Tigers, Not Daughters

Jessica does her best to be Ana. Iridian reads the books Ana left. Rosa tries to find out why Ana came back. A year after Ana Torres fell from her window, the three sisters she left behind are still trying to cope with their grief. When odd things begin happening—laughter with no voice, writing on the walls, things found where they weren’t left—the sisters know Ana has come back. They haven’t seen her, but they know she’s trying to give them a warning. Or a message. Or both.

Despite what it sounds like, this isn’t a ghost story. Life hasn’t been easy for the Torres sisters, and after their desperate attempt at escape, things only get worse. The story is well told, fast-paced, and engaging. Each character is different, but some felt overdone and dramatic at points. Jessica is in an abusive relationship and she knows it, yet can’t seem to get out of it. It’s uncomfortable to read about, but a good insight to how it really is. Tigers, not Daughters is a story about what it means to be family. There is heavy cussing throughout.


Bringing Back the Wolves: How a Predator Restored an Ecosystem is about exactly that. If you go to Yellowstone National Park, the park rangers like to talk about the wolves because it is an interesting story. This book has way more details in it than the park rangers share in their talks. If you love animals you may or may not love this book. It is all about the food chain and who eats who, and you may not like to read about it so much. There is a lot of information in this book and it is very well written. The pictures and charts are nice. It’s definitely a book for older kids who are interested in nature and don’t mind reading about predators and prey. If you like this book and have not been to Yellowstone, you should definitely go because it will be a really good experience to see how big and amazing the park is in real life, and maybe you’ll even see a wolf. You’ll probably be more likely to hear one.


What Grew in Larry's Garden

What Grew In Larry’s Garden is a heartwarming tale about a little girl and her neighbor friend’s garden. He teaches her all about plants and a whole lot more. The story shows how creativity and kindness can go a long way and make the world a better place, one person and plant at a time. This book is based on a real person who’s a teacher and uses gardening to teach his students. Everybody should read this book. And it would be great if everybody had a teacher like Mr. Larry. This book is so sweet and inspiring, and the pictures are really beautiful. Even the pictures all by themselves without a story would make a good book. It will make you want to grow a garden and write thank-you notes.


Evie Robillard, with illustrations by Rachel Katstaller

A Portrait in Poems: The Storied Life of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas was a good book. It was written by Evie Robillard. I learned a lot about Gertrude Stein, like that she wrote lots of books and poems, and that in Paris, she lived at 27 rue de Fleurus. I like how she called poems “word portraits.” Her friendship with Alice B. Toklas was really special. The puppet show part was neat and my favorite part was their dog named Basket. It’s such a silly name for a dog!

The pictures in the book were good too. The illustrator was Rachel Katstaller. My favorite picture is of the room with all the paintings. It’s, like, really good. You look down at the room from above, and I just love that. I love how this book combined art and poetry. Gertrude Stein even met Picasso! He painted her, and it took a very long time.

A Portrait in Poems was a really good book, and I learned a lot about both Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas.


Canadian Women Now and Then: More than 100 Stories of Fearless Trailblazers

Canadian Women Now and Then is about a whole bunch of Canadian women who have done great things. It is a nonfiction book that teaches you about the lives of over 100 famous Canadian women. There are journalists, astronauts, servicewomen, artists, activists, actresses, and authors. Each career category shows a woman from the past and a woman from right now who are making a difference. Each page of the book covers a different woman, so there is a lot to learn about. The beginning of the book has a table of contents and the end has an index to help find what you are looking for. I read about women who I had already known like the astronaut Roberta Bondar, the author Lucy Maud Montgomery, and Olympic swimmer Penny Oleksiak. I also learned about so many women that I had never heard of before, like Emily Stowe, who was the first female doctor, The Famous Five, and Shaunawdithit, who was the last woman of her tribe and was dedicated to teaching about her culture before she died. My favorite woman to read about was Lucy Maud Montgomery because she wrote Anne of Green Gables. I read Anne of Green Gables this year, and my family is planning a trip to Prince Edward Island to visit the real Green Gables. The illustrations are not real photographs, but instead drawings of what each woman looks like. I wish there had been some real photographs of the women to see. I really like learning about real people and things they have done, and Canadian Women Now and Then gave me the chance to learn about over 100 women in one book.


Why Do We Cry?

Fran Pintadera, with illustrations by Ana Sender

My mom read to me Why Do We Cry? Before I heard this story, I could not tell her all of the reasons why people cry; I have only experienced crying when I am sad. After being read this story, I learned that there are many reasons why a person may be crying. You can cry when you're sad, scared, frustrated, mad, confused, and even when you are happy! There are so many reasons for crying; my mom says that I cry when I'm tired, too. The story in this book is about a boy named Mario asking his mom about why we cry, and his mom tells him in the pages of the rest of the book.

The pictures in the book are a mix of dark, spooky, and sad, but I think that is just because when we cry, it's not usually because we're happy, although sometimes it is. The pictures are still fun to look at; they do a good job of telling the story. I feel like I learned a lot after being read this story. I like that, at the end of the book, the author tells us more about crying and tears and shows us how unique tears are to everyone.


Solve This! Forensics: Super Science and Curious Capers for the Daring Detective in You

I love this book! It sets up different scenarios in which a crime has been committed.  The reader is presented with the evidence and must use forensic science to find the culprit. The cool thing about this book is that it explains different forensic science techniques, both how they are used and the science behind why they work.

One example is how fingerprinting works. The dust used to show the fingerprints is made of aluminum, which carries a positive charge. So, the aluminum dust is attracted to the negative charge in human skin and sweat and “sticks” to it!||It’s interesting to learn about the evidence in the cases, and how a real scientist would analyze that evidence. I love how this book walks the reader through each step to analyze each piece of evidence. Then, the reader gets to guess the culprit based on all the analyzed evidence.

I think other people would love this book because it’s a mix of educational information as well as fun to solve the crimes! This book is fun, interesting, and informative. All my fellow sleuths should definitely read it!


Another Life Is Possible: Insights from 100 Years of Life Together

Clare Stober, photographs by Danny Burrows

Celebrating a century of Christian communal living, this oversized volume is filled with photo-essays describing the lives and contributions of past and present residents of Bruderhof, which translates to “place of brothers.” This now international community was first started in the early 1900s by one Eberhard Arnold, a German philosophy student, and gradually gained adherents in Germany, England, Paraguay, and Australia. The members practice Christian pacifism, do not own private property, share communal meals, and have other Christian-compatible practices. Photographer Danny Burrows illustrates ten chapters with images of society participants organized by the goals of this movement. A Korean family expresses their joy at leaving their possessions and busy work-life to follow a lifestyle that money can’t buy. Colorful photos of other participants, each framed in the communal setting, highlights the pages. And so, the photos beautifully play on the basic tenets of this Christian setting showing how they work for a purpose, seek peace, share their faith, practice charity, work together in sickness and health, and indulge in other societal functions. The photographs of the participants and the communal backdrops convey the impression of a contented and happy Christian society representing members of all ages and from varying backgrounds. It is a laudable centennial presentation for this community that also serves to introduce this group to the general public.


A Stopwatch from Grampa

He savored every minute with Grampa. They were the closest of companions, and the little boy still knows exactly how long it took Grampa to eat three oatmeal raisin cookies -- a mere five minutes. He knows how long it took the creepy caterpillar to crawl up his leg while he and Grampa sat in the park. Together, they timed everything. It was their fascination, their joy. The young boy finds himself alone with Grampa’s stopwatch resting gently in his hands. Without Grampa, it’s meaningless to him. He shoves it in a drawer away from sight until one day he finds it underneath a sweater and decides it’s time to try to beat Grampa’s cookie eating time.

A Stopwatch from Grampa is a magnificent story that captures a young boy’s enduring love for his grandfather and the immense loss he feels when he passes. At first he is angry, as many are when experiencing tragedy in their lives. Then he moves to indifference and finally on to acceptance, a place in which he is ready to create new memories and reclaim the old. His experience, though portrayed as fiction, appears vividly real. With its subtle but strikingly alluring illustrations, this picture book is ideal for children ages 5-9. Though the topic can be a difficult one to breach with youngsters, this story will likely make it easier and serve as a springboard for fruitful discussion as well as restorative healing for those experiencing similar losses.


The Boreal Forest: A Year in the World's Largest Land Biome

L. E. Carmichael, with illustration by Josée Bisaillon

The Boreal Forest is the largest land-based biome in the world, stretching around the northern hemisphere across Alaska, Canada, northern Europe, and Russia. In geologic terms, it is relatively young, about eight thousand years old, coming into being after the Ice Age. This huge forest not only supports a wide variety of animal and plant life but also contains more fresh water than any other place on Earth. Canada alone has more than six hundred thousand lakes! This beautiful book takes readers through the year, looking at how many kinds of flora and fauna live in the forest in each of the seasons. Fascinating notes are found throughout the book about how things like fishermen leaving unused worms behind is threatening the survival of the forest or how the Saami, the indigenous people of Scandinavia and western Russia, protect the reindeer population. Author L. E. Carmichael writes authoritatively; his research shines through. His style is conversational and comfortable for his young audience. The illustrations by Josée Bisaillon are soft, lovely, and filled with wonderful details. This is not a picture book for very young readers, but it will enthrall middle-graders and keep them engaged and learning. Don’t miss this terrific book.


A Forgotten Murder

A Forgotten Murder has all the ingredients for an intriguing English-country-house mystery: a small group of guests; a reunion at Oxley Manor; and a secret from the past -- the unsolved disappearance of two persons some twenty years earlier. Amateur detectives Sara Medlar and her two sidekicks have come to Oxley Manor to find out if the two missing persons are alive or dead, and, if dead, whether or not they were murdered. Of the other attendees, four were present at the time of the disappearance, but they have not seen each other since.

