REVIEW: Big Bear Hug by Nicholas Oldland

Summary and Review


A hug-giving bear who especially loves hugging trees encounters a man who plans to cut down one of the oldest trees in the forest.

This was a lovely story! I adored the illustrations of all of the critters and all the things Bear hugs. It’s a super sweet story – until Bear meets the man with the ax. I love how Bear acknowledges his anger but makes a different choice about his behavior than the reader might expect. This was lovely!

I picked this book up from the library based solely on the cover art. I love it. Turns out this one story is going to be part of a multi-book release later this fall – I’ll be reviewing the whole collection soon.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: Between a Flock and a Hard Place by Donna Andrews

[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


Marvelous Mansions has come to Caerphilly to remodel the Smetkamp home. And few of the town’s people are happy about it. As the mayor’s “special assistant in charge of nuts and nuisances,” Meg is trying to keep the remodel crew in line so they don’t disturb the neighborhood – or the town – too much.

But disturbance has a way of happening anyway – in the form of over 200 wild turkeys on the Smetkamp property. Probably not an accident. And then the mayor discovers the reality show crew has made such a wreck of the house it’s uninhabitable. And then there’s the dead body.

Review


Another fun adventure in Caerphilly! Meg and her friends are a well-oiled machine as they deal with the home wreckers, the feral turkeys, and the other surprises that crop up in this story. As always, I enjoyed spending time with the Langslow family and the community members.

I figured out the mystery really early on this time – even telling my husband how it was all going to play out in the end. Maybe I’ve just read too many mysteries over the years! This might have sunk another book, but for me, I enjoy the characters here so much, I kept reading to see what would happen with them.

Series fans should pick this up – there are some fascinating sections about the turkeys and other critters in the book. And the townspeople – and some outsiders – got to shine in the absence of much of Meg’s extended family in this book. This brought something fresh to this story which is number 35 in this long-running series. Keep an eye out for book 36, Rockin’ Around the Chickadee, releasing later this fall. (Some language)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ – Great!

BOOK NEWS: August 27, 2024

Here are some of the new books out this week:

Books for Kids


Two Birds and a Moose – A moose wants to join two birds at the top of a tree.

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults


 

The Frindle Files – The final book from beloved author Andrew Clements is a sequel to one of his best stories, Frindle.
Not Nothing (Older Middle Grade) – A boy sentenced to community service at a retirement home connects with a 107 year old resident with a story to tell.
What Is the Story of My Little Pony?
Who Is Travis Kelce?
The Champions – Sequel to The Cheerleaders. Eleven years later, Paula is assigned to cover the football team for the school paper when members of the team start dying. Could these new crimes have something to do with what happened before?
Jupiter Rising – A sequel to Orbiting Jupiter. Jack is grieving the loss of his foster brother and adjusting to being something of a “big brother” to Joseph’s daughter, Jupiter. But when Jupiter’s grandparents show sudden interest in adopting her, Jack’s life feels like it’s on even shakier ground.
The Sticky Note Manifesto of Aisha Agarwal – A valedictorian struggles to answer an admissions essay about leaving her comfort zone, and an unexpected new friend offers to help her with a series of dares to get her out of that comfort zone.

Books for Adults


Given Our History (Trade Paperback) – A college professor up for tenure runs into the love she let get away in order to pursue her future.
Long Live Evil (Trade Paperback) – First in the Time of Iron series. A dying woman makes a deal to to live in her favorite book series instead of dying – and when she gets there she discovers she’s playing the villainess. I cannot wait to read this!
Magical Meet Cute (Trade Paperback) – Is the perfect new guy in town there because Faye drunkenly created a “golem?”
Two Spinsters and a Corpse (ebook) – A daughter of the new rector, grieving the loss of her mother, and a daughter of a rich family determined to keep her from her suitor, team up to solve  a murder.
What If Wanda Maximoff and Peter Parker Were Siblings? (Hardcover) – Wanda and Peter grow up with Aunt May and Uncle Ben, each developing powers and learning to use them together under the guidance of Doctor Strange. But when Wanda meets a speedster named Pietro, everything she thought she knew shatters.
You’re the Problem, It’s You (Trade Paperback, LGBTQ+) – Book 2 in the Mischief & Matchmaking series. Born an heir and a spare, two men who push each other’s buttons must team up when both of their families are targeted by a blackmailer.
Feeding Little Lunches – No stress lunches – perfect for the start of the school year.

 

REVIEW: We Are Definitely Human by X. Fang

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

Summary and Review


When three aliens crash land on Earth, they find a kind and helpful community of humans.

This was cute! And not quite what I was expecting. The aliens have answers for all of the questions, insisting they are humans and from Europe. And the community where they crash doesn’t seem to care too much. They kindly chip in to help, even when the folks they help are different and unusual.

