Snow Much Fun!

A nice book about some friends in the snow. This book is about three friends that are so excited to play in the snow. Except for one. She for sure doesn’t want to play outside in the snow. She keeps doing stuff so they won't have to go outside. Then, in the end, something happens. Now they’re all happy. Nicely written. It was very descriptive and positive throughout the story. Two things that I wish were better were the flow and level of interest. The events that happened did not really go step by step toward the end. I also thought the author could have made the book a little more interesting. Maybe there could have been more action. I think the story was written in a way that I was able to understand the characters. For example, one of the little bunnies I learned about is not really an outdoor person. I think this book could make a pretty good series. Maybe if the author made a series and wrote the next book, it could be about the blue bunny after she starts playing in the snow.


A Year Around the Great Oak

This book was a good book describing the life of an oak tree and all of the animals and plants that might live in and around the oak tree. I enjoyed the pictures and that the story reminded me of oak trees near my house. I love nature and animals, so this book taught me a lot about both. The pictures were very beautiful, and I loved looking at how nature and the tree changed over time. I was surprised to learn that trees can be three-hundred years old! The story was very sweet and I enjoyed reading along with my parent. I would enjoy reading it again and again. I really liked how they had a party for the tree—it made me want to have a party for my favorite trees in my yard too!


Metropolitan Stories: A Novel

Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the glorious walls of the Metropolitan Museum of Art? If so, here is your chance to find out. Take an intimate step behind the walls of the Met. See the daily interactions of guards, curators, and directors. Take a stroll with a visitor. See what happens with the art when no one is looking; see what happens when someone IS looking. See the close-knit community that is more of a dysfunctional family. See the Met as more than a museum: a calling, a dream job, an escape from reality, a beginning and an ending.

Christine Coulson’s collection of short stories about the Met gets off to a rocky start. If you open it expecting a novel, as the title suggests it to be, it can be jarring to find yourself reading a collection of loosely connected short stories. The stories jump between time (step inside a painting to travel to Egypt in the 1920s), space (ghosts of past benefactors attend charity functions), and medium (sculptures and paintings compete for the role of muse), which can be difficult to follow. But if you stick around, the collection becomes more cohesive around halfway through and finishes on a strong, delightful note.


Camilla, Cartographer

The book Camilla, Cartographer is an interesting book about two animal friends (a boar and a porcupine) who use their love of maps and adventure to make a new path of their own. It was really cool to see how Camilla used an old map to help her discover new places and make a map of her own. I had never heard of a cartographer before and this story made me want to make maps of my own just like Camilla. The pictures in the book were very interesting too and I enjoyed looking at the pictures, especially the map Camilla made. The designs of the pictures were very creative and helped me understand the story and new ideas about cartography. I recommend this book to kids who like animal characters, adventures, exploring, and maps.


Float: A Guide to Letting Go

Float is about how to let go of feelings that aren’t serving us well. It’s uplifting because it’s a guide to letting go so you can feel happy and carefree and confident. The author takes us through all the colors of the rainbow and describes a few different emotions, then invites us to breathe them into a colored balloon and release it to sail away. Sometimes feelings can be difficult to explain, so talking about them with colors and examples makes everything more clear. The overall message is to love yourself enough to free yourself of any feelings or experiences that are weighing you down. This book has unique illustrations that go very well with the text. It will appeal to ten-year-olds and older kids and adults who are trying to figure out what to do with their emotions.


The Girl and the Tiger

I found this to be engaging, informative, and so dispiriting. It was nigh impossible to pause reading it. Smoothly immersive, communicative of  a world generally unfamiliar to western readers without being preachy or talking down, this is an adventure nudging at the classics level of writing.

A mini-synopsis: Isha is bright, inquisitive, and absolutely stifled in her Indian school. An autodidact, she finds adhering to the school’s limited curricula and establishment difficult. Hoping to ameliorate this, her father determines to send her to “the jungle” to be with her grandparents. That “jungle” proves to be thousands of acres of areca nut palms. In the middle of that boring (though towering) monoculture, Isha discovers a great banyan grove, preserved by quasi-religious veneration.

Repairing to that grove daily to meditate, read, and explore, she finds peacefulness and a refuge. However, another denizen of the grove, a pregnant tigress, subsisting clandestinely on street dog, peacocks, and monkeys, is awaiting her birthing time and remaining undiscovered, though the grove is in an area highly populated by humans. The tigress watches, and even approaches Isha during naps, to perform thorough olfactory examinations.

Bearing two cubs, the tigress depletes the local prey, due to the necessities of lactation. In the process of moving one cub, grown too large for simple carry, she is set upon by dog and human packs. Her male cub is lost and subsequently torn apart by the dogs. That pack attacks Isha, and the tigress, under the impression that it is assaulting her as-yet-unmoved cub, attacks, killing several and intimidating the rest. She herself is killed by gunfire as Isha clings to her rescuer’s flank.

Realizing during treatment for her dog-imposed wounds why the tigress saved her, Isha runs to seek the surviving cub. Still bearing the tigress’s scent, she is able to bond with the youngster, a female Isha names Kala. Isha embarks on a journey to take Kala to some place of refuge. They live hidden from mankind; Kala is sustained first by purchased milk, then some purchased or simply stolen goats. Isha is stressed to the point of collapse. Arun, a departed priest, saves her from unconsciousness and then meeting Timma, the mahout of blind elephant Hathi, Isha gains allies. Their struggles to insert Kala into a preserve area reveal the stultifying horror of Indian bureaucracy and the terrifying status of shrinking environments for India’s creatures.

I found that all-too-real obstacles of terrain, legalities, and hostile humans made the denouement heart-stopping. There is an element of realism regarding body functions, the urgencies of hunger, and the realities of life in a compressing world that make this worth your reading even beyond the attraction of the tale itself. Gripping, well written.


Marvin's Monster Diary 2 (+ Lyssa): ADHD Emotion Explosion (But I Triumph, Big Time)

ADHD Emotion Explosion (But I Triumph, Big Time) is a book about ADHD. I don’t know if the author Dr. Melmed has ADHD or not, but this is still a great book. I thought this book was very funny. I like how the author takes a serious subject (ADHD) and tells a story with humor that makes it less scary for a reader. This story is about monsters. There’s this monster who has a science fair coming up but only thinks about explosions. He struggles when his teacher says, “no unnecessary explosions.” His girlfriend/classmate(?) named Lyssa teaches him about the exercise ST4 (Stop, Take Time To Think). She also teaches him about the “monstercam” in which one uses his thumbs to make a rectangle. The monsters use silly adjectives like “boring-snoring” and “scaretastic.” I experience ADHD when something distracts me (I learned this at Camp MATES as the “brain eater”). I can “stop” and “take time to think” whenever there is a problem. Kids with ADHD can do that too! So I think this book is a good choice for kids who have ADHD because it provides useful ideas through a fun story and interesting characters. Even kids who don’t have ADHD could read it because maybe they will understand their friends better!


100 Times: A Memoir of Sexism

100 Times details exactly what it describes in the title, one woman’s life reflected through the lens of one hundred experiences of sexism. The stories that Chavisa Woods details are self-described as not unusual and that in itself is her inspiration for compiling such a list; to drive the point home that the sexism she has experienced is mundane and normal procedure for any woman living today. Chavisa goes further to explicitly outline in her prologue saying “it’s not that my life has been exceptionally plagued with sexism. It’s that it hasn’t.” and that is the heart of this book of traumas.

The stories described are about things done to the author, but through reading it you get a rather vivid outline of an amazing woman. She details her trials in a refreshingly calm and thoughtful tone, expressing disbelief more often than the histrionic outrage that some readers might assume this book would be full of. Though this woman’s life is riddled with tension, Chavisa herself remains stalwart. Perhaps it is because, while the reader consumes the insanity, we can rest easier knowing it is a survivor’s tale. She has lived to write about it and can look back with perspective and sometimes even humor. 100 Times is a fantastic true story of one unremarkable woman’s survival in a remarkably sexist world.


Out of Darkness, Shining Light

These four stunning reads will make you see history as you've never had before. Check out the thrilling sequel to /The Unseen/ will take you into a Nazi-occupied Norway, a mystery that finds the Bronte sisters working as detectives, the poignant sequel to /The Golem and the Jinni/ which weaves between World War I and the start of the twentieth century, and the journey that was taken across Africa to return Dr. Livingstone's body back to England.

White Shadow (The Barroy Trilogy) – Roy Jacobsen

In this is the sequel to /The Unseen/, Ingrid Barroy finds herself alone on Barroy island and faces a reality worse than the war she experienced as a child. The Nazis have occupied Norway and soon bodies wash ashore following the bombing of a vessel that held prisoners of war from Russia. When one of those prisoners manages to survive, his presence gives Ingrid the company she's always craved, but this reality isn't a fairy tale. Ingrid knows the penalties she faces for keeping him a secret and knows the German authorities will be angry, but it's worth the risk, and so is the journey she must endure following her punishment for protecting him. She's been cast away from the island she calls home and is provided with a gift that will help her against the setting of war and those running from threats of famine.

