The Genius of Dogs by Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods

384p.
Publisher: Plume
Available Now
Source: Goodreads First Reads Program for review

This New York Times bestseller offers mesmerizing insights into the interior lives of our smartest pets 

In the past decade, we have learned more about how dogs think than in the last century. Breakthroughs in cognitive science, pioneered by Brian Hare, have proven dogs have a kind of genius for getting along with people that is unique in the animal kingdom. is dog genius revolution is transforming how we live and work with our canine friends, including how we train them. Does your dog feel guilt? Is she pretending she can’t hear you? Does she want affection—or just your sandwich? In The Genius of Dogs, Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods lay out what discoveries at the Duke Canine Cognition Lab and other research facilities around the world are revealing about how your dog thinks and how we humans can have even deeper relationships with our best four-legged friends.

My thoughts:
 This book is more a scientific book, but it reads easily for anyone curious about a dog's cognition abilities. It starts out from where Brian Hare started and why he became interested in the dog's ability to learn. There are times when I did skim because it was basic HS biology (eg: Mendel's Pea experiment) but the parts where he did specific experiments were interesting. Especially those built on explaining the difference between wild animal's cognitive abilities and domestic animals. There are interesting differences.

I especially like the way he criticized both main schools of training thought for dogs toward the end of the book. Those two are generally dominance training and positive training. Neither school of thought has good things to say about the other, but this book brings the specific criticisms based on evidence that I agreed. Neither is perfect and has flaws. My only complaint with this is that if he feels that cognitive training is superior, I would have liked specific examples to this kind of training. This was perhaps not the book for that, but it still would have been nice to see a dog trained with this method.

I give this book 4 stars. It accomplishes what it sets out by introducing the science of canine cognition. You may skim some of the simpler biological parts, but I feel that is there so even those who have not yet taken a biology class can understand why and how he went about his experiments.

Bloggy Note:

Every year I've been having something that celebrates my dog's birthday that lands in Dec. I've been joined by Felicia the Geeky Blogger in the past. I was unsure if I was going to be able to do it this year, but things fell into place and I'll be able to do it again in Dec.

If you would like to join me in doing something for this, give me a e-mail shout. Just put Puppy Celebration in the subject line so I know what it is about. (Example of what I did last year)

What I usually do is have the person do something for animals to be able to enter for the prize. They must tell me what they've done to get that entry. I decided to make a list of organizations for those that don't have a place to start. So, I made a page called Animal Links (above, under the home link button). I was going to put the linky below, but I was afraid that those that don't read this little rambling might put the wrong thing down and think it is a blog hop or something. It is NOT a blog hop, but a list of animal charities, therapy, rescue groups, etc. that take donations and do a great job for animals. 

Anyhoo... *takes breath* sorry for rambling but let me know what you think! :)

PS
Oh and if you have a bunch of books that need giving away... Candace from Candace's Book Blog is doing a book drive to give to the people of the Pine Ridge Reservation. Go HERE for the deets!

Tell Me Something Tuesday: Blogger Burnout

Tell Me Something Tuesday, a meme started by CambriaHebert, but now hosted on Rainy Day Ramblings. It is a chance to get to know your fellow bloggers by sharing fun stuff, discussions and more. Grab the question and post your answer on your blog and link up at Rainy Day Ramblings! Have fun!

This weeks question:

What do you do when you are feeling blogger burnout?

Actually this is a question I would really like to know how people handle it. Usually I either push through it or I just take a few days off of blogging. Getting posts ready ahead of time really help with this. Doing easy memes help. It fills up the page with things you don't mind talking about to others and it doesn't take a lot of energy. Usually they are fun. Trying a genre you don't usually read. Mostly I think that just doing something else helps the most. Giving yourself a break or just get a different perspective.

I also have been doing less in terms of accepting reviews. I'm TRYING to slow things down here a bit, but a author you want to help or a good book comes along... *sigh* Perhaps I'm not the one to suggest anything... LOL

So what do you do when you are feeling blogger burnout?

Watcher of the Dark (Jeremiah Hunt #3) by Joseph Nassise

Series: Jeremiah Hunt #3
304p.
Publisher: Tor Books
Published: 10/19/13
Source: From author for review

A spine-tingling new Jeremiah Hunt dark fantasy thriller. 

New Orleans was nearly the death of Jeremiah Hunt, between a too-close brush with the FBI and a chilling, soul-searing journey through the realm of the dead that culminated with a do-or-die confrontation with Death himself. 

But when he performs an arcane ritual to reclaim the soul of the magically gifted, beautiful woman who once saved him, he must flee the law once again, to Los Angeles, city of angels, a temporary sanctuary. In L.A., he has to contend with Carlos Fuentes, who sees in Hunt a means to obtain the mystical key that would open the gates of Hell. Fuentes knows Hunt’s weakness—his loyalty to the woman he loves, and to another “gifted” friend—and uses the real threat of torturing them as a way to get Hunt to help complete his dread quest. 

Hunt has learned a lot since his life was irrevocably hijacked by fate months ago. But when his friends are threatened by the supernatural predator known as the Preacher, Hunt knows that all his newfound experience and ability will go for naught unless he can keep both the Preacher and Fuentes at bay long enough for him to somehow find a way to free his friends from mortal peril.