After a promising start involving the discovery of a skeleton in an unused well, the story moves into a slow-paced account of the interactions among the main suspects and their histories over the last twenty years. Also, a sub-plot budding romance between the two assistant detectives evolves. All of this leads up to an intricately woven solution, which plays out in a much magnified variant of the Poirot, everyone-in-the-drawing-room denouement that is too contrived to be convincing. Nonetheless, A Forgotten Murder is a comfortable, entertaining read, especially for those who enjoy the interplay among characters. This is a story that keeps its surprises, and there are several, right to the end.


Wanted! Criminals of the Animal Kingdom

Heather Tekavec, with illustrations by Susan Batori

I love learning about animals of all kinds. Reading Wanted! Criminals of the Animal Kingdom taught me a lot about animals in a fun way. The story is written like the animals are bad guys and the polar bear is the police officer telling us about them. There are many different kinds of animals in this book. I didn't know that some of them were real at first. There are animals from different environments, such as the ocean, rain forest, marsh, ruins, jungle, desert, grassland, woods, and even our flowers!

I liked the information about the animals, even though I didn't understand all of it. I think kids older than kindergarten will probably understand all of it. I think that some of the things that the animals do that are "bad" are kind of funny, like sticking flower pedals around themselves as a disguise or laying their eggs in someone else's nest. Other things are kind of mean though, like pretending to be a different animal so that that animal will show up and they can catch them and spitting on people and other animals just because you're angry. I think that any kid will like reading this book and looking at the pictures.


David Jumps In

It's the first day of school for David, and he doesn't know anybody. David has no friends at his new school. It's recess time, and he wants somebody to play with. He watches a lot of kids playing games. Some kids are playing hide and seek. Some are playing on the monkey bars. Other kids are blowing dandelions on the grass. David wants to play elastic skip. Will David be able to find friends to play with? This story is about friendship and children playing. I think it's funny that I know how to play the same game as David, but I call it Chinese jump rope instead. I also think it's funny that they show the kids playing video games during recess, and they don't look up; they are sucked in. I like the illustrations, and how the illustrator used watercolor—it is very pretty. When I look at the pictures, I remember me playing the same games as the kids in the story. I recommend this book to kids who love to play with friends.


I Dream of a Journey

I Dream of a Journey is a nice book. The pictures are kind of hard to tell what’s going on and there is not very much that happens in the book. Some of the pictures are colorful, and others are black and white. It looks different than other books you might have seen before. The story is about a person who works at a hotel and meets lots of people who come to stay there, but he dreams of going somewhere someday on a journey. If you like every kind of book then you will like this one. If you like books that are funny or silly then you probably will not like this one as much. There are not very many words, but maybe older kids would like it better.


The Gretchen Question

The Gretchen Question is a beautifully written story told from the first-person perspective of the main character, Roberta Chase. Roberta has just found out that her cancer has come back and is at a crossroads to tell her college-aged son Will, whom she has a very rocky relationship with recently due to the fact that she will not give him information on who his biological father is. This, along with her relationship with her best friend Grettie, makes up the plot for this book as we follow Roberta through the last days of her life.

I found the writing to be easy to follow and digest. The story, although not complex, was very raw and heart wrenching. The main character is likable enough, however, some of the scenarios she gets herself into are quite strange, and it would be easy to question her sanity throughout the book. There were some really great stories and details such as her mother's Christmas letter and her son's fear of throwing up in public. This was an excellent read that I had a hard time putting down.


All About Anxiety

I didn't know about anxiety before I read the book All About Anxiety. The chapters start by telling you what this is and the different types you can have. The book explains what is happening in your body when you feel anxious. Then lots of things that can make a person anxious are talked about and how you can deal with these problems. Another chapter is about how anxiety affects you in different parts of your life (with friends, school, family, etc.). There is more written about how your body and brain are connected, which shows why we usually don't feel well when we're nervous or worried. The last chapter is about ways of getting better—or coping skills, for when you aren't feeling well, and how you should talk to a counselor if you don't think you can handle it on your own.

This book has a lot of information that can be useful for anyone dealing with anxiety. There is a lot of information for someone my age, but older kids or even adults can use this information to make themselves or someone else feel better. The pictures are fun to look at and help tie the whole book together.


Found (House of Night Otherworld)

Fog rolls into Tulsa, and with it comes Darkness. Zoey knows something is up and that the something involves Neferet, but Neferet can’t possibly be freed, right? Other Neferet and her companion, Lynette, arrive in Woodward Park to set this world's Neferet free from her grotto prison, and discover there may be those who would sympathize with their cause. Meanwhile, other Kevin and Other Stark are hot on their trail, but how can the new friends travel to this world without invoking Old Magick and paying a costly, perhaps deadly, price?

Right off the bat, I couldnt help but enjoy the whole alternative world theme throughout //Found//, and it seemed to flow throughout the novel - and mixed in with fascinating humans, immortals, and other supernatural beings - //Found// was an amazing read; and to be completely honest, I love the lore surrounding many of the supernatural beings (mainly the vampyre lore), and I cannot help but think that, all things considered, it was completely refreshing. Despite not having read the previous installment in the series, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was able to pick up where the story was at, due in part to how the plot of //Found// would bring up reminders of the core elements of plot.


Repair Revolution: How Fixers Are Transforming Our Throwaway Culture

We've only got one world, so let's use it appropriately! Wackman and Knight have teamed up to deliver information on ways of repairing our items instead of disposing of them. In their Repair Revolution: How Fixers are Transforming Our Throwaway Culture, you will learn about a relatively new concept that is hoping to catch on throughout the nation, called Repair Cafes. In a Repair Cafe, volunteers help public citizens to fix their appliances, clothing, etc. to give it new life and to keep it away from the mysterious beyond of our trash cans. In this book, you'll learn about everything to do with repairing, including its role in history. Historical and scientific facts help the authors drive home their points, with enjoyable illustrations throughout the pages are included as well.
I've always been one that cares about the environment, but I have not been up-to-date with the latest push for not even recycling, but straight to repairing. Everything in the book makes complete sense, and the authors present the information in an organized and professional manner. The information presented in the text is helpful, and the resources given at the end are credible for the reader to have no excuse for repairing an object instead of throwing it away.


Virusphere: From Common Colds to Ebola Epidemics--Why We Need the Viruses That Plague Us

Viruses are the most abundant of biological entities, with an enormous range of genetic diversity, and are packaged in such minute sizes as to require the power of the electron microscope to visualize them. Physician and evolutionary biologist Frank Ryan from the University of Sheffield makes visual many of the familiar viruses that plague us in the form of viral diseases. The poxes, influenza, AIDS, Ebola, SARS, polio, Zika, rhino, and other notorious viral infections are aptly described along with their accompanying treatments. Vaccines are strongly advised as preventive measures. Unfortunately, the book came out before the Corvid-19 pandemic arose, but coronaviruses are noted. Viruses are ubiquitous, living symbiotically in the cells of all forms of life, and evolve with their hosts. Monkeys, mice, and bats host scores of viruses causing no harm to their hosts, but when introduced into a new species this formerly quiescent virus may cause havoc. Humans have an entire range of helpful viruses within their bodies and within the enterobacteria of the gut. The diversity of viruses now being identified is enormous, and the question of whether to include them within the realm of life or to designate them as an independent domain still resonates. The book cogently illuminates the domain of viruses within our biosphere. The average reader may become confused by the variety of virus types described; charts and illustrations would have been helpful.


The Lucky Ones

May survived a school shooting but suffered the loss of her twin brother in the tragedy. A year later, she still hates herself for hiding in that closet.  She knows people expect her to have dealt with it, but she can’t. She’s tried, but she just can’t. She has so much guilt and anguish over that day and the few days before it, and it’s too late to fix it.  Surprisingly, she agrees to go to a band audition with her best friend Lucy. There she meets Zach, who seems like he might get it, and her.  As the son of the defense attorney for the shooter, he’s the last one likely to help, but May needs saving, and he just might be her last hope.

   Like Jennifer Brown’s The Hate List, The Lucky Ones takes a close look at the shattered lives left behind and what it means to be a survivor of a school shooting. Heart-breaking and poignantly beautiful, this one goes straight for the gut as May wrenches with her guilt for her self-perceived part in the event. Told in alternating chapters and painfully brutal honesty, this story is hope in the darkness of some of the worst events in human history.


The Secret Messenger

Venice, 1943. Stella Jilani is a member of the Venetian Resistance, helping to type up an underground newspaper by night. By day, she works under Klaus Breughel as a translator, keeping up the image of a collaborator. It’s a delicate line to walk, and any wrong step could mean arrest, torture, and death. Her fear won’t stop her, though. She has a necessary job, funneling information to the Resistance, and the promise of a free Italy is enough to make her risk anything.

In a parallel storyline, Luisa Belmont finds an old typewriter in her attic. As she lives in Bristol in the twenty-first century, a typewriter is more a fun curiosity than a necessary tool for a writer. However, she also finds photographs of her grandmother from decades before, along with a mysterious man known only as C. With her mother recently dead, this is her only chance to learn more about her grandmother’s mysterious past. As soon as she has her mother's affairs dealt with, she travels to Venice, searching for any clues to find out who her grandmother was and what secrets she kept.

While I was touched by Luisa’s determination, I found Stella’s part of the narrative far more compelling. Her stakes were much higher, involving not only her own life and death but that of her family and friends. The setting didn’t play as strongly into Luisa’s chapters, but it was a rich world in Stella’s. I could visualize it, but Mandy Robotham did so much more than just present sensory details. I could feel its spirit as well, constrained by the Nazi regime but nevertheless determined to break those bonds. Great and small actions alike felt powerful, each one a cry of defiance. I was enthralled by Stella’s courage, but also by her humanity. She isn’t a symbol or a larger than life figure. She’s a woman, doing what she can for the home she loves, even if sometimes that’s nothing more than writing a subversive story.

