 1961
Frank is furious at Ken for defying him while Ida is worried that Ken might be moving out. Elsie is furious at Ena spreading rumours about her and decides to take action. Christine is getting worried about money when her rent goes up. Harry and Concepta (left) go on a date and Elsie's warning about slander appears in the paper.

It's really strange to see a cheerful version of Albert in this early episodes, making him a much nicer character. I'm still not warming to Christine and Ken is still getting on my nerves. The fun part was Elsie in a foul mood about the gossip.

Episode 11: January 13th 1961

The milkman can't get an answer from Albert (right) so he, Ken and David break the door down. The doctor wants him to go and live with his daughter Beattie but Albert refuses. The plumber's mate Joe Makinson feels sorry for Christine when she can't pay the bill so he takes it away to check for a mistake, giving her more time. Linda leaves after a fight with Dennis. Elsie lays into Ena in the pub over the gossip and Concepta is not impressed with Harry's drunkeness on their date.

Ena was so funny in this episode, loudly exclaiming how sad it was that someone was abusing the wonderful Mrs Tanner...when it was her all along! As always, her fights with Elsie are so well acted.

Episode 12: January 18th 1961
The insurance refuse to pay Christine what she expected to get because May witheld information about her mental illness to get the policy. Frank tells Ida (left) that it should be Beattie who looks after Albert, not her. Elsie agrees to give Arnold his divorce when he tells her that he knows about her affair with Steve Tanner. An embarrassed Harry apologizes to Concepta. Ena and Martha make up.

There is less action in these older episodes but there is humour and a lot of good acting. I can see why so many people became hooked on the series.

Book Review: Alpha & Omega by Patricia Briggs (Alpha & Omega #0.5)

Alpha and Omega 0.5 by Patricia Briggs
The werewolf Anna finds a new sense of self when the son of the werewolf king comes to town to quell unrest in the Chicago pack- and inspires a power in Anna that she's never felt before.

Inhuman by Eileen Wilks
Kai has a secret gift of sensing thoughts and desires. What she senses in her neighbor Nathan could be dangerous. Because he has a secret gift, too, and it's about to be let loose.

Buying Trouble by Karen Chance
In a New York auction house, a Lord of the Fey crosses paths with a fiery redheaded mage named Claire. But in this strange underground society, the rarity up for sale is Claire herself.

Mona Lisa Betwining by Sunny
Among the children of the moon, Mona Lisa is of Mixed Blood- part Monere, part human, and destined to be alone. Then she meets a man who could be her salvation- or her downfall.

My Review:
I picked up this anthology years ago to read the Alpha and Omega short story. I had just got into the Mercy Thompson series and decided to read the start of the spin off series. I didn't like it as I didn't know the characters and I lost interest in the entire series. This week, many years later, I decided to give it a second chance. The reason? Well, having read all the Mercy books so far, I now know a lot more about Bran's pack and figured that I'd now be more interested in reading about them. Last night I re-read this short story-and loved it! So it WAS a good idea to give it a second try!

Anna sees a report in a newspaper about a missing boy-who she saw locked in a cage at the house of Leo, her abusive Alpha. Despire her fear of Bran, the ruler of the werewolves, she reports it to him. He is sending his son Charles, his executioner, to investigate a few things that are wrong with Leo's pack and asks Anna to meet Charles so he can offer his protection to her. There is an attraction between them as Charles discovers his wolf wants her as a mate and she is a rare Omega werewolf, a calming influence on other werewolves.

There was a lot to like in this story. Anna is abused, damaged, knows little about the werewolf rules, changed against her will and raped by various pack members. Her life has been miserable and she finally sees that there may be a better life on offer away from Leo if Charles wants her as a mate. Anna is a sad character that you can instantly feel sorry for, and you want those that hurt her to be punished. As an MC she is able to carry the story well.

Charles is very much an Alpha, with dominant personality and striking looks. I already found him intriguing from what he hear about him in the other series. Perhaps I carry the same werewolf gene as Charles because, like him, I get irritated by people in crowded places! I hate shopping and anywhere with rude people pushing into me and being loud! So I had sympathy for Charles from the very start. I like the way he is determined to put the bad wolves in their place and protect Anna from them.

So, Charles has to find out why all the females in the pack except Leo's mate are dead-except Anna and why a lot of older wolves in the pack are also gone. I'm not going to spoil the plot by saying what he uncovers but it was a good plot twist, and it explains the brutal treatment of Anna. It was a twist that had me changing my mind about a few of the characters in the book.

Enjoyable read and I will certainly be going on to read the first full book in the series to see what happens next.