The Diabolical Bones (A Bronte Sisters Mystery) – Bella Ellis

Anne, Emily, and Charlotte Bronte are sisters that each have a love of literature that drives them as they send their poetry out to publishers in hopes of making their dreams of one day writing a novel come true. When the sisters aren't spending their time writing, they're seeking out their next case to pursue in their agency Bell Brothers and Company. As luck would have it, their housekeeper reveals the discovery of bones found in the chimney of an old farmhouse and gives them a warning along with informing them of a rumor about Clifton Bradshaw. The man was believed to have traded his soul to the devil in exchange for great wealth. The three sisters see an opportunity and take it upon themselves to investigate but the search for answers won't be easy after they learn that this may be part of a larger trap set with evil intentions.

The Hidden Palace: A Novel of the Golem and the Jinni – Helene Wecker

Chava and Ahmad's lives are revisited in this amazing sequel to /The Golem and the Jinni/. Chava is a woman made from clay which is a being known as a golem. She has the unique ability to hear the thoughts and feel the longings of others which drives her to help them. Ahmad has his own problems as a former jinni struggling to live life as a man after losing the freedom that came from exploring the desert. The fear of exposure causes these two from letting others discover their true identities and choose to pass as immigrants trying to make it in Manhattan during the 1900s. The two haven't deciphered what they mean to each other but they know that not only are their lives entwined, they've also influenced people around them. Sophia Winston is an heiress living on Park Avenue who is suffering from a strange cold-induced infliction after having contact with Ahmad. In hopes to fix her problem, she takes a trip to the Middle East which allows her to meet a banished jinni named Dima. In New York, Kreindel is a little girl that has brought the golem Yossele to life with her father while being unaware of what awaits her in her future such as living in an orphanage where the golem will be her only source of protection. /The Hidden Place/ weaves between the time periods of World War I and the start of the twentieth century with everyone's lives connected.

Out of Darkness, Shining Light – Petina Gappah

This is a powerful exploration of nineteenth-century Africa and the adventure that various men and women took to bring the body of missionary and explorer, Dr. Livingstone, across the continent. Their journey takes them over fifteen hundred miles as they work to deliver his body, along with his papers and maps, back to England. The story is told through the perspective of Dr. Livingstone's clever cook Halima and freed slave Jacob Wainwright in a tale that brings to life the hypocrisy found in slavery and colonization. Gappah also details the hypocrisy that can be found within the heart and delivers a story that provides reasons to celebrate such as loyalty, resilience, and love.


No More Holding Back: Emboldening Women to Move Past Barriers, See Their Worth, and Serve God Everywhere

As a woman, it can be tough. We face wage discrimination, gender inequality, and sexism. There are people in this world who believe that women hold a special place and that that place is beneath. In Christianity, women endured the same defeat as they were only given certain roles to fulfill and blamed for acts while men were not held responsible. In No More Holding Back Kat Armstrong challenges us as women to embrace our purpose. Armstrong "debunks five common myths about women and invites us to discover the joy and freedom of being all in for Jesus." The myths that she talks about are:

1. Women can't be trusted to learn and lead.
2. I don't have a lot to offer.
3. My greatest joy is marriage and highest calling is motherhood
4. I am too much to handle.
5. Leading ladies don't fit in supporting roles. She then offers a solution, which is to do what God says regardless of what anyone else thinks or says. My favorite chapter is Chapter Seven: "All your soul." This resonated with me because, in my season, I am learning to praise God when life gets real. This is a great book and, I love that at the end of each chapter she provides reflective questions to make you think about each chapter.


A Choir of Lies

These young adult novels offer something for everyone from a memoir about women in the meat industry to a moving story about family and foster care to a re-imagining of /Oliver Twist/ with much more to be discovered! Check out captivating, thought-provoking, and stunning stories that range from the genres of graphic novel to memoir to fantasy to a heist thriller.

Long Distance – Whitney Gardner

This graphic novel comes from the creator of /Fake Blood/. Summer is meant to be a time where you have no responsibilities and have fun with your closest friends, but for Vega, it's a time of change. Things take a turn for the worst when she's not only forced to spend her vacation without her best friend, but she learns that her parents have made the dreadful decision of moving them to Seattle. Now she's leaving her hometown behind, along with her best friend. In a plot to help her adjust to her new life and make some friends, Vega's parents decide that she should go to Summer Camp. Vega has made her own decision to find a way to return to Portland, but when weird things start happening, her only option is to work with her fellow campers to uncover the camp's secrets.

Girl on the Block – Jessica Wragg

In this memoir, Jessica is a determined female butcher that fights for her place in the meat industry. At sixteen years old, Jessica received a job at a local shop that sent her behind the butcher's counter, typically run by men, and plunges her into a world where butchers used a secret language but are hesitant to share their secrets with her. A decade later and Jessica is navigating this male-dominated world while taking on the whole industry and proving herself. She finds herself facing challenges similar to her female counterparts fighting to prove themselves in the restaurant industry. She's had to earn every ounce of recognition, memorize every aspect of the meat, and face off against ageism and sexism. The graphic novel blends personal experience, craft, and delves into an honest look at the industry.

The Risk of Us – Rachel Howard

A story that tackles the honesty of adoption and the foster system, /The Risk of Us/ is about a couple stepping into the role of fostering a child. After taking in a child, the three face hurdles in their journey to become a family. Maresa is seven years old and has a history filled with abuse with multiple failed foster families and outbursts induced by anger and panic attacks. The story explores the struggle of two parents and one child trying to understand what it means to be a family while a mother struggles with her own traumatic history and a father faces a worsening heart condition. The three of them long to become a real family but don't know how to take the first steps forward. /The Risk of Us/ takes place over the course of a year as Maresa enters the age that makes it harder for children in the system to find homes. Will the three learn how to be a family or is this an adoption that's meant to crumble? The story has a thought-provoking style that explores how children bring challenges into a relationship, the uncertainties surrounding building a family, and how empathy can bring down defenses.

Twist – Tom Grass

A re-imagining of /Oliver Twist/, this thrilling heist adventure that delivers a tale of love, betrayal, and plenty of danger. Twist is eighteen and has no money, family, or home with all he has being his reputation as one of London's most infamous street artists and abilities that have made him well-known as an urban climber. His luck starts to run out when the police set off after him and he realizes his freedom is at stake. After the mysterious Dodge saves him, he introduces him to con artist Cornelius Faginescu and is drawn into a world of stealing and danger. The further Twist is pulled within Cornelius' group, the closer he becomes to the charming Red and the more he understands about the truth behind Cornelius' plan for them. He soon learns that this world is more dangerous than he realized and now he must figure out how to stay alive.

A Choir of Lies – Alexandra Rowland

This is the follow-up to /A Conspiracy of Youth/ and takes place three years since Yfling's master-Chant ripped apart a nation with just the power of his words. Yfling has started over in a new realm but his heart is still broken and he continues to grieve what he lost. He has received employment from a wealthy merchant as a translator. Sterre de Waeyer has offered Yfling a second chance, but Yfling still struggles with events of his past, the feeling of alienation, and his fear of telling stories. Everything changes after his new employer discover the truth about him and are forced to tell stories that send the city into mania over getting shipments for an exotic flower. Disaster pushes him into crossroads where he's forced to decide if he wants to be like his former master and let the city destroy itself, or use the power of his stories to save everyone?

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers


Project Revenant

Lawrence Drexel thought he was all done with being a government agent after retiring from the United Defense Intelligence and Response, or UDIR, after serving his country for twenty years and receiving many commendations for his work. Lawrence was looking forward to once again enjoying civilian life and doing a number of “normal everyday” things with his wife. But that all suddenly changes when reports begin to come in of people acting weird and biting others. These strange cases increase in number quickly and soon things are getting out of hand, as major cities are quarantined and then eventually “napalmed” and wiped out in an attempt to control this growing epidemic.

After being summoned once again and barely making it out of a hospital alive, Lawrence and his wife are rescued and taken to a secret submarine, where he is reinstated as commander for UDIR and must now put the pieces together. It is clear that a zombie infestation is somehow taking over the country (even though this did not apparently occur to any of the characters for many pages) and it’s up to Lawrence (with the help of his wife, Lisa) to use his training and experience to find out how this all started and what can be done about. The question is whether it is not already too late.