In the author’s note, Ms. Robotham mentions that the Venetian part of World War II is often considered a soft war. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Not only is every war hard for those who must live through it, but the people of Venice fought and suffered against the Nazi regime as bravely as anyone could ask. The Secret Messenger brings light not only to a part of the war often overlooked but also to the role women played in subversion and resistance.

On the whole, I enjoyed this book a great deal. There were times when I wished the narration was a little more subtle because some of Stella's thoughts were stated outright even though they seemed clear from the text. Conversely, I would love to have seen more of Luisa's thoughts; some of her conclusions, especially early in her search, seem more like lucky intuitive leaps than anything backed by evidence. Even so, this was a worthwhile read, and one I would recommend to any fan of fiction set in this era.


The Two Lives of Lydia Bird: A Novel

Lydia Bird is engaged to her teenage sweetheart and ready to start a promising new life. When her fiance, Freddie, is killed in a car crash on the way to her birthday dinner, Lydia’s life is changed forever. Wracked with grief, Lydia discovers that she has a rare connection to an alternative reality in which Freddie is still alive. Torn between two worlds, Lydia has to make a choice between the worlds in order to hold on to both her sanity and those she loves the most.

Josie Silver is an incredible author and this, her second novel, is another strong book. She nails the complicated emotions and reactions to grief as well as love. Lydia was a genuine and likeable character, and the premise will resonate with many readers. Who doesn’t wish they could spend time with lost loved ones? This wasn’t a five star read for me because some parts lagged and I felt the book went on longer than necessary. Silver is able to write raw emotion and grippingly portray the human experience. For that reason, readers looking for an emotional, quiet read will enjoy slipping into the two worlds of Lydia Bird.


Alien Nate

I like Alien Nate; it’s a really funny comic book. The story is about an alien, a kid, and pizza! NASA scientists left a pizza on the Voyager 1 with a golden record from Earth, and the Vegans found it. All the aliens love pizza. Nate is from Vega. He was sent to Earth to get pizza. Nate crashed his spaceship, then he saw a creature coming toward him. It looked like a person from the golden disc, but it had a furry head and was short. Nate tripped and fell in front of the creature, which turned out to be Fazel, a kid in a snowsuit. Unfortunately, the Men in Beige from the government saw the spaceship crash. Fazel doesn’t trust them, so he and Nate make a run for it.

I like the pictures because the cartoons are great. The cover is so funny! It’s also very funny at the end when Nate says, "I think I’ll take some pizza to go," and he takes it from the Men in Beige. Kids of all ages, except teenagers, will like this book. It’s probably one of my favorite books because it’s funny AND it’s about pizza, because I love pizza too!


The Slave Who Went to Congress

This book is the biography of Benjamin Turner, who was a slave for most of his life but over time persevered and taught himself to read. Being a slave is hard work, and Benjamin worked for many different masters as he was bought and sold at the market. Benjamin found a wife and had a son, but the Civil war began and he started thinking about freedom. In 1863 President Lincoln signed the Emancipation proclamation and Benjamin was a free man. Benjamin worked hard to make a living, no matter what happened. Over time, he used his power and wages to help others, as well as learn about politics. He knew he could help even more people if he served in congress and could help others’ views and thoughts be seen and heard better. He believed in equality for all. This was a very interesting book with nice illustrations. I think it is important to know the history of our nation, so that we can all grow and learn from the past.


What Do the Plants Say?

What Do the Plants Say? is a book about a little girl who wants to understand the way the plants talk, so she uses a microphone and her mom’s recorder and figures out how the plants can talk. Mostly she hears a lot of “pop pop bop.” The illustrations are very lovely, and you can tell exactly what’s happening. The book’s title tells you what it’s about, but there are still some surprises. The writing quality is beautiful and the language is really descriptive. Anybody can enjoy reading these but those who will enjoy it the most are probably between five and ten years old. Children who like inventing things or are interested in gardening will be especially drawn to the book.


Nature All Around: Plants

Pamela Hickman, with illustrations by Carolyn Gavin

Nature All Around: Plants is a beautifully illustrated book. The illustrations look like real-life plants. The book explains how a plant can protect itself as well as how it can grow. The diagram of the plant shows the many parts of a plant. Who knew plants were so complex? There are many plants that live all over the world in many different climates. Plants grow and change throughout each season. The best part of this book is the plant-watching pages that help reader to identify plants in their very own yard. You can tell a lot about plants by the shape of their leaves, their flowers, and their stems, but readers should be careful to watch out for poisonous plants. Readers should never taste any plants or fruit from plants. I found the insect-eating plants very peculiar, and that they get their energy from insects while other plants make their energy using the sun and water. Readers are sure to love learning all about plants. I know I did. The book also has a section with instructions on how you can grow your very own microgreens! Happy plant-watching!


Going Up!

Going Up! is a fun book. You see lots of people who live in the same building and they’re all going up. It would be good if there were more of a story about each of the people so that you could know more about them. You learn something very little about people like what they’re bringing to the party. You can kind of make up stories but each person is only really on one page and they are all waiting to get on the elevator. You would only want to read it once in a while because there is not much of a story. The pictures are happy and it is a nice book. It is a good story for very little kids.


The Now-And-Then Detective (Jack Starkey Mysteries)

As luck would have it, I may have just found my new favorite detective. Jack Starkey is one fun guy to follow around as he sets out to solve the case. In The Now-and-Then Detective, the attraction is not so much the case itself but how Starkey goes about getting his way throughout the book. This guy really has a pair and is not afraid to do things “off the record” in order to solve the case. The story starts out by introducing us to the murdered philanthropist Henry Wilberforce, who seems like the nicest elderly man. The whole town seems to love him and is really sad when he turns up dead. Starkey sets out to find Henry’s heirs: two nieces, their husbands, and one nephew. Interviewing on the verge of harassment seems to be Starkey’s style, but he sure does get the job done. Telling a little fib here and there to get people to talk was one of his finer skills as well. I also enjoyed the bit of action that closed out the case as it was no more than a plan, albeit a dangerous one, put in place, but it was also a great way to end the case. Knowing that there are two other Starkey mysteries out there, I will have to go hunt them down and give them a read as well. This is a fantastic book with a great main character. A winner for those who are fans of realistic detective novels.


Blood and Money: War, Slavery, and the State

The rise of standardized, and readily accepted, money is often a confusing tale full of stops and starts. Generally, it is conceived that some of the first paper bills accepted as currency were in Europe during the late 1600s and that it slowly spread as the state consolidated its power and capitalist industries started to sprout up.

Professor David McNally takes a completely different view of the rise of money and how we went from exchanging goods for other goods to using coins and paper bills. He believes that a combination of slavery and its trade and war are the main reasons for the rise of a common currency that could be exchanged across borders. Sadly Professor McNally makes leaps of logic that often do not make sense and often feel like they are forced. Jumping from ancient Athens, Corinth, and other places into the ancient world. To England during the late 1500s really does not make much sense. Also by almost exclusively focusing on England during this time, McNally tends to ignore the rest of the world, sometimes giving them a few pages before going back to England. Never acknowledging that England was a third rate power with no navy. His argument falls flat and feels dull.


The Next Beethoven

The Next Beethoven is a well-told story about protagonist David Green, a twenty-three-year-old composer whose life slowly starts to go downhill as he becomes more and more obsessed with his idea of starting the Second Renaissance. David is consumed by the fact that today’s modern art and music are completely useless and considers them to be trash compared to the beautiful works from the Romantic era. He believes he can become the next Beethoven and bring back such styles as that of Schubert, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, and Rachmaninoff. He scoffs at the music of modern composers Marcel Laurens and Mike Albin. David decides to start a group of creatives who can help him launch the second Renaissance. Although this group seems like a great idea and the group starts off with only a few members, it is soon clear that David does not want anyone else in the group to have a say in who can be in the group and who can’t. One member, Dan, designs a modern piece of art that David discovers, and David goes off the deep end even though, Dan explains, he only designed the piece because he needed to make some money to live. David shuns him from the group. The other members are uncomfortable with the lack of democracy and the group slowly crumbles.

What I liked the most about The Next Beethoven were the multiple themes. Not only is this book a discussion of modern versus past art and its subjectivity, but it also has a huge underlying theme about mental health and, in particular, suicide. The psychological aspect that ties together the creative mind and the part of the brain that deals with anxiety and depression is a topic I find quite interesting. David is consumed with being a non-conformist, so much so that he can’t handle anyone else being a conformist in any way, and this pull on his emotions throughout. This is a painful part to read about. Harry Magnet does a wonderful job of tying together the intricate story about one man whose life is so complex and full of hurt. The one thing that I felt could have been improved upon was the relationship between David and the women in the story. I would have liked to have seen a bit more into how he became a man who felt like he could step all over the women in his life, including his mother, his girlfriend, and the female member of the Second Renaissance group. The way he treats the women is disturbing, from his outbursts to almost raping his ex-girlfriend. I would have liked for the psychology dissection of the book to include a little about David’s psyche regarding this aspect and how or if it was connected to his dominant right brain. This book would be a great read for someone who enjoys the psychology of the creative mind.


The Horse of the River: A Camp Canyon Falls Adventure

The Horse of the River by Sari Cooper is definitely a 5-star book. Gillian is going to Canyon Falls summer camp. She had always wanted to go there, but actually going there was a whole different story. All of the girls at the camp wanted to ride Beauty. Guess what? Gillian got to ride her! Maybe this would not be such a bad summer. One day on the trail, Katrena causes an accident that hurts Gillian's best friend and Beauty! Gillian is forced to switch to another horse, Beast. Beast is a horse even the stronger riders have a hard time controlling. When Beast leaps into the water with Gillian in the saddle, danger starts to occur. Gillian is far away in the wilderness with only Beast. Can they find their way back? Or more importantly, will they survive? I thought the plot of the story was amazing. This book kept me interested the whole time I was reading it. I loved the characters. I love how they all reacted to situations differently. I could really relate to all the characters in different ways. I think ages 9-13 would enjoy this book. Go read this book. I couldn't take my eyes off the pages.


