BOOK NEWS: November 7, 2023

Happy November! Here are some of the books releasing this week.

Books for Kids


The Big Cheese – Book 7 in the Food Group series. The Big Cheese is used to always coming out on top – and bragging to everyone about his wins. But what happens when someone else takes first place?
Lila Greer, Teacher of the Year – Lily’s teacher helps her deal with her worries when she moves to a new town. I have already preordered this one!

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults


All Is Found – A collection of original Frozen stories.
Duel (Graphic Novel) – Battling sisters face off in a duel when they struggle with being at middle school together. This looks great!
Escape from Mr Lemoncello’s Library (Graphic Novel) – The first Mr. Lemoncello book gets the graphic novel treatment – and it is not to be missed! I’ll be posting a review soon, but this one is already on my 2023 Holiday Hint List which released last week.
Just Lizzie (Older Middle Grade – LGBTQ+) – A class on asexual reproduction in plants leads a teen to consider questions about her own sexual identity.
Keeper of the Lost Cities (Graphic Novel) – The first book in the series by the same name gets the graphic novel treatment. This is the *first half* of the prose novel – so readers should be aware the story is split into two volumes. This is a series I always meant to try but never got around to. Maybe the GN is the way to dive in.
Check & Mate – Blockbuster romance author Ali Hazelwood ventures into YA this week! A girl who insists she has left chess behind agrees to do one last charity tournament and then wipes the floor with the reigning world champ.
Wish of the Wicked – A cursed fairy godmother uses a girl and a ball as her way to get back at the queen who destroyed her family in this reimagined Cinderella. Yes, please!
With or Without You – A new book from Eric Smith. Two teens from rival families have played up the rivalry for tourists, never letting on that they are really in love. But then they end up on reality TV.
Wren Martin Ruins It All (LGBTQ+) – An asexual teen who wants to abolish his school’s annual Valentine’s dance instead finds himself in charge of the biggest dance the school has ever seen.

Books for Adults


Bookshops & Bonedust (Trade Paperback) – Sequel to Legends & Lattes. After Viv is injured, she is sent to recuperate in a sleepy beach town where she spends too much time in a quiet bookshop. I’ve had Legends & Lattes on my TBR for ages – can’t wait to dig into it so I can pick this up.
Chaos Terminal (Trade Paperback) – Sequel to the quirky Station Eternity. Mallory may have caught the serial killer that tracked her to the space station before, but murder still seems to follow her, and she still seems to be the only person who can solve the case when a new arrival from Earth is killed.
The Christmas Jigsaw Murders (e-book, November 9) – A puzzler receives a package 6 days before Christmas containing puzzle pieces that together show a murder scene along with a note that says more people will die unless she can find the killer. This sounds AMAZING!
Enchanted Hill (Trade Paperback) – An aspiring PI posing as a maid searches a sprawling estate for evidence for a client. This sounds fascinating.
Fake Famous (Trade Paperback) – A farm girl agrees to step into a pop-star’s life for a week, but the “simple” swap starts to unravel.  I already pre-ordered this one.
The Good Part (Trade Paperback) – A young woman uses a wishing machine to skip ahead to “the good part” of her life.
Iron Flame (Hardcover) – The hotly awaited sequel to Fourth Wing, which is still sitting on my TBR. I have to get caught up – soon! If you have managed to miss the internet buzz about this dragon rider series, be sure to check out both books.
Never Wager with a Wallflower (Trade Paperback) – Book 3 in the Merriwell Sisters series. Youngest sister, Venus, finds herself thawing toward her old nemesis, Galahad, until she discovers he’s been keeping secrets from her. I’ll be reviewing this one soon.
A Power Unbound (Hardcover, LGBTQ+) – Book 3 in the Last Binding series about magical secrets and dangerous threats. I have the first two books on my TBR (Are you detecting a theme?), so I am not letting myself get this one until I catch up. So many books, so little time.
The Rom Con (Trade Paperback) – After a break up, a writer decides to use a 50’s article about tips to “hook a husband” as fodder for a satirical column AND a way to skewer a rival writer. Then those wacky tips actually start to work. This sounds fun!
Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank (e-book, short story) – A short story connected to the delightful Finlay Donovan series. See how Vero and Finlay first met. I am ecstatic about this!

REVIEW: Cat on the Run by Aaron Blabey

Summary


Three shadowy figures choose one popular cat for their nefarious plans. That cat is Princess Beautiful. She has the most popular cat videos on the internet.

But one distracted moment changes everything. She instantly goes from internet darling to the most universally loathed creature on the planet. In order to find out the truth, Princess Beautiful becomes a cat on the run.

Review


This was fun! Princess is a total diva in all the stereotypically awful ways. Adults – and savvy kids – will recognize the way everyone turns on her as a commentary on our social media culture.

Princess Beautiful’s “crime” includes launching/arming nuclear weapons. I did wonder as I read if the target audience would understand the references to weapons of mass destruction and nuclear war.

I got a kick out of the story here. There’s a ton of action, and the illustrations are great. Kids will pour over those. There’s a great cliffhanger at the end, too, so I will absolutely have to pick up the sequel when it comes out next spring.

Fans of the author’s Bad Guys series along with fans of cat protagonists will want to pick this up. Graphic novel fans should take a look at this series launch as well. I think this will be super popular with kids, so teachers should take a look at this one for your classroom libraries.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: ‘Twas the Bite Before Christmas by David Rosenfelt

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

Summary


At the Tara Foundation Christmas party, one of their clients, Derek Moore, is arrested for murder. Derek adopted two dogs from the Tara Foundation – something that gets Andy Carpenter’s legal expertise on Derek’s side. Andy’s also curious because the police call Derek by a completely different name when they arrest him.

Derek was in witness protection because he gave testimony about two gang members for a murder they committed. But now,  one of the gang leaders has been killed – and the evidence is piling up against Derek.

Andy believes Derek is innocent, but proving it could be beyond even his considerable skill and experience.

Review


Another great Christmas-time mystery starring Andy Carpenter. My first ever Andy Carpenter mystery was a Christmas one, and they remain some of my favorites in the whole series.

This was such a satisfying read. I really got concerned that Andy was not going to pull this off – it was a tricky case! All the pieces came together so nicely, though. And in the end I even puzzled out a couple of the reveals on my own. Always a triumphant reading experience! Andy is his usual sassy self here, which I always enjoy. And he gets key help on this case from a surprising source which was a twist I really enjoyed.

I think new readers could start with this story and not have any trouble following the mystery. I don’t know how Andy plays if you don’t already love his sarcasm – but I love it so these are a perfect fit for me. If you enjoy mysteries that are more on the legal side than a cozy (court room drama, police and private investigators, etc.), you should give this series a try. Series fans should of course pick this up to stay current. Book 29, Dog Day Afternoon, will release in the summer of 2024.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

Book Shopping Suggestions: The 2023 Holiday Hint List Is Here

The holiday season is upon us!

That’s the rule, right? Once Halloween is over, we can start thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas? This year I am back to my usual early shopping behavior – last year must have been a fluke. And I have already put together my 2023 Holiday Hint list for my readers. If you are looking for some book recommendations for the readers in your life, look no more.

Here is the 2023 Neverending TBR Holiday Shopping Hint List

You can see my past lists here if you are looking for more suggestions. And as in past years, I put together a Padlet so you can see the covers of the books on the list because if you are like me, you absolutely judge books by their covers.

Don’t forget to use the Holiday Hint List to help you add some books to your holiday wish list, too! Happy holidays.