While the simple plot for Project Revenant can be easily summarized, actually parsing it out from the book as one reads it is akin to extracting the proverbial blood from the proverbial stone. Where to begin? From the very first line, the book reads like the first draft of a first book by a first-time author. Every sentence is awkward, wordy, and heavy. Details and points are often repeated over and over for no apparent reason, and only serve to completely derail the reader from attempting to connect with the story. Then there are the countless typos, spelling errors, grammatical mistakes, and misuse of words that make slogging through the paragraphs much like climbing Mount Everest without an oxygen tank: the further one goes, the harder it becomes to keep going.

The main character, Lawrence Drexel (who also bears the same name as the author, apparently), is a character that approaches the ridiculous in his abilities. Here is an opening description: “Specifically, he was a scientist and a field agent. Lawrence held doctorates in human biochemistry, human sociology, human genetics, and human physiology. As far as being a field agent is concerned, Lawrence was trained in anti-terrorism, infiltration, intelligence gathering, weapons handling, assassination, espionage, basic explosives, and basic first aid.” As soon as he enters a room, whether it be a hospital or a government meeting, all bow down before his munificence and agree to whatever he decides, while his wife, who has had her own considerable training for UDIR, serves as little more than a prop to help Drexel shine all the more.

Perhaps, if Project Revenant went through several edits and rewrites, along with some serious editing and copyediting and adapting the protagonist to be more realistic and believable, a decent enough book might be salvaged.


I Wanted Fries With That: How to Ask for What You Want and Get What You Need

Every day is full of opportunities, big and small, either to speak up or miss out. Many of us feel awkward complaining or even expressing our own wants. This is a textbook on how to ask for what you need and complain effectively (hint: it's not a Facebook rant). The book is quick and broad, offering great advice about how and why you should and can negotiate your desires and advocate for others as well as yourself. The author offers reassurance and encouragement, and even sample scripts that will help you overcome your reticence in a variety of situations. Her principles for speaking up (and how) include talking to the right person, at the right time (and when to escalate); figuring out where you can compromise; admitting when you are wrong and being honest; and getting the other person on your side. Each chapter hosts a helpful technique, illustrated by an amusing or memorable episode from the author's experience that vividly explains how this technique can be put into practice. The writing is cute, friendly, and very informal, making these suggestions easy to understand and easy to put into practice. Use them and get more of what you want and need every day.


The Dream Defenders

The Dream Defenders is the story of a normal boy, Nolan, and his normal baby brother, Max, discovering how to fit together as a family. Except back up a minute, because Nolan is also being recruited for the DREAM Institute, dedicated to keeping the dreaming population safe. And his classmate Aeryn is definitely in on it. So maybe nothing in Nolan’s life is quite as normal as it might seem. For anyone with a love of the fantastical, Nolan, Aeryn, and their friends have the perfect adventure for you. With a very wonderful and funny cast of characters that you’ll soon consider friends and a healthy helping of magic, Neal Denhartog’s book mixes the classic family narrative with the fantasy of dreams. It’s the kind of book that draws you in so far that you just can’t put it down until it’s done. One more chapter, you tell yourself, because you just have to know what happens. I know that’s what I did! For readers young and old looking for a story about strong friendships, charming characters, and maybe a lot of magic, The Dream Defenders by Neal Denhartog is exactly where you should look next. Have fun and happy dreaming!


Reading Backwards

Reading Backwards, by award-winning writer and professor, John Crowley, contains essays and reviews written by him between 2005 and 2018. The hefty book of four-hundred-and-forty-four pages will, as hoped, delight and fascinate. There are close to forty entries covering a variety of subjects, many literary, but also topical and social. Literature students are bound to find many things here that they will want to explore. The detailed writing demands attention. Crowley, who is famous for some genre classics like Little, Big, and Engine Summer, has covered many subjects. His writing is erudite and sophisticated. He also is ambitious with some worthwhile and lofty goals but is more accessible to read than Zola and Flaubert.

It makes sense from this that Crowley, with the same last name as a famous magician, could tell fantastical tales in many ways. Crowley is modern, and not famous for telling stories about war or what one would expect from epic fantasy, but usually of the troubles, wonders and desires of life. There is a belief in some magical things, which is somewhat commonplace. Many of the authors he celebrates wrote fantastical tales also. Crowley has gone onto profound writing about ghosts, the hereafter, and pacifism. Many fascinating pieces from a variety of sources are included in this book, which is, sadly, a bit big to carry out of the house in cargo pants.


Long Bright River: A Novel

Long Bright River is on plenty of "must read" lists, and after finishing it, it is easy to see why. At the heart of the story is the broken relationship of sisters Mickey, a police officer, and Kacey, an addict living on the streets who sells her body to feed her habit. When Mickey realizes she has not seen Kacey around lately, and several bodies are discovered in the area she patrols, Mickey risks everything to find out what happened to her sister. Mickey proves to be a reliable narrator and the story is told from her point of view, in both the past and present. As the story unfolds, the history of the family is slowly revealed and the reader is able to get a better understanding of the circumstances Mickey and Kacey find themselves in. At times, this book is difficult to read because the issues faced by the characters are current, sad, real, and frightening. The baggage each character carries is complex and multilayered, and just when the reader thinks they understand the motives behind a particular action or behavior, they are forced to re-evaluate. Despite the difficult topics, Moore beautifully captures the devastating impact of the opioid crisis on family, friends, and the community. This book is complex and multilayered and it is difficult to classify it into one genre. Suffice it to say, Long Bright River has something for those that enjoy literary fiction, family drama, and mystery.


Wardens of Eternity

Ziva has always taken care of herself and hasn’t relied on anyone. Everything changes when she meets Sayer and Nasira, who introduce her to a world where monsters and gods are real. She uncovers a shocking secret about her origins that traces back to Egyptian royalty and comes with the discovery of powerful abilities that date back to the time when gods ruled. Ziva is drawn up against a growing darkness shrouding War World II and sets out to prevent the Nazis from finding a dangerous weapon. When Ziva catches the attention of the Nazis, she turns to her new friends for guidance as she explores the extent of her abilities and prepares for the fight of a lifetime.

Courtney Moulton brings to life an amazing historical fantasy that will captivate you with an addicting adventure that’s hard to put down. The unique world and dazzling characters are a breath of fresh air in the fantasy genre. Ziva is used to looking out for herself with a shining wit and a strong personality which is balanced by her loving heart and the strength she discovers within herself. Sayer and Nasira introduce her to this exciting and dangerous world that helps her where she came from while also filling the void of a family that Ziva longs for. Moulton delivers a unique approach to Egyptian mythology by wearing the inclusion of gods such as Set and Anubis into the historical backdrop of War World II. The unique mythology that Moulton delivers a fresh perspective on various gods and brings to life threads of Egyptian mythology. The story is an exciting mashup of powerful gods, dangerous monsters, and Nazis which provide a triple threat that pushes Ziva to discover her role in this whole battle and helps her to become the hero she’s meant to be. Moulton blends Nazis and Egyptian gods into a world that flawlessly creates a new genre that works with magical and captivating results. Ziva’s journey is one that is rooted in self-discovery as she learns about her origins which helps her understand the power within herself. She connects with Sayer and Nasira who give her the family dynamic she’s always wanted and act as her guides through this new reality. As the battle unfolds around her, Ziva is pushed to an emotional exhausting place that helps her find herself in the world of gods and power. The story is woven with scenes from the perspective of Anubis which gives a delightful inclusion of the gods as their presence is important to her journey. She’s driven by the search for the truth about her parents with her limits pushed until she discovers just what she’s capable of. Action-packed moments are well-written and each one-ups the extent of Ziva’s powers which propel the fight against the Nazis until an exciting conclusion. Wardens of Eternity is a thrilling, action-packed, and addicting historical adventure that provides a fresh perspective and a rich voice with a unique twist on Egyptian mythology and War World II.


The Lion Tracker's Guide to Life

The Lion Tracker's Guide to Life is basically two books in one. On the one hand, it follows Varty and his friends and fellow trackers Alex and Renias into the South African bush as they track down a lion. It relates their journey, which is full of adventure and years of experience getting to know what the land can tell them. On another level, this is a book about helping the reader find or track their own path in life. As Varty shows throughout, life is about the call. But in order to hear that call, you must be listening. If you are looking but not seeing you may very well miss your path, and as a result, life might pass you by before you even notice.

Varty's story and thoughts really resonated with me. This is definitely a well-written, not to mention well-presented, clever little gem of a book. The profound words and advice that Varty has in this slim volume might change your life if you are open and listening. So, stay alert, don't miss what's important, be that a lion in the bush or anything else you desire to experience.


