The continuing saga of Mad Max...

I was back at the vet's today.

I went to pay Maddie's bill off and to take Max in.

It seems that what I thought was a sprain was actually a puncture wound that I missed when I checked his leg.

It is now an infected puncture wound.

I get to give both cats anti-biotics.

But, I did find out something interesting.

The cat I thought was a Siamese mix isn't.

He is actually a Seal Point Snowshoe Siamese. His eyes would not be blue if he was a mix.

And his markings make him a Snowshoe, which is a relatively rare and expensive breed.

Go figure. To me, he's just my lovable little goofball.

Friday Fill - ins 56

And...here we go!

1. He was a very good man, my dad.

2. Getting back to the routine of school is what I look forward to most this time of year.

3. My best friend has four feet and fur.

4. At times I prefer animals to people, to be honest with you.

5. Appearances can be spot on at times.

6. The last person I gave a hug to was a former student/co-worker who was leaving to go out into the real world.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to getting rid of this headache, tomorrow my plans include recovering and Sunday, I want to bake!

Booking Through Thursday 40!

Booking Through Thursday? Me? My, it's been a long time but how could I not jump on this one when I have the perfect answer?

Recent Fluff

August 27, 2009
Filed under: Wordpress — --Deb @ 1:10 am

What’s the lightest, most “fluff” kind of book you’ve read recently?

That would be Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich.

I mean, we're talking Stephanie Plum here.

Stephanie hasn't changed much over the 15 books in the series but I think that's what I like about her. You know what you're getting - Stephanie, Morelli, Ranger, Lula, and Grandma Mazur.

It's silliness, for certain. Cars being destroyed, skips getting the better of Stephanie, Ranger and Morelli, and Grandma Mazur at the funeral home. Did I mention Ranger and Morelli?

When it comes to books, fluff or not, Stephanie and the gang are my favorite comfort food.

Wow! What a nice surprise!

In my email this weekend I received the most wonderful surprise - I was nominated for a BBAW Award! Someone out there thinks I deserve to be named "Best Commentor".

Whoever you are, I want you to know you made my weekend, which after the week I had was the best. Thank you very much!

Well, this has been an interesting weekend

Due to a fight with my DSL provider, I've been internet-less all weekend. I've felt cut-off and isolated the entire time.

But...

I did manage to rearrange my living room and my bedroom, both of which needed a good cleaning. And when I get restless, I move furniture.

I also managed to weed through my TBR pile and take out those books that I know I will not read. Either I've lost interest or, after reading a page or two, know that they aren't for me, for whatever reason.

Besides that, the fur kids and I just took it easy. Max is still gimpy but Maddie seems to be good to go. They both want out all the time now but neither is getting out for awhile yet. That's all I'd need - for them to go out and not come back for a couple of nights. I'd be a wreck.

I hope you all had a good weekend.

Friday Fill - ins 55

1. I remember, I remember when things made sense.

2. Dear Congress I want you to know why you're not listening to the people who pay you.

3. Is that my cat!!???

4. I'm trying to resist the temptation of sloughing off completely today.

5. I'm saving a smile just for you!

6. If I made a birthday list books would definitely be on it!!!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing with no crisis brewing, tomorrow my plans include a boring day of training and Sunday, I want to spend the day with my family, including the furry ones!

So, here she is...

... in all her glory, my much better little girl. She's eating and active - she is making noises like she wants to go out - which are all things she had no interest in on Wednesday.

I, of course, am still not convinced she's ready to go out. I am a worrier. I worry about my animals every bit as much as I worry about my none fur family. I'll be worrying about Maddie for some time, especially since they can't tell me why this happened to her.

And now, of course, Max has gotten into the act. He's managed to hurt his left front foot and is limping. He hobbles around, foot in the air, and makes the saddest of sounds.

*sigh*

I can't afford another trip to the vet right now. I haven't completely paid Maddie's bill yet.

If he's still gimpy on Monday, however, that's where we'll be. Back at the vet's.

Little Miss Houdini

UPDATE:

She's home and doing better. She had air in her chest cavity (pneumo-thorax but I'm sure I slaughtered that spelling) which they took care of. They have no idea what happened to cause it - it's usually the result of trauma but she has no signs of anything having happened. She's on an antibiotic and has a shaved back that makes her look sorta silly.

We are all ridiculously glad to have her back.




My little girl is at the vet's tonight.

When I got home from work yesterday morning she was having trouble breathing. She didn't seem to be in life threatening distress but she wasn't breathing normally. I called the vet and they had me bring her in at 3:00. I wanted to take her right out and drop her off but...

The x-ray shows problems with her lungs. She's either got fluid or air in her chest cavity, hence the problem breathing. The vet said they would tap her chest and let me know what they found out.

