Two Dogs and a Book

Named of the Dragon by Susanna Kearsley My rating: 3 of 5 stars ☕ QOTD: Would you rather have x-ray vision or magnified hearing? ✏️ My Review: Susanna Kearsley is one of my favourite authors. All her books have elements of the present and the past. Her writing is beautiful and you can clearly see the landscapes through her fantastic descriptions. I enjoyed the story but was left hanging. I wanted to know more about what happened to the boy from the past. This being said, I did not see the ending twist coming and had the "who done it" totally wrong. So that was great! I hate being right, it removes the element of surprise. View all my reviews

The New Color Mixing Companion: Explore and Create Fresh and Vibrant Color Palettes with Paint, Collage, and Mixed Media--With Templates for Painting Your Own Color Patterns by Josie Lewis My rating: 5 of 5 stars ☕ QOTD: Would you rather live the rest of your life as a monk or followed continuously by paparazzi? ✏️ My Review: The New Color Mixing Companion by Josie Lewis was a delight to read. This is a short book with outstanding instructions and photos. Josie covers three media: paint, collage and mixed media. She also made me discover "Flow" which is a state of active, intense concentration. This is when you concentrate so much on the task that you forget you are hungry or need to pee. This is what usually happens to me when I create or read an extremely good book. Josie inspired me and I started right away to create my own colour wheel. I love the templates that are provided at the end of the book. If you are an aspiring artist or just want to learn abo

Storm Cursed by Patricia Briggs My rating: 4 of 5 stars ☕ QOTD: Would you rather lose your keys or your cell phone? ✏️ My Review: Storm Cursed by Patricia Briggs was a feast of supernatural proportion. Mercy Thompson is my favorite character. She is a car mechanic, shapeshifter married to an Alpha werewolf and she has the most amazing mix of supernatural friends. Some are fae, some are vampires, some breathe fire and some are just plain humans. Don’t think that this is a light-hearted read; it is jammed packed with action and some hot moments between Adan and Mercy. Storm Cursed is the 11th book in the Mercy Thompson Series. In this book, Mercy will be called to fight miniature zombie goats (don’t laugh, these are dangerous little buggers, and not easy to catch), goblins, more zombies (one of them is a cow), and powerful witches. She will need all the help of her supernatural friends and foes to defeat the black witches. I love this series because it has a kic

Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney My rating: 3 of 5 stars 🔎 QOTD: Would you rather be stuck on a broken ski lift or in a broken elevator? My Review: I got Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney for $3 at my local Dollorama. What a deal! I was not sure what to expect but I had read a few good reviews on this book and it seemed promising. The story takes place in three timelines: 1. 1992 2. Before the accident in 2016 3. After the accident in 2016 It is the story of two women who met when they were 10 years old and how the turn of events altered them and how they went from friends to sisters. Amber is in a coma and is trying to find her way back. She cannot remember the accident but as she listened to those who visit her, she is starting to put the pieces together. Not everything is what it seems to be. I found the story very dark and I felt very little love for any of the characters. I was wondering where the story was going and I can say it all made sense in the

The Trial of Lizzie Borden by Cara Robertson My rating: 3 of 5 stars ☕ QOTD: Would you rather have a rewind button or a pause button on your life? ✏️ My Review: I decided to listen to this book instead of reading it. Being non-fiction, I knew that there would be a lot of details and that it could be a dry read. I enjoyed the case and how the investigation was performed. The two lawyers at the trial were worthy adversaries even if they were very civilized and polite. I was surprised at how many witnesses were questioned at the trial and the variety of testimonies. Since I did not know anything about this trial, I did not know the outcome either. From all the testimonies and evidence presented it was hard to predict which verdict the jury was going to deliver. Listening to the argument that a woman’s state of mind can change from docile to violent when on her menses showed how little womanhood was understood in those days. Will it ever be known if Lizzie Borden ki