Let's All Creep Through Crocodile Creek

According to my four-year-old, Let’s All Creep Through Crocodile Creek is one of the funniest and most entertaining books he’s been read in a long time! I can’t tell you how many times each night it is requested to be read. From an adult perspective, I have to agree that it is entertaining, and makes the listeners think. The story starts with three lovable characters, Rabbit, Shelly the turtle, and Mouse, thinking about starting to head home before it gets too dark. Mouse suggests they take a shortcut through the “creepy, crooked creek.” Rabbit isn’t so sure about that idea, but due to the mouse’s insistence, they head that way despite the rumor of crocodiles living in this creek. Shelly apparently has never seen a crocodile, so each leg of the journey Mouse describes their characteristics. Coincidentally, on those legs of the journey, the trio also deals with something similar to what is being described: they must swing through dark green vines at the same time that the mouse is describing crocodile’s flippy, whippy tails! The illustrations are colorful with much to see, and the whole book is enjoyable for any age to read.


A Good Neighborhood

In the affluent and beautiful Oak Knoll neighborhood in North Carolina, modest houses are slowly being razed and giving way to larger, more opulent homes as older residents leave or die, selling their properties to younger, wealthier families. The Whitmans, helmed by local HVAC celebrity Brad, are new to Oak Knoll, and their backyard neighbors, Valerie Alston-Holt and her teenage son Xavier are wary but welcoming. Neither family is thrilled when Xavier begins dating seventeen-year-old Juniper Whitman. There’s the affront of the Whitmans’ oversized home and Valerie’s anger over the damage the construction has wrought on her beloved oak. There’s also the fact that the Whitmans are white, and Valerie is black. Xavier, whose late father was white, straddles the void, his intelligence and ambition seeming to promise safe passage. When Valerie crosses Brad with a lawsuit over the tree, however, Brad retaliates, and no one will escape the escalation unharmed.

Dread builds from the very first page of this novel, when the neighborhood chorus announces, “We begin our story here…” Harm will come to the innocents, that much is clear, and the question of blame isn’t answered as neatly as one might hope. Everyone has heard this story before, at least the broad strokes of it, and this is itself the queasy moral. The horror that Fowler renders in these pages is threaded through with an inevitability that is, perhaps, the most wrenching thing of all. A Good Neighborhood is a page-turner, but there is no joy in the turning.


Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation

This is a fast-paced action story with twists and turns that keep you turning the pages. The CIA is looking for an equation that holds the key to ultimate power. If the wrong people get their hands on Albert Einstein’s equation it could be the end of the world. The Furies are anxious to find it and twelve-year-old Charlie, a genius, might be the CIA’s only hope of getting it first. The story is well written and told in the third person. It is quite unbelievable, but you still get caught up in it. There is violence but no bad language. The plot is well thought-out and complex enough to keep older kids interested and engaged, especially with the clues you have to figure out. The characters are likable and real, but Charlie’s abilities are a bit far-fetched. Even so, you find yourself rooting for her and caring what happens to her. She has horrible parents, and that is a strike against this book for me because I am not a fan of books where the amazing kid has awful parents. This is a good book for people who like action, spies, and adventures, especially with a girl as the main character. Kids who are ten years old and up should really enjoy this book.


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.


Stolen Things

Popular Reads

The best seller lists can be a great source of new reading material, pointing interested readers toward popular, award-winning, and worthy books. The five titles included in this roundup have all won a heap of praise and sold incredibly well, and they are all highly recommended.

The Silence by Don Delillo

Don Delillo’s The Silence is a frighteningly prescient novel about an all too plausible global catastrophe. On Super Bowl Sunday in 2022, a retired physics professor and her husband are preparing to host a dinner party at their Manhattan apartment. One of the guests is a former student and, as kickoff looms, the three of them await the arrival of a couple who are due to fly in from France. Then, during the last commercial before kickoff, an unexplained disaster strikes: digital devices worldwide cease working, leaving people with no electronic means of communication and connection. Unfortunately, for those at the dinner party at least, the inability to rely on digital communication seemingly reflects a lack of interpersonal communication skills, although Delillo ensures that they have weighty monologues and plentiful internal strife to share. It’s an unusual take on a post-apocalyptic situation as the characters embrace the mundanity of societal collapse rather than seeking out the cause and solution.

The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World by Laura Imai Messina

Everything in Yui’s life reset on March 11, 2011––the day a devastating tsunami hit Japan. It was the day she lost both her mother and her daughter. Sometime later and still consumed by grief, she hears a rumor about a disused phonebooth that bereaved people have started to visit so that they might talk to and about their lost loved ones and, it that way, begin to heal their pain. Yui decides that she will chance visiting the phonebooth, but once she gets there, she feels unable to actually lift the receiver and start talking. Instead, she meets a grieving widower whose daughter has stopped speaking in the wake of his wife’s death. Yui’s journey through heartbreak and loss is deeply moving and, ultimately, uplifting as it portrays how those touched by tragedy have to live with the resultant feelings forever, while the rest of the world is able to move on. Laura Imai Messina’s The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World is a beautiful exploration of grief and healing. Its meditative tone makes for a quiet yet profound read.

Stolen Things by R.H. Herron

What do you do when it appears that everything you have always believed in might just be founded on lies? That’s the question that Jojo Ahmadi has to face in Stolen Things by R.H. Herron, a crime story based on real-life events. Jojo’s dad is the chief of police in her California hometown while her mom is a 911 police dispatcher, so it’s no surprise that she’s always considered the members of the police department to be her family. It’s also no surprise that when Jojo is found drugged and in pain in the house of Kevin Leeds, a professional football player, the whole police department rushes to investigate. Also in the house is the dead body of Leeds’ trainer, while Jojo’s best friend Harper is missing from the scene. Leeds seems the most likely suspect but Jojo is convinced he would never hurt her. She embarks on her own investigation and, in the process, learns far more than she bargained on. The crime and Jojo’s subsequent investigation make for a shocking thriller that certainly packs a punch as a host of secrets and lies are revealed.

Before You Go by Tommy Butler

Tommy Butler’s debut novel, Before You Go, is a life-affirming work of speculative literary fiction. It follows Elliot Chance from childhood through to adulthood as he gets ever closer to understanding why he has never felt that he belonged to this world. Although he doesn’t know it yet, the answers he seeks lie back in the time beyond memory, when humans were created with a hole in their heart and their creators didn’t realize their mistake. In the present, he finds a pair of unlikely allies in his quest for understanding in Sasha, a young woman who is compelled to send coded messages out into the ether, and Bannor, a man who knows far too much about the future. With the support of his new-found friends, Elliot at last feels able to get on with the business of living, but the problem of the hole in humanity’s heart will not be so easily solved. Elliot’s journey through depression and disenfranchisement to awakening to the beauty and possibility of life is uplifting, while the sense of magic realism that characterizes his world elevates the story to something really special.

Privilege by Mary Adkins

A timely tale of campus life and both gender and social politics in the #MeToo era, Mary Adkin’s Privilege is set in Carter University, allegedly the “Harvard of the South.” Annie Stoddard was a big fish in the small pond that was her Georgia high school, but now she’s enrolled at Carter, she realizes just how marked she is by her economically underprivileged upbringing. Similarly, Bea Powers is wondering if she made a mistake by putting aside her fears of being a biracial student in the South and deciding to attend Carter, especially as everyone seems to have a different idea of what justice and equality mean. Meanwhile, Stayja York works at a campus coffeeshop and has to cope with serving Carter students all day as she attempts to save for her own education. The lives of the three women unexpectedly intersect when Annie accuses a male student of sexual assault, and they will all be profoundly changed by their encounters. Told from the alternating perspectives of all three women, the story is thought-provoking and surprisingly tense, mixing contemporary real-world concerns with campus fiction tropes.


Evil: The Science Behind Humanity's Dark Side

Evil is one of the most fundamental concepts in human culture. Many of our stories revolve around the battle of good and evil. We paint our enemies, our rivals, and those who are different from us as evil. Plenty of religions are happy to cast aside entire groups of people as evil. But what is evil, really? What does it mean? What makes a person evil?

Those are far harder questions to answer than you might think. After all, delving into cultural, historical, and even scientific parameters to try to define "evil" takes you to some very dark places. But Julia Shaw doesn't shrink from that harrowing challenge.

In Evil, Shaw examines actions and ideas often deemed to be evil and tries to get to the root of them, their origins, how they work, and why they affect us. She asks incredibly difficult questions—even pondering how "evil" plays into acts of murder and pedophilia—and seeks to quantify and truly understand what makes something evil.

This book isn't an easy read. Whole chapters are upsetting. But it's an incredibly worthwhile read nonetheless. It will make you question not just what you consider evil, but how you frame such moral declarations in the first place.


