September 2021 - The Neverending TBR

REVIEW: The Enneagram Guide to Waking Up by Chestnut and Paes

Posted on September 29, 2021July 26, 2021 by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Edelweiss and a print copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary and Review

I have read a lot of Enneagram resources over the last 4-5 years, but I think this is the first one that has felt like the chapter for my type was written expressly for me. I don’t know if that is a commentary on the quality of this book or the fact that one of the authors shares my number. It might even just be the perfect intersection of this resource and my journey with myself and the Enneagram. But I feel seen and understood and called out at a whole new level with this resource. Each section – and sometimes each paragraph – ties perfectly to something I am experiencing or recognizing. It’s almost too much on target.

The book opens with a brief introduction, but the bulk of it is focused on each of the 9 types. The type chapters start with a brief narrative about little One or Six and the journey to type behaviors and reactions. This piece for my type was different than anything I have read before. I rarely identify with childhood references to my type, but reading this, I felt like someone was in my mind and heart as a kid.

The chapters all follow a pattern – the narrative, a list of common traits, patterns, passions, wings, shadow sides, blind spots, etc. Having read a lot of resources, I am used to the content starting to sound the same. This felt like a fresh take on things I have read – nuances and insights I hadn’t caught or heard expressed in such a way before.

The overall premise of the book is developing enough self-awareness through the Enneagram to “wake up.” Too often we operate in “zombie mode,” letting our personalities lead while we try to secure what we crave through these patterns that rarely work as we want them to. And that idea of raising self-awareness to the point of making healthier patterns really appeals to me.

This is going to the top of my Enneagram resources list along with The Road Back to You, Millenneagram, The Enneagram Goes to Church, and Spiritual Rhythms for the Enneagram. You can read more reviews and discussion of Enneagram resources here.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!

BOOK NEWS: September 28, 2021

Posted on September 27, 2021September 6, 2021 by Jaymie

It’s the final week of September. Here are some of the books releasing this week!

Books for Kids

Woodland Dance! (Board Book) – A new release from Sandra Boynton.
Rubylicious – Pinkalicious and her brother have the chance to make a once-in-a-lifetime wish.
A True Wonder: The Comic Book Hero Who Changed Everything – The picture book story of the creation of Wonder Woman
Red Titan and the Runaway Robot (Graphic Novel Early Reader) – Based on a character from YouTube. Ryan and his friends must save the city from an out-of-control dancing robot.
Owl Diaries: Eva’s New Pet – Book 15 in the delightful Owl Diaries series. Eva and Lucy volunteer to pet-sit for all of their friends to help Eva choose a new pet.
Waffles and Pancake: Planet Try-Yum (Graphic Novel) – First in a new series from the author of CatStronauts. Waffles and Pancake get separated from Dad-Cat at the science museum.

Books for Older Kids/Teen/Young Adults

Barb, the Last Berzerker (Graphic Novel) – Barb and her Yeti best friend try to free the rest of the Berzerker warriors from a villain.
Black Panther: Spellbound – T’Challa and his friends team up during his visit to the American south when a man named “Bob” is not who he appears to be.
The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities – A collection of mythical short stories – starring characters from the Rick Riordan Presents series along with a new one from Rick Riordan himself. Since I haven’t read any of the RRP books, this sounds like a fantastic way to test out those books and see which ones I might want to try.
A Tale of Sorcery – Book 3 in Chris Colfer’s new Tale of Magic series. Brystal is running out of time on her one-year deal with Death. And the fairies and witches are working together to face a rising evil.
Unicorn Playlist (Comics Collection) – Book 14 in the Phoebe and her Unicorn series.
Violets Are Blue – The latest book from Barbara Dee (Maybe He Just Likes You, Everything I Know About You – ♥♥♥♥½). As Violet and her mom try to make a fresh start in a new town, it becomes obvious to Violet that her mom isn’t doing well. I have this on my review list.
Own Your Period – A guide to periods.
Once Upon a Broken Heart – Book 1 in a new series. Evangeline promises 3 kisses to the mysterious Prince of Hearts in exchange for his help when she learns her love will marry another.
Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven (Graphic Novel) – Book 3 in the Teen Titans graphic novel series that started with the fantastic Teen Titans: Raven and continued with Teen Titans: Beast Boy, and now brings the two characters together. I have this on my review list.
Grace Upon Grace Journaling Devotional: Trusting God No Matter What – Includes 100 devotionals with a devotional thought and journaling questions with space to write in answers and prayers.