My thoughts:
I've read the other 2 books in this series: Eyes to See, and King of the Dead. I enjoyed both and when I was asked to review this one I jumped at the chance. I enjoy these characters but was a bit disappointed that 2 of my favorite side characters weren't in this one as much. There is a reason explained at the end of the second book... so you can see these books are best when read in order. One book does build upon another.

The cover does look like a horror book, but like the other 2 this one is really more of a UF or thriller kind of book. Yes, there are scary elements, but nothing to scare you but more to enhance the flavor of this world. If you read dark UF, but don't like true horror, you will be fine.

In this story and mystery Jeremiah finds himself embroiled in a plot to take over LA in the magical realm. It is hard to figure out who is good and who is evil in this story, but we get glimpses of who we might trust. However, nothing is certain in this world. There is also a race of sorts to get to one of the gates of Hell which would bring about Hell on earth as well as solidify the person opening it as the one who reigns over the world. In the search for the key we find ourselves with Jeremiah in a bind where there seems to be no way out. I was surprised by this ending. :) Yes, that is all I will say.

I give this book 4 stars. All 3 books have the edge of the seat quality in them. I do recommend this series to anyone who loves a good dark UF/thriller.

Bloggy Note:

A giveaway is going on at the author's site HERE. It is for all 3 books! Check it out! :)

Giveaway: Dark City by F. Paul Wilson

I've been asked by Tor to giveaway...

  (below is from the publisher, Tor books)

“This second chronicle (after Cold City) of the formative years of Wilson’s long-running series character Repairman Jack begins with an adrenaline-pumped chase across the top of a moving subway train, and the thrills don’t stop until the final page… Any reader who has followed Jack’s exploits over the decades will find this book an entertaining addition to the series.”

—Publishers Weekly

“ This second entry sets up Jack as the man he’s to become – the Repairman who settles the score for the beleaguered victims of sadistic threats. It’s a treat to see a little further into his psyche, and to get carried along in the days before a holy war was brewing and Jack was just fighting the bad guys to keep his corner of the world on an even keel.”

—RT Book Reviews

“A fast-paced, thrill fest… It’s no wonder why thriller fans rave about this ordinary guy who is out to protect the citizens, with a little of the supernatural thrown in for good measure.”

—Suspense Magazine

                For over twenty years, Repairman Jack has been one of the most popular characters in contemporary dark fantasy and thrillers. Blending science fiction, horror

and mystery elements, F. Paul Wilson has woven a deep mythology around the beloved character in fifteen highly-original and engaging books. In May 2012, the series came to a close with Nightworld—Wilson’s definitive edition of a great, long-out-of-print work. Although previously published, this new version of Nightworld garnered a spot on the New York Times bestseller list proving fans are still hungry for more adventures.

                Luckily for those longtime fans as well as any fan of great thrillers, Wilson now ventures into the earlier days of the Repairman in DARK CITY (A Tor Hardcover; $25.99; On-Sale October 15, 2013)—the second of three prequel novels which depict the naïve New Jersey refugee’s metamorphosis into the urban mercenary known as Repairman Jack.     

                DARK CITY takes readers back to February 1992.  Desert Storm is raging in Iraq but twenty-two-year-old Jack has more pressing matters at home. His favorite bar, The Spot, is about to be sold out from under Julio, Jack’s friend. Jack has been something of a tag-along to this point, but now he takes the reins and demonstrates his innate talent for seeing biters get bit. With a body count even higher than in Cold City, this second novel of the Early Years Trilogy hurtles Jack into the final volume in which all scores will be settled, all debts paid.

                More of a straight crime novel than the later books of the Repairman Jack saga, DARK CITY is a perfect entry point for new readers and is sure to excite Wilson’s legion of fans by shedding more light on the background of their favorite “fix-it” man.

F. PAUL WILSON, the New York Times bestselling author of the Repairman Jack novels, lives in Wall, New Jersey. In 2008, he won the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement. Visit him online at www.repairmanjack.com or @fpaulwilson.

I reviewed the first book in this prequel, Cold City. This is the second in the prequel trilogy!

To enter, fill out the rafflecopter form below:

(US/Can only)

Throwback Thursday: To Kill a Warlock

Meme hosted by Melissa My World in Words and Pages. It's about books that are already on the shelves and are waiting to be read. Go to her website to join in!

My submission this week:

To Kill a Warlock
Dulcie O'Neil #1
by H. P. Mallory

The murder of a dark arts warlock. A shape-shifting, ravenous creature on the loose. A devilishly handsome stranger sent to investigate. Sometimes working law enforcement for the Netherworld is a real bitch. 

Dulcie O’Neil is a fairy. And not the type to frolic in gardens. She’s a Regulator—a law-enforcement agent who monitors the creatures of the Netherworld to keep them from wreaking havoc in the mortal world. When a warlock is murdered and Dulcie was the last person to see him alive, she must uncover the truth before she’s either deported back to the Netherworld, or she becomes the next victim. 

Enter Knight Vander, a sinfully attractive investigator sent from the Netherworld to work the case with Dulcie. Between battling her attraction to her self-appointed partner, keeping a sadomasochistic demon in check, and fending off the advances of a sexy and powerful vampire, Dulcie’s got her hands full. As the body count increases, Dulcie finds herself battling dark magic, reconnoitering in S&M clubs and suffering the greatest of all betrayals.

I'm kind of a sucker for a cartoonish UF/PNR book. It usually means snark to me... even if there is none there. However, I think there may be some humor to be had here.

Any humorous/snarky books on your tbr?