Catfishing on CatNet: A Novel

Do you really know whom you're talking to online? Because her mother is always on the move, sixteen-year-old Steph hasn't lived anywhere longer than six months. Her only constant is an online community called CatNet - a social media site where users upload cat pictures. The admin known as ChesireCat is a sentient AI who loves cat photos. When a threat from Steph's past catches up to her, and ChesireCat’s existence is discovered, it's up to Steph and her friends - both in real life and online - to save them.

The setting of Catfishing on Catnet was really compelling; it takes place during a time where drones, driving cars, and robots are more commonplace and more accepted than they are now. It's especially relevant today because of the character's uses of social media, where friendships are seemingly built on common interests and there's a need to always be there for each other, despite how much danger they would end up in. Catfishing on Catnet is absolutely wonderful because of the setting, the use of online friends, and the inclusivity of both sexuality and gender identity. I could not help but love every twist and turn.


Because It's Wrong: Bullies vs. Nazis

Bullying is an epidemic in our modern world, and Lydia Greico is on a lifelong mission advocating for those who have suffered from this devastating plague on society. Written as an easy-to-digest teaching tool, Because It’s Wrong: Bullies vs. Nazis aims to educate parents and teachers alike and help them to make the world a safer place for their children.

Greico begins by defining bullying, discussing its various forms, exploring its impact on individuals and on society, and emphasizing why bullying must be stopped. She offers suggestions on how to help bullying victims and effective bullying prevention tips. This part of the book is very strong.

Next, the author explores the life of Hitler, whom she labels “the biggest bully of all time.” She discusses the rise of concentration camps during World War II, “the most notorious places of cruelty (bullying) done to non-believers in the Nazi regime.” Greico likens the atrocities committed against the Jews (among others) to bullying.   While her research into the Dachau Concentration Camp, Dachau Subcamps, the Liberation of Dachau, Sobibor, Treblinka, Auschwitcz-Birkenau, Buchenwald, and Manzanar is well written and the facts are shocking, I don't follow her connection between the modern bullying epidemic and Nazism, but she vividly portrayed war crimes and the atrocities of genocide.

Greico then attempts to logically connect bullying and Nazism, writing “I will talk about all the comparisons of the holocaust to the incidents of today and provide scriptural support for them. Bullies more often than not kill their victims just as the Nazis killed the Jews. They do cruel things to their victims as well just as the Nazis did in the holocaust.” As a reader, I found that a step too far. The author also asks why all sorts of natural disasters occur and suggests it may be because “Jesus wants our attention and is calling his flock to pay more attention to his ways and his works.” She states that the hatred (violence/ terrorism/ bullying etc) of today stems from the godlessness of society and asks, “Why can’t we all turn to God before it is too late?” This is really where she lost me, even as a Christian reader.

Despite the comparison/contrast chart, I found the connection between bully behavior and Nazi behavior to be superficial.  The author’s claim that unless we end bullying, we’re in for WWIII is a little over the top to me. There’s great information here, but I didn’t always follow her logic.  I am not persuaded.

The best part of this book is the statement that ending bullying starts with us and the simple advice for parents/teachers on how to accomplish this. I liked the blank note pages included at the end of each chapter where readers can jot down insights and action plans. What a nice feature!  I also liked the related Bible verses.

Overall, this book reads as a persuasive essay or research paper and could use more supportive evidence.  While I am not persuaded, I appreciate Greico’s passion and heart for this painful subject.


A Pilgrimage to Eternity: From Canterbury to Rome in Search of a Faith

Timothy Egan serves as a host, inviting readers to join his Pilgrimage to Eternity. As such, it is a memorable series of revelations. Raised a Catholic, his mission is to explore the strength of his personal faith, traveling twelve hundred miles from Canterbury to Rome on the Via Francigena, a pilgrimage similar yet distinct from the trail to Santiago de Compostela  His path leads first through small French towns and cities where the past is remembered in cathedrals, abbeys, and monasteries, most of them older than the United States. Whether they are still vibrant or in ruins they serve as both a centerpiece of the pilgrimage and a backdrop to introduce those who immortalized them. Among the names some better recalled than others like Joan of Arc, (at nineteen-years-old not in college and instead, saving France), and Martin Luther whose ninety-five theses were spread gratuitously by his near-contemporary Johan Gutenberg, a revolutionary religious before he became a malevolent old man.

Egan is never alone, whether remembering the contributions of the early saints or introducing a newly met friend who takes out her phone to show him a photo of her little grandson as he is introduced to the Pope.

Despite the joyful tales, the months are not all sunshine and light as the author intersperses his account by revealing enough family tragedy to challenge a believer. He complements descriptions of the glorious natural scenery, a heatwave, and later snow while suffering enough emotional distress to take him home for a break before reaching St. Peter’s Square and receiving his Vatican seal of the Testimonium.

The Pilgrimage to Eternity is intimate and affecting, and as a pilgrim separates his travels from one day to the next, the book is best read in measured spells to relish every chapter.


Invisible Wars: The Collected Dead Six (4)

Invisible Wars: The Collected Dead Six is an omnibus of Larry Correia's Dead Six series books and two short stories set in the same universe. The series features two protagonists Lorenzo and Michael Valentine, a thief and a mercenary, who are tasked by the government to perform off-the-books missions. From infiltrating terrorist networks to fighting a brutal warlord hell-bent on enslaving people, Lorenzo and Valentine perform their jobs with tremendous skill. Although the scenarios and missions are quite unrealistic, the book is full of hard and very descriptive action which adds a sense of awe and suspense to the plot. Larry Correia doesn't skimp on character development either and uses very descriptive language in his stories.

Invisible Wars: The Collected Dead Six was quite enjoyable to read. At more than 1500 pages, three full-length novels and three short stories, there is plenty of time for the reader to be engaged and follow the characters. If you love action, descriptive language, even at the expense of authenticity, then Invisible Wars: The Collected Dead Six is the perfect book for you.


Love Poems for People with Children

This poetry collection paints an accurately hilarious portrait of the parental life, many from that moment when every parent feels they’re about to lose their cool. Though some of the poems specifically call out the experience of being a father, or a mother, the majority of the poems are so real that every parent will relate and think it was written just for them.

Kenney explores themes such as making grocery lists during sex, feeling like death when the baby wakes up for the third time and it’s only three in the morning, and the “joy” of family road trips. Poems go back and forth between various ages of childhood, from infants, toddlers, preschoolers, school-age, and reaching into an adult child that won’t leave the nest.

Although the poems are sarcastic, it’s easy to see that these poems are laughing at some of the more challenging moments of parenting. As Kenney sums up at the end, “I am so lucky to be your dad.”

This book is a great read for parents who can laugh at themselves and the ridiculous situations parenting will often put them in. It has humor and sarcasm, but it also has a lot of heart. I really enjoyed reading this collection.


Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth

Heartland, the first full-length book by writer Sarah Smarsh, is a brilliant and heartbreakingly hopeful examination of class, gender, and the pursuit of happiness in America. Like Smarsh, I am a fifth-generation Kansan; every word she wrote about the often seemingly insurmountable divide between hard work and financial success rings startlingly true.

Narratively structured as a letter to August, an imagined daughter, Smarsh recounts her own history as well as the experiences of her mother Jeannie, grandmother Betty, and other stand-out players in her family tree. But the book isn’t pure memoir. If it were, those stories—funny, poignant, and written with near-surgical precision—would be exceptional on their own. What makes the book necessary, what makes it impossible to put down, what makes it re-readable and sharable and important is the social commentary it contains. Smarsh examines the cost of hard, physical work, making the wrong choices when it comes to men, the necessity of an education, and the often futile exercise of trying to rise in a system made to keep people down.

In a narrative crisscrossed by the travels of people dead and gone, the sacrifices of those still living, and the monumental question of what it means to be a person of value, Smarsh has written a book that deserves every accolade.Heartland is nothing short of an American classic that should be devoured and savored by readers everywhere.


Dork Diaries 14: Tales from a Not-So-Best Friend Forever (14) tells the story of Nikki, a teenager in a band who thinks that her summer will be perfect because she and her bandmates are going on tour with one of the hottest boy bands ever AND her tormentor, Mackenzie, will not be there to ruin her amazing summer. At least that is what Nikki hopes, but her perfect summer ends up a lot different than she wants it to when Mackenzie manipulates her way onto the tour and ends up being Nikki's roommate, the boys in the boy band are not as perfect as they seem, and Nikki has to keep a huge secret from her best friends and bandmates. Why is it so hard to be a best friend?

Dork Diaries 14: Tales from a Not-So-Best Friend Forever (14) is the perfect read for ten-to-fifteen-year-old girls who can understand what Nikki is going through. The cartoon-like illustrations are fun and interesting, and Nikki's problems and her solutions to them help us remember that we must always try our best to do the right thing in order to be a good friend. To find out how Nikki handles her perfect summer gone wrong, grab a copy and settle in for a great read!

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers


DUN DUN DUN…

As the nights draw in, there’s nothing better than a chilling, thrilling read to pass the time. While the five books included in this roundup are all quite different from each other, they are united by the suspense and sense of intrigue that permeate them. As long as you don’t want to put your mind at ease, sit back, (try to) relax, and let these stories transport you to another reality, where all manner of nefarious things are possible.

The Effort by Claire Holroyde

When an eight-kilometer comet is detected near Jupiter’s orbit, those who take the time to consider its nearness to the Earth recognize the significant threat it poses to humanity. After all, a similar situation didn’t end well for the dinosaurs, did it? Foremost among those who understand the impending danger is scientist Benjamin Schwartz, who, together with girlfriend Amy Kowalski and an international band of adventurous boffins, decamps to South America to devise a way to save the planet from catastrophe. Simultaneously, the crew of a polar icebreaker struggle to capture the majesty of the Arctic before it is destroyed forever (and by causes other than the comet). Claire Holroyde’s The Effort is the gripping tale of brave sections of humanity as they attempt to find hope and solutions in the face of almost certain disaster. A thriller with a strong environmental message, it stresses the importance of international collaboration and never giving up, however hopeless things may seem.