Books for Adults

Ambush or Adore (e-book, October 1) – Book 3 in the Delightfully Deadly series by Gail Carriger. A brilliant and successful intelligence officer must go into hiding with the only person who has ever made her feel safe despite his training as an Evil Genius. Yes, please!
Amish Candy Shop Holidays (e-book) – Collects previously released novellas “Criminally Cocoa,” “Botched Butterscotch,” and “Candy Cane Crime.”
Chapter and Curse (Mass Market Paperback) – First in a new Cambridge Bookshop series. Molly, a librarian, and her mother, Nina, travel to Cambridge to help run the family bookshop. But their efforts to save the shop may be in vain when someone kills a guest at a store poetry reading.
The Corpse in the Gazebo (Mass Market Paperback) – Book 5 in the Food Blogger Mystery series. When one of Hope’s neighbors is killed after threatening to run Hope out of town, she’s the prime suspect. And not even her police chief-boyfriend seems to be able to help clear her name.
Death at Holly Lodge (Mass Market Paperback) – Book 3 in the Daisy Thorne Mystery series. Renovations at the historic Holly Lodge unearth the remains of a man in a Santa Suit, stuffed in the chimney.
Deliciously FoxTrot (Comics Collection) – The 43rd collection of Fox Trot comics!
Eight Perfect Hours (Trade Paperback) – Two stranded strangers spend 8 perfect hours together, then expect to never see each other again. But fate has different plans.
The Ex Hex (Trade Paperback) – When a young witch puts a drunken curse on her ex, she doesn’t think it will do much more than give him a few bad hair days. But instead, it makes trouble for their whole community. This is on my wish list for this week.
The Glitter End (Mass Market Paperback) – Book 3 in the Stationery Shop Mystery series. Delta’s efforts to bring shoppers into the store backfires thanks to a murder.
Here Comes the Fudge (Mass Market Paperback) – Book 9 in the Candy-Coated Mystery series. Allie is investigating when Jenn’s fiancé is arrested for murder.
It Started with a Dog (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in the Lucky Dog series after You Lucky Dog. A couple hit it off until they realize they are coffee shop rivals. And only one shop is likely to survive.
A Little Christmas Spirit (Trade Paperback) – A Scrooge-ish neighbor, haunted by the spirit of his beloved wife telling him it is time to move on, tries to be a little nicer to the single mother who moved in next door.
Mrs. Claus and the Halloween Homicide (Trade Paperback) – A fall sequel to one of my favorite Christmas books of 2020, Mrs. Claus and the Santaland Slayings. As Christmastown celebrates its first Halloween, a murderer strikes. This is on my review list!
Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bakeoff (Mass Market Paperback) – Book 2 in the Beacon Bakeshop Mystery series. A murder at the Christmas Cookie Bakeoff leaves Lindsey the top suspect.
A Perfect Bind (Hardcover) – Book 2 in the Beloved Bookroom Mystery series. While Tru is still stuck working in the book-less town library/”Technology Center,” a vandal is breaking into the secret bookroom she and her friends created.
Star Trek: Coda: Moments Asunder (Trade Paperback) – First in a new Star Trek Trilogy that brings together fan favorites Jean-Luc Picard, Benjamin Sisko, Ezri Dax, and William Riker to deal with the unraveling of time itself, the Temporal Apocalypse.
William Shakespeare’s Avengers (Hardcover) – All 4 Avengers films, told as Shakespearean plays.
Wreathing Havoc (Mass Market Paperback) – Book 4 in the Garden Squad Mystery series. The Garden Squad are hunting for a murderer when a Hollywood star in town for a memorial is killed.
The Enneagram Guide to Waking Up (Trade Paperback, October 1) – A fantastic new Enneagram resource from the author of The Complete Enneagram (♥♥♥♥) and The 9 Types of Leadership. I’ll be reviewing this one this week.
If God Is Love, Don’t Be a Jerk: Finding a Faith that Makes Us Better Humans (Trade Paperback) – New from John Pavlovitz. How can we embody a KINDER spirituality? This is on my wish list for this week, too.