Spindle City

On June 23, 1911, a summer day so magnificent it seems as if God himself has smiled on the town - Fall River, Massachusetts, is reveling in its success. The Cotton Centennial is in full spring as Joseph Bartlett takes his place among the social elite in the parade grandstand. The meticulously planned carnival has brought the thriving textile brown to an unprecedented halt, rich and poor alike crowd the streets, welcoming President Taft to Americas “Spindle City”. Yet as he perches in the grandstand nursing a nagging toothache, Joseph Bartlett straddles the divide between Yankee mill owners and the union bosses who fight them. Bartlett, a renegade owner, fears the town cannot long survive against the union-free South.

Spindle City delves deep into the lives, loves, and fortunes of real and imagined mill owners, anarchists, and immigrants, from the Highlands mansions to the tenements of the Cogsworth slum, chronicling a mill town's, and a generation's, last days of glory.

I would like to start off with saying that I found “Spindle City” to be a bit confusing, at least starting out - due in part to how they are way too many characters in the story - and while few were well throughout and developed, the others are just a bit… underdeveloped, and to be honest, it was difficult to keep track of the characters as the story progressed. But, even with that, I was impressed with the setting of Spindle City, and all things considered, I found it to be unique especially since I haven't really found any other books that have been written about cotton mills, and about people that have worked in cotton mills.


Keys to Bitcoin: Understanding the technology of digital money

"The best explanation of Bitcoin I’ve read yet! From mining to farming to applying it to everyday transactions, Bitcoin is the amazing digital currency of today. Easy to understand with in-depth “how-to's,” Raphael Meyer does a thorough job of showing the reader all of the possibilities that Bitcoin gives today’s technology-based culture." — Kristi Elizabeth, San Francisco Book Review


The Journey Home

Without reading the first book in this trilogy, I felt as if this book was still a great standalone and I would love to go back and read the first book in the series. I really enjoyed reading The Journey Home because of the way the story flowed well all throughout the book. There were never any dull or boring moments which I really appreciated. Within this book there are a few stories taking place, however, they are all related because of the way the characters are introduced. Daniel and Jane are in their early fifties living in Charleston, South Carolina. It is at Magnolia Gardens, an assisted living facility, that they met. Madeline Orsini is the retiring executive director of Magnolia Gardens. We learn that Madeline and Jane have become quite close, and their relationship grows throughout the story. In The Journey Home, there are three separate stories that are intertwined. First is the relationship between Dan and Jane. Second, is Madeline and her long-lost love Eddy whom Madeline’s friend Kristin and Kristin’s daughter Kayla try to find. Third, there is the story of Marie Gordon, a young girl who is volunteering at Magnolia to help with Jane’s research of the genealogy reports for the residents of Magnolia.

My favorite part of the story is when Marie tracks down the foster children of Sally and George Gunderson. With some help from her Aunt Flo, she is able to track down the long-lost paperwork with information on Sally’s many children. They throw a wonderful party for Sally (George is sadly deceased and Sally has dementia), and she sees the love that her children have for her as they each kneel down and share memories with her. This part of the book is so lovely and heartwarming.

I also really love the part where Kristin and Kayla track down Madeline’s long-lost love who was in the Navy. This part was also very touching and that the two women work so hard to find the information is admirable.

As stated in the prologue though, this is a book that is an emotional and tragic saga. As we, the readers, take the journey with the characters of the book, there is a great amount of emotional attachment that we may have. This makes the end of the book especially heart-wrenching. Overall, I enjoyed reading The Journey Home with its well-written prose and amazing characters.


Epicedium

"A beautiful collection of free-flowing thoughts and adventures. This spiritual journey is surreal and full of exotic energy. It is wonderful how the author intertwines fantasy with vivid stories of real-life as if it is one thought. The feelings this book evokes, from fear to love to happiness to hurt and back again, will have readers mesmerized." — Kristi Elizabeth, San Francisco Book Review.


This Is Big: How the Founder of Weight Watchers Changed the World—and Me

Weight is a subjective and controversial topic, but if it weren't for leaders like Jean Nidetch, we all might be a lot worse off. In Marisa Meltzer's This is Big, the history of Weight Watchers comes to light. The book is part biography of Nidetch, part weight loss journey of Meltzer. The chapters about Nidetch are fascinating to readers, full of facts about her life growing up and becoming established with Weight Watchers, as well as facts about other influential things that happened during those respective years. The people, situations, and items that we still know and love are fun to read about and discover when they made their appearances.

The chapters about Meltzer are equally as important, but more so for people needing reassurance about the struggles of weight loss as told by a person living in today's world. Meltzer writes of her experiences regarding weight loss: her successes and failures. Overall, this is an informative book about two highly successful ladies who started their lives fat and thought they had no hope, but one of whom figured out a key to success she decided to share with the world.


The King of Confidence: A Tale of Utopian Dreamers, Frontier Schemers, True Believers, False Prophets, and the Murder of an American Monarch

Joseph Smith knew his time was coming to an end on this earth. A mob was coming to kill him, and the confines of incarceration couldn't protect him. Smith had been leading the Church of Latter Day Saints, and a successor hadn’t been designated. At least, a successor hadn’t been publicly named. James Jesse Strang laid claim to the title, alleging that Smith had picked him to helm the church in a letter Smith sent pre-assasination. Strang’s claim was dubious at best, the mid-point to a lifetime of schemes and cons, which left him fleeing from creditors and law enforcement. Strang possessed an idealistic nature that was overshadowed by a corrupt soul. His early life consisted of failures in career and marriage. He relocated to Illinois and soon gravitated to the Mormon faith, which had established a foothold in Nauvoo. Strang established a post in Beaver Island, Illinois, where he proclaimed himself “King.” His grip on the reins of the Mormon Church was ironclad, yet his avarice and lust for power destined him for a catastrophic fall.

The King Of Confidence reads akin to the best of thriller fiction. The true nature of the book renders the events all the more shocking and makes for an impactful read. Miles Harvey has done a masterful job bringing the past to life, narrating the whirlwind rise and fall of a true confidence man.


The House at the End of the Moor

After being imprisoned for nine months for a crime he didn’t commit, Oliver Ward has escaped Dartmoor Prison. Wounded, desperate, and on the run, he flees into the moors, where he finds Maggie Lee, herself on the run from her past. Alone, they can do nothing but manage to survive, but together they can truly live.

I should say, together and with the help of God, for Christian faith pervades this book, even reaching the antagonists. At its best, it was charming and inspirational, but at times I felt as though I was being constantly reminded of the book’s message.

That sentiment sums up my feelings about the book as a whole. At times, it was a thrilling read, full of twists and turns and narrowly-escaped danger. At others, it was overdone, a historical soap opera with more pathos than plot. Few of the characters were anything but one-dimensional, and when the narration switches to their perspective, I found myself thrown from my previous immersion.

The House at the End of the Moor will certainly suit some readers. If you’re looking for a Christian historical romance that revels in its swift pace and intense plot, it will be exactly what you’re looking for. That it didn’t suit me was as much a matter of my taste as of the book itself.


Love Sold Separately: A Novel

Dana wants to be an actor, so when she's fired from her less-than-fulfilling job at Hot Topic, her best friend/manager gets her an audition at the Shopping Channel. She gives the audition of a lifetime and lands the job. But it's not all happily ever after once the ink is dry on the contract. In fact, that's the moment when the most famous Shopping Channel host of all, Kitty Todd, is found dead in her office. Dana meets a string of gossipy and shady co-workers, all with a potential motive for getting rid of Kitty. But who really did it and are they after Dana now too?

This book was so much fun. From Dana's snarky, underachiever personality, to the details of television shopping networks, and even some romance, this was a fast-paced page-turner from page one to the end. Chapters were fairly short and punchy and made me want to repeatedly read 'just one more chapter.' As a result, I had to finish it in two days because I needed to know how it would all turn out. This is a great, escapist, read for anyone who likes contemporary murder mysteries with a healthy side of romance.


Slouching Towards Los Angeles: Living and Writing by Joan Didion's Light

It’s interesting to read a book of essays about an author’s work you have never read. I enjoy doing this because it allows me to sample the work without a long-term commitment. I also get an idea of which specific pieces I might like best to read.

Slouching Towards Los Angeles: Living and Writing by Joan Didion’s Light, did not disappoint. Although I have read little of Didion’s work, I feel I have absorbed a lot of it by cultural osmosis. It was impressive to see the length and the variety of her career, from Slouching Towards Bethlehem in the late 1960’s to South and West: From a Notebook in 2017. All of the essayists live in and love Los Angeles, which is a focal point of much of Didion’s writing. The collection is as much as love letter to the City of Angels as it is to Didion. I haven’t been to Los Angeles, but the essays transported me to a place that is both luxurious and gritty, wide-open and hemmed in, welcoming and exclusive. The city seems to be full of contradictions as Didion is herself. I found all of the writing interesting in terms of style and how each of them viewed Didion and Los Angeles. I would highly recommend this book.


The Silence: A Novel

The Silence will keep you wondering what happened thirty years ago in 1967 when Louisa Green decided to leave her husband Joe and take their young daughter Isla with her back to England. It is now 1997, and the police have opened up a case of a missing person named Mandy who was a neighbor to the Greens thirty years ago. What entails is a story of heartbreak and deceit in which all of the characters are involved. Joe Green is being looked at as a possible murder suspect, but his daughter Isla is set on defending him and does some research of her own. Some of this might have to do with the fact the Isla herself is a self-proclaimed alcoholic. The secrets that are finally unveiled as the story comes to a close are haunting.