A Dangerous Engagement: An Amory Ames Mystery by Ashley Weaver

A Dangerous Engagement, the sixth book in Ashley Weaver’s <Amory Ames series, sees feisty amateur detective Amory travel to New York to attend the wedding of her best friend, Tabitha Alden. Although she didn’t enjoy the crossing, Amory is looking forward to the wedding, but her husband Milo feels the exact opposite; prohibition-era New York holds little interest for him. Unfortunately, things turn rather more interesting rather quickly when a member of the wedding party is murdered. While the police concentrate on the likely involvement of notorious gangster Leon De Lora, Amory focuses on the possible suspects among the wedding guests, at least some of whom seem to be keeping significant secrets. Ashley Weaver does a great job of recreating the atmosphere––both the glitz and the danger––of life during prohibition, wonderfully capturing the dialogue and concerns of the time. The murder mystery itself is nicely convoluted, with the twists and turns building to a somewhat outlandish yet still highly satisfying conclusion.

Waiting for the Night Song by Julie Carrick Dalton

A coming-of-age story founded on an intriguing mystery, Waiting for the Night Song by Julie Carrick Dalton follows two former childhood best friends as they reconnect and attempt to deal with a secret from the past that both drove them apart and bound them together forever. Forestry researcher Cadie Kessler has spent years trying to escape from the shadows of her past, but she is forced to confront and reevaluate long-buried feelings and secrets when her former best friend, Daniela Garcia, sends an urgent message that forces her to return to her former hometown. Cadie will have to decide how far she is willing to go to honor former oaths and protect both the people and the forest that she loves. Cadie’s story is a suspenseful tale in which the sense of danger and menace builds slowly as she attempts to uncover truths that have been buried for far too long. Aside from the mystery aspect, the story covers weighty themes such as racism, community erosion, and climate change, which makes for compelling reading.

Old Bones by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Old Bones by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child introduces Nora Kelly, a curator employed at the Santa Fe Institute of Archeology, who is about to find herself embroiled in a whole lot of peril and intrigue. She’s seemingly offered the opportunity of a lifetime when historian Clive Benton invites her to lead an expedition in search of the Donner Party’s lost camp. Nora knows that any excavation concerning the infamous Donner Party will lead to traces of murder, madness, and cannibalism, but she has no idea that uncovering the long-buried horrors will trigger violence and devastation in the present day. Preston and Child craft a chilling thriller around real-world history and commonly held speculation, and it leads to an action-packed story that’s brimming with danger and double-crosses. The characters are relatable and the plot exciting, and in true Preston and Child style, there’s a big twist at the end.

The Man Who Wouldn't Die by A.B. Jewell

You’ve heard of messages from beyond the grave, but what about tweets from the afterlife? As unlikely as it may sound, Captain Don Donogue, who recently died in mysterious circumstances, appears to still be tweeting despite his notable absence from the mortal coil. Could the Silicon Valley tech bros have finally uncovered the secret to life after death, a secret that allows social media accounts to live on while bodies decay? In A.B. Jewell’s The Man Who Wouldn’t Die, old-school private detective William “Fitch” Fitzgerald is hired by Captain Don’s daughter to investigate her father’s possible murder as well as his apparent ability to communicate from the spirit realm. In delightful Raymond Chandler meets Carl Hiaasen style, Jewell unspools a hilarious hard-boiled yarn that mixes noir tropes with tech startup cliches to produce a rip-roaring, mind-bending detective story that takes readers to a whole host of peculiar places.


The Meaning of Marriage: A Couple's Devotional: A Year of Daily Devotions

The Meaning of Marriage is a 365-day devotional that challenges Christian couples to deepen their commitment to God and to each other. According to Timothy and Kathy Keller, Christian marriage is “friendship with a mission.” They encourage spouses to be best friends who base their marriage “friendship” on spiritual growth. The devotional focuses on three ways couples can help each other grow: speaking truth, showing love, and offering grace. Each day’s devotion includes a Scripture reading, a devotional message, a reflection question, and a prayer prompt.

The devotional’s reflection questions foster discussion and application, setting it apart from more traditional verse-message-prayer options. While the Scripture readings are a bit brief (one to two verses on average), couples can use the references to explore the verses in their original context. As long-term commitment seems increasingly passé, the Kellers’ biblical perspective on the beauty and significance of marriage is timely both for Christian couples and for couples exploring marriage from a Christian point of view.


Weather or Not (Upside-Down Magic #5)

E. Lockhart, Lauren Myracle, and Sarah Mlynowski

The book goes well with the other books. I have the whole series at home, and the new book works with them. The only thing I don't like is that they did not add any new characters. It was just the same old, same old. The book is a tiny bit predictable, but still fun to read. The predictable part is when Nory and Willa get into a big fight. Then I realized that they'll just make up in the end. Sure enough, I was right. A cliffhanger would be a nice change in pace.


Old Bones


Historical Roundup

Whether debunking historical fallacies, assessing the more bizarre consequences of a recent history of evil, elucidating the shared and divergent characteristics of well-known figures from history, or situating shamefully overlooked individuals in their rightful place within the historical record, the four books included in this roundup all serve to extend historical scholarship in insightful and enlightening ways.

Lies Across America: What Our Historic Sites Get Wrong by James W. Loewen

This updated edition of Lies Across America: What Our Historic Sites Get Wrong, which examines “inaccuracies, myths, and lies [concerning] monuments, statues, national landmarks, and historic sites all across America,” really packs a punch in terms of debunking pervasive fake news regarding a wide range of sites of national historical importance. James W. Loewen, as the myth-buster extraordinaire, casts a critical eye over how and why American history is traditionally commemorated, and he engages in a whole lot of entertaining muckraking while doing so. Of course, given its remit, there’s a lot of funny material included, but the book also serves a very serious purpose, explaining how inaccurate history has been used to prop up social inequality as well as bringing to light people, places, and events that have been unjustly forgotten. It’s fascinating and a little scary to read about how American history has been blatantly skewed by those with the power to write and disseminate it.

A Demon-Haunted Land: Witches, Wonder Doctors, and the Ghosts of the Past in Post-WWII Germany by Monica Black

As if World War Two didn’t have devastating and traumatic enough consequences for the national psyche, its aftermath saw a bizarre confluence of paranormal events and belief in the supernatural in Germany. Unlikely though it may seem, in addition to faith healers achieving national prominence and exorcisms becoming almost commonplace, the immediate post-war years saw an explosion in allegations of witchcraft. In A Demon-Haunted Land: Witches, Wonder Doctors, and the Ghosts of the Past in Post-WWII Germany, Monica Black charts a different course to the majority of histories of the period and examines how a national preoccupation with evil characterized Germany’s transition from a Nazi dictatorship into a liberal democracy. Drawing on a host of intriguing and previously unpublished archival materials, Black examines how these highly improbable superstitions resulted from national guilt and a reluctance to talk about and properly analyze events from the Nazi era. In doing so, she provides a sobering account of a little known yet hugely important aspect of Germany’s attempt to reconcile its past with its prosperous seeming future.

Leadership in War: Essential Lessons from Those Who Made History by Andrew Roberts

War! What is it good for? Well, reputation building (whether for good or ill) for one thing, or so it seems. In Leadership in War: Essential Lessons from Those Who Made History, Andrew Roberts provides a series of nine pen portraits of major figures from modern history––Napoleon Bonaparte, Horatio Nelson, Winston Churchill, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, George C. Marshall, Charles de Gaulle, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Margaret Thatcher––who are still renowned for their leadership during times of war. Roberts’ central thesis is that each of these leaders fundamentally influenced the outcome(s) of the war their country was involved in, and he sets out to examine the differences and similarities among them in an effort to better understand the qualities that characterize a war-time leader. By necessity, he does not really consider the tens of thousands of other people who contributed to the winning of the various wars, although he certainly does succeed in elucidating how war “demands and reveals the best and worst in leadership.”

Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All by Martha S. Jones

Although it’s likely destined to be remembered for other things, the year 2020 marked the one hundredth anniversary of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, which granted American women the right to vote. It also saw the election of Kamala Harris as the first Black, South Asian, female Vice President of the United States. In recognition of these historic events, Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All, Martha S. Jones’ landmark account of African American women’s political lives in the United States, has been updated to include the vital contributions of Black women during the 2020 election. Jones offers remarkable insights into how a brave and dedicated group of women––who have all too often been overlooked in mainstream historical/political accounts¬¬––fought both racism and sexism in order to secure the right to vote and then used their new-found political power to champion the cause of equality for all people.


Allies

Allies is about kids during World War II facing their problems. This story has a lot of different characters who have their own backstories and motives for what they push them to do what they need to do. Dee is fighting against the Nazis, however, he is German himself. Samira’s mom has been captured by the Nazis while she was fighting as a part of a resistance organization in France to stop the Nazis. Each kid’s story is unique to their own experience. The stories of each of the characters, however, intertwine with one another all leading up to D-day.
Allies is a good book that can be used to help kids understand the events of D-day and the Nazi takeover. It has its really heartfelt moments that help you feel for the characters in a way that not many other books do. It is interesting to read about characters that are your age who are undergoing something that you might never experience in your life. Understanding the tragedy of the world at this time while also telling a story is not something many other books care to delve into.


