Flawed Dogs by Berkeley Breathed

This was an adorably dark book that made me tear up more than once. A little dachshund with a ladle for a leg is being put in a dog fighting ring. He sees what he's up against and just lays down to die.

This is how we start the book!

We flashback to how Sam the Lion wiener dog is actually bought and paid for by Mrs. Nutbush for the sole purpose of winning the Westminster Dog Show. Fortunately for Sam, he spies an girl, Heidy, who looks like she should be his human. Heidy is an orphan, going to live with her uncle. Sam escapes Nutbush and ends up chasing down Heidy, who keeps him. Because, who wouldn't?

In Heidy's new home, there is Cassius, a French Poodle who is evil (aren't they all?) and Cassius wants Sam gone so he can have Heidy's love for himself. Cassius actually crafts a plan to be rid of Sam, that results in Sam being shot and left for dead.

Sam survives and ends up at the National Last-Ditch Dog Depository with other flawed and misfit dogs. Sam is scarred up, missing a leg, and has been through hell. We come back to the dog fight and Sam's story continues from there.

Sam and his misfit friends are adorable, sad, and awesome. The drawings in the book just emphasize the crazy that this book is but they are heartbreaking too. Sam comes out on top, flawed as he is.

Perfection is overrated.

We Are Never Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby

This book of essays came highly recommended by Jenny Lawson, and since I love Jenny, I assumed I would love this book. I was right!

Samantha Irby is insanely funny and vulgar. She starts off this collection with her Bachelorette Application that introduces her to us.

“You know, what I really need is someone who remembers to rotate this meaty pre-corpse toward the sun every couple of days and tries to get me to stop spending my money like a goddamn NBA lottery pick.” 

And we just go running from there. A few things she mentioned sounded crazy familiar, so I looked her up. Yup, she has Crohn's Disease. I had Ulcerative Colitis (a cousin to Crohn's) and I truly feel her pain. One of the fascinating things about people with IBD is the ability to speak plainly and often about butts and poop. Samantha is no exception, so if butthole talk makes you nervous, well.....

How about lesbian talk? Her essay on her first girl encounter, referencing an open-face, medium rare, roast beef sandwich and soft serve ice cream, is a visual. For real.

She details her "dumpster fire" of a childhood. Saying she had it rough is a bit of an understatement but she has the ability to make you laugh as her dad's ashes end up in her mouth instead of the river (damn wind!).

“I am a simple person. Kind of. I mean, I don’t really have any dreams beyond comfortable pants and unlimited sparkling water.” 

Neon Prey by John Sandford

I love real books. Dead tree type books. But I also like my Kindle because when I hear the ding on Prey release day, I know I have instant happiness. And like that *snapping fingers*, the new Lucas Davenport book was in my hot little hands.

This is the 29th Davenport book and it really doesn't show it's age at all. Don't get me wrong, Lucas is aging. When his description said he was 52, for some reason, I was really surprised. But, I'm 43 and now 50s really don't seem that old. Maybe his chases are slowing a bit but his mind is still whirring at top speed, intelligence and humor were always his best points.

Deese is a killer. Not only that, he's a cannibal (the opening BBQ scenes take on a totally different feel when you know this fact). Not only is he a killer cannibal, he's out on the loose and Davenport, along with Rae and Bob, are brought in to find him. They start off in New Orleans, but tips lead them out to LA and Las Vegas. Sandford can write excellent characters. Rae and Bob are ideal sidekicks to Lucas and they stand up fully in their own right, much like Virgil Flowers.

Deese ends up with his brother, Marion, and his home invasion gang. He's surrounded by some nasty folks and it would seem they are brought down pretty quick. Honestly, it felt really easy in the beginning, good tips, cooperative cops, happening upon the right house, etc. Even Bob and Rae felt this was easy.

It was too easy.

A gunfight between cops and gang leads to some perilous results.

In the end, I'm going to say we're at a "typical" Prey ending but dammit, they are all GOOD. I only meant to read this a bit at a time but devoured it in 2 nights. I love Davenport. I love who he is, I love what he does, I love his complexities. He's not perfect, he can royally screw things up, but his intelligence brings him back to the top.

I Liked My Life by Abby Fabiaschi

This was an interesting premise. Maddy, a seemingly perfect mom/housewife, jumps to her death off of a building and everyone is left to wonder why. Maddy herself is in another realm watching over her husband and teenage daughter, trying to make life better for them now that she is gone.

This could have easily went south and dark but it actually didn't. I admit to being irritated with Maddy. "Why are you playing God with your family now when you chose to leave them?" That thought kept playing in my head as Maddy manipulated feelings and situations to get the outcome she wanted.

Her husband, Brady......I'm shocked anyone stayed married to him, to be honest. Eve, her 17 year old daughter, was a typical selfish teenager. But Eve was the one who really reflected and worked on understanding her mom's suicide. Eve's transformation was partially sad and partially amazing. Brady stays an ass for a while :)

I felt the ending was a bit forced but I'll leave that for you to discover and make your own opinions on! Overall though, this was a really good book that made me reflect on how I treat my loved ones and what I would need to change to make people feel appreciated while they are still here.