The Silence is a beautifully written story told in alternating chapters set in 1967 and 1997. The characters are real and vulnerable in every way. This book is a must-read for fans of domestic thrillers and mysteries.


Such a Library!: A Yiddish Folktale Re-Imagined

The story opens in a shtetl. A man seeks advice from his rabbi because his house is too noisy and tiny. The rabbi encourages him to fill the house further with all his farm animals, but the situation just becomes worse. His relief comes when the rabbi tells him to take out all the animals, and his house is as quiet—or loud—as before.

The re-imagined tale then opens on a modern library setting with a boy named Stevie. He finds the noises in the library too distracting to read his book. Stevie complains to the librarian, Miss Understood, but instead of quieting everyone down, she opens up the books and out leaps zoos and circuses. The library is louder than ever before.

Such a Library!<.em> by Jill Ross Nadler is a modern twist on a Yiddish folktale. Esther Van Den Berg’s pictures add to the texture of the story. They are colorful and bright in the modern library, and sepia-toned in the old folktale. An author’s note at the end of the book gives readers more information about the distinctly Jewish story. The story contains a wonderful message about appreciating what you have.


The Patient

As debut works go, this one is fairly good, though not perfect. It's a fairly quick read that really only bogs down in a couple of places. This falls under two categories: the found narrative and the unreliable narrator tropes. This was supposedly written as several posts on a now defunct message board in the mid-2000s. The Board was archived and was later discovered by other people, who have been unable to track down information about the real names and what really happened. It follows a young doctor, fresh out of school, who is wanting to change the world. He gets a job at a state asylum and is told not to go near a certain patient who has driven several people to death and others insane. When the doctor does, he starts to question the asylum’s policies and whether the man himself might be sane.

The scene with the patient is decent, though honestly it is better told through the notes, the audio recordings, and other ways. The final few chapters are fairly good, though one is a bit of a letdown; overall, however, it is a good first shot.


Bubba and Squirt's Mayan Adventure

What an adventure! Time travel with Bubba and Squirt back to the olden days in Mexico. You can go into the jungle and explore, make friends with Esperanza and the archeologists, and solve the mystery of the stolen artifact.

Bubba and Squirt's Mayan Adventure is a well-written story. It is a very exciting book; it is very suspenseful. I like how in each chapter Bubba and Squirt take turns talking so we get to see how everyone feels. It is fun and easy to read. All kids aged 5 to 10 would like this book. It is right for middle-grade readers who aren’t advanced but aren’t just starting reading chapter books.

Even though it is set in Mayan time, it is not an educational book; you don’t learn much about the Maya. But it is good recreational reading. Kids who like the Time Jumpers and Magic Treehouse series will probably like this book. I think that libraries and families should buy this book. Sherry Ellis is a very good author.


Mermaid Moon

Sanna has so many questions, about what she is and more importantly who her mother is. She learns the magic to form legs and goes to the Thirty-Seven Dark Islands to find her mother. She finds a landish village home to the time witch Baroness Thyrla. The white flowers she falls into become red, making what the landish people call a miracle. Thyrla, sensing something unusual with Sanna, takes her to her castle by force to see if she has magic. Thyrla finds Sanna’s magic extraordinarily strong and betroths her to her son Peder. Will Sanna escape her captor and succeed in her mission or be stuck doing Thyrla’s bidding forever?

The writing in this book is extraordinary. The descriptions take you to another world that is full of wonders and dark things as well. This book is not action-packed, but it tells a beautiful story of the landish and the seaish. I love how the author goes from person to person in each chapter. I never was lost because of how well she weaved everything together. The short chapters were a great choice.

The characters are so well done. They remind me exactly what I think people of this time period would be like: a mix of suspicion and religion. My favorite character is Thyrla; she is truly the evilest of evil. How she gets her powers is just so sinister.

I recommend this book for ages sixteen and up because of some sensual conversations and heavy themes.


Fantastic Hope

Between everything happening in the world right now, a bit of hope is well needed. Sometimes it’s found amidst heartache or in the shadows where you never expect to find it. Fantastic Hope endeavors to show that hope is found everywhere, as long as you look for it.

As with any book of short stories with multiple authors, some stories are better than others. All are science-fiction/fantasy, and some have a bit of horror if you look close enough while others are goofy and fun. I had a hard time getting into a couple of them, mostly because they weren’t my cup of tea, but none are badly written. Overall I enjoyed most of the stories and would recommend this collection to teens and adults who are looking for a spark of hope.


John Muir's Grand Yosemite: Musings & Sketches

John Muir was probably the foremost naturalist in the history of our country. We would surely not have such a marvelous, robust national park system were it not for him. In his day, before ubiquitous cameras, people commonly kept journals including sketches of natural wonders they encountered. Muir was no exception. Mike Wurtz has clearly done a great deal of research with John Muir’s journals as his central focus. This slim volume opens with a nice introduction letting readers know a bit about Muir, how Wurtz went about his work, how to use the book, and safety precautions. A map of Yosemite showing the twenty-five sites included faces the table of contents. Spreads of the twenty-five sites have a copy of a page from Muir’s journal which shows Muir’s rendering of the place. Facing that is a description of the location including GPS coordinates, a passage, almost always from Muir’s journals with a couple exceptions, and commentary by Wurtz, who clearly has great passion for his subject. Wurtz is both an exceptional writer and researcher. This book will be a delight for any who love Yosemite or who have an interest in history.


Final Cuts: New Tales of Hollywood Horror and Other Spectacles

For fans of all things film—especially those that skew dark—Final Cute: New Tales of Hollywood Horror and Other Spectacles is a must read. Editor Ellen Datlow has assembled a wildly different but equally engaging set of 18 stories centered on the things that entertain us most. From television to movies to streaming media, each genre is represented by chilling thrillers that are best read with the lights on.

One of the shortest stories in the collection, “Snuff in Six Scenes” by Richard Kadrey, is written in a style more typical of screenwriting than fiction, but it is the spareness of the language that adds suspense to the plot. The characters, Ward and Jenny, engage in violence on a level that is so visually rendered, it is no surprise to learn Kadrey himself is a photographer as well as a writer. The scenes are graphic and terrifying, and the twists come on nearly every page.

The final work in the collection, and the longest—truly more of a novella than a short story—is John Langan’s “Altered Beast, Altered Me.” The story exists on two levels; in part it is an exchange of articles and emails between writer Gaetan Cornichon and his friend Michael Harket. The rest of the novella includes a work created by Cornichon, inspired by the movie prop the Dracula Ring from the film The House of Frankenstein, and the mystery of both men becoming ill as they exchange emails. This work, comprising a full 80 pages of the book, is too uneven to be fully satisfying.

However, the general fun and fear of the book as a whole makes it worth reading for those looking to be happily terrified.


She's Faking It: A Novel

Bree Bozeman is not living her best life. At twenty-five years old, she’s working as a food deliverer in Pebble Beach, California. Her deadbeat boyfriend dumped her seven months earlier, leaving her with insurmountable college debt and a possibly illegal apartment with rent she can hardly afford. She definitely needs a change. Her older sister, Natasha, urges her to read a self-help guide by “lifestyle guru” Demi DiPalma. Demi urges readers to harness the power of positive thinking to manifest their hearts’ desires. Within hours, things are starting to turn around for Bree, or are they?

This book is so much fun! Bree is a deeply flawed character who rings true. Her struggle to find her way in the world is honest and refreshing. The supporting characters are a warm, realistic cast who are also trying to find their way and encourage each other to grow and evolve. The writing is tight and conversational, making this a fast, enjoyable read. There are a lot of funny moments that will have readers laughing out loud, but it's balanced with an inspiring positive message. If you’re looking for a book with a quirky heroine who doesn’t have herself together, you will love this book. I definitely recommend it.


The Wife and the Widow

As I read this book, I felt like the alternating chapters flowed really well. That is, until I realized that some chapters were actually set in a different timeline. Kate's husband, John, has been lying to her about his job and his business trips. In fact, when she does some investigating, she traces him back to the vacation home on an island that was given to them by John's parents. What she finds there is deeply unsettling. As the story continues, we meet a widow, Abby. Yet, Abby and Ray are married with two children.

It is not until more than halfway through the book that the reader realizes that some of the chapters are set in the past and some are set in the present. This confused me quite a bit and I would have loved there to have been some sort of marker telling me that it was a chapter from the past. The story itself is riveting and as it unfolds there are secrets that both families are hiding that are truly unspeakable. I did not expect the ending at all but it closed up the plot very well. I would definitely recommend this book to fans of suspense, thriller, and mystery stories.


Hungry: Avocado Toast, Instagram Influencers, and Our Search for Connection and Meaning

Although I liked the topic of this book, I felt that it dragged on quite a bit while I was reading it, and I ended up skimming most of it. In Hungry, Eve Turow-Paul addresses the topics of influencers, foodies, and today's technology from the perspective of Millennials. She addresses how times have certainly changed, but in some instances, this could be a good thing. I found the chapters on food to be particularly interesting. She describes how there has been a big boom in food delivery, the way many retailers are focusing on having a small number of (or even one) products available versus embracing the superstore model, and restaurants people are taking to gimmicks such as eating naked or in the dark. She also addresses veganism and vegetarianism and for what reasons people are deciding to give these a try. In a world where everything is go, go, go, it was refreshing to read the chapter on the couple who moved from San Francisco to Sonoma to start a farm, something neither of them had experience with. The author explains how getting back to nature and our roots may be a true source of happiness that people are finding out about more and more.