The Crossed-Out Notebook: A Novel

Nicolás Giacobone, translation by Megan McDowell

This is a novel about words, specifically picking the right words to fit a particular purpose or project. Nicolás Giacobone writes a story of a writer trapped by a rich movie producer. The main characters of Santiago and Pablo are somewhat like a “team,” but with one key difference: Pablo is the one doing all the writing work as prescribed by Santiago, who is the “boss” making all the final decisions. Pablo uses a computer application to keep his own private journal of what is occurring in his writing career. Giacobone’s story is written from the perspective of a writer through this journal and includes notes from the projects that Pablo is undertaking while trapped and the rules and guidelines that he has established for his writing process. Pablo states many rules about being a good writer throughout.  Giacobone uses imagery well, with Pablo effectively describing his living situation and how everything is setup while he is forced by Santiago to complete the next project. Outside of the narrative, Giacobone completes his own writing project perfectly.


Home Alone 2: Lost in New York: The Classic Illustrated Storybook (Pop Classics)

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is a beautifully written and designed picture book about the comedy movie we all know and love from the 90s. Kevin’s family is once again leaving for a Christmas Vacation, this time to Florida. Kevin has no desire to go and drags his heels. They wake up late and have to rush to the Airport, while everyone tries to run to make it to the gate on time, Kevin stays behind to look for something in his Dads bag. When Kevin looks up, he follows a man that looks like his Dad but isn’t and ends up on a totally wrong flight, not to Florida but to New York City, all alone!

In New York, he sees lots of Landmarks and books a room in a hotel. Running through the city he all a sudden, runs into his old bandit friends Marv and Harry, who had tried to rob his house last Christmas when he was home alone! They tell him that they are going to rob a toy store. Kevin plans once again to save Christmas and the toy store, which wants to give all its Christmas profits to the children’s hospital nearby!

Every Christmas season my family and I watch this movie, it is one of my favorites. The book made me laugh out loud, just like the movie, and the iconic facial expressions of Kevin and Marv and Harry are spot on!  It’s beautifully drawn and just such a fun read-aloud for just about any age! Even my baby sister loved it already!


All Ways Family

All Ways Family is a sweet book that talks about the many ways families are formed. All families are different, and that is a good thing. Even though every family is different, each one is the same because no matter what they all love one another. Some families have a mommy and daddy that have a baby, but some can't have a baby on their own and they must adopt a child that needs a home with love, and some families need the help of special doctors to have babies, and sometimes some families only have one parent. Some families have only grandparents, and some have moms, dads, grandparents, and aunts and uncles. Each family is special and we should be kind to others even if their family is different from ours. This book is very informative on the many ways that men and women can have babies, either naturally or with the help of a doctor or through adoption. All a family needs to be a family is to love and care for one another.


Birdie and Me

Birdie and Me is such a great book. It is a story about being true to yourself. In the book, Jackie and Birdie are forced to move to their other uncle's house when Uncle Carl fails at taking care of them. Watch them as they discover their inner courage and strength. I loved the end the most. I thought it was awesome to see some of the characters change after every event of the story. I would really love to meet both the characters because they were adventurous. I think it would be fun to hang out with them. I think ages nine to fourteen should read this book. You would like this book if you like emotional books. This book is now one of my favorite books. This book reminds me of Out Of My Mind because the characters in both learn to be themselves. In Out Of My Mind, Melody learns that even if you look different from the other kids it doesn’t mean you are bad. I really loved how I could picture the situation and what was going on. I would love to see a Book Two. This was a heartbreaking, emotional story about two young kids finding their voices.


Zaha Hadid (Little People, BIG DREAMS)

Zaha Hadid is part of the Little People, Big Dreams series, one of my favorite series of all time. This book is different from the rest of the series because she creates curved buildings and the others I have read become nuns and help people. Zaha is a woman who created curved buildings, not square buildings or rectangle buildings, and she did what everyone thought was impossible. The writer did a good job of presenting her story, just like the others in the series. I really enjoyed getting to know Zaha. Her favorite classes were art and math just like mine. The illustrator did a good job with the pictures.


Mary Shelley (Little People, BIG DREAMS)

Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, illustrated by Yelena Bryksenkova

Mary Shelley (Little People, Big Dreams) is all about the author Mary Shelley. Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara wrote it and Yelena Bryksenkova made the pictures. I liked this story a lot. I liked it because Mary Shelley was a writer and she wrote with a feather. Her mom died when she was just a baby, and that was sad, but Mary Shelley became a great writer anyway. She wrote the story Frankenstein and spent a lot of time in graveyards.

This author seems to know a lot about Mary Shelley. Lots of kids will like this book because Mary Shelley is really interesting to read about. My little sister likes it a lot, and she’s only four! The pictures are detailed and good. The pictures of the monster are scary, but not too-too scary. And how Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein was really interesting and good. I really enjoyed reading this book about Mary Shelley. This is a book that’s good to read over and over. I want to read more books like this about women in history.


82 Days on Okinawa: One American's Unforgettable Firsthand Account of the Pacific War's Greatest Battle

The war in the Pacific had been raged for three years when Major Art Shaw and his men landed in Leyte. The see-saw battling had seen momentum shift to the Allied effort. Major Shaw and his men were encircled by Japanese forces initially, but a bluff to marshal in greater forces led to the enemy retreating. The joy of victory was short lived, as Shaw and his men would be sent to Okinawa.

Okinawa was a different story altogether. Deadly reptiles and other creatures presented their own perils, while the resourceful Japanese hid traps on the Island. The Americans disinterred hidden and frightened locals who had been put in underground tunnels, having been told of the alleged depravities the Americans would commit. Shaw would communicate and allay their worries. The carnage began with the initial attacks, some under cover of night. The Americans fought bravely, but their enemy was resilient. The long-fought campaign lasted nearly three months. Yet, the tide shifted toward the Allied effort.

82 Days on Okinawa is a personal view of war that is heartfelt and poignant. Col. Shaw’s account of the day-to-day grind brings new life to the historical record. His reflections of home and his longing to return, interspersed with the upcoming engagements, make for an impactful narrative. A fine autobiography/history book for all to enjoy.


Bee Heartful: Spread Loving-Kindness

Be Heartful is a nice story. Someone snatches the bee’s scarf, but she just stays calm and takes three breaths and doesn't get mad. She sends loving-kindness thoughts to the whole garden and she gets her scarf back. There are lots of pictures of animals and they are really nice. Five-year-olds and maybe four- and six-year-olds will like this book, but everybody can read it. I learned something that made my heart fill with joy, and the book just makes my heart sing. It reminds me of bees building hives.


Frozen Secrets (Europa Academy #1)

An amazing mystery story set in outer space. Frozen secrets is about a boy named Max who can't stay out of trouble. After a near-death experience, Max and his friends discover a shocking truth.

I think this story was very well written. It took me a long time to figure out who the villains were, and when I did I was surprised. I really liked the illustrations at the start of the book. They helped to give me an understanding of how big some of the places in the book are. Myles Christensen did a great job with describing the technology in the book. The story takes place in the future, and the technology seems like it could exist in a few decades.

I think this book is good for middle-school-age kids, although people of other ages would also enjoy it. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery or sci-fi stories. I think a lot of people will like this book, and I can't wait for the rest of the series.

If you like space, adventure, and mysteries, you need to read this book!


The Better Liar: A Novel

Taren Jones’ The Better Liar is a fresh take on a typical thriller. There is no girl-chase-boy-chase-girl cat-and-mouse game. The Better Liar is the story of Leslie trying to get money from her father’s will and the lengths she’s willing to go to get that done once she finds out her sister, Robin, is dead. Per her father’s will, both Robin and Leslie need to be present together to obtain their inheritance. Will Leslie be able to get her share of the money she so desperately needs without anyone finding out her plan?

The Better Liar provides twists and jolts throughout, keeping the story constantly flowing up to the last page. I appreciated a thrilling story that centers around the relationship between two sisters, often with chapters dipping back into the characters’ pasts to help the reader get a better sense of where the character was coming from. The book delves into deep areas of the human psyche, asking what leads us to make the decisions we make and how much of the trauma from our childhood affects us as adults.


A World Full of Spooky Stories: 50 Tales to Make Your Spine Tingle

This collection of fifty stories comes from all over the world, but not all of these stories are actually spooky. These stories are grouped together based on their settings, like graveyards, or under the sea, in the woods, or at a castle, so stories from different languages get grouped together. This would be a good book for Halloween, because the stories are about monsters and dead people and magic. Some of them can be creepy, so this is probably not a good book for very young kids. Sometimes the monsters are friendly, but sometimes the heroine or hero has to outsmart a witch or ogre. Some of these stories you may already know, like "Baba Yaga," "Rumpelstiltskin," or "Little Red Riding Hood." My favorite story is "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," because the Green Knight tricks Gawain while testing his honor. I like the pictures, too. They aren’t realistic paintings, but the monsters look cool. The paintings are not scary, but it gives you something to imagine as you think about the stories. This is a fun book to read if you like stories from different countries with monsters and ghosts you maybe haven’t heard of yet.


The Sun and Her Stars: Salka Viertel and Hitler's Exiles in the Golden Age of Hollywood

Not only is

The Sun and Her Stars an engaging glimpse into a fascinating woman's life, it is also an important reference for anyone trying to learn more about history outside of the usual white male hero tale. Salka Viertel was once known for many things: being a great writer in the male-dominated Hollywood of the 1930s, acting, throwing lovely cocktail parties, but what was truly her most unsung skill was weaving and strengthening friendships. Author Donna Rifkind makes that clear from the very beginning of her story. Salka was able to find and care for people in her life better than anyone around her had ever seen. She rubbed elbows with the famous and not-so-famous, and it didn't matter, Salka Viertel would find a way to connect with anybody. Not just a good friend, Salka—who was a Jewish Austrian immigrant who only happened to miss needing to flee her home country by rare circumstance—used those powers of connection to bring artists over to America via emergency visas. Through her fundraising work and the co-founding of the European Film Fund, Salka's impact on the lives of people affected by the Nazi rise to power is not something one can calculate. Rifkind does a wonderful job of telling the multifaceted and somewhat tragic life story of a brilliant woman. Salka Viertel did not do anything society expected of her, and the world was far better for it.