The Name of All Things (A Chorus of Dragons #2)

Lyon's second /Chorus of Dragons/ book, The Name of All Things, is recorded this time by Senera, one of Relos Var's associates, and the majority consists of Janel and Qown telling Kihrin their story, in a bid to gain his assistance. First off, I loved Senera's footnotes! Even more than Thurvishar's notations in Ruin of Kings, these were full of deliciously sarcastic humor. The last maybe one-fourth of the book was a return to the present, and an epic battle. I might not agree with Var's methods, but through Senera, Janel, and Qown's eyes, one begins to see a much more complex and complicated adversary. Var is older than most realize, and with his gift and curse of longevity, Var sees time differently. I'll be interested to see if he continues as the villain in the next book. We get to see more Cornerstones! Qown has Worldhearth, which allows him to spy or communicate through light sources. Senera has The Name of All Things, which can answer any question. Var has Warmonger, though we don't learn how that Cornerstone works. Each Cornerstone is tied to one of the dragons. And there's one dragon whose Cornerstone I really want to learn!


Antoni in the Kitchen

Star of the Netflix series Queer Eye, Antoni Porowski, brings fans of the show exactly what they have wished for, Antoni in the Kitchen. Simple and stunning, Antoni takes his readers on a beautiful culinary journey with a splay of breathtaking full-page color photographs, along with heartfelt comments and tips for every recipe. This book isn’t just a look inside his kitchen but a window into his food-loving soul. With stories of his childhood, his family, and the inspiration drawn from his Polish ancestry, readers can’t help to be inspired.

With Antoni’s Top Ten culinary mantras, readers will know exactly what to expect and the level of attention that went into creating this cookbook. Elegant, sophisticated, and a celebration of every aspect of culinary fusion food lovers will delight in the recipes within. With recipes ranging in every skillset from the upscaled Easy Bastardized Ramen, sophisticated Blackened Swordfish, to the simplicity of Warm Herbed Olives, anyone can be a success. Fish, pasta, apps, vegetables, soups, and desserts are all explored in an easy detailed manner that makes anyone excited to try something new. The undeniable fact is with this many tempting recipes and Antoni’s charming personality; every reader will want to jump in the kitchen and create.


Twice in a Blue Moon

Christina Lauren is the ‘what you see, is what you get’ type of author. We know that we will have an epic love that will somehow find their way into our hearts and never let go. Twice in a Blue Moon was a good read; I love a good second-chance romance. The first half of the novel was definitely better than the second half. I think it’s because it felt too rushed in the end. I don’t know why, but I was just expecting way more than I got. That’s not to say that it wasn’t a good read, I just felt that special spark that makes a Christina Lauren novel great, was missing. The gist of the story is that two people meet while on vacation and fall in love. Then one part of the duo betrays the only in an astronomical way; causing the rift that will keep them away from each other for fourteen years! I enjoyed this for what it was but I just wish it would have had something a bit more in the end. Overall, if you’re a lifetime fan of the two women who write beautiful romances for the soul, then I have no doubt that this could be a great addition to your shelves.


Supernova Era

Cixin Liu's new science fiction novel Supernova Era tells the story of a discovery by astronomers of a dying star that unleashes a supernova that is traveling toward earth. Upon studying it closer, it is determined that the radiation will kill anyone over the age of 13. A decision is made to tell the inhabitants of Earth about it and, subsequently, the adults begin to teach their children everything they should know to rebuild civilization. Primarily centering in Beijing, China, the book is brimming with characters from all walks of life and how they cope with the impending doom.

Although the premise is super improbable, this shortcoming is made up with highly developed and multidimensional characters. Liu, the author of the highly-acclaimed Remembrance of Earth trilogy weaves a taut and very suspenseful plot into the story that keeps the reader engaged throughout the book. Overall, I quite enjoyed Supernova Era despite its ridiculous plotline about a discriminating solar radiation.


Highfire

Highfire by Eoin Colfer is one rollicking good read! When young ‘Squib’ Moreau witnesses a murder on the bayou (the murder of his new employer, no less) and nearly bites the dust when the killer realizes there had been a witness to the dastardly deed, he is rescued by an unlikely saviour.

This book cracked me up. Colfer does a masterful job of keeping the language and tone befitting of the setting. It was easy to fall in love with all the characters, even Regence and Ivory, villains though they be. My favourite parts were the dragon lore and the insights into Vern’s physiology. While Vern isn’t technically a wyvern, save by given name, the reason behind the definition of ‘wyvern’ in the story world was hilarious. (Vern is a dragon with six appendages. The wyvern of mythology are dragons with two wings and two hindfeet. No forefeet. Think Game of Thrones). I also loved the combustion mechanics and that fact that Vern needed to replenish by drinking oil.


Good Girls Lie

A student is found hanging from the gates of a prestigious, elite girls’ boarding school where its students' futures are all but guaranteed. Who is the student, and is it suicide or murder? All eyes are focused on mysterious new student Ash Carr who has just arrived at the Goode School. Receiving a less-than-warm welcome, she is immediately pegged as an outsider, which is fine by Ash because she wants nothing more than to leave her past behind and focus on her studies. However, after she is summoned to attend a secret society, things at the elite school will never be the same as secrets, resentments, and betrayals are revealed.

Author J.T. Ellison’s latest book, Good Girls Lie, is a twisty psychological mystery. Using several timelines and multiple points of view, none of which are reliable, the author lays out the story in a tightly written plot that fans of Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars will enjoy. The boarding school setting is almost another character of the story and one that evokes mystery, where tales of murder and haunted staircases prevail. The first third of the book is a slow burn rather than a page-turner, and while some questions are answered, others remain. After that, the pace picks up considerably but those looking to figure things out by following clues the author leaves will most likely be disappointed since the payoff comes on the last few pages.


Cry Pilot

Cry Pilot by Joel Dane introduces readers to a far future Earth that had nearly succumbed to global environmental destruction. I wasn't feeling this book, to begin with, but things picked up about a third through. The training and initial conflicts with the lampreys were exciting, and once they left training, the action got pretty intense. Just don't get too attached to characters! Several die some pretty grim deaths. I'm glad my favorite character, Ting Ting, makes it to the end. I'm looking forward to seeing how things progress with her in the next book. I loved the concept of technopaths! I hope we get to meet more in the next book. It seems like they could be very valuable assets against the lampreys. Just the ability to control tech with your mind sounds so cool! Recommended, especially if you enjoy the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown.


The Vine Witch

Elena Boureanu, the vine witch once responsible for a superior wine from Chateau Renard in the Chanceaux Valley, has been missing for seven years. Her return to Chateau Renard and the vineyard to which she is inextricably bound opens Luanne G. Smith’s delightful first novel The Vine Witch.

As Elena escapes the curse placed on her seven years before, she painstakingly makes her way back to her home where she finds her mentor and stand-in grandmother waiting for her. She also finds Chateau Renard has a new owner, one who doesn’t believe in witchcraft. Jean-Paul Martel is a learned man, a former lawyer, who feels sense and reason and science should be enough to create bountiful yields and perfect wine, but so far he has failed. His competition, Bastien du Monde (who is incidentally Elena’s ex-fiance) is driven to acquire Chateau Renard for himself. And, with the help of his wife—a beautiful and terrifying bierhexe named Gerda—he just might be able to do it.

When tragedy strikes the Chanceaux Vally and the authorities come looking for Elena, far more will be at stake than the reputation and legacy of Chateau Renard. With glorious attention to detail and sumptuous description, Luanne G. Smith has crafted an engrossing and enchanting tale of The Vine Witch.


Dark and Deepest Red

Lavinia and her family are forced to hide who they really are in order to protect themselves from prejudice, but the summer of 1518 threatens to expose all their secrets. A dancing fever sweeps through the village, which has brought women outside dancing until some fall dead. As accusations are thrown toward her family, Lavinia has a choice to make to save her family, which may cost her everything. In the present day, Rosella creates her own red shoes, but when they seal to her feet and she starts to dance uncontrollably, she has only one person that can help her. Emil works to uncover the secrets of his family history during a time that his relatives were blamed for a dancing plague.

Anna-Marie McLemore’s latest story is a must-read fairy tale that you won’t be able to put down, with endearing characters, a riveting plot, moving romance, and stunning writing. The story weaves between two time periods, with Lavinia in the past and Rosella in the present. As Rosella’s story unfolds and the curse of the shoes overtakes her, Lavinia’s own story and the events of the past slowly unfold until all the pieces are tied together. In the past, Lavinia has many secrets that, if discovered, could mean the death of her and those she loves. Lavinia’s life is constantly on the edge of being discovered and McLemore layers a presence of fear into every choice Lavinia makes. Her romance with Alifair is fraught with danger and secrets, but their connection is undeniable, passionate, and sweet. McLemore delivers a love story that instills a passion and drive that pushes Lavinia to make the choices and sacrifices that she does. In the present, Rosella is uncovering her family story, navigating the connection she has with Emil, and understanding the magic she has within herself. The two girls share a connection that goes across the centuries that bonds them through dance, magic, passion, and romance. McLemore crafts an unforgettable fairy tale that blends sacrifice, love, self-discovery, and strength in a tale that raises the bar that all fairy tale retellings should look to. Weaving between two centuries, McLemore brings to life a stunning tale in Deep and Darkest Red told through strong voices that has passionate romance, strong female characters, and dangerous and beautiful magic that transcends time.