I missed a call from them when I was tending to the dog but I called right back. They didn't answer and I haven't gotten another call. I have no idea what's going on with her.

Dang cat.

I don't know what I'll do if this is her greatest escape.

If it's not too silly of me to ask, send some good thoughts her way, would you? We would both appreciate them.

Book Review: Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich

Finger Lickin’ Fifteen by Janet Evanovich
St. Martin’s Press
308 Pages
Copyright 2009

There’s trouble brewing in New Jersey... which of course means Stephanie Plum is smack-dab in the middle of it all.

Lula, Stephanie’s ‘plus-size former ‘ho’ friend and co-worker, witnesses the gruesome murder of TV chief Stanley Chipotle. He literally has his head chopped off in front of Lula. Lula wants nothing to do with any cop but Joe Morelli, Stephanie’s on-again, off-again significant other. They are, at the moment, off-again. Before long, Lula has decided she and Stephanie must enter the cooking contest Chipotle was in town for in order to find the killers and collect the one million dollar reward.

Carlos ‘Ranger’ Manoso, Stephanie’s dark, dangerous, incredibly gorgeous co-worker, also needs her help. Someone has been doing the unthinkable – robbing Ranger’s security clients by beating his security systems. Ranger wants Stephanie to hang around Rangeman Security to see if she can gain any insights into who is behind the break-ins. He also wouldn’t mind spending a little intimate quality time with Stephanie, if they could find the time.

Finger Lickin’ Good is another fun read from Evanovich. Any time you mix Lula with Grandma Mazur, the results are going to be pretty funny. This is no exception. I’ve read reviews that make mention of the fact that Stephanie never changes and neither do the stories and there is certainly some truth to that. In a Stephanie Plum book you can count on Ranger and Morelli to compete for Stephanie’s time and attention, the humorous destruction of one or more vehicles, problems at a funeral home, and skips who are, to say the least, out there in la-la land. I will admit to being annoyed by the fact that Stephanie hasn’t gotten any better at bounty hunting. She’s still letting skips get away by such devious means as asking to go to the bathroom and then escaping out a window. This is book 15; the girl should be getting a little more with it, don’t you think? The car thing and the two guys competing thing, however, don’t bother me all that much. I tend to think that she’s constantly picking the wrong man but I do appreciate both men and their relationships with Stephanie.

Recommendation: Stephanie is Stephanie. It’s not a complex story but it is entertaining – I found plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. I like the characters – all of them – and a new book is like catching up with old friends and finding them doing okay and still the same. In other words, they’re good comfort food.

Friday Fill-In 54

And...here we go!

1. When will be friends?

2. Castle was the last good tv show I watched.

3. Everything has its beauty but sunsets are in their own league.

4. Goulash is what I had for dinner.

5. I'd like your attention for a minute.

6. Home in bed is where I want to be right now.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to the end of my week, tomorrow my plans include rearranging my bedroom and Sunday, I want to hit the beach with my dog!

Update, sorta

I can't believe I haven't posted anything since Sunday.

Anyway, I've added three books to my read list and since I'm feeling completely uninspired about reviewing them, I thought I'd just say a couple of words and call it good.

First, Tigers Confidential: The Untold Inside Story of the 2008 Season by Andy Van Slyke and Jim Hawkins, is just what the title says it is - an inside look at a Tigers team that was predicted to win the World Series at the beginning of Spring Training. They had a killer line up and great pitching and they were going to win 100 games... right up until the time they actually started to play the games and had a record of 2 wins and 10 losses in their first 12 games. Hawkins is a reporter and writes well. Van Slyke is a baseball player and writes like one. It was a decent enough book, if you're a Tigers fan. Otherwise, what's the point?

Then there's The Becoming by Jeanne C. Stein and When Darkness Comes by Alexandera Ivy, which are both vampire books that I found lacking in a couple of ways. Stein's vampires can walk around in daylight and go without blood for weeks at a time. Ivy's vampire, a man, is constantly being described as alabaster this and gorgeous that and he had the habit of calling the lead female character lover every time he said anything to her. People don't talk like that.

Anyway, I finished both so they weren't horrible. Just... uninspiring. I enjoyed Tanya Huff's stories much more.

I'm now working on my book for the Japanese Literature Challenge, a couple of non-fiction titles for the Non-fiction Challenge, and an old Dean Koontz that I hadn't heard of before, mainly because it was published under an alias and recently reissued.

Sunday musings

Not much doing today. This is one of the shift change weeks that I hate. I worked 11:00 p.m. until 7:00 a.m. today and now I have tonight off. I then start straight nights Monday night. This night off serves no purpose, except to screw me up, sleep-wise.

We had a noisy thunderstorm blow into the area this morning around five. I was, as I've said, at work, so I spent those two hours worrying about my dog. She sure was glad when I got home!