NB I did not read the other three books in the anthology.
 

Book Review: Eternal Kiss of Darkness by Jeaniene Frost (Night Huntress World #2)

An immortal war has been brewing in the darkness . . . And now one woman has stumbled into the shadows.

Chicago private investigator Kira Graceling should have just kept on walking. But her sense of duty refused to let her ignore the moans of pain coming from inside a warehouse just before dawn. Suddenly she finds herself in a world she's only imagined in her worst nightmares.

At the center is Mencheres, a breathtaking Master vampire who thought he'd seen it all. Then Kira appears, this fearless, beautiful . . . human who braved death to rescue him. Though he burns for her, keeping Kira in his world means risking her life. Yet sending her away is unthinkable.

But with danger closing in, Mencheres must choose either the woman he craves, or embracing the darkest magic to defeat an enemy bent on his eternal destruction.

My Review:
After enjoying the first spin-off book featuring Denise and Spade, I moved on to this one but I didn't really like it. I find Mencheres a good enough character in the Night Huntress books when he appears in scenes but I don't feel that he has the charisma or interest to be the main hero in a book of his own. I got tired of his suicidal attitude and comments about his non sex life all the time. I just didn't connect with him as a solo male lead and prefer him as part of the ensemble in Night Huntress.

I liked Kira as a female lead though and thought that she was much more interesting, with all her family problems. She made a pretty good match for our Angel type brooding vampire so she wasn't the problem.

I just never got into the book and the plot was pretty slow to get into. I found my mind wandering constantly and I'd plough through a chapter and then leave the book a few days before forcing myself to go back to it. After a few weeks of this I made the decision to abandon it. I know how they meet so that will do me for reference for the Night Huntress series if they feature in upcoming books. I will read a solo book about Ian though... 

Book Review: First Drop of Crimson by Jeaniene Frost (Night Huntress World #1)

The night is not safe for mortals.

Denise MacGregor knows all too well what lurks in the shadows – her best friend is half-vampire Cat Crawfield – and she has already lost more than the average human could bear. But her family’s dark past is wrapped in secrets and shrouded in darkness – and a demon shapeshifter has marked Denise as prey. Now her survival depends on an immortal who craves a taste of her.

He is Spade, a powerful, mysterious vampire who has walked the earth for centuries and is now duty-bound to protect this endangered, alluring human – even if it means destroying his own kind. Denise may arouse his deepest hungers, but Spade knows he must fight his urge to have her as they face the demon nightmare together…

Because once the first drop of crimson falls, they will both be lost.

My Review:
This is the first spin-off book from the Night Huntress series and comes between 'Destined for an early grave' and 'This side of the grave'. I think it's a good idea to read this spin-off before reading Cat and Books #5 as it gives essential background to Denise and the changes in her life.

Denise already knows what lurks in the dark and has been on the wrong end of vampires and ghouls. She finds out that her cousins have been murdered by a demon and reaches out to best friend Cat Crawfield for help. With Cat and husband Bones unavailable, Bones best friend Spade agrees to help but by the time he gets there, Denise has been marked by a demon. One of her ancestors cheated a demon and this demon will turn Denise unless she delivers Nathaniel.

It was interesting to see a novel built around Denise and I very much liked the story. Knowing the character and her trauma in previous books made it easy to get right into the story. Spade is a strong enough side character to carry a book on his own and I liked seeing him as a heroic male lead and not just a friend of Bones. I liked the chemistry between the characters and the way their relationship developed as it felt like a natural progression.

What begins as a search for Nathaniel through the bloodlines of Spade and Ian soon becomes more deadly. When Spade feeds from Denise, he goes on a bad trip and tries to kill her, her demon infected blood being highly toxic. Spade realises that Denise would be worth a fortune to drug dealers which makes it harder to protect her. The vampire guardians would also regard Denise as a risk to vampire health and will kill her if they discover her secret. Spade is also stressed at trying to keep the whole mess from Cat and Bones, giving a gleeful Ian the chance to blackmail him. Now Spade has to find demonologists to help Denise and drug dealers who might know Nathaniel.

I liked having some of my favourite characters like Cat, Bones and Ian making short appearances, but this book is really about showcasing Spade and giving him a good strong love interest. I liked the usual humour and action scenes that you expect from this author as well as the plot twists that come along. I also think the ending was quite satisfying, fitting in with what we know about Denise as a person. She is going to have challenges ahead but I like the fact that she will be able to contribute to future Night Huntress adventures. I really like what the author has done with her character and there are endless possibilities for Denise. And of course it is nice to see Spade get a decent girlfriend!