The Daughter's Tale by Armando Lucas Correa My rating: 4 of 5 stars ☕ QOTD: What is the latest book which made you cry? ✏️ My Review: The Daughter’s Tale by Armando Lucas Correa is a beautifully written book based on true events. Written in two timelines, the story follows the life of Elise just before her birth in 1935 to her golden years in 2015. Elise was born in Germany at the eve of WWII to Jewish parents. She survived the war but it cost her almost everything. Now in her old age, she is visited by two strangers who deliver a bundle of old letters addressed to her sister Viera whom she has not seen or heard of since she was sent to by boat to Cuba in 1939. Meeting these strangers brings back the painful memories of her survival and all her losses. I enjoyed the book a lot and would have given it a 5-heart rating if I did not feel that some parts of the book were incomplete. I felt sometimes that there could have been more details to help the reader unde

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett My rating: 3 of 5 stars I am participating in a buddy read of The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett with some friends. This was the first time I read this book. I have to be honest and say that some parts were hard for me one because they were written in Yorkshire and two because the story takes place in very different times. It took me a little while to understand the lingo but I eventually got it. The story was hard to relate to. Who has children and doesn’t want anything to do with them? That was very hard to understand and broke my heart. Mary and Collin are surrounded by capable people who obviously have no common sense. Telling a child that she is plain, borderline ugly, would not be acceptable nowadays. Telling a child that he is invalid and will surely die is unthinkable. There are however many great parts in the book such as the friendship between Mary, Collin, and Dickon; their work in bringing the garde

The Beautiful Strangers by Camille Di Maio My rating: 3 of 5 stars ☕QOTD: What hotel do you recommend and why? Where is it located? This is the story of a young lady who honours her grandfather's plea to go to a hotel in southern California to find the beautiful stranger. Little does Kate know that the hotel has a ghost who is also named Kate Morgan. Through her investigation, Kate will find out that she did not know her grandfather's past at all and that the ghost is closely related to her. This was a wonderful story. I enjoyed the different interactions between the characters and the book has a fantastic ending. #dogsandbooks #poodles #poodlesofinstagram #furbabies #dogsofinstagram #poodletoday #poodlesandbooks #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #book #books #booklover #bookish #bookdragon #bookaholic #reading #readersofinstagram #instaread #ilovebooks #bookaddicted #bookishcanadians View all my reviews

Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly My rating: 4 of 5 stars ☕ QOTD: Would you rather know the history of every object you touched or be able to talk to animals? Why? The story starts at the eve of WWI up to its end. It is the story of three women: 1. Eliza: an American 2. Sofya: a Russian related to the Romanov 3. Varinka: a Russian peasant working for Sofya Eliza and Sofya met in Paris and became close friends immediately. While visiting Eliza in America, a very pregnant Sofya finds herself in labour hours before returning to Russia. She gives birth to a beautiful baby boy who she names Max. Soon after her return to Russia, WWI starts and instabilities in the country force Sofya and her family to take refuge at their estate south of Petrograd. To help with raising Max, Sofya hires Varinka, a local girl. Crimes against the Russian noblemen and women escalate rapidly. Sofya and her family are attacked and made prisoners. During the attack, Varinka saves Max and t

The Huntress by Kate Quinn My rating: 4 of 5 stars QOTD: Would you rather lose all your money and valuables or all the pictures you have ever taken? What do a Russian female aviator, a British male journalist, and a young American female have in common? They have the Huntress. The Huntress by Kate Quinn is a sensational historical novel. Soon after WWII, many Nazi monsters found their way out of Germany under new identities. One of these notorious killers was Die Jagerin. She was accused of killing six Polish children in cold-blooded murder, and this is only one of her many atrocities. She has been on the run but the hunters are on her tail and are getting nearer. I enjoy Kate Quinn’s writing style and all the historical details she offers in her book. This book is filled with action, suspense, love, and redemption. A must-read. #dogsandbooks #poodles #poodlesofinstagram #furbabies #dogsofinstagram #poodletoday #poodlesandbooks #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #boo