Anyone out there have any suggestions on how I can deal with migraines caused by weather fronts moving through the area? Do I just have to suffer? I have medication I take but if I take it, I sleep for something like 12 hours and I can't work. Since my boss is not a big fan of us using sick leave, I try to tough it out. Any suggestions you might have would be appreciated.

Strong scents and bright light also trigger my migraines but those things I can avoid. I love the smell of fresh cut grass but even that can trigger a headache. And don't get me started about not being able to burn scented candles!

Anyway... Kelly, over at The Novel Bookworm, has been posting photos of her BFF's - best fur friends. She asked for links to our photos and I managed to direct her toward one of the dog. I cannot, however, find any of the posts that includes photos of the cats. I have posted their pictures, right? Since I can't find them, I'm adding a couple of new photos here:

First up, a photo of little Miss Houdini (also know as Maddie) looking totally unimpressed by the dog:



Of course, the dog is equally unimpressed by her.

Then we have Mad Max:



As you can see, he's a hider. He loves to burrow in under blankets. This one is on one of the loveseats I have in my living room and people who come to my house know to check before they sit down. He doesn't, however, hide under the covers on my bed. I'm thankful for that.

My sister and brother-in-law celebrated their 28th wedding anniversary yesterday. That number blows my mind, in spite of the fact that their oldest daughter is 25. Where the heck has the time gone??

Speaking of time flying... since summer is begining to wind down, what's been your favorite memory this year?

Our summer here in the Great White North hasn't been much of one but my favorite memories, as always, are of my niece's horse show. She's doing so well and getting to spend all that time around horses is a huge plus for me.

Friday Fill - ins 53

And...here we go!

1. Sunset on the beach is my favorite summertime treat.

2. My favorite John Hughes movies is Uncle Buck but I really had no idea how many great movies he'd made.

3. Silky, soft kitty fur is something I love to touch.

4. The full moon means madness at work.

5. I should be in bed right now.

6. When daylight fades people seem to slow down around here, at least in the summer.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing, tomorrow my plans include dinner at a friend's and Sunday, I want to relax before starting the night shift on Monday!

Book Review: Kiss of Midnight by Lara Adrian

Kiss of Midnight by Lara Adrian
Bantam Dell
402 Pages
Copyright 2007

Gabrielle Maxwell is a young woman with a traumatic past that includes the death of her mother when Gabrielle was still an infant. One night, while at a club with her friends, she finds herself attracted to a dark, mysterious man who seems to be watching her. When he disappears, however, Gabrielle leaves the club only to witness a savage murder committed by a group of people acting more like animals than people.

Gabrielle’s attempts to report the murder lead her to Lucan Thorne, the same dark and mysterious man from the club. Lucan, like Gabrielle, has his secrets: he is Breed, the vampiric otherworld race the wanders the city at night feeding on the willing and unwilling humans. Lucan is also leader of a group of warriors known as The Order, Breed men who fight a battle with the Rogues, Breed who have lost control of their bloodlust and must be stopped by whatever means necessary.

Gabrielle soon finds herself on a collision course with Lucan, the man who haunts her dreams and desires and there is far more at stake than either of them realizes.

Okay, first a word of warning. This one is an old-fashioned smut book. It is fairly well written, with interesting characters and an intriguing world, but it is still a smut book. Lucan and Gabrielle are combustible and they give in to their heat frequently and graphically.

That said, I’ve got to admit I enjoyed this book. I’m not big on a lot of graphic goings-on but when the characters are as interesting as Lucan and Gabrielle and the story is intriguing, I can handle it. When I read about the vampires being aliens I almost put the book down. I’m glad I didn’t. It’s back story and stays that way. I thought the trendy gay best friend would be too much to take but he wasn’t. I thought I had the bad guy pegged. I didn’t. I thought I’d be disappointed. I wasn’t. To me, that adds up to an enjoyable read.

Recommendation: If you like dark, mysterious men with more than a hint of the bad boy in them along with strong, capable women who are willing to go after what they want, this one’s for you. As long as you don’t mind the graphic going-ons, that is. I’m already planning on getting the others in the series. Soon.

Book Review: The Immortal Series by Tamora Pierce

The Immortals Quartet by Tamora Pierce
Simon Pulse

Since they’re a quartet, I thought I’d give you the summaries and then my thoughts on the series in general.

Wild Magic
384 Pages
Copyright 1992

From the back of the book:

Thirteen-year-old Daine has always had a knack with animals, but it’s not until she’s forced to leave home that she realizes it’s more than a knack – it’s magic. With this wild magic, not only can Daine speak to animals, but also can she make them obey her. Daine takes a job handling horses for the Queen’s Riders, where she meets the master mage Numair and becomes his student.