Hungry had some great topics in it, and there was a lot of research put into the book. I personally think it would have been better broken up into two or three volumes instead of a single book because of the dense material.


Deeplight

Deeplight is a great fantasy story about a fifteen-year-old boy trying to save his friend. Hark lives in an ocean kingdom where the gods are dead. Nobody knows why, but the gods turned on each other. Hark and his friend Jelt live on the streets and take care of each other. However, while they are doing a job for a smuggler, Hark is captured and sold as an indentured servant. Now he must take care of the old priests, who once kept the peace between the gods and the people of Myriad.

Jelt eventually finds Hark, and they attempt to salvage some godware, the leftover remains of a god, but Jelt nearly dies. Hark discovers one thing that could save him: the heart of a god. It works, but Hark notices that the heart changes people and that others are trying to find it. However, he is determined to save his friend, and he won't let anything get in his way.

This book is very well written, and I really enjoyed it. I really liked all of the different submarines and diving bells. I recommend this book for young adults who like fantasy stories.


Waste Tide

Coltsfoot Blossom is trying to get ahold of a container of recyclables before it reaches Silicon Isle. Scott Brandle is coming to the isle to make a deal for the company TerraGreen Recycling. To his translator Kaizong, the isle is the home that has become much more polluted since he left. Kaizong meets a girl name Mimi who shows him there is still beauty in the polluted island and the waste people who live there. Will she be able to prove waste people are worth something or cause her own demise trying to take down those who treat them like filth?

The writing was very well done. I was impressed with how clear what was going on was to me even though it’s a translated book from a different culture. The descriptions were great. The characters were very well thought out. It was sometimes hard going from one character’s perspective to another, but by the same token it worked well because it made you want to keep reading to find out what happened to the character who was about to be stabbed with a knife.

Silicon Isle is a chilling place because you know that it’s a made-up place but certain aspects make it seem so real to life, like this could really be the future. I love the tech of the mecha, augmented-reality glasses, and robotic prosthetics, although I could see people changing out their mechanical look more often. This would be a great read for adults who like sci-fi.


The Other Bennet Sister: A Novel

Anyone who has read Pride and Prejudice knows which Bennet sister they would most like to be. Most popular, of course, are beautiful Jane, brilliant Elizabeth, and laughing, feckless Lydia. But what of Mary? Her intelligence is often overlooked, perhaps because of her overbearing sense of morality.

No longer. The Other Bennet Sister is a touching redemption of one of the least-liked characters in Jane Austen’s novels, following Mary through the events of Pride and Prejudice and beyond as she attempts to discover what sort of woman she is and claim her place in English society.

The novel is at its best when it steps away from Austen’s work. It follows the events of Pride and Prejudice faithfully, but it (and Mary) are only truly given a chance to shine when Lizzy is not present. She and Austen are both powerful forces which steal focus, and while Hadlow is loyal both to the text and flavor of the work which inspired her, some chapters come across as a rehash of what most readers will already be very familiar with.

Luckily, those chapters are few and easily finished with. Once Lizzy becomes Mrs. Darcy, Mary’s story can truly begin. It’s a sweet, tender novel that I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend to any fan of the original.


Daring Darleen, Queen of the Screen

Daring Darleen, Queen of the Screen  was a thrilling tale. It's about a girl named Darleen Darling who is the heroine of her own series of short films. Her studio, which is a small family-owned and operated place, has an idea for a publicity stunt. Since her on-screen persona is an action heroine, the stunt will involve a fake kidnapping. However, it goes wrong and the fake kidnapping is suddenly very real.

Darleen is mistaken for Victorine Berryman, the heiress to a large fortune. The dim-witted criminals take both girls to be safe, but the two form a fast friendship. Soon it seems like Darleen can't tell the difference between her short films and real life, and she and Victorine get up to all kinds of high jinks.

This book was very entertaining and very action packed. There were no slow moments.


Coop Knows the Scoop

Coop lives in a town that most people think of as a quiet town, that is until someone found a dead body at the park. The people in the town have no idea who the dead person is. Coop along with his friends Liberty and Justice really want to figure out not only who the person is, but also who identity of the killer. The sheriff Tick went to the coffee shop where Coop’s mom works; before he could step foot into the coffee shop, people start to drown him with questions.They found out that the dead person was Coop's grandma, but will they be able to figure out who killed her and why?

I found this book pretty interesting. The mystery behind what happened to Coop’s grandmother and why they never knew she was murdered made me want to keep reading. The reader can relate to Coop because he really wanted to figure out who did it. From the start he wanted to find out every detail and tried to find out who was the murderer. This is a great book for someone who likes a good mystery.


How the Penguins Saved Veronica

Veronica McCreedy is an independent, opinionated eighty-five-year-old woman. She lives alone with a helper who comes over to take care of the house, a gardener to maintain the outdoors, and that’s all she needs, thank you very much. As she’s reaching the end of her life, she wonders what to do with the millions she’s amassed throughout her life. Surely, she should do something of value with it. A documentary about penguins might be the answer she’s looking for. But she’s going to have to confront the pain of her past in order to move forward with what’s left of her future. Digging into her past may lead her to discover someone she’s closer to than she would ever have imagined.

This book is a poignant, fun, yet powerful read. The style of writing is very easy to read: short chapters in alternating perspectives. There are also diary entries and blog entries that make for a quick read. In a similar vein to Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman, this book does an excellent job of bringing to life an eccentric, cold, old lady and making her the star of a charming and heartwarming story. This book is a pure delight.


Bee People and the Bugs They Love

This ranks among the best written books I have ever reviewed. This book includes great humor and a use of allegory that reveals tremendous background knowledge. Beginning as a simple recounting of initial inquiry, coupled with personal conflict, this evolves into in-depth learning, great analysis of personalities, and a revealing of information that is masked finely in narrative.

Bee people are a weird and fascinating lot; the author delves deeply enough into their eccentricities to make for fascinating reading. Also the addition of biology was startling even to this former casual beekeeper. I had long believed that smoking a hive caused the bees to fill up on honey preparatory to hive evacuation, becoming so honey-full as to preclude flexing to deploy stingers; here I was disabused. Smoke blocks the pheromones exuded by alarmed guard bees, avoiding the hive-alarming mechanism that would otherwise make for a sting-worthy scenario.

Personal development, familial evolution, and growth within the beekeeping community are displayed with fine precision. Conflict is resolved thereby.

The author is a very good technical writer. I am a former, pre-Varroa Mite beekeeper; perhaps my grasp was augmented by mental imaging, but illustrations would have been helpful. This is worth reading even if you never intend to hear a buzz.


My Best Friend

A little girl has a story to tell. She has a best friend. At least she thinks so, but since she has never had a best friend before, she isn’t positive. But she is pretty sure because everything they do together is just perfect. Her new friend has shiny black hair and laughs at everything. They make their hands turn into ducks and run off quacking. They have quiet times in the shade or hide in the bushes or chase through the gardens. And when the little girl steps on a pretty flower, her new best friend helps her fix it. They draw each other in chalk and draw hearts around them before leaving the park. When they see each other again, the little girl will be sure to ask her new best friend her name.

Julie Fogliano has written a perfectly charming story that captures the magic of children’s play and the discovery of building friendships. Jillian Tamaki’s enchanting illustrations are filled with sweet details and beautiful scenes. Children will love this book, as will the adults who read it to them. The publisher missed an opportunity, however, in choosing not to have racial diversity represented in the book.


House of Glass: The Story and Secrets of a Twentieth-Century Jewish Family

Jewish family histories are becoming a genre, a fascinating one. The theme becomes more clear with each one read. The beginnings mostly in eastern Europe and the late eighteenth or nineteenth century. The eager, courageous migration from discrimination to safer soil until the Holocaust destroys nascent hopes. But then the phoenix rising from the rubble and at least one family member achieving measurable success. Hadley Freeman, an English author and journalist, a member of the Glahs-cum-Glass family, shares a decade of widely traveled research.

Add her chronicle to those already in the catalog, none better loved or more admired than de Waal’s The Hare with Amber Eyes and Lagnardo’s The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit, both with origins in different lands, both confronting loss before a better day dawned. This cannot be a Jewish ‘thing’ this retrieval without a boast, with perpetual anxiety, boundless angst. But it is. And as a Jewish reviewer, I recognize Freeman’s ability to glide gracefully from one uncle to another, each one bewilderingly changing his name to establish a new homeland. Lots of family photos to be remembered, images of the glowering great-grandmother Chaya, defiantly ignoring the language of Paris, her home for decades. And Freeman especially rooting for Grandma Sala, unhappily married in America for forty years, always elegantly dressed, a reluctant lady of the old school.

This version of the saga, and a saga it certainly is, is a distanced chronicle written without the familiar ambivalence between sympathy and disparagement, the absence of barely acknowledged love and admiration. It makes for wider appreciation, but to others, perhaps deliberately, it just isn’t heimish.


Goodnight Moon 123/Buenas noches, Luna 123: Bilingual Edition

Spanish this book, Goodnight Moon 123/Buenas Noches, Luna 123: Bilingual Edition, is mostly good for really little kids. If you want to learn Spanish, this book is a really good one to learn some new words. Either way, you should definitely be familiar with the main Goodnight Moon book first or the objects that are highlighted will seem really random, like socks and old-fashioned telephones. Each page has a short sentence in Spanish as well as English, which is good so you can make sure you understand what the picture is trying to say. It’s a pretty short book, but you really pick up quite a few words and have a solid understanding of them. The illustrations are in the same style of the original book, and I think some are new but done really well in the same style so they feel familiar and have a nice, old-fashioned quality.