REVIEW: Elfie Unperfect by Kristin Mahoney

Posted on September 24, 2021September 6, 2021 by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. But since I had already purchased the book when I was approved for the ARC, I am reviewing my published copy. Still, all opinions are my own.]

Summary

Elfie was convinced transferring to Hampshire Academy was the solution to everything. She was certain the kids there would be more school-focused and rule-conscious like she was. She was certain this would be the place where she “thrived” and would make friends.

Instead, she was expelled. On the first day.

Now she has to go back to Cottonwood Elementary – with the kids who have never understood her, and the cousin who is good at all the things Elfie isn’t, like sports and making friends. But as Elfie returns to Cottonwood for 5th grade, a lot of things in her life are changing. It’s going to make for an unforgettable year.

Review

This was lovely! While I enjoyed the premise, I bought this one because I adored one of the author’s previous books, Annie’s Life in Lists. Once I knew she had written this, it became a must-read for me. And I was not disappointed.

I thoroughly enjoyed Elfie. She’s endearing and sympathetic. I was cheering for her from the start. I enjoyed tracking her whole journey through the book.

One of the things I especially appreciated is that a lot of the difficulties Elfie is working through aren’t wrapped up in the end. There’s no tidy ending wrapped in a bow. And that’s great. Rarely are life’s challenges wrapped up perfectly in a couple months. But in that time, Elfie has changed and grown. And that’s what is most important, and most enjoyable, about the book.

My fellow fans of Annie’s Life in Lists should give this one a try. The format is more straightforward (the structure of Annie is a big part of what makes it special), but the story and characters are just as enjoyable. (TW: cancer, chemotherapy, divorce)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: Seven-Year Witch by Angela M. Sanders

Posted on September 22, 2021July 18, 2022 by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Kensington in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

When Josie notices Sam is back in town, it makes her heart race a little. But finding he’s come back with his not-so-ex wife, Fiona, and a baby, is a crushing discovery. Then Fiona goes missing. And the police suspect foul play. They also suspect Sam. So Josie agrees to help him find the truth.

Josie is hoping her developing magic could help with the case. But her grandmother’s letter to train Josie about curses doesn’t paint an optimistic picture for resolving the troubles she senses at the site of the old mill. But “trouble” is the right word. A body is found – but it isn’t Fiona’s.

Review

I loved book 1 in this Witch Way Librarian series, Bait and Witch. I loved how the books in the library spoke to Josie about the mysteries she faced and how they were central to her magic. But in this second book, the magical system has expanded to include land spirits, curses, and Josie taking over the body of her cat. That took things a few steps too far for me as a reader. I loved the bookish pieces, but the rest of this one didn’t click.

I didn’t enjoy Josie’s pining over Sam. And there really weren’t many fun character moments in this at all – well, except for the elderly woman who loved sweets. She was great. But characters are crucial for my enjoyment of a book.

The mystery is well-plotted and twisty, but I struggled to connect with it since I wasn’t clicking with the characters. Readers who enjoy their paranormal cozies with a broader magical system might have better luck with this one than I did. Fans of the first book, your mileage may vary on this, depending on what you enjoyed with the story.

Rating: ♥♥½*

*♥♥½ = Mostly solid to solid. Not a great fit for me, though.