Under Numair’s guidance, Daine explores the scope of her magic. But she begins to sense other beings too: immortals. These bloodthirsty monsters have been imprisoned in the Divine Realms for the past four hundred years, but now someone has broken the barrier. It’s up to Daine and her friends to defend their world from an immortal attack.

Wolf-Speaker
368 Pages
Copyright 1994

From the back of the book:

When Daine is summoned by the wolf pack that saved her life a year earlier, she knows she has to go. She and Numair travel to Dunlath Valley to answer the call. But when they arrive, Daine realizes with a shock that it’s not just the animals whose lives are threatened; people are in danger, too. Dunlath’s rulers have discovered black opals in their valley and are dead set on mining the magic these stones embody. Daine learns that Dunlath’s lord and lady plan to use the power to overthrow King Jonathan – even if it means irreversibly damaging the land and killing their workers.

On a mission to save both her animal friends and her human ones, Daine has to master her wild magic in order to fight for the kingdom and triumph over the would-be usurpers.

Emperor Mage
384 Pages
Copyright 1995

From the back of the book:

Sent to Carthak as part of the Tortallan peace delegation, Daine fins herself in the middle of a sticky political situation. She doesn’t like the Carthaki practice of keeping slaves, but it’s not her place to say anything – she’s just there to heal the emperor’s birds. It’s extremely frustrating! What’s more, her power has grown in a mysterious way.

As the peace talks stall, Daine puzzles over Carthak’s two-faced Emperor Ozorne. How can he be so caring with his birds and so cruel to his people? Daine is sure he’s planning something. Daine must fight the powerful Emperor Mage, knowing that the safety and peace of the realm depend on stopping Ozorne’s power hungry schemes.

The Realms of the Gods
368 Pages
Copyright 1996

From the back of the book:

During a dire battle against the fearsome Skinners, Daine and her mage teacher, Numair, are swept into the Divine Realms. Though happy to be alive, they are not where they want to be. They are desperately needed back home, where their old enemy, Ozorne, and his army of strange creatures are waging war against Tortall.

Trapped in the mystical realms, Daine discovers her mysterious parentage. And as these secrets of her past are revealed so is the treacherous way back to Tortall. So they embark on an extraordinary journey home, where the fate of all Tortall rests with Daine and her wild magic.

My thoughts:

I enjoyed this series immensely. Daine is an excellent character who grows and changes in each book. She is, at first, shy and insecure due to her questionable parentage and her fear of her gift with animals. Her best friend is her pony, Cloud. Once she teams up with Numair and begins to understand that her gift is that of wild magic, she becomes more confident. I enjoyed her ability to commune with her animal friends – who wouldn’t love to be able to talk with their animal friends. My favorite animal was Kitten, the baby dragon Daine finds herself responsible for at the end of the first book.

Numair is a younger version of Gandalf, in a way. He is excellent with Daine and is more than willing to treat her as an equal and help her grow. The other secondary characters are well drawn and engaging. Of course, they would be due to the fact that this isn’t Pierce’s first quartet set in the Tortall world.

Each book brings new obstacles and threats for Daine and her friends to face. The Immortals are a scary group of bad guys; maybe too scary for younger kids. Stormwings could definitely be the stuff of nightmares.

One small point having to do with book four – the growing relationship between Daine and Numair is a bit unsettling in the earlier books but it crosses over, for me, to the more than a little creepy side of the scale in the last book. Numair is in his 30’s; Daine 16. While there is no graphic or even implied full-blown hanky panky between them, it is more than clear where their relationship is heading.

Recommendation: My housemate gave me these books to read saying they were her all-time favorites. I can see why. They are easy to read yet gripping when they need to be. I found myself rooting for the characters through all four books. They would be excellent beach reads, provided you’re in a part of the world that is actually having a summer.

July Wrap up

Wow.

What a difference a month can make.

After reading only four books in June due to a horrid slump, I managed to read a total of 12 books this month! Here's the list:

59. The Realms of the Gods by Tamora Pierce
58. Emperor Mage by Tamora Pierce
57. Wolf-Speaker by Tamora Pierce
56. Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce
55. Blood Debt by Tanya Huff
54. Blood Pact by Tanya Huff
53. Blood Lines by Tanya Huff
52. Blood Trail by Tanya Huff
51. Blood Price by Tanya Huff
50. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
49. Surrender All by Joni Lamb
48. Red Knife by William Kent Krueger

If my math is correct, that's a grand total of 3,625 pages or 117 a day! My favorite had to be Red Knife by William Kent Krueger but I'm not sure I can explain why. Something about the book simply resonated with me. I fell in love with Tanya Huff and wound the month up with a wonderful series for young adults called The Immortal series. They were a delightful way to wrap things up!

So, how'd you do in July? What ended up being your favorite read?