The Guinevere Deception (Camelot Rising Trilogy)

Guinevere is to marry Arthur, the new king of Camelot. Magic is forbidden within its borders as the king tries to build a new city better than any before. However, Guinevere is not whom she says she is, but a changeling sent by Merlin to help and protect Arthur.   Her magic is for small, little things, just enough to help in certain situations, but she must make sure no one sees. And there’s a force, a dark force that refuses to let go. When that force threatens the troops and Arthur himself, Guinevere uses her magic to help and just hopes that she can keep her secret from destroying everything that Arthur has built.

Told from Guinevere’s point of view, this follows the tale of Arthur after he has pulled Excalibur from the stone and been named king, offering a new vivid depiction of a long-ago legend, with witty dialogue and beloved characters. True to White’s previous re-imaginings, like The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein and The Conqueror’s Saga about Vlad the Impaler, this one is dark and twisted, altering characters and events to fit a new, creative tale.  This does for the Arthurian legend what Twilight did for vampires and werewolves.


The Hidden Kingdom (Wings of Fire Graphic Novel #3)

This is the third book in the Wings of Fire graphic novel series. After six years, Glory is going home to the rainforest.  Once there, Glory hopes to meet her family and find a cure for the venom inflicted scratch on Webs’s tail.

When Glory finally meets her tribe, it is disappointing for her. One of the dragons she meets, Jambu, says the RainWings didn’t even know she was missing! While in line to see the queen, Glory finds out that over fourteen RainWings have gone missing. Even worse, Queen Magnificent doesn’t want to lift a claw towards the act of finding her missing subjects.

Glory decides to take the matter into her own claws and start investigating. With the help of her friends, Glory discovers an astonishing lead: a mysterious tunnel! Could this be where the missing RainWings are kept? And even if the missing dragons are at the end, what can one dragonet do to save her kin against this formidable foe?

This book is filled with action and adventure on every page, along with a dash of surprise and fun. It’s a nice addition to the Wings of Fire book series, with colorful illustrations and thrilling scenes.


America's Test Kitchen Twentieth Anniversary TV Show Cookbook: Best-Ever Recipes from the Most Successful Cooking Show on TV

The cookbook is a heavy and thick compendium of season twenty's recipes. The cookbook is divided up into an impressive fourteen sections: "Breakfast and Brunch," "Soups, Stews, Chilis, and Curries," "Salads," "Poultry," "Beef," "Pork and Lamb," "Fish," "Pasta," "Grilling," "Sides," "Bread and Pizza," "Cookies," "Pies, Tarts, and Fruit Desserts," and "Cakes and More." I wish they had included a table of contents for the sections so you don't have to flip back and forth to find the section you are looking for. I made the patatas bravas recipe, and it was delicious. Typically, the potatoes are double-fried to produce an extra crispy crust. However, this recipe parboiled the potatoes with baking soda which gave it the extra-thick crust. Next time, I might try to air-fry it to see if this recipe would work. The cookbook is black and white so none of the pictures were in color. Also, the paper that was used was a flimsy newspaper print paper which I have never seen used in a cookbook. I recommend this cookbook to anyone who likes to cook and are fans of the show.


The Last Scoop (3) (Clare Carlson Mystery)

The Last Scoop is another thrilling adventure in the Clare Carlson series by R.G. Belsky. A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and news reporter who stops at nothing to get her story, Clare Carlson finds that her latest story hits too close to home when one of her mentors, Martin Barlow, is found murdered. Clare knows he was working on a big story and had wanted her help on it only weeks before his demise. Left with a pit of guilt at the bottom of her stomach, Clare vows to find out what Martin was working on and to get the story out in the hope of finding his killer at the same time.

This is the second book in the Clare Carlson series that I've read and both books kept my eyes glued to the pages. Clare's imperfections and tenacity are what makes her a fantastic journalist. The book also shows her emotional side as well. In The Last Scoop Clare searches for a serial killer that Martin was tracking down. This book is exciting and there is never a dull moment. The plot twists are set perfectly in the book to keep the reader wondering. A fantastic read for fans of crime fiction.


Sports Education Roundup

Whether you’re looking for inspiration to take up a new sport, tips on how to improve your game, or just a good read for during the summer months, the following five sports books all have something to offer. From basketball to baseball, football to golf and cross-country running, these books tell the extraordinary and inspirational stories of a wide range of athletes, whether just starting out, at their peak, or on the comeback trail.

Three-Ring Circus: Kobe, Shaq, Phil, and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty by Jeff Pearlman

Three-Ring Circus presents a definitive account of the highs, the lows, and the controversies experienced by the Los Angeles Lakers (and their fans) during the period 1996 to 2004, which saw many of the biggest names in the game take to the court. While the main characters are, unsurprisingly, center Shaquille O’Neal and shooting guard Kobe Bryant, as well as coach Phil Jackson, Jeff Pearlman takes pains to highlight the roles of other Lakers stars, such as Nick Van Exel, Samaki Walker, and Mark Madsen, and members of the coaching squad in the team’s successes and losses. He examines what made the team so great, the extent to which O’Neal and Bryant were more similar than people generally thought, and how ego ultimately led to the disintegration of the team. Pearlman has a way with words that makes his factual reporting seem like storytelling, and his admiration for both the game of basketball and its players shines through on every page. This is a must-read book for basketball fans that pulls no punches but also offers a fitting and touching tribute to the late Kobe Bryant.

Roaring Back: The Fall and Rise of Tiger Woods by Curt Sampson

Arguably, few athletes have experienced a fall from grace and a decline in competitive performance as monumental and well-publicized as that suffered by Tiger Woods after the spectacular and hugely public failure of his marriage and his two subsequent car crashes, to say nothing of the eight surgeries he required. However, despite the undoubted controversies, Woods is recognized as being one of the greatest golfers of all time, having won four Masters titles before injury forced him to take a career break. Of course, that wasn’t the end of the story and, in Roaring Back: The Fall and Rise of Tiger Woods, Curt Sampson chronicles both Woods’ troubled times and his spectacular return to golf, which saw him win a fifth Masters title in 2019. In telling Woods’ remarkable story, Sampson relates the comebacks of other players and also shares the insights of a host of golf insiders, ranging from caddies to coaches to Augusta locals, concerning the source of Woods’ greatness and his ability to come back from the brink.

Hell with the Lid Off: Inside the Fierce Rivalry between the 1970s Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers by Ed Gruver and Jim Campbell

During the 1970s, the NFL was dominated by the rivalry between the Oakland Raiders and the Pittsburgh Steelers. As Ed Gurver and Jim Campbell detail in Hell with the Lid Off: Inside the Fierce Rivalry between the 1970s Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers, the infamous rivalry was sparked by the 1972 playoff game in which Franco Harris’ touchdown, the result of the so-called “Immaculate Reception” (or “Deception,” depending on which side is favored), gave the Steelers the win against the Raiders. That game led to a five-year fight for dominance between the two teams, which were both known for their physicality and imposing presence on the field. Things eventually got so heated between the teams in terms of the mudslinging that a defamation of character court case resulted. Focusing on the larger-than-life personalities involved, Gurver and Campbell provide a thrilling account of a turbulent period in the history of football as well as the games, players, and coaches that characterized it.

Amazing Racers: The Story of America's Greatest Running Team and Its Revolutionary Coach by Marc Bloom

In Amazing Racers: The Story of America's Greatest Running Team and Its Revolutionary Coach, Marc Bloom relates the inspiring story of the Fayetteville-Manlius cross-country running teams and their innovative coach, Bill Aris. Under Aris’ leadership, both the boys and girls teams have far exceeded expectations and come to dominate the Nike Cross Nationals championships. To offer just a few of the stats that Bloom presents, the girls team has won eleven of the last thirteen championships, while the boys team has the best cumulative national record in terms of championship podium performances. While Bloom can’t detail exactly how Coach Aris has achieved such success with his teams (after all, that would mean giving away quite the advantage to rival teams), he does discuss some aspects of Aris’ philosophy and his approach to fostering talent. Through interviews conducted with current and former runners, he sheds light on some of the unique features of the program and suggests how the teams managed to come so far so quickly. The insights provided into Aris’ mindset lead to insights into the runners’ varying approaches and motivations, which should prove highly valuable to those looking to improve their own performance.

Son of Havana: A Baseball Journey from Cuba to the Big Leagues and Back by Luis Tiant

Widely regarded as the best and most consistent pitcher yet to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Luis Tiant is among the greatest players to have ever featured on the roster of the Boston Red Sox. While his talent was never in any doubt, his distinctive style––including the signature Fu Manchu mustache––caused him to stand out from his contemporaries in Major League Baseball during the 1970s, as did his race and country of origin. In Son of Havana: A Baseball Journey from Cuba to the Big Leagues and Back, Tiant details his extraordinary career in baseball from the early days after political upheaval meant he could not return to his home in Cuba through to the glory days of the World Series with the Red Sox and on to his emotional homecoming when he played an exhibition game in Havana in 2016. Tiant’s story is an unusual one in that even aside from his baseball greatest, he lived an inspirational life after being unwillingly exiled from Cuba, facing racism during his early days in the United States, and eventually going on against the odds to succeed beyond all measure. This engaging and punchy memoir tells interesting tales from a life well lived, both on the mound and off.


Jane Goes North

Jane’s existence can best be described as haphazard. Her financial outlook is bleak, she has lost her job, her credit cards cling to the edge of maxed out. However, an invite to her younger sister’s wedding offers a glimmer of hope. Jane doesn’t get on well with her kin, especially her younger sister. She is determined to attend the wedding, mainly for spite. However, her car is unreliable, each mile bringing it closer to the wrecking yard. Jane decides to seek out an old school ride share. Enter Henrietta, or Henry. Their meeting for the ride is chaotic, ending with hurled desserts and epithets. Jane is crestfallen until Henry shows up at her house to confirm a lift up north. The stage has been set for a memorable voyage, replete with chauvinistic alpha males, kidnappers, and other sideshows. Jane and Henry retain their determination to reach their destination.

Jane Goes North is a buddy story with a sharp edge. The laughs are timely and well thought out, the plot fast and loose. The individual personalities of Jane and Henry are distinct and heartrending. The reader will find themself drawn to both, no matter what hell is brought down on them. The duo of Jane and Henry exist on a parallel plane of existence with Lansdale’s more famous Hap and Leonard. Another solid effort by the prolific Lansdale.


The Perfect Pie: Your Ultimate Guide to Classic and Modern Pies, Tarts, Galettes, and More

I've been a fan of America's Test Kitchen the show so I was dying to try out the recipes in the cookbook. The book is packed with many classic pie recipes from apple, pecan, key lime to not-so-familiar recipes like Portuguese egg tarts. I love a fresh fruit tart so I really wanted to try my hand at making it. Disappointingly, the fruit tart recipe in the book is not a classic French fruit tart recipe. Instead of the classic pastry cream, the recipe used a filling made of white baking chips (which isn't even chocolate!) and mascarpone cheese. The fruit took me about two and a half hours to make. The dough was a little tricky, and cutting up some of the fruit was time-consuming, but a finished fruit tart looks gorgeous. Although the filling held up really nicely when you cut into it, the taste was disappointing. The filling just did not compare to the eggy and sweet pastry cream. The cookbook had a lot of gorgeous pictures, but none of it was in color, which is odd for cookbooks. Aside from that, I recommend this cookbook to pie enthusiasts.


Immortality, Inc.: Renegade Science, Silicon Valley Billions, and the Quest to Live Forever

It seems like barely a week can go by now without a new article or news piece about how longevity is the future and the human race will soon be living to a much longer and greater age. Humans will one day live not just 100 years but even 200! It continues to sound ridiculously far fetched and, until the average person starts seeing actual people living to these ripe old ages, no one is going to believe it’s true. In Immortality Inc., Chip Walter doesn’t seek to give readers the answers and clues to living long and fruitful lives past a hundred years of age, so if you’re looking for that kind of book, this isn’t for you. Instead, Walter goes into depth about the billions of dollars that have been spent over the last two decades into the scientific pursuit of immortality. You’ll hear the backgrounds and coming-of-age stories from all the big guns involved in prolonging life, such as futurist Ray Kurzweil, rejuvenation expert Aubrey de Grey, Apple chairman Arthur Levinson, and many more. Walter also explains why there is this obsession with the Baby Boomer generation wanting to live forever. It’s a fascinating read.


Bryant & May: The Lonely Hour: A Peculiar Crimes Unit Mystery

Bryant and May’s resourceful exploits take British mysteries to new heights, ingenuity a byword for their originality. The two elderly English detectives complement each other. Bryant, in his grungy clothes pocketing unwrapped candy and sardine sandwiches, is questionably a hundred percent 'compos mentis.' May, slightly younger and still bashfully womanizing, personifies elegance. As members of the Peculiar Crimes Unit (PCU), a fictional adjunct to London police services, the team tackles seemingly unsolvable murders. In The Lonely Hour, a group of women set up their nighttime bat-watching group in the woods, and one member is disturbed by an eerie assassination taking place nearby. The victim is left surrounded by misleading clues. More macabre murders ensue. And Bryant, though well over 80 years old, is again on the ready for a new challenge.

The latest in a distinctive series is a gem with May’s investigative skills drawing on his recondite book collection, a white witch, and some undeniably shady eccentrics. Forensic evidence allows the other team members, and the readers, a chance to try their hand at solving the crimes.

The characters, the humor, and the ingenious plot are highly engaging. To compare Christopher Fowler with those mystery writers who favor red herrings or sadism is akin to setting whipping cream alongside skim milk; this is a heady diet indeed.


House on Endless Waters: A Novel

Yoel Blum is a famous Israeli novelist who is comfortable with his life. One day, his publicist asks him to travel to Amsterdam to promote his newest novel. Yoel refuses because he promised his deceased mother never to return to his birthplace after they escaped the concentration camps. Yoel’s wife and publicist eventually convince him to make the trip. While there Yoel walks the beautiful streets and ponders what his life would have been like.

Yoel and his wife go to the Jewish Historical Museum and there, in a photograph exhibit, he sees a picture of his dad who died in a concentration camp, standing by his mom and his older sister, Nettie. In his mom’s arms is an infant, but, the infant is not him. This revelation sends Yoel into a tailspin. As Yoel attempts to process what he has discovered, revisiting Amsterdam’s dark history and the heartbreaking steps Jewish families took to save their children, he finds inspiration for his next novel.

A beautiful, heart-rending search for identity, belonging, and family, Emuna Elon’s powerful novel will leave you on the edge of your seat, breathless and eager for more.


A Witch in Time

Helen Lambert’s marriage is over, and her career, once so fulfilling, doesn’t give her the same thrill it once did. Looking to make a change and find a new passion, she takes a chance on a blind date only to learn she’s known the man before, in past lives, and that they are linked through a curse she must learn how to break should she ever want real love.

Constance Sayers’ A Witch in Time is a rollicking ride through 1890s Paris, 1930s Hollywood, 1970s Taos, and modern-day Washington, DC. In each era, Sayers’ attention to detail, specifically to fashion, is exquisite, and the women she places in each time period are haunting in their power and their inescapable fate. Helen Lambert comes to learn she was once a Parisian girl named Juliet LeCompte who fell in love with the wrong man, a married painter named Auguste Marchant. When Juliet’s mother, a witch, learned of the affair, she cursed the girl to keep her from Marchant. Unfortunately, the curse was more complicated than Mrs. LeCompte expected, and something went wrong, dooming Juliet to return to life over and over as different women, always drawn to and then tragically separated from some version of Marchant.

Overseeing all of this, and the key to Helen’s understanding of her past, is Luke Varner, a handsome demon whose fate is bound to the curse and to Helen.A Witch in Time is a love story, a supernatural mystery, and a piece of beautiful historical fiction that deserves to be read and savored.


Dining at Dusk: Evening Eats - Tapas, Antipasti, Mezze, Ceviche and Aperitifs from Around the World

Wouldn't you love to travel the world, sampling the best of each region's cuisine along the way? This book is the next best thing, as the author invites you along on his culinary travel adventures, highlighting the small eats and little dishes each culture enjoys sharing with friends and loved ones at the close of the day. The scope is vast, in fact traversing the globe, so there are only a few recipes from any particular area. But collected together here are dozens of delicious snacks and small meals that give a tiny but mouth-watering sample of what the world has to offer, including Australian grilled sandwiches, Chinese steamed buns, Swiss raclette, Danish smorgasbord, Moroccan hummus, Portuguese fish salads, Brazilian ceviche, and so much more. The recipes are easy to follow, all accompanied by gorgeous photos of the food as well as its native home in restaurants and cityscapes, so you almost feel like you've been there. Finally, the author offers complementary drink pairings, including many non-alcoholic options, and suggests ideal music to complete the experience. It's a lovely read, a treat for the senses, which is just what evening dining is meant to be.


Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tale Collection

The Hans Christian Anderson Fairy tale Collection is a beautifully illustrated book that contains some of his best fairy tales, including The Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina, The Nightingale, The Emperor’s New Clothes, and The Little Mermaid.

The stories in the book are between twenty to forty pages long, but the gorgeous illustrations that were done by Josef Palacek take up most of the space in between and really help to bring each story to life.

I really enjoyed reading these stories, some I have heard before and some not. The one that surprised me the most is The Little Mermaid because it is nothing like the story I have heard before about The Little Mermaid. It was quite sad but also beautiful. The Emperor’s New Clothes is one of my favorites because it’s so funny!

I love how different these stories were from other fairy tales and enjoyed reading them. I would recommend this book to kids ages nine and up because some of the stories were a little sad after all.


Machiavelli: The Art of Teaching People What to Fear

Across time and geography, the name of Machiavelli is usually synonymous with tyranny, cruelty, and fear. To be yoked with the Machiavellian adjective is to be branded an unpleasant individual to be around. But is that implication truly accurate or fair? According to historian Patrick Boucheron, not necessarily.

In Machiavelli, Boucheron views Machiavelli’s writings from a different perspective. Looking to those who influenced the political arena in Machiavelli’s day, as well as his written works, Boucheron carefully reveals the logical and timeless premises of the concepts that have branded Machiavelli a devil of history.

While I enjoyed this book, I found the title to be hugely misleading. The Art of Teaching People What to Fear seems to imply that the author is prepared to discuss the justification and/or effectiveness of Machiavelli’s approach towards ensuring a strong, stable government. Instead, Bucheron simply draws out the inherent logic in Machiavelli’s concepts and illuminates their relevance, not just in Machiavelli’s time, but in this day and age. The author’s ideas are clear, and he makes his points succinctly in individual vignettes that are arranged in a very consumable format.  A great little book to round out your knowledge of one of literary history’s more scandalous contributors.


The Tenant

The Tenant has been murdered. She was murdered in exactly the same fashion as described in the building owner’s crime novel. The Copenhagen police are working round the clock to discover the perpetrator, but are finding it difficult when there doesn’t seem to be a motive and everyone involved is suspicious. Time is running out and the bodies are starting to pile up. Why would anyone murder Julie Stender and in such a heinous manner? Esther de Laurenti is going to learn the hard way that you have to be careful what you write. You never know who might be reading.

The outline of the plot was what drew me in, but once I got into it was a bit anti-climactic. There were way too many characters so that it was hard to get a good feel for any of them. I could not really tell whom the story was supposed to be about. It switched viewpoints often and sometimes to minor characters. I think Saidani was the most likable and she was rarely the focus. The story was not very suspenseful and the villains stood out from the get-go. It did have a similar feel to Tana French stories but was less dark. Overall, it wasn’t the worst book I ever read and the plot idea was interesting, but I probably wouldn’t read it again.


The Couple's Cookbook: Recipes for Newlyweds

An essential cookbook for couples that appreciate modern food pairings and new exciting recipes. The Couples Cookbook: Recipes for Newlyweds is an ideal cookbook for any couple looking to explore the joy of cooking together. With recipes that tackle the common question of, what’s for dinner by elevating everyday classics into elegant masterpieces, all while introducing show-stopping new recipes. Whether you have been cooking for years, just starting, or timid to jump in the kitchen, this cookbook lends all the tools of success complete with tips for everyone. With Sections to calm and inspire,  to stocking and organizing a pantry, Cole and Kiera Stipovich knows just how to get couples cooking with confidence. With breakfast that makes you want to stay in and dinners that create picture-worthy table settings, this book is a celebration of food and being together. While some recipes might have ingredients that aren’t as familiar to new home chiefs, they are easy to follow and delicious. Although centered around newlyweds, these recipes pair just as well for any couple, by encouraging them to connect with family and friends around the table, making this a cookbook that is worth returning to over and over.


And the Silent Spoke

Profound, eloquent, inspirational—just a few words that describe Amy L. Greeson's "And the Silence Spoke."

Her thought-provoking, literary journal is narrated by an older woman in transition. With all of her loved ones around her, she looks back over her ever-so eventful life.
In her younger years, she had been a pharmacist—a well-traveled pharmacist. Her travels had led her to reexamine Western life. In the Amazon, she had seen medicine men and shaman; "the Amazon summoned the free spirit, the introvert, the explorer and the spiritual seeker."

She had become spell-bound by the lush vegetation and diverse wildlife and "immersed in the jungle's rhythm and flow." Her time there taught her that nature was the ultimate laboratory—rather than a chemical lab. Spirituality and medicine were not her only realizations while traveling; she had been shopping in London in July 2005—during the terrorist attack. The bombing had forced her to realize that millions of people grapple with war-torn conditions every day. Her travels had changed her; she was inspired to use her resources to see other parts of the world. She trekked mountains, discovered healing plants, visited villages, and experienced different cultures. She encountered the best and the worst of humanity.

Gresson is a talented storyteller. Perhaps the most intriguing element of the novel is that all the stories are true. Greeson tells her own stories in the older woman's voice; this point of view is brilliant. A memoir would have been wonderful, but Greeson's choice is remarkable. The older woman archetype embodies wisdom; therefore, the reader is left captivated and longing to hear more.

One of my favorite stories is from Madagascar. Jahiry, the ombiasa, invokes an ancestral spirit to help another citizen of his tribe. The ceremony, fivoriana, is a sacred one that leaves the narrator chilled to the core. Blindfolded, she sat summoning God and the angels to protect her while the doors and windows rattled, and a non-human voice spoke in its gruff, croaky tone. This experience left her shaken up for days. Greeson ultimately learned and taught her readers that every lifeform matters. As she learned about plants, animals, and tribal culture, she began to embrace change.

As I read this book and processed Greeson's profound realizations, I examined my own ideals. In Western culture, we are sometimes so entranced by our obligations to society—work, school, promotions, bills—that we do not grasp that the world has more depth than our immediate surroundings. Greeson ends with a call to live life with purpose, encouraging us to listen, reassuring us that "God—and ALL the silent—speak," and with her purpose-driven life as an example, readers will be inspired to harken the voice.


Losing Reality: On Cults, Cultism, and the Mindset of Political and Religious Zealotry

Losing Reality combines excerpts from Jay Lifton’s previous work with his new material. Covering Nazi Doctors, a Japanese subway-bombing cult, Communist China, Donald Trump, and the “Apocalyptic Twins” of climate change and nuclear war, this book offers a smorgasbord of historic and modern-day cultism. These easy-to-follow case studies show cultism in various scales, countries, and time periods. The book’s introduction (like a ‘Cult 101’ class) familiarizes the reader with the basic foundations and terminology of cult studies that Jay Lifton uses throughout this thin volume.

If you are looking for a history or encyclopedia of cults, look elsewhere. Though the book contains much fascinating material, there are other books on the subject more capable of providing a comprehensive overview. To be fair, this book does not seem intended as “Cults for Dummies.” It has a clear motivation to inform readers of cultism in the past while urging them to be wary of its manifestations in the present. The purposeful arrangement of the chapters presents the reader with historic examples so they may better view modern-day nationalism and Trump himself through a cult-colored lens.

Despite agreeing with the author on many of his insights into the psychology of the current president and on the similarities between nationalism and cult mentalities, I cannot help but think the author and publishers could have been more opaque with their purposes. I’d picked up the book hoping to learn about cultism more generally as the title seemed to indicate. Instead, the chapters on Trump (though again, I found them well-argued) felt like tacked-on political opinions. I was jarred by the change from the earlier academic excerpts to more speculative commentary on the modern political climate.

This reviewer feels it important to point out my own political biases and sympathies with the author’s point of view. While I found this book informative and interesting, I would not recommend it to readers looking to learn about cultism divorced from contemporary politics. Additionally, readers should be prepared for the academic writing style and possibly unfamiliar subject matter (to those without prior study of communism, Chinese history, or theology).

Even if you disagree with Jay Lifton’s accusations of Trump, there is much valuable and intriguing information here for anyone wanting to learn about cultism.


The Elephant's Umbrella

The Elephant's Umbrella is the story of an elephant, an umbrella, and being kind. The elephant has a colorful umbrella all the time, and when it is rainy, it lets animals come under it to keep dry. One day there is a strong wind that blows the umbrella away from the elephant! The story then goes with the umbrella and the new animals it meets. The first animal that the umbrella flies to tells it that it will use the umbrella to keep itself dry while it eats. The umbrella doesn't like that answer, so it goes with the wind to another animal. The second animal tells the umbrella that it will use it to keep dry while it is also eating. The umbrella still doesn't like that, so it goes with the wind and ends up back with the elephant. The umbrella likes that the elephant is using it to help others instead of only themselves. I like reading this story because the umbrella knows the difference between being nice to others and nice to only yourself. I also like the pictures! The pictures are very pretty and colorful and make this a fun story.


Kevin the Unicorn: It's Not All Rainbows

Every day, Kevin the unicorn wakes up and it is magical awesomeness. It is always rainbows and glitter for unicorns until, one morning, Kevin wakes up and something is strange. Nothing goes as planned for Kevin. His car loses its tire, clam juice is spilled on him, and maple syrup is stuck on his hair! Kevin is having an awfully bad day. Kevin is sad and down. Will Kevin's day get better? Luckily, other unicorns tell him they are all having bad days too. All the unicorns realize that unicorns don't always have to have perfect, magical days. I really like the illustrations because the pictures are colorful and bright. All the unicorns are very cute! I like the part when Kevin goes to a cupcake bake-off, and there is cupcake and pancake in his hair. I also like the part where one of the unicorns has glitter in her eye. I thought it was cute! I recommend this book to anyone who likes unicorns and anyone who is having a bad day. Maybe this book will cheer them up!


Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists: A Graphic History of Women's Fight for Their Rights

This book sets out to provide an outline of primarily women’s rights by outlining prevailing laws throughout history, events that influenced women’s rights, and the personalities that publicly advocated for their rights. Towards the end, it also presents snapshots of LGBTQ rights. The setting is school children arguing about women’s rights, and the AI Program gives them a tour through history about the development of women’s rights. The history lesson starts in Antiquity and progresses to contemporary times.

The early portion of women’s rights spans the entire world.  However, from the eighteenth century onwards, the focus shifts primarily to the Western World. The book does cover a lot of ground and emphasizes the breadth of coverage rather than depth, which works well with its graphic novel format. Readers looking for more than just a paragraph on a particular event or personality will have to do further research on their own. There is no list of sources, and the personalities profiled or events covered have omissions – a necessary feature of a work of this scope. Some readers may find the quick transitions a little jarring, but the work’s intent is more like that of a dictionary than an encyclopedia.  Overall, a good introduction to the history of women’s rights.


Most of the Better Natural Things in the World: (Juvenile Fiction, Nature Book for Kids, Wordless Picture Book)

This book, Most of the Better Natural Things in the World, does not describe in words but rather in pictures. It is a book of landscapes and natural things in the world. In every picture there is also a tiger that has a chair strapped around him like a backpack.

Along the way, the landscape changes, sometimes from a plain to a forest. I learned new words from this book like atoll and vista. Besides the landscapes, there are beautiful skies, including one of the Northern Lights. It is so vibrant, I felt like I was in the picture looking at the Aurora Borealis.

As you go through this book and see so much, the last illustration in the book shows the tiger waving to his family as they sit around the dinner table – so then it all makes sense why he brought the chair with him through all the various terrains.

The illustrations are impressionist-style painted and there is just enough detail to see the geography terms listed on the two-page spread. This is considered a wordless book, although every spread has a one- or two-word title on it describing the picture. The end of the book is a glossary that defines all the terms listed and pictured in the book and where you can find them in the world.

I recommend this book for all ages because it isn’t too difficult to read and any child can use their imagination on the story of the tiger.


Eddie's Choice (True-to-Life from Hamilton High)

Eddie Barajas is going into his senior year at Hamilton High School. He and his two best friends, Cameron and Brent, spend a lot of time together and have been friends for years. Eddie’s family is a solid home base for him. His older brother, Mario, has already moved out but their mother, Max, is very present in Eddie’s life. Her significant other, William, an African-American man, and his daughter, Imani, moved in when Eddie was in ninth grade. William is a really good guy, although Imani is a bit of a pest. Eddie works for William's house painting business and plans to do that full time after high school. He likes the work and feels like it will be a good career for him. Even though he’s had a deformed right hand since birth, it doesn’t get in his way. His teachers and friends tell him he has too much potential to make house painting his life’s work, but Eddie is unshakable in his belief that satisfying, physical work is what he wants for himself. Even college-bound Rosie, a girl he's getting to know and falling in love with, cannot deter him in his decision.

When Eddie arrives one morning, some terrible racist graffiti is on a wall. Eddie grabs black spray paint from his car and obliterates it before the custodian arrives. Eddie’s action has enraged the people who defaced the wall, a group called the P8riots, and Eddie has a target on his back. The bullying begins online with awful messages about his heritage and his deformed hand, but it doesn’t take long to escalate. One night, Eddie is badly beaten and, when William comes looking for him and finds him shortly before police arrive, William is nearly beaten and arrested until Eddie can speak enough to explain he is his father. Eddie doesn't see who beat him, but he recognizes one voice. Will he rat the person out? It’s a big choice for him to make.

This is a complex novel with a good deal going on. The characters are largely believable in their actions and ways of speaking. The issues they face are realistic and very contemporary. Today’s high school readers will understand and engage with these characters and their problems. The writing, for the most part, is strong and will pull the readers in and keep them turning pages. That said, there is some serious overwriting that slooooows the story down and could be excised making this a stronger book. For instance, it’s enough to know the family is having salad without needing a list of ingredients. It’s fine to know that the principal drove away without knowing the four or five steps he took to get going or that the three boys had lunch together without a list of every item in their lunch bags. There are many instances of this kind of overwriting that should be cut. Fortunately, the story is truly compelling and will keep most readers engaged enough to complete this good story.


Simple, Elegant Pasta Dinners: 75 Dishes with Inspired Sauces

Pasta is comfort food, and spaghetti with meatballs is a perennial favorite for a reason, but pasta can also be elegant and gourmet, even while retaining its implicit simplicity. This book, with gorgeous pictures for every recipe, shows you how easy it is to craft delicious pasta dishes using fresh and flavorful ingredients for every season. It's easier than you might think to make your own pasta, and a simple, basic pasta recipe is included, along with step-by-step guidance on pasta-making technique; this basic recipe can be amended with various additions to become Sage Fettuccine or Pumpkin Pappardelle. Many other recipes rely on prepackaged noodles of various shapes, which makes these recipes come together in a snap – usually under half an hour, or about the time it takes to boil the pasta. The flavor combinations are truly inspired, from the brilliantly unique like Caramelized Blood Oranges and Escarole, or Blueberry and Raw Sweet Corn with Basil and Thyme, to the more familiar but still, in these pages, multidimensional, like Pasta e Patate, or maybe Cucumber Pasta Salad with Creamy Dill. This is an exceedingly beautiful pasta cookbook that will elevate your pasta dishes to heights you would never have imagined.


Trains, Jesus, and Murder: The Gospel according to Johnny Cash

When I was younger, I never knew too much about Johnny Cash. Thanks to Trains, Jesus, and Murder, I can say that I have been missing out! Richard Beck does an excellent job of combining biography with religion.

Johnny Cash lived a life filled with sorrow and regret, mixed with some enjoyable moments. Between a strained and failed marriage, a strained relationship with God, and being shot into superstardom, it was no surprise to hear of the trouble he had to endure. The solution to his problems came in different forms, but it always helped when the gospel was present somewhere. One thing that helped was the prison system, a place that on the outside appears to house the worst kind of people but on the inside can provide healing to both inmates and visitors.

Beck formats his book based on Cash’s singles. It’s amazing how each title fits perfectly with Cash’s life events. Some backstory on the creation and meaning of the song is given, then additional biblical facts are stated that coincide with the events occurring in Cash’s life. Beck knows his Bible and how to present an entertaining, informative, and well-made book!


Barefoot Books World Atlas Sticker Book

Barefoot Books World Atlas Sticker Book takes readers on journey all across the world. This beautifully illustrated book is full of fun facts and information about people, places, plants, animals, landmarks, activities to do in each place, and transportation. Not only can readers learn about each place but also can properly place over four hundred stickers where they belong to learn more about each area. This sticker book is perfect for hands-on learners and helps those to learn about each place by giving readers a chance to explore each area on their own without the help of an adult. Readers will be delighted by the fun, colorful illustrations that help the informative text come to life. This book is perfect to keep the reader entertained for hours, either on a road trip or just for fun at home. Readers can also use a compass rose and practice map skills in this book. In the back of the book, there is a map poster of the world to help explorers see the full picture of the world and identify important places, people, and animals as listed in the sticker book.


The History of Philosophy

The History of Philosophy tells of the long search for the truth through rational means. In it, A.C. Grayling, an author and professor from Britain, seeks answers to the following questions: What is? What matters?

This exploration is thousands of years old, starting in detail with the philosophers of Ancient Greece. After the ancients, the history continues with Medieval and Renaissance philosophy, modern philosophy, twentieth century philosophy, and Asian, Arabic, and African philosophy. There is also an Appendix about logic. Those philosophers who have withstood the test of time are included, as are the key movements and theories.

Grayling does a better job of recounting the achievements of individuals. Their philosophy and anecdotes about their lives and times are included. The book becomes more difficult with its discussions of philosophical or cultural movements. There is also a brief mention of some of this community who could fall by the wayside as time wears on. There are some subjects introduced but left for other places, such as postmodernism and feminist philosophy.

The book is a lot to absorb, but it will serve as a useful reference book for both the serious and the dabbler. This intellectual journey is interesting, inspiring, challenging, and at times, convoluted.


America's Last Great Newspaper War: The Death of Print in a Two-Tabloid Town

America's Last Great Newspaper War tells the story of "The Death of Print in a Two-Tabloid Town." Journalist Mike Jaccarino who was in the journalistic trenches for this battle recounts what transpired, including his personal adventures, the stories he covered, and the colleagues and competitors he met. The war was between The New York Daily News and The New York Post, in probably the biggest journalistic market in the entire country. One should remember that NYC is probably the most important city in the country, second maybe to Washington, D.C., and containing The United Nations, Wall Street, National Broadcasters, and world class art. The Daily News and New York Post, strove to be the number one daily paper for the average, or maybe low brow, New York City reader. One did not need a college education to read it, and in tabloid form one could read it on the train.

Jaccarino was hired by The Daily News to challenge The New York Post. Their partial demise was not caused by the feud, but rather the advent of the internet, which resulted in many staffers being let go. His tale is complicated and dense, and would be better appreciated by readers and scholars who read the paper during his tenure or who studied the papers. There are also inside accounts of some of the big stories of recent times, which were told with verve and sometimes humor. Those who were not party to this reporting might not fully appreciate the account, but it does tell of an era and style of  journalism that has not left our mind.


The Raptors of North America: A Coloring Book of Eagles, Hawks, Falcons, and Owls (Barbara Guth Worlds of Wonder Science Series for Young Readers)

The Raptors of North America is a unique book that includes not only information about a variety of raptors from vultures to falcons but also provides full-page coloring activities which allow creativity while learning about the fifty birds in the book. Each bird is printed in black and white, along with a color photograph to guide you as you recreate the bird’s colorful plumage. Ms. Price provides facts and stats about each unique species, along with a short essay which provides detailed information about each bird. The essays cover information such as: how birds descended from dinosaurs, how the art of falconry began, and how to distinguish a raptor from other birds. The book also has further instructions on how to build a kestrel box and a bird checklist so birdwatchers can keep a tally of their finds. The Raptors of North America, by using a creative, unique approach along with educational information, encourages you to continue to explore the birds in your own backyard and beyond.

I really enjoyed this book for many reasons. The coloring really appealed to me, as I am interested in art, while the information provided educational value. The layout of the pages is quite functional while also aesthetically pleasing. All the essays were well written and provided lots of easy-to-understand information, which allows the reader to identify many different types of raptors. I also really enjoyed the further reading at the back of the book about the kestrel box. The instructions were clear-cut, and the activity was easy and fun to do. This book was fun to color in, as well as it helped me learn. I would recommend this book to bird lovers and bird watchers alike who are twelve and older.


Global Kids: 50+ Games, Crafts, Recipes & More from Around the World (Multilingual Edition)

There are lots of cards with different activities and all of them that we’ve done so far are fun! I like to do different activities and learn about other places. Some of them are kind of silly like Bollywood dance. I am excited to make a whirligig next and try making ice cream. Kids who like to do creative new things will have fun, too. It is also fun to play with the cards and sort them into colors. Each of the colors is for a different type of project, like art or cooking or a game or something else. I think that everybody will like Global Kids: 50+ Games, Crafts, Recipes & More from Around the World.


To the Land of Long Lost Friends (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series)

Mma Ramotswe, the owner of No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, has been invited to a wedding where she encounters a long-lost friend. A friend she thought was dead. She is surprised to find her alive and well. The only problem seems to be that the women's daughter has been acting suspiciously. Of course, Mma Ramotswe can't resist the urge to investigate in the hope that she can find out what has caused a rift between her long-lost friend and that friend's much-loved daughter. At the same time, the part-time assistant at the agency Charlie is having his own problems. His girlfriend, Queenie-Queenie, wants to get married, but Charlie doesn't have enough money to satisfy her parents. What will he do to keep the girl he loves happy?

To the Land of Long Lost Friends is another one of McCall Smith's charming stories that take the reader into the heart of Botswana's culture, with characters that are wonderfully observed as well as warm and funny. I love how he elevates the mundane to something special. Mma Ramotswe, Mma Makutsi, and Charlie are always focused on what is good in life and the surrounding community. I can't wait to read more.