Dead on the Vine: A Finn Family Farm Mystery

Charlotte goes from penthouse to produce when she inherits a farm from her late uncle. Her goal is to spend only the time necessary that it takes to fix up the place and ready it for selling, but little does she know that it won’t be an easy job. Her neighbors claim to be the rightful heirs and have been sabotaging the farm at night. To make matters worse, when she’s just barely arrived they discover a mysterious stranger dead among the tomatoes. Determined to find the truth, Charlotte dives into the case, uncovers shocking family secrets, a longtime family feud, and a possible connection to the victim.

This stunning debut has it all: murder, sabotage, a feud, secrets, gossip, and a sleuthing pig. This story feels like stepping into a magical place with lovely animal companions that brighten up the tone. You’ll meet Horse the pig, a soccer-playing horse, and Mrs. Robinson the ladybug, who give the farm a flare of magic and whimsy that makes it come to life. The animals have as much personality as the people and play key roles in the mystery. The other important characters are her two best friends who are her constant support system while she’s thrown into the mystery and working to gain the respect of the farmworkers, including the handsome Farmer Brown. Elle Brooke White breathes new life into cozy mysteries in Dead on the Vine, with a unique voice, an organic setting, and a delicious mystery you’ll want seconds of.


A Wish in the Dark

This is a great story about a boy helping the people of his city. Pong lives in Nawmon Prison, where he was born, and he longs to escape. However, he can't leave until he turns thirteen. Pong has always been good at noticing small things, such as the small pop of a mango stem before a ripe mango falls.

He escapes from Nawmon and later meets a monk, who gives him many blessings. Pong is pursued by Nok, the prison warden's daughter, who wishes to restore her family's name. Pong flees to the city, where he uses his gift to help the poor, who can only afford the dimmest of orbs rather than the bright gold orbs that the rich have. Pong must choose between leaving Chattana to avoid capture and helping those in need.

A Wish in the Dark is an amazing story. I like that Pong helps his friend when he returns to the city, and that he makes the right choice in the end. I also like all of the different orbs, which are used to cook, power motors, and provide light. I recommend this book to kids in junior high and to young adults.


The Good Egg Presents: The Great Eggscape!

Jory John, with illustrations by Pete Oswald

Shell, an egg, gets confused where the rest of the eggs are. The other eggs haven’t come back by lunch. He is worried, so he goes to try to find the eggs because they wanted to hide. The eggs are dyeing themselves and playing hide and seek to blend in with the other food. Shell finds most of the eggs, but he doesn’t know where Meg is hiding. Then he finds a note, and they find Meg in the coffee bulk bin. I like the book because the Good Egg is so cute! The Good Egg is my favorite egg! I think it's funny that the eggs are trying to blend in with some food like beets, avocados, cheese, and potatoes, but they aren’t blended in very well. I like the illustrations because it's funny and cute. I really like that the book comes with lots of cute and funny stickers so you can decorate Easter eggs with them. I really like the other books in the series, like The Cool Bean. I recommend this book to people who like Easter books and anyone who enjoyed the other books in this series.


The Secrets They Left Behind: A Mystery

This was a book I simply could not put down. When I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about when I could pick it up next for just ONE MORE CHAPTER. Shea O’Connor is a young police officer from Buffalo, New York. When she gets called upon to work undercover for the FBI to find out what happened to three missing girls in Kellys Falls, Shea transforms herself into a college student. As she makes friends with the same girls the three missing girls were friends with, she finds herself deep into the culture of this small town and even finds a love interest. This book was very realistic, and I loved that Shea was not perfect. She had her flaws, but this was what made her fit into the town. The story is gripping and the characters are all very intense, from the lady next door who is experiencing domestic violence to the mean girls at the local college. This book also wraps up well, which I was extremely happy with. The ending was satisfying with no stone unturned. Lissa Marie Redmond does a fantastic job of storytelling, with twists and turns everywhere you look. I recommend this book to any lover of suspense and thrillers. You will not be disappointed.


The Memory Book: A Grief Journal for Children and Families (Memory Box)

A Memory Book: A Book About Grief is both happy and sad. The story is about a little girl who is sad because someone she knows has died. When someone dies, we don't get them back, but we can remember them and the fun we had with them.

Making a memory box can help us to remember the person who has died. Putting things that remind us of that person or things that you did together into the box is a good idea. In the story, the memory box helps the girl to feel better most days, but she doesn't feel good every day. Having people tell us funny stories about the person who died is another way of remembering them, too. When you do things to remember the person who has died, then you can keep them with you wherever you go.

I haven't had anyone really special to me die yet, but if I do, then I know this book will help me to think of ways of remembering them. Making a memory box doesn't look hard, especially if you like to decorate things or make things colorful. I like looking at the pictures in this book because they are calm and make me feel good.


Sin Eater: A Novel

May is arrested for stealing bread and ends up being sentenced to be a Sin Eater. She is no longer allowed to speak and bears the mark and the collar to let all know what she is. May must hear the confessions of all those on their death bed and eat the food representing those sins so that the confessor will meet the Maker unstained. While performing these rights, she discovers a deadly plot in the Queen’s court, one that costs the life of the sin eater she was apprenticed to. How will May expose this plot and avenge her death, when she is the Unseen and the Unheard?

The more I read about the sixteenth-century, the more I appreciate not living in it. The amount of treachery and backstabbing that occurred in the courts is always astounding. The whole concept of sin eaters is a fascinating one and while this book was fiction, I felt like the author did a great job of bringing that century and its beliefs to life. It is always sad to see how people use religion as a tool for power, but not very surprising. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about May as a narrator, however, I did like that she used descriptions as names for people she didn’t know, such as Black Fingers. That era seems terrifying enough, let alone to be a fourteen-year-old orphan condemned to bear the sins of others and never speak unless it’s at a recitation. Overall, an interesting look into a fictitious sixteenth-century English society.


The Body in the Garden: A Lily Adler Mystery (LILY ADLER MYSTERY, A)

It’s 1815 and Lily Adler is just returning to London society after the mourning period has passed for her husband, who died two years previously. On her first day back, she is invited to a ball thrown by her closest friend where she overhears someone being blackmailed and then a gunshot. Not long after that, the body in the garden is discovered. Aided by Jack, a navy captain who was her husband’s best friend, and Miss Oswald, who was seen with the victim prior to his death, Lily sets out to solve his murder. In a society that frowns on independent women, Lily will have to watch her step in order not to lose her reputation, but she must also watch her step to keep herself from becoming another victim in this murderous plot.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Even though it was Georgian era and not Victorian, which is by far my favorite, it was still fantastic. Lily and Jack are endearing characters, and while I want to applaud Lily’s independence, I still fervently hope they end up getting married. The historical details really come alive in this story, with the characters behaving appropriately, or not if the plot necessitates. The mystery was well thought out and came to a fulfilling resolution without being overly simplified. Overall, an incredibly charming debut mystery. I look forward to more of Lily’s adventures.


Lily to the Rescue: Two Little Piggies

W. Bruce Cameron, with illustration by Jennifer L. Meyer

Like the first of its kind, the second volume of the Lily to the Rescue series is a phenomenal first-person book. The story shows a rescue dog who helps his people find two piglets that are lost in a gas station. The book is harder to follow than the first one because it is a faster-paced, less descriptive book. This is why I did not give it five stars. The rescue dog, Lily has an interesting understanding of the world and it seems that her thoughts are realistic. Like the first book, this book, Lily to the Rescue: Two Little Piggies is a good early chapter book. It also is cleverly written so it seems possible but improbable. The pigs are not shown to be model farm animals; they squeal and chase. This book is interesting in part because Lily gets a taste of jealousy and learns that babies are a lot of work. Most young animal lovers will enjoy this book. This book is of a lower quality but yet very interesting volume compared to the first book.


Smoothies & Juices: Prevention Healing Kitchen: 100+ Delicious Recipes for Optimal Wellness

I love smoothies year-round; I love the creaminess of smoothies, and bonus if they have chunks of real fruit included! When I saw Smoothies and Juices: 100+ Delicious Recipes for Optimal Wellness, I got excited. I am used to making my smoothies at home, whether it's because I'm homebound or because buying them at a store can get expensive, so this is not an issue for me.

True to the title, the ingredients in the drinks are minimal and healthy; each one includes at least one fruit, and some have vegetables or coffee. The book has chapters that pertain to different health benefits; balanced gut, glowing skin, healthy heart, strong muscles, and anti-inflammation.
I tried the "Milk" & Honey Smoothie with cucumber, green grapes, celery, honey, and milk; it sounded refreshing, but overall the celery takes over, and I couldn't get it smooth enough. I also tried the Berry Good Smoothie with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, honey, and lemon juice; this one was better, but still wasn't as creamy as I'm used to with smoothies. I am not disappointed by this book, but I would need to tweak some recipes for my taste; others may be just fine.


Mother Land: A Novel

On the morning her mother-in-law Swati comes to live with her, Rachel Keller finds herself in Mumbai, newly married and immersed in a culture she doesn’t fully understand. Rachel, a Jewish New Yorker with a passion for food and a deep sense of independence, or so she thinks, has no clue what to do when her new husband, Dhruv, explains that Swati is her to stay.

Mother Land is as much a treatise on what it means to belong to oneself as it is a story of two women from opposing cultures. Where Rachel wants to cook and clean for herself, Swati believes a cook and a maid are necessities. Rachel wants to live in harmony with her husband and equals, and Swati has always lived in the service of her husband Vinood. But Swati has arrived on Rachel’s doorstep because she is leaving her husband; she wants a life of her own, even if she has to take over Rachel’s life to get it.

Rachel and Swati clash as the men in their lives are absent. Dhruv is dispatched back to his home town of Kolkata on a work trip which puts him living in his childhood home with his recently abandoned father. In Mother Land, the women discover they are not so different and learn from one another a secret to happiness that surprises them both.


Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things, Revised Edition

Most people have a junk drawer or two or boxes of this and that in the garage or laundry room filled with little things that might be useful someday. Well, someday may finally be here. This little (4.9 x 0.5 x 7 inches) book has nearly fifty projects that can be easily built with things like paper clips, creamer cup lids, the tongue from an old running shoe, twist ties, aluminum foil, old toys, milk, baking soda, lemon juice, and more. All you need is a few simple tools and a little time and patience. The books is divided into five parts: “Sneaky Tricks and Gimmicks,” “Sneaky Gadgets and Gizmos,” “Security Gadgets and Gizmos,” “Sneaky Survival Techniques,” and “Sneaky STEM Magnet and Motor Projects.” Each project has a quick write-up with instructions, parts and tools needed, and simple drawings to show the way. The writing has a friendly, casual tone and is easy to follow along to successfully complete projects. Anyone who has a child in elementary or middle school facing a science fair or anyone who camps or even just putters around the house will enjoy owning this book and will find it fun and useful.


Of Mutts and Men (A Chet & Bernie Mystery)

Bernie Little from the Little Detective Agency and Chet, his dog, and trusted partner have a meeting set up with a hydrologist, Wendell Nero. The only problem is, when they get to the RV in the desert where Wendell's working, he's already dead. It looks to the local Sheriff like a case of robbery gone wrong but, Bernie doesn't agree. He thinks the person arrested for the crime is a petty thief for sure but not a murderer. So, Bernie and Chet have to do some digging into Wendell's past if they want to find the real killer.

Of Mutts and Men is an entertaining story that will leave dog lovers wanting more, particularly as its told from Chet's point of view. I can't think of a more delightful duo than Bernie and Chet. The fact that Chet is so thoughtful, lovable, and totally devoted to Bernie is the main reason I think this series works so well. Frankly, it could become something of an addiction for me because, by the time I finished this episode, all I wanted to do was jump right into another one.


Explorer Academy: The Star Dunes (Book 4)

A great story of adventure and determination, The Star Dunes is the fourth book in the Explorer Academy series. Cruz is a student at the Explorer Academy and has made several new friends. He is following clues that his mom left for him, which will lead to a formula that his mom had been working on. However, he isn't the only one looking for it, and he has already been attacked by an organization called Nebula. With the help of his friends, Cruz attempts to find more clues, even though he must also complete missions for the Explorer Academy. I really like the Explorer Academy ship, which has many state-of-the-art features, such as the CAVE. I also liked the hidden city at the start of the book. There were several illustrations in this book. I think they were very well done and helped to enhance the story. I think Cruz is a great character: he is smart, brave, and a little bit stubborn. He is determined to find his mother's formula, no matter the cost. I would recommend this book to kids from fourth to eighth grade who like adventure novels. If you want an adventure book, this is one of the best.


Between The Records

Brothers Jules and Adam have music in their blood. Their father is a musician, brimming with both talent and personal torment, and he lives vicariously through the band Jules and Adam form. The life of an indie band is far from glamorous, and the touring they did to promote their first album consisted less of screaming fans than fast food, bad motels, and occasional soul-crushing disappointment. Now they’re on the cusp of a new album--if they can just buckle down and get it done. But again and again, Jules and Adam lose track of the music as they argue violently about their father, each other’s flaws, and the direction the band should go. Drummer Abe does his best to keep the peace, but the brothers’ animosity is intense and deeply rooted. When the band gets a real chance at success, the brothers must confront their family dysfunction or risk losing their shot at the dream entirely.

A work of autobiographical fiction, Between the Records is a raw glimpse at the true cost of a musician’s life, but the grim moments of doubt, loss, and near-misses are balanced with moments of true exhilaration--when the payoff seems within reach, and the music being created surpasses anything they’d thought possible. Still, there’s sadness in imagining what could have been, and yearning for the bright moments that have passed. This is a story about a band, and about making music, and about chasing a dream--but it’s also about confronting adulthood head-on when dreams and cold realities collide.


Way of the Laser: Future Crime Stories

Edited by Eric M. Bosarge and Joe M. McDermott

Every time you see a law, it’s meant to stop something someone else has already proven can be done (and might well still be done if it weren’t for the law). This is true for everything from murder to providing dangerous work environments to loitering. For a time, people believed that when the future came, we would be beyond such things as crime. This optimism is most famously seen in Star Trek, but it can be found in many shows and books from that era.

Today, people are rather more cynical. Even those who think people are basically good deep down would think it too optimistic to believe in a future entirely free from crime. Where there are laws, there are reasons to keep them in place and people still trying to break them.

The Way of the Laser is an anthology fit for the bridge between today and tomorrow. Here you won’t find the bright-eyed optimism of Star Trek. This is, after all, an anthology of future crime stories. However, it isn’t all echoes of Blade Runner and the more pessimistic side of cyberpunk either. Instead, the various authors present a balance between faith in humanity and knowledge of its dark side that comes as close to realism as anything I’ve seen in other sci-fi.

As I read, I kept my eyes open for various stories I could mention specifically as some of my favorites. Before I was even halfway through, however, I found that was impossible. Each one is a wonder, albeit in a very different way. For some, making a comparison would be more than just comparing apples and oranges; it would be comparing apples and shrimp dumplings. Both are food, but they serve very different purposes, just as each of these stories approaches the matter of future crime from very different angles.

So whether you’re looking for hard sci-fi or something more wildly speculative, you’ll find something to enjoy in this collection. The settings range from Earth in the not-too-distant future to alien planets that present their own problems for human settlers, and the crimes themselves vary from your standard murder and theft to deciding whether to take care of an unauthorized baby. Even the morality of each story varies. Some have the feel of a cop drama, while others question whether the law at the heart of the story is good, and whether the criminal is even entirely bad. I’m very glad I picked this book up to review, and I know any science fictions fans will be glad they picked it up to read.


Not-Quite-Supermodel

What a fun, albeit unreal story! This “coming-of-age in your twenties” story that, according to the author, has some very real parts in it reads like a book from the Shopaholic collection but at the same time is almost messier. And by messier, I mean, very, very what-happens-in-Vegas-stays-in-Vegas.

Alex Emmerson is a fish slicer in Canada at a Safeway. Scouted by a woman named Robin one day, she finds herself thrown into a world of mean girls, name dropping, and girls with staples in their heads (what?). Alex is uncoordinated, doesn't know fashion from the back of her hand, and really doesn’t know what she’s in for. The one thing that saves her from having a complete mental breakdown is the friends that she meets at La Brasserie. It is at La Brasserie that yes, she blacks out in drunken fits, but she is able to finally be herself and be accepted for it. Her friends Virginie, Tyler, Dante, and Laurent know how to make her feel better after a disaster on the runway. Alex is starting to think she’ll never get to supermodel status.

I truly enjoyed reading Not-Quite-Supermodel because the plot was fun and lighthearted and the character was realistic. Little did I know while reading the book that the author had modeled the main character after herself. This made the book even better. One of the funniest, quirkiest parts of the main character’s personality is that she says she has a fear of plumbing, as in "plumbaphobia." I looked it up, I admit it, and could not find it anywhere but in this book. And the whole time I was wondering how she got clean if she was wrapping herself in Saran Wrap in the yucky shower. Read the book, people. Alex ends up answering that very question. I also thought the Linus towel was a nice touch. Alex’s security towel is just one more thing for people to make fun of. As the author drops several brand names in the book such as Jimmy Choo, Frette, Christian Louboutin, Bergdorfs, and Cavalli, this book bleeds fashion. Alex does end up spending eight thousand dollars to revamp her wardrobe, so of course we want to know what she ends up getting. Right, ladies? Alex’s transformation from start to finish is a wonderful thing to witness. Sometimes I forgot that this character was only twenty-one years old. Overall, Not-Quite-Supermodel was whimsical with a little bit of “oh-no-she-did-not-do-that” thrown in. Perfect for lovers of chick-lit.


Equipment

A well-written, thrilling adventure, Equipment takes the reader on a fascinating rollercoaster ride. Two main players, Doctor Howard Charles Foster, CIA agent, and Marek Hussar, a well-connected hitman, find each other in the most advanced game of cat and mouse you could imagine. And although the storyline is intriguing, what I found the most pleasure in while reading this book was the way it was written. The prose felt like a cross between a James Earl Jones narration and a scene out of Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. The action was exciting, just as it should be, with car chases that not only describe the vehicles but also every detail as the driver shifts gears and the style of road he is on. The reader can literally hear the gears shift as the two vehicles race through the scene.

The characters in Equipment are all very complex. The author is able to describe even the smallest mannerism or move so that the reader can get a full vibe from that character. Being able to be in the heads of each character as they make their move like chess pieces on a board is something that could be difficult to convey, however, Caplinger does an exquisite job of letting the reader feel what each character is feeling in each scene.

The book starts out with four men in a dilapidated apartment building. A bit of dialogue happens between the four, and it’s apparent they are waiting for someone. We just don’t know exactly what. But as one man leaves the room to relieve himself, the action is triggered and although we don’t know who they are or what they are there for, it is very apparent that this is an integral part of the plot. From there, the reader meets Dr. Foster, whose current job it is to use one of his students for coding and programming purposes for the CIA. And then we meet Marek, who in simple terms is just a badass. As players are introduced and then killed off, it is apparent that what the book is leading up to is a standoff between these two powerful players. There are so many excellent characters in this book, including a Russian attorney, a big buff guy from the Special Air Service, the four operatives in the apartment I spoke about earlier, Lilith the Stripper, and Kim, the small Asian girl who seems like she is being used by all sides in this spiderweb of espionage. The book itself is not fast-paced. The author uses his time to describe everything in such minute detail so the reader can sense everything that is going on. I recommend this book for readers of espionage and action who enjoy layers upon layers as the story unfolds.