Blue Moon: A Jack Reacher Novel

Jack Reacher favors the underdog in the world, the scrappy types facing an uphill climb. When Reacher foresees a potential mugging of an elderly individual, Reacher ventures off his bus and into the man’s life. In another part of the same city, competing Ukranian and Albanian mobs have reached an uneasy detente. The Ukranian boss drops a couple of names of alleged informers to the Albanians as a peace offering, disguising his true motivations. Reacher, having saved the older gentleman, is now privy to his predicament. A large payment is due to a loan shark from the Albanian mob, and time is of the essence. The absence of the lender leads to Reacher assuming the elderly man’s identity when paying the money back. As Reacher learns more about the man and his financial calamity, the duty he has long held as a soldier burns deep. As the desperate hours pass into days, Reacher is now marked and bodies start to drop. A mob war has erupted; who will emerge in the end?

Blue Moon is the newest release in the action laced Jack Reacher story. Lee Child has not lost footing in grasping the reader’s attention from minute one of his books. Reacher remains stoic in his loyal work for the downtrodden, his humor sharp and dark. The characters are eclectic and well composed. Child’s work never fails to be irresistible.


Joe Quinn’s Poltergeist

Davie just wants to hang around with his pal Geordie and watch his crush as she plays blistering rounds of tennis. But he just can't get Joe Quinn's latest tall tale out of his head. Joe claims a poltergeist is haunting the home he shares with his single mom, and strangely enough, Davie believes him.

Joe Quinn's Poltergeist is one of those rare collaborations where both voices bring the best out of each other. Almond's patient, thoughtful, poignant storytelling is beautifully complimented by McKean's singular mixed-media art that grants vibrant thematic color to each scene. (The moment on the soccer pitch with the lads is a wonderful, transformative, heartbreaking example.) Both work in tandem to create a sense of possibility in Davie's world, the idea that maybe something like a poltergeist could be real.

And what really sells this book is that the teen angst feels genuine. When you're a teenager and everything seems uncertain, that knife's edge of understanding, confusion, and evolution that you walk on. Factor in the death of Davie's sister, his questions about God and faith, and a touch of the supernatural, and you've got a recipe for a marvelous jaunt through an unsettled time in Davie's life.

Joe Quinn's Poltergeist is far more than the spooky tale it appears to be at first glance.


The Contact Paradox: Challenging Our Assumptions in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Is alien life out there? No one knows for sure. But if it is, that gives us another important question to ask: should we attempt to contact it or not?

That question is at the heart of The Contact Paradox, a fascinating scientific exploration of the possibility of alien life, the history of human attempts to detect it, and the question of what to do in the event we do find something.

Cooper crams a lot into this book, exploring all of the conditions that made life possible on Earth, and then delving into all of the assumptions and conclusions we've drawn from the only verified example of life in the universe: our own planet. As he debunks notions of why aliens might visit (punching holes in the concepts of both resource-hunting aliens and friendly extraterrestrials), he also ponders the many ways first contact might go wrong... or right.

There's so much to unpack here, but Cooper makes it all easy to digest, even as he's blowing your mind with the sheer immensity of the universe and the incredible distances and challenges involved in locating, let alone communicating with, an alien species.

The Contact Paradox is the best of scientific writing: it's engaging, informative, full of wonder, heartbreakingly honest, and presents all sides fairly. Everything you need to know on the subject is right here.


Star Spangled Scandal: Sex, Murder, and the Trial that Changed America

A man aggrieved that his wife is having an affair in 1800s Washington DC one day kills the man, the son of Francis Scott Key, in broad daylight on the street.  This book examines the main players, why a little known Congressman, little known in modern history books and largely forgotten, and U.S. District Attorney Philip Barton Key. The author also examines the debates about slavery, and the expansion of slavery, in this largely southern city, and how honor ultimately came to play a role in the shooting. While the players are largely forgotten because of the Civil War, and the vicissitudes of time itself, at the time it did grip the capital city, people read the papers for the latest testimony, and the verdict; while might be shocking for us would not be as shocking for that time period.

Honestly I am not sure this subject needed a book-length treatment, especially with the trial as short as it was, a good portion of the book is examining the backstories of the main players involved. It tries to keep the readers' attention with its scandalous reveals, and language.  But ultimately it feels flat and uninteresting with larger national events overshadowing it.


The Snow Bear (Winter Journeys)

In The Snow Bear, a Winter Journey book, Sara is staying with her grandfather in northern Canada while her parents are waiting for the new baby to be born. Grandpa is supposed to drive her home in time for Christmas, but a big snowstorm makes it unsafe to travel. Sara is really sad. But she loves Grandpa, and he tells her a story about when he was a boy. He and his father went to visit the Inuit in the far north. He and an Inuit boy found a polar bear cub. Grandpa and Sara build a snow bear and a tiny igloo in the yard. That night Sara has a dream about the bear from grandpa’s story. The snow bear turns into a magical polar bear cub, and it takes her back in time to visit the Inuit boy. Sara gets to visit an Inuit igloo. She eats Inuit food and dresses in sealskin clothes. She wants to take the bear cub to find his mother, but it’s a long journey to where the polar bears hunt seals. Will Sara help the bear cub? The end of the book gives advice on how to build your own igloo and gives more facts about amazing animals that live in the arctic.


By the Gods of Babylon

Welcome to the world of ancient Mesopotamia. Under the skilled hands and mind of Sin Leqi Unnini, who, within the pages of a book called By the Gods of Babylon, takes readers on a unique journey into this distant, dark past, presenting a hefty slice of life in this long book of what an average day looked like for the people of Babylon or Ur, or other renowned towns among the Tigris and Euphrates—whether they be hardworking poor people, well-off nobles, the elite religious class, or perhaps even the recently appointed king of the surrounding lands. Journey to a world of the past, brought to life through word and story.

Our main cast number in the many, from all walks of life. To name a few, there is King Sargon, who recently became ruler of all the realm, who now spends his days wondering who might be plotting to overthrow him. He came to prominence as a mighty and skilled general, most notably at the Siege of Eshnuna, where he overcame the impossible and achieved the unbelievable. And yet, even with all this wealth and power, he remains constantly suspicious. Fortunately, he has a personal guard in Naplanam, who has spent many a battle at the former general’s side. But King Sargon needs someone who is less noticeable—someone who knows what might be going on behind closed doors and who is good at finding out who may be plotting behind the king’s back. Someone who has good ideas when the king has none.

Enter one Ibrahem, a lowly sculptor who is talented, but perhaps more skilled in finding out what the king needs to know and most importantly being listened to by this ruler, who seeks his judgment more so than anyone else in the kingdom. But things are never easy. There is Ibrahem’s son, Issa, who is learning at the tablet house, and yet does not want to follow in his father’s footsteps and ridicules his blind, unquestioning religious devotion. Then there is Enhedunna, daughter of the king, looking to learn more and becomes an apprentice at the very same tablet house where Issa is an instructor. The two instantly begin bickering with each other, as one is of low status while the other is of the very highest, and yet it seems there may be something more going on between the two.

Meanwhile, there is Ishillanu, head of the priests, who is looking to do things his way and not the king’s, seeking his own devout and unquestionable power and looking to perhaps overthrow the monarch. And Mayram, from Babylon, a devotee of Ishtar, who began life as small and insignificant, but has lofty plans to make some serious changes to those not wishing to upend the status quo, and she is easily willing to kill to get what she wants.

By the Gods of Babylon is perhaps most intimidating for its extreme length, and the book begins with a strange retelling of a familiar religious story, but as the reader gets further in, the more they are absorbed and fascinated and engaged by the ongoing story. The book features a wonderful balance with historical and religious tales from Gilgamesh and others from the period, to providing descriptive goings-on of ancient Mesopotamian life, and yet the characters feel real and fully developed and complex and interesting.

By the Gods of Babylon may be a very long book, but once you get into the meat of the story, you'll be happy just to be along for the very long ride.


By the Gods of Babylon

The gods created men, either out of mud or because they were drunk, and eventually there came a king to rule over all the land, King Sargon. Stories upon stories overlap in this long work of historical fiction. At its center, the world’s first leader called emperor, Sargon, and from him, stories spiral outward—a young girl, buried alive with her newfound love interest; a sculptor’s son; a young woman who seeks vengeance on those who’ve caused harm; a grieving father; an ugly messenger; corrupt generals; vindictive guards; a king’s daughter; a scribe newly turned to worship an invisible god; a teacher who’s malice grows out of control—stories overlap like ripples in a pond and converge into a startling conclusion.