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ – Good+

REVIEW: Star Trek: Discovering the TV Series by Tom Salinsky

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

Summary and Review


The author does a deep dive into Star Trek, watching the original series (TOS), the animated series (TAS), The Next Generation (TNG), Deep Space Nine (DS9),  Voyager (VOY), and Enterprise (ENT) in release order, one episode per day for almost two years. Initially his experience was blogged online, but now readers can be part of the journey in book form. This book only focuses on TOS, TAS, and TNG. Presumably a sequel will cover the rest.

The book covers some of the history of the franchise from Roddenberry’s early attempts to get the show produced to the return of Star Trek to television in the 80s with TNG – in addition to the episode reviews. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the episode entries. The “voice” of each one is fun and engaging. The author covers a lot of ground in just a couple paragraphs per episode.

One of the most fascinating pieces is watching the worldbuilding develop on the fly. The author points out things that show up for the first time or things that reflect decisions made later to define how the world of Star Trek will work. It was a cool addition to the episode reviews. I think fans will enjoy this – it would be great to work through this while doing your own episode review.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ – Great! Might re-read

BOOK NEWS: August 20, 2024

Here are some of the new books out this week:

Books for Kids


Scaredy Squirrel Scared Silly – Scaredy Squirrel might be too scared to enjoy Halloween.

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults


Glass – A Cinderella-esque story about a family of glassblowers and a girl with magical gifts.
The Swifts: A Gallery of Rogues – Book 2 in the Swifts series. Shenanigan chases down art thieves who have taken something from Swift House.

Books for Adults


Bridesmaid Undercover (Trade Paperback) – Sequel to Bridesmaid for Hire. Everly is asked to help a client get his ex back.
De-Witched (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in the Toil and Trouble series. A warlock has to live among humans for three months without his powers. When he walks into Leah’s bar, she knows exactly who he is.
Holding Out for a Gyro (ebook, August 19) – A woman reveals all of her fears and bad decisions in love, but instead of scaring off the gorgeous chef, she intrigues him.
Love and Other Conspiracies (Trade Paperback) – A streaming producer teams up with a gorgeous podcaster to produce a new show and get back at her ex. But he’s terrible on camera – unless she does the shows with him.
Rules for Ghosting (Trade Paperback, LGBTQ+) – A man who can see ghosts ends up running the family funeral home he tried to flee.
Vampires Never Say Die (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in the Slaying It series after When Life Gives You Vampires. An actress turns vampire slayer overnight when her hot co-worker is turned.
What She’s Having (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in the Big Love from Galway series after Curves for Days. Old flames have a second chance at love.

 

REVIEW: Spider-Man: Cosmic Chaos by Mike Maihack

Summary


While returning a surfboard to Silver Surfer, Spider-Man encounters the Guardians of the Galaxy. Together they work to contain and correct the end of the universe. Ancient talismans with special powers initially help Spider-Man solve small, neighborly problems. But when one villain collects all seven talismans, an unexpected hero has to help save the day.

Review


This is the quirkiest of the stories in the Mighty Marvel Team-Up series! Spider-Man gets to meet – and help – a lot of Marvel characters as well as a variety of aliens as he spreads his neighborly kindness around.

The team-up with the Guardians was fun, and I loved the solution to the talisman problem. This series has been a delight from start to finish. I would love to read more of these if the series expands.

Hand this to Marvel fans and graphic novel fans as well as anyone who enjoyed the earlier books in the series, Animals Assemble and Quantum Quest. I think these are best read in order, but each book can stand alone.

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good+

REVIEW: Take Care of Your Friends by Christina Wilcox

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

Summary and Review


I enjoyed this new Enneagram resource focused on interpersonal relationships. I’m not sure the author did enough with the “six pillars of friendship” to make their inclusion work out. But the rest is great – I loved the early descriptions of all of the types.

The book includes sections on stress/security (called “health levels” which is different than the way other writers/instructors talk about health levels with the Enneagram), triads, stances, and conflict styles. I felt like the author’s descriptions were fresh and not rehashed ways of describing things. I’ve read a lot of Enneagram resources so it really catches my attention when I read something that feels innovative or insightful in a new way. Her approach makes this the sort of book I would read start to finish rather than just pull out my type info and then move on.

If someone’s really interested in digging into the Enneagram, I would start with other resources to help you determine your type. But this would make a nice gift for someone who has done that initial work, knows their type, and wants to apply the Enneagram to their interpersonal relationships. You can pair this with Suzanne Stabile’s The Journey Toward Wholeness which also looks at the Enneagram and relationships.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

BOOK NEWS: August 13, 2024

Here are some of the new books out this week:

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults


The Codebreakers Club: Solve the Mystery of the Missing Puzzle Professor – A collection of 150 logic puzzles for readers to solve to help the book characters find the missing professor.
Secret Society of Rebel Girls: Nina and the Mysterious Mailbox – When she gets punished for spying on another student, Nina has to write a letter to a famous woman from history, and she chooses Cleopatra. In fact, she and her friend Maya find an old mailbox in the woods and the drop the letter inside. Just for fun. And then Cleopatra writes her back!
History Smashers: Salem Witch TