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If you use Google Reader to get your D's Book Shelves, we have some bad news for you.  After Monday, July 1st, Google Reader will be no more.  BUT fear not!  We, at D's Book Shelves have other options for you, and you will still be able to get your reviews. 

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Current Book

I am finished with "Kiss Me First", and I am currently reading "Seven X", a psychological  thriller-horror by Mike Wech.  I will have the review for "Kiss Me First" shortly.

"Plain Truth" by Jodi Picoult

 "Plain Truth" by Jodi Picoult.  This book was published in 1999 by Pocket Books Publisher.

Overview: 

The discovery of a dead infant in an Amish barn shakes Lancaster County to its core. But the police investigation leads to a more shocking disclosure: circumstantial evidence suggests that eighteen-year-old Katie Fisher, an unmarried Amish woman believed to be the newborn's mother, took the child's life. When Ellie Hathaway, a disillusioned big-city attorney, comes to Paradise, Pennsylvania, to defend Katie, two cultures collide -- and for the first time in her high-profile career, Ellie faces a system of justice very different from her own. Delving deep inside the world of those who live "plain," Ellie must find a way to reach Katie on her terms. And as she unravels a tangled murder case, Ellie also looks deep within to confront her own fears and desires, when a man from her past reenters her life.

This book was suggested by a D's Bookshelves reader.  If you would like to suggest a book, please send the title, author and overview to dsbookshelves@gmail.com.

“ComPETability: Solving Behavior Problems In Your Multi-Cat Household”, by Amy Shojai

“ComPETability: Solving Behavior Problems In Your Multi-Cat Household”, by Amy Shojai, is part of a series to help those who have multi-pet households.  It was published by FurryMuse Publications in 2012. As the title suggests, this book is a resource for those who have more than one cat. As Ms. Shojai is a pet behaviorist, she is more than qualified in this area.  Years ago she began her crusade for animals by becoming a veterinary technician. Almost naturally, she became a pet writer.  She has won more than two dozen awards for her writing.

ComPETability for multi-cat homes is a great resource book for new cat owners, as well as those who have had cats all their lives. It is a book that can be read from cover to cover, or just by topic. The cover is very appropriate as it has two cats that look to be fighting over who is the dominant one. Amy goes into this problem extensively.  The obvious play on words in the title shows Ms. Shojai’s delightful sense of humor. She uses her wit throughout the book to keep the reader enthralled. The book is in four parts.  The first part is an overview of the book, cat specific details, and behavior and training. Part Two covers problems and solutions. Amy uses the P. E. T. Test to find out why cats are having behavior problems. “The acronym stands for Physical Health, Emotional Well – Being, and Traits of Instinct. Only by knowing what triggers a ‘bad’ behavior can you devise a plan to address the situation.” Part Three is my favorite part, “Common Multipet Frustrations”. This part covers the reasons why cats do the things they do. The last parts of this book are the Appendixes.

We all know how mysterious cats can be.  This book helped me to think like a cat. Even though my house has been a multi-cat home for close to 20 years, this book has taught me quite a lot. For instance, years ago I had two cats, Tiffany and BoBo. They became like sister and brother; cuddling when they could and even grooming each other. Tiffany became sick and eventually had to be put down. Bobo grieved for months, and began to become very needy. I found that this is quite common and I probably would have made the grieving process a little easier for him had I let him see Tiffany’s body before burying it.

I enjoyed reading this book from cover to cover and I am sure that it will be my go-to book in the future. As usual, Amy Shojai entertained me with her “ComPETability: Solving Behavior Problems In Your Multi-Cat Household”. You, too, can be entertained by this book.  I bought the Kindle version on Amazon.com for $5.99.  

Scheduled Books for Upcoming Reviews

I am currently reading "ComPETability: Solving Behavioral Problems In Your Multi-Cat Household", by Amy Shojai. This author has won award after award for her non-fiction books; and it's no wonder.  She really knows her stuff!  We are familiar with her wonderful work of fiction, "Lost and Found", reviewed by D's Bookshelves .  ComPETability is part of a non-fiction series dealing with multi-pet households.  I will be reviewing this within the next couple of weeks.

I  am also going through the Christian study by Rick Warren, "The Purpose Driven Life".  This is a day-by-day study, and as such, will be reviewed in a couple of months.  If you would like to join in on this daily lesson, please come to God's Grace.

In the wings, I have two thrillers waiting.  The book that I have on my "next-to-read" shelf is "Kiss Me First", by Lottie Moggach.  So, right after I review ComPETability, I get to delve into this frightening book.  

The second one to read is "Seven X", by Mike Wech.  This was given to me by the author to review and, needless to say, I'm itching to get at it.

All in all, it looks like an exciting month for D's Bookshelves!  Stay tuned!

One Day, October by W.R. Parrish

The book, "One Day, October" by W R Parrish is a brilliant, fast paced piece, which will have your heart pounding too fast, your palms too sweaty, and you reminding yourself to breathe.   This horror tale is actually six very different stories that take place in one twenty-four hour period. They seemingly have nothing to do with one another; except that the characters are in the same town, each fighting their own monsters. “…[These monsters] are creatures of the dark.  Demons.  Spooks. Werewolves…Boogiemen.  Nothing more.  Agents of the Deceiver come in many forms…” (Parrish 279).  The stories are unconnected until the very end, when we find that “’we are so insignificant to creatures such as these that we are well below their concern’” (Parrish 180).  This is one book that I would not skip to the very last page, as I would spoil it for myself.  Mr. Parrish quite successfully had me gripping the edge of my seat right up to the very end!

The characters include an experienced priest, an innocent boy, a family man and a naive college girl, with little in common. They were all different; different genders, different ages, different walks of life and, as a result, different life stories with different villains with which to deal.  I was able to relate to them all very well, and I found myself sharing each of their monsters, as I had in different stages of my own life.  As a result, I felt the cold fingers of my imagined ogres running up and down my spine, as I read this suspenseful masterpiece.  I usually do not read this genre, as I am a "big chicken", but I thoroughly enjoyed "One Day, October", and I would jump at the chance to read another of Mr Parrish's works.  I would definitely would suggest this book to any horror fan.  

His style is much like Stephen King's or Dean Koontz's; fast and furious.  As he so aptly puts it, “[ He] like(s) swatches of scenes which become a pattern which become a quilt” (Parrish http://www.wrparrish.com/writing/2013/04/08/amusings/).  This is exactly how Mr. Parrish writes; small patterns of scenes that fit together into a quilt of a story.  However, I did slow down as I approached the conclusion of "One Day, October", only because I did not want the ride to end!

The author has a background which includes church and horror movies, an unlikely pair of interests. Both are very evident in his writing.  He has a website, http://www.wrparrish.com/writing/ that is a delight to visit.

This book is available on Amazon; the Kindle version is $3.99 and the paperback is $11.99.