The author captures a great sense of the ancient world in this piece—capturing the sights, sounds, and textures of ancient Mesopotamia, as well as the brutality and orgy of blood-lust. The characters have realistic motivations and conflicts, are complicated in ways that make humanity feel relatable even through such a spread of years from then to now. This novel’s great strength is how it makes the ancient feel authentic and recognizably human. The research seems accurate enough for the author’s aims of the story, and is even quite beautiful in some cases, such as the girl with the ribbon in her hand. (Honestly, the explanations at the end of the story regarding the research, with the information mixed with humor, were some of my favorite reading in the book.)

That being said, By the Gods of Babylon is an astoundingly violent and bloody read. Readers who may not be up for graphic murder, vivid descriptions of torture, and just plain butchery for violence’s sake, should be aware of this going in. Readers not prepared to deal with a slave being forced to cook his own recently removed tongue, for instance, might want to skip this one. The author also has it out for the gods and religion in a bad way and this may also be a bit excessive for some readers. There’s a level of vitriol that is far from comfortable, even if it is understandable.

By the Gods of Babylon by Sin Leqi Unninni is an interesting book, if a violent one. It covers a seldom written about period of history and does it with some success as far as characters go and weaves together a complicated plot more or less with success.


By the Gods of Babylon

The creation story of Adam and Eve is told, the sexual undertones now highlighted to a graphic degree. The punishment is severely meted out by God when Adam & Eve ignore God’s rules in order to gain knowledge. But the story now has a different spin. The power of sexual thoughts holds great weight in the Bible story re-tellings. The jealousy of Cain for his brother Abel inflame a desire to hurt him to gain favor ends in infidelity. As these stories are relayed to Sargon, he is displeased by the storyteller and is swift in exacting punishment. Sargon is the unquestioned ruler of his kingdom, but he faces adversaries plotting his demise and their ascension. From the wrath of the mercurial Sargon, we move to a young girl, Amare. She is smitten with a young man named Ashur. Their love seems not meant to be, as they are merely pawns on a larger scale, destined to meet tragic ends at the hands of scheming brutes. A mass poisoning engineered at the hands of a high priest leaves many victims in its wake. Sargon is ignorant of some machinations by the disgruntled. His chief antagonizers are the high priests. Sargon’s hair-trigger temper yields brutal executions, even involving long-trusted lieutenants. No one is truly safe.

Enter Ibrahem. Ibrahem carries forth the news of the disfavor among the masses to Sargon. He cheats death, in doing so, he seeks to settle scores with some high priests as well. Ibrahem, by relaying hard truths, has earned Sargon's trust and protection. However, Ibrahem’s son, Isaa has fallen hard for the daughter of Sargon. He attends classes with the iconoclastic Princess, her knowledge and privilege not endearing her to anyone. Despite some initial growing pains, Isaa reveals his feelings. However, the ways of the Gods don’t favor royalty marrying commoners. They set forth on a dangerous plan to be together that ends in a brutal killing. Ibrahem’s thoughts are not on his son, whom he casts aside altogether. Ibrahem has met Maryam, a femme fatale who leaves human sacrifices for Goddess Ishtar. She makes men weak at the knee and then calculatingly snuffs them in their vulnerable moments. Ibrahem now has an assassin he can mold and use to deal with Sargon's enemies. The world is getting more dangerous by the second. Who will survive?

By the Gods of Babylon is an epic tale of ambition, power, lust, and love. Reckless would apply to all the previous words, as each character embodies that in their nature. The pacing can be frenetic, as the action jumps from one character and their tale into the next. Every now and then the reader will need to take a moment for fear of getting lost. The story overall is strong, but the length is intimidating and the detail is exhaustive. The book is solid overall but could be much more.


By the Gods of Babylon

LOCAL AUTHOR

Journey back to the cradle of civilization- to ancient Sumer, Babylon, Assyria. By the Gods of Babylon by Sin Leqi Unnini follows the lives of several people as they twine, part, and intertwine yet again, from kings to sculptors to religious devotees and simple boatmen. Sargon the Great is now the ruler of Sumer, despite the machinations of priest and soldier alike to overthrow him. Sargon outwits them all, aided by Ibreham, the palace sculptor. Yet Ibreham is not immune to the lure of power, and he is oft easily able to manipulate Sargon. Isaa, son of Ibreham, becomes infatuated with Princess Enheduanna, leading to predictable trouble for both. Others, such as Ur-nammu, Mayram, Allamu, Humbaba, all take their own place in the tapestry being woven.

This is a story of palace intrigue, social dynamics, and an exploration of philosophy and anthropology. Throughout inter-city conflicts, the reign of terror caused by a serial killer, and treasonous intra-city plots run tales from the Epic of Gilgamesh that invite the discerning reader to explore where our modern religions first were birthed, how myth is reshaped to suit a new purpose, and the unbalance between logic and faith. As more than one character, in frustration, notes-beliefs cannot be disproven, and oft lead to fanaticism. Yet it is perfectly possible to hold both in balance if you recognize and accept that the stories underpinning any faith are just that- stories. Not ironclad truth of events that literally did or will happen. Myths of any flavor, including the stories found in the Bible, Quran, Torah, etc, encode moral or ethical lessons important to the people of the time or encode natural events that happened within the framework of that point in time. This book invites the reader to ponder such questions, and asks 'can you find the right balance?'

I appreciated the end sections that detailed the history some, and explained where the author had taken creative licence and why. This afterword part also brings home the lessons I took away from the book, about finding balance between faith and logic. The author even mentions that they themselves are Christian. I'm not. I follow none of the Book religions. I'm Rokkatru, following Loki and the 'darker' Norse deities. Doesn't matter. Those lessons apply to any, and all, spiritual paths.

Be forewarned, this is a rather hefty book. Not War & Peace or IT hefty, but still pretty big. It's well worth the read, especially if you enjoy historical fiction.

PS- I was thrilled with the mentions of Pazuzu in the proper context. Just sayin'...


Buzz!: Inside the Minds of Thrill-Seekers, Daredevils, and Adrenaline Junkies

Whether you admire their guts or you think they're insane, you cannot deny that there is a wow factor to those individuals who engage in extreme activities. The derring-do of stuntmen, X-Games performers, Nitro Circus stars, and more gets categorized as thrill-seeking behavior. The practitioners are labeled as adrenaline junkies. And whether you approve or disapprove, you probably wonder what the appeal is. What makes these adventure seekers different from the average person?

Buzz! gets to the heart of that question by exploring the biochemistry and psychology of these individuals, whom Carter calls "high-sensation-seekers." Carter strives to understand the effect these activities have on the brain and personality of people, exploring both nature and nurture in his pursuit of what makes a high-sensation-seeker tick.

And the journey is an absolutely fascinating one. Carter delves into the everyday lives of those who do not enjoy everyday stimuli, investigating both the positive and negative ramifications that high-sensation-seeking individuals experience. It's an eye-opening look at not just those who are different, but ourselves. How we perceive risk. How we handle fear, anxiety, the unknown. How we push ourselves.

Part of what makes Buzz! such an engaging read is that it brilliantly balances the extreme with the mundane, couching amazing acts of risk-taking with science that applies to all of us.


The Sky Done Ripped (Ned the Seal)

Nobody breathes new life into the genre of dime novels like Joe R. Lansdale, and for Ned the Seal's final romp through the multiverse, Lansdale has whipped up a doozy of an adventure for everyone's favorite time-traveling, fish-loving, fez-wearing, mischievous mammal.

In a clash for the ages, Ned finds himself on a strange world-within-a-world where a monstrous demon is running amok, eating and enslaving and crushing everything in her path. She Who Must Be Obeyed and Eats Lunch Early could be the end of the world if our plucky heroic seal and his friends can't stop her. Along the way, they'll traipse through Tarzan tropes, Planet of the Apes mythology, cannibal tribes, and a lost civilization where the people who still live there are somehow just as lost.

The Sky Done Ripped is a pulp novel for the ages, a gloriously strange and rambling adventure that deftly mixes different genres with a dash of slapstick humor and more than a little of Lansdale's patented grotesquery for the villains that inhabit his unique worlds.

Embracing the quality with the cheese that comes part and parcel with dime novel storytelling, Lansdale makes the most of both, crafting a story so outrageous that "over the top" seems inadequate. The weirdness of the story never stops topping itself.


In Every House on Every Street

Jess Hitchman, with illustrations by Lili La Baleine

In Every House on Every Street is an interesting book. The book is about how in every house different things could be happening. In one house somebody might be showering or watching TV. Many different houses could have many different things happening. Readers who are six years old and younger will like this book because it did not hold an eight-year-old’s interest. There is not much of a story that goes through the pages, it just makes you think and wonder. The pictures have very interesting details, though.


Pirates Don't Go to School!

Alan MacDonald, with illustrations by Magda Brol

Jake, a young pirate, is tired of scrubbing the poop deck, tired of mending the sails, and tired of scraping barnacles off the hull of the ship.  What he really wants is to go to school. His parents and grandmother are horrified. They tell Jake school is hard work and has too many rules and that the teachers are mean. But Jake doesn’t give up. He keeps on asking and asking to be able to go to school. He doesn’t care if pirates aren’t supposed to go to school. At long last, his family is convinced to let Jake go and try it out. Feeling nervous and needing a friend, he sneaks his pet parrot, Polly, along with him under his hat, and when Polly escapes in the classroom, things get pretty interesting.

Author Alan MacDonald has written a fun and truly funny introduction to some of the worries kids have about school by turning them on their heads. Magda Brol’s bright and detailed illustrations complete the story and will keep little eyes searching the pages for all the silliness that can be found there. This is a book with wonderful messages delightfully hidden in a charming picture book.


Silo Boys

Silo Boys is the debut novel by author Amy-Brooke Odell. The story follows the main character, Addy, in her hometown in North Carolina. A few years ago, Addy and her friends, Charlie (a girl), Hunter, Mason, and Beau were hanging out all the time at the nearby Silo. Soon, Addy and Mason, and Charlie and Beau, were couples. Hunter seemed to be the fifth wheel, but since they were all friends the dynamic worked out well. Up until they find Beau’s body near the silo. Whether he was pushed, or he jumped, was always a question that the townsfolk had wondered. Shortly after, Mason disappeared. Everyone figured he was either guilty of killing Beau or he was dead himself. Even Addy did not know what happened to him. It was like he fell off the face of the Earth. One day, Addy receives a note on her car in Mason’s handwriting saying he wants to meet up with her. Addy is in disbelief. Before Addy can find Mason, something terrible happens and Addy promises to get to the bottom of it, even if it means putting herself in danger. Although it is a short read, the story is full of wonderful characters and an exciting plot. Addy’s character is very persistent, and she will stop at nothing even if it means interrogating her own friends and annoying them. As Addy digs deeper, it seems like everyone in town has a secret. What really happened and why are the people around her not willing to tell the whole truth? I really enjoyed reading Silo Boys because the timeline of events flowed very smoothly, and the story was easy to follow. The setting of the story was in North Carolina which the author described very serenely. At one point, she describes the sky as “a perfect Carolina blue”. The small-town atmosphere also seemed very welcoming. One part of the book that seemed like it was a little abrupt was the part where Devon and Lila are introduced. They are not heard of before Addy goes to the fair with them, and it is there that she meets Will who may or may not be connected to other characters in the book. I would have liked to have seen a little more character development leading up to the two girls’ hanging out with Addy. Overall, this book was a fun read with a fast-moving plot, interesting characters, and a very satisfying ending.


Empire of Lies

What if the Ottoman Empire survived to this day? How would it impact the course of history? These questions are explored in Raymond Khoury's explosive (literally) alternate history novel, Empire of Lies.

The book starts off with a member of ISIS gaining knowledge of time travel by interrogating a museum director. He then decides to travel back in time to 1683, at the height of the Battle of Vienna, to ensure the Ottomans successfully capture the city and thus have the Ottoman Empire last to this day.

In 2017, Paris and the rest of Europe is ruled by an Ottoman sultan. When a naked, tattooed man washes up on the banks of the River Seine, the sultan's chief counterterrorism investigator, Kamal Arslan Agha, is called to investigate. The man is treated by Kamal's estranged brother in a hospital. During his treatment, the man rambles incoherently about past events. It turns out that the man is Rasheed, the same ISIS terrorist who traveled back in time and ensured the Ottomans' survival.

Khoury deftly mixes time travel, a classic science fiction trope, with history and thriller elements to deliver a fast-paced plot with lots of twists and turns. With immense world building and character development, Empire of Lies is a what-if alternate history novel on a par with those of Harry Turtledove.


The Bastard Brigade: The True Story of the Renegade Scientists and Spies Who Sabotaged the Nazi Atomic Bomb

The atomic bomb. It was the ultimate weapon, a dream forged by scientists and military minds and unleashed like a nightmare upon the world. But who would build it? Who would wield it first? The race to split the atom and conquer the world waged in the background of World War II. It led to secret missions, unlikely spies, and scientists choosing sides, for country, for pride, and for the chance to do the impossible.

The Bastard Brigade chronicles the parallel stories of America pursuing the bomb and American agents trying to prevent Germany from building the bomb first. It's an insane story, one that hinges on luck, skill, misunderstandings, and opportunity. It ricochets between military operations—like the ones launched against a German heavy water plant—and recruitment efforts on both sides to snatch up any and all scientists who could potentially produce the fissionable materiel needed for the bomb.

The cast of characters is as colorful is it is eclectic, bringing to life iconic scientists, lesser-known spies and agents, and the peculiar mechanisms of bureaucracy that sparked both victories and defeats.

Kean does an impressive job keeping a lot of plates spinning as he weaves a narrative that spans years. Not once is there even a wobble. Science and history come alive in The Bastard Brigade, sharing a tale that's equal parts amazing, terrifying, and utterly bonkers.


How Quickly She Disappears

How Quickly She Disappears is a novel written by Raymond Fleishmann that shares the story of sisters and how some events will affect many other facets of living. This is the story of Elisabeth, Margaret, and Jacqueline and how interrelated some relationships can be in our lives. In reading this story, it will give the reader a sense of what family and community means to a person and also how we make various connections between events in one's life that just may bring understanding to many concerns from changing landscapes of one's own life and how one's decisions will affect others in living life and being able to accept what happens.

Fleishmann describes the process of growing up in a way as he described on page 222. Raymond writes a story that relies on using memories as may be seen from the cover art of the physical terrain and the terrain of one's own emotions. How Quickly She Disappears has many lessons for the readers to learn about accepting one's fate and decisions made that were right and/or wrong.


Look Again: Secrets of Animal Camouflage

Secrets of Animal Camouflage will have young readers engaged in trying to find animals hidden in their natural habitats. Secrets of Animal Camouflage answers the many questions of why animals blend in with their surroundings and how they are designed to blend in. The illustrations in this book are amazing, as many animals are hidden in plain sight, yet it is very hard to discover them. The colorful eye-catching illustrations are sure to keep readers enthralled in looking for animals. Readers will explore a variety of animals in different biomes and how camouflage keeps them safe from predators or helps them to cunningly catch their prey. The informative text is perfect for young readers who want to expand their knowledge of how animals are best equipped to survive in a harsh environment against predators. I would highly recommend this book for avid animal lovers who want to learn more about the diversity of animals and their skills and traits to be the strongest/best. This book also has great tips for readers to explore their own backyard to hunt for camouflaged animals and be more aware of the world around them.


A Savage Dreamland: Journeys in Burma

It helps that David Eimer has been a correspondent in Southeast Asia since 2012 with prior experience in China. His vast language skills must have come in very handy in his travels throughout Burma with some eight hundred dialects. It is not merely the language barriers that present substantial challenges to most westerners in this part of the world, but also customs and governmental restrictions that offer layers of detours.

This is not a travel guide for leisure vacationers, but instead a descriptive look at a struggling country that squeezed itself into democracy after half a century of military rule. Despite the ravaged families in the south who are still climbing out from under the rubble from the 2008 cyclone that killed tens of thousands of people and displaced hundreds of thousands, or the racial minorities living in the fringes of Burmese outlands where roads are rare and often non-existent, Eimer details the beauty of the people who live in this golden triangle between India, China, and Thailand.

This particular work freeze-frames a time of transition for a developing country that is in many ways stuck in the past. While the potential is there for explosive technological advances, the traditional cultures cling to a history the rest of the modern world has forgotten. Eimer gives Burma a voice by letting her people tell their stories.


Williams' Gang: A Notorious Slave Trader and his Cargo of Black Convicts

The life of slave traders is often overlooked in pre-Civil War American history, while they are talked about it is often in passing and mostly related to slave auctions and the banning of imports of slaves from Africa in the early 1800s. Jeff Forret looks at one slave trader in-depth, and mostly because of his legal troubles with one transport of slaves to the South, and how slave traders like Williams H. Williams lived, made money, and operated within the larger sphere of early American culture.  Not much is known about Williams H. Williams, beyond that, he owned a slave pen in Washington D.C., sent slaves to the South to sell, and got caught up in lawsuits over one such transport.

I felt this book would have been much better, and more useful to students if it looked at the role of slave traders like Williams H. Williams than just looking at Williams specifically.  It is a topic, especially how states dealt with slaves who committed crimes, that really is not explored that much. And a couple of things bothered me as well, the use of anachronistic language at times and the book is a bit too long; it would have been better if it was shorter.