Historical Roundup

Whether debunking historical fallacies, assessing the more bizarre consequences of a recent history of evil, elucidating the shared and divergent characteristics of well-known figures from history, or situating shamefully overlooked individuals in their rightful place within the historical record, the four books included in this roundup all serve to extend historical scholarship in insightful and enlightening ways.

Lies Across America: What Our Historic Sites Get Wrong by James W. Loewen

This updated edition of Lies Across America: What Our Historic Sites Get Wrong, which examines “inaccuracies, myths, and lies [concerning] monuments, statues, national landmarks, and historic sites all across America,” really packs a punch in terms of debunking pervasive fake news regarding a wide range of sites of national historical importance. James W. Loewen, as the myth-buster extraordinaire, casts a critical eye over how and why American history is traditionally commemorated, and he engages in a whole lot of entertaining muckraking while doing so. Of course, given its remit, there’s a lot of funny material included, but the book also serves a very serious purpose, explaining how inaccurate history has been used to prop up social inequality as well as bringing to light people, places, and events that have been unjustly forgotten. It’s fascinating and a little scary to read about how American history has been blatantly skewed by those with the power to write and disseminate it.

A Demon-Haunted Land: Witches, Wonder Doctors, and the Ghosts of the Past in Post-WWII Germany by Monica Black

As if World War Two didn’t have devastating and traumatic enough consequences for the national psyche, its aftermath saw a bizarre confluence of paranormal events and belief in the supernatural in Germany. Unlikely though it may seem, in addition to faith healers achieving national prominence and exorcisms becoming almost commonplace, the immediate post-war years saw an explosion in allegations of witchcraft. In A Demon-Haunted Land: Witches, Wonder Doctors, and the Ghosts of the Past in Post-WWII Germany, Monica Black charts a different course to the majority of histories of the period and examines how a national preoccupation with evil characterized Germany’s transition from a Nazi dictatorship into a liberal democracy. Drawing on a host of intriguing and previously unpublished archival materials, Black examines how these highly improbable superstitions resulted from national guilt and a reluctance to talk about and properly analyze events from the Nazi era. In doing so, she provides a sobering account of a little known yet hugely important aspect of Germany’s attempt to reconcile its past with its prosperous seeming future.

Leadership in War: Essential Lessons from Those Who Made History by Andrew Roberts

War! What is it good for? Well, reputation building (whether for good or ill) for one thing, or so it seems. In Leadership in War: Essential Lessons from Those Who Made History, Andrew Roberts provides a series of nine pen portraits of major figures from modern history––Napoleon Bonaparte, Horatio Nelson, Winston Churchill, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, George C. Marshall, Charles de Gaulle, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Margaret Thatcher––who are still renowned for their leadership during times of war. Roberts’ central thesis is that each of these leaders fundamentally influenced the outcome(s) of the war their country was involved in, and he sets out to examine the differences and similarities among them in an effort to better understand the qualities that characterize a war-time leader. By necessity, he does not really consider the tens of thousands of other people who contributed to the winning of the various wars, although he certainly does succeed in elucidating how war “demands and reveals the best and worst in leadership.”

Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All by Martha S. Jones

Although it’s likely destined to be remembered for other things, the year 2020 marked the one hundredth anniversary of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, which granted American women the right to vote. It also saw the election of Kamala Harris as the first Black, South Asian, female Vice President of the United States. In recognition of these historic events, Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All, Martha S. Jones’ landmark account of African American women’s political lives in the United States, has been updated to include the vital contributions of Black women during the 2020 election. Jones offers remarkable insights into how a brave and dedicated group of women––who have all too often been overlooked in mainstream historical/political accounts¬¬––fought both racism and sexism in order to secure the right to vote and then used their new-found political power to champion the cause of equality for all people.


Tell Me a Story: My Life with Pat Conroy

Pat Conroy was a larger-than-life author and personality who left an ingrained footprint on the literary world. His relationship with his wife Cassandra King Conroy was a large part of his later life. Both authors would meet in a fateful way, nearly missing each other due to other commitments, their acquaintance made by their love of the written word. Pat Conroy made for an intimidating presence, yet his personality showed the opposite. Their first meeting would lead to a long-lasting friendship. Pat wrote a blurb for Cassandra’s first book with no qualms. Their turbulent past relationships led them to slowly develop their relationship until Pat revealed the depth of his feelings. They would each introduce the other to their respective and colorful families and marry in a private ceremony in May 1998. The couple loved each other immensely and also fueled the other’s creative output, with Pat publishing six books and Cassandra releasing five. Their time together was a true love story spanning longer than eighteen years. Tell Me A Story is a poignant view of two souls fatefully destined to meet. Cassandra King Conroy tugs at the reader’s heartstrings in stirring fashion, while providing plenty of uproariously funny moments to stifle the occasional sob. The book is near impossible to put down, every relayed memory a keepsake for the reader. A must-read dual biography for 2020!


Christmas Shopaholic: A Novel

Becky Brandon née Bloomwood is back! As a lover of the Shopaholic series and Sophie Kinsella in general, I was so happy to receive a copy of Christmas Shopaholic. Becky is up to her ears in Christmas shopping when her parents decide to spring on her that they are moving to another town and letting her eco-friendly sister Jess and Jess’s husband Tom move into their place. This means that Becky has to host Christmas! The problem? Becky has never hosted Christmas before and now has a list a mile long to do. This includes getting a vegan turkey for her sister, a regular turkey, llama ornaments (yes, exactly…what???), and of course a present for her husband Luke. Becky has calmed down a bit from her former level of frantic, running around like a chicken with her head cut off, however, her wild antics in this book include becoming the first female member of a billiards club, and giving a speech to do so, all because she wants to win the top prize in their raffle because she thinks that it would be the perfect bespoke gift for Luke. Again, Becky and her big heart win me over in this wonderful Shopaholic story.


Pasta Grannies: The Official Cookbook: The Secrets of Italy's Best Home Cooks

This delightful book takes you into the kitchens of people who know what pasta is really all about – great flavor from great ingredients, shared with those you love. Their expertise doesn't hurt either! These Pasta Grannies are not professional chefs, but rather home cooks who have been making pasta for decades. By necessity they use the freshest and most local ingredients, grown in their own home gardens or locally foraged, to create pasta dishes that include nuts and herbs, vegetables and pulses, seafood, and even meat. You will find recipes for gnocchi, ravioli, tortelli, and all sorts of shapes that marry with their sauces perfectly, perfected through years of repetition.

To be honest, the expertise of these women makes these recipes a bit intimidating, especially to someone who is not a cooking novice. But pasta is actually quite forgiving, and the recipes are very clear and kind to anyone trying to learn this skill. Watching the Pasta Grannies YouTube channel can help too. The way these grannies can whip out pasta shapes is astonishing. However, even if you are not quite ready to attempt pasta-making, the book is a lovely read as it introduces you to amazing women whom you will quickly come to respect, admire, and love.


How to Catch a Mole: Wisdom from a Life LIved in Nature

Moles are small and powerful, vicious subterranean predators. This damming description was penned by Marc Hamer, in truth, an affectionate professional mole catcher. In England, for many years he was the man to call when molehills appeared on the lawn, beside the hedgerow, or on the golf course. The behavior of moles, despite their beguiling appearance, was unlike Kenneth Grahame’s host in The Wind in the Willows, and instead of an unequivocal pest, the bane of homeowners and sportsmen throwing dirt up into mounds as they created their subterranean tunnels. Single-mindedly the moles pursued worms, dead or alive, along these tunnels—a species even more determined not to be seen above ground.

Deftly blending the global ecology of moles with a memoir, his endearingly personal narrative intersperses graceful poems, drawing the reader closer.

As a teenager, he walked out on a difficult father and spent many months walking through the countryside and towns, spending nights under the stars, shedding personal belongings as he traveled—the unwieldy sleeping bag replaced with a comforting blue blanket before he completed his education, reached adulthood, and chose an outdoor life. Towards the end of an endearing chronicle he admits, "My mind is losing its need to control the world… I let things be what they are." But even as he steps back, his love of the natural world and the eloquence of his poetry don’t diminish.


Gloom Town

Gloom Town is a bit scary. I didn’t think I would be able to read the whole thing because it was creepy, but I kept going and finished it! (I am a nine-year-old girl for reference) I thought the beginning kind of drug on and seemed weird to me. I think a middle school kid would really like this book. I did not like the part where Lord Foxglove tries to murder Rory! I liked the details but I think it was a bit too dramatic to the point where it wasn't believable. I like that Rory tries to help his mother earn some money. It added a soft touch to the overall quality of the book. I did really like the ending though. All in all, I have come to the conclusion that this is a great book and it would be appropriate for a middle school age and above.


The Best of Iggy

The Best of Iggy by Annie Barrows is about Iggy’s life. Jeremy Geerson and his mother come over to Iggy’s house for brunch. Jeremy teases Iggy making it sound like his life is better than Iggy’s. Iggy tries to impress Jeremy by riding a skateboard off the shed roof! Then, Jeremy says that he will do it too! Iggy tells Jeremy not to, but, of course, Jeremy goes up the ladder onto the roof. Iggy screams, “you’re dead, Jeremy Geerson!” Just then, the parents come outside to see what is happening. Iggy always gets caught at the wrong times. This was an interesting and funny story. Iggy reminds me of Clementine by Sara Pennypacker. Both characters are troublemakers who are sometimes trying to do the right thing or helping someone. This book will make an amazing series. I think ages seven to ten should read this book. It is a great short read. The illustrations were just right. I thought the illustrations really added to the book. Without the illustrations, this book would have not painted a picture as well. I would recommend this book because it made me laugh so much. Please read The Best of Iggy by Annie Barrows.