{ARC Review} THE MUTTS DIARIES by Patrick McDonnell

Book Title: The Mutts Diaries
Author: Patrick McDonnell
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Publishing Date: October 7, 2014
Length: 226 pages
Source: Publisher via Netgalley

The first Mutts collection in the AMP! Comics for Kids series!

The beloved characters in Mutts have a special appeal to kids. The warm humor and friendship between unlikely characters create a special blend. Earl is a small mutt with a big heart who cheerfully tugs at the leash on the walk of life. Earl is Mooch the cat's innocent friend, as well as a witness to Mooch's antics, and is sometimes a reluctant participant. Mooch has a fuzzy way of thinking and exclaiming "Yesh!" when really excited. Lively, animated, confident, and silly, Mooch is a smorgasbord of emotions who dances with enthusiasm and sings a lot. Mooch is the curious instigator of action, while the ever-loyal Earl often gets pulled into the fray.

Created in 1994, Mutts appears in more than 700 newspapers and in 20 countries. McDonnell has received numerous awards for this strip, including the National Cartoonists Society's highest honor, The Reuben, for Cartoonist of the Year, six Harvey Awards for Best Comic Strip, Germany's Max and Moritz Award for Best International Comic Strip, and the Swedish Academy of Comic Art's Adamson Statuette. Mutts has also won awards for its environmental and animal advocacy, including two Genesis Awards from The Ark Trust, The HSUS Hollywood Genesis Award for Ongoing Commitment, the PETA Humanitarian Award, and a Sierra Club award.

Goodreads | Amazon (preorder)

Mutts has long been one of my favorite comics for half of my life. I first discovered it in high school and then made a point to get a newspaper so I could read it. I was excited to find this book on Netgalley available for request so I could dive in and enjoy some Earl, Mooch, & Gang.

I think that Patrick McDonnell is extremely talented. In just a few panels, he manages to capture the epitome of our pets and the range of emotions associated with them. This is THE MUTTS DIARIES and inside you will find Earl's, Mooch's, Guard Dog's, Chickpea's, Bip & Bop's, Sourpuss', Crabby's, and Shtinky's diaries. Each diary is filled with snippets of their days and interactions.

images purposefully small. Sorry! 

I thought it was adorable that the prints are on a looseleaf background and think that any person, child or adult, would love this collection. It comes out October 7, 2014 and I know I'll be snapping it up for my mom, whose birthday is roughly a week later, and for myself! 

BOOK REVIEW: Courtney Crumrin Volume 4: Monstruous Holiday Special Edition by TED NAIFEH

Courtney Crumrin's adventures continue - this time in a newly remastered, full-color edition! Courtney and Uncle Aloysius' European vacation has brought them into the heart of a country rich with mystical history and tradition. At first, eastern Europe seems like the perfect place for Courtney to strengthen her abilities, but just as Courtney begins to tap into the mystery of the old country, she comes face-to face-with overwhelming magic and even larger moral ambiguities.

Series: Courtney Crumrin
Hardcover: 128 pages
Publisher: Oni Press; Special edition (October 29, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1934964921
ISBN-13: 978-1934964927

A_TiffyFit's Review: I requested this at Netgalley because of the cover; it looked intriguing. And now...now I must get the first three volumes and this one when it comes out because I found this totally enchanting.

The storyline pulls you in quickly, even when you have no idea what is going on or the background story. You quickly get absorbed into this world with its lovely illustration and tale. My heart clenched as Courtney thinks that it was all for nothing at the end of Chapter One!

I screenshot a couple pages to share with you.

Courtney is feisty and adorable and I laughed out loud when she was running from this wolf chanting, "STUPID! STUPID! STUPID!" I know I've been in a position where I'm yelling that at myself, how about you? lol

The facial expressions are really well done and I found them very moving. I really adored Courtney's little bat clip and her empathetic heart.


I don't want to give much away, but I must say that I really want the rest of this series now and it's going on my Christmas list!

Add it to your Goodreads:
http://bit.ly/19MEaBU

You can pre-order Volume 4 at Amazon.com: http://
amzn.to/1fOMgjv