Today I thought i’d have a go at something light and fun.  A book tag that I came up with that combines my love of dogs and  my love of books.  If you fancy taking part please tag me so I can see what books you come up with.  Let’s go:

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I’m going to start and conclude with the puppy and old faithful:

The puppy, illegally cute, will eventually grow into it’s paws and ears, will chew your shoes, possibly your clothes and the table legs and demand all your attention before curling up to sleep exhausted.

** The most recent book that you read and loved **

Well, I’ve been on something of a reading high just recently (long may this continue) but, the actual last book that I gave five stars to was A Dowry of Blood by ST Gibson.  Dark romance, broodingly gothic and a tale of obsession and control:

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The Retriever, intelligent, hard working hunters with a love of life believed to have originated in Scotland.

** A book that was carefully planned, clearly well researched and was intelligent and thought provoking **

This is another very recent read that I’m really happy to be able to cast the light on here.  Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution by RF Kuang.  An ode to words:

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Poodle, the aristocrat of the canine world.  A proud and elegant athlete.

** A book with a beautiful cover **

Ahh, so many possibilities… I had to cheat and choose more than one.  (This was probably the most difficult prompt for me because I suffer from cover love so could have gone totally giddy and included MANY, MANY MANY, more covers, as it is I exercised remarkable constraint:

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The German Shepherd, an all purpose working dog, loyal and courageous.

** A book that gave you a strong case of the heebie jeebies.  You needed all your courage to pick this one up **

Old Country by Matt Query and Harrison Query – there’s some very creepy scenes in this one so beware.

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Lakeland terrier, a ‘big dog in a small package’

** A book with great characters  **

The Empire’s Ruin by Brian Staveley – I love this book and can’t wait to read the next in series. I love Gwenna so much.

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Rottweiler, descendent of the Roman mastiffs, playful and protective.

** A book based on ancient history **

I simply have to give a shout out to The Wolf Den and the House With the Golden Door by Elodie Harper because they’re just so good. This is a series that takes us to Pompeii and provides us with a glimpse into the lives of slaves and prostitutes. I am giddy with anticipation for what comes next.

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Greyhound, gentle and independent, a dog that embodies the saying ‘form follows function’.  Bred for speed.

** A book that was fast paced and kept you racing to the end **

Black Tide by KC Jones.  This was such a great book to read. The writing was snappy and the tension was cranked up and it had a healthy dose of totally ‘out there’ cosmic horror.  This is a book that I would love to see adapted – it could be totally wicked, tense and scary:

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Dachshund, these dogs are not necessarily built for speed but they are relentlessly persistent.  Quite often known as ‘the sausage dog’.

** A book that made you hungry – this is a book that you need to stock up on treats before you crack it open**

This is perhaps an unusual choice but I’m going to say Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney.  It has some of the most unusual food served at a party that I’ve ever heard of.  I’m not sure whether I’d love the food or not but I’m certainly intrigued.  And, this is a great read. Feeney starts out with a captivating hook, she then lets us run on the line enjoying the freedom to explore the remote setting and the histrionics of the Darker family before reeling us in to a climatic and dramatic grand finale.  An absolute must read imo.

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The  Mixed breed or “Heinz 57” as its sometimes affectionately known, this is a dog of indeterminate breed.  Generally speaking such dogs are believed to live longer and suffer less hereditary diseases and will you just look at that face. I have a serious case of ‘cute aggression’ coming on..

** This is a book with a bit of everything going on. Could be lots of different elements/POVs or a collection of stories **

This is a book that I recently read and will be reviewing soon. It’s one of those books that succeeds in blending elements such as science fiction, fantasy, romance and adventure.  Watch this space for my thoughts very soon.  A Gamble Of Gods (The Order Of The Dragon, #1) by Mitriel Faywood. 

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The French Bulldog, enjoying great popularity at the moment. Playful and adorable and loved by City dwellers who have less space. 

** A book that is irresistibly cute **

I’m using this tag as much as possible to highlight my most uptodate reads and also included in that is the books I’ve been reading for the Self Published Fantasy Blog Off Competition (for more info check out Mark Lawrence’s post here).  One of my Semi Finalists this year is Miss Percy’s Pocket Guide to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons by Quenby Olson.  This book is positively delicious – it also fits into the prompt above about needing treats on hand when you’re reading – because cake is mentioned an almost indecent number of times.  This book is so good.  When I was reading I felt transported back to an almost Austen-ish world with bonnets and etiquette. And just look at the cute dragon.  Also the fantasy elements are included in such a clever way that even if you’re not usually a fantasy reader I think you’d be hard pressed not to be very pleasantly surprised.

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The Portuguese Podengo, alert and independent.  A breed of hunting dog believed to have descended from dogs brought to Portugal by Phoenician merchants.

** A book that is a standalone **

Dyer Street Punk Witches (Ordshaw #7) by Phil Williams.So you’re probably scratching your head and wondering why I’ve included this book under my standalone prompt?  Well, although this is set in the Ordshaw world I can confidently say that you can read this book as a standalone. I only mention this because I quite often feel daunted when I see that I’m already so far behind in a very established series and to be honest it puts me off picking it up – which sounds crazy but it simply feels like such a huge commitment to catch up.  This was actually my favourite of the Ordshaw stories with new characters and an intriguing storyline.  Plus a fantastic kickass central pov and a banging cover.  Give it a shot, you might (more than definitely will) fancy returning to some of the earlier books as a result.

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The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, the nobility of Dogdom with a silky coat, mild temper and graceful athleticism.

** A book with Kings and Queens or something historic **

So, back to my SPFBO endeavours.  For this prompt I’m using my other Semi Finalist. The Blood of Crows by Alex C Pierce. I had such a lot of fun with this one and the story is intriguing and compelling. Firstly, I’m a sucker for heists, secondly I love characters that manage to insert a little humour even though they’re in the middle of dire circumstances, thirdly I loved the magic and the way it feeds into the plot so easily and fourthly, there is more yet to come and it promises something I didn’t expect. I’m thinking of the ending and obviously I can’t elaborate. You’ll simply have to read the book.  I’m watching you AC Pierce!

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Finally.  Old faithful.  This is the dog that has been your steadfast companion over the years. Lies with it’s head on your foot so that it knows when you move, scents you out no matter where you are and waits patiently.  Is the first to greet you in the morning and the last at night and is always happy to see you.

** A book that you’ve read many times, you could pick this book up and just let the pages fall open to where they may and dive right in **

I have a number of books that I’ve read a few times but I think the one I used to pick up most frequently was Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier.  Having said that I realise I haven’t picked this up in quite some time so perhaps a reread is in order.  I love this author’s work and along with Rebecca have no hesitation in recommending My Cousin Rachel and Jamaica Inn. There are many more but those two always stood out for me.

If you enjoyed these prompts please feel free to take part.  I’m not tagging anyone but hope you’ll join in and would love to see your books.  Sorry if you don’t see your favourite pooch here – there are so many breeds and so I had to narrow it down somehow.

Also, for the cat lovers out there (of which I am also one), I have a lovely idea for a cat tag which I’m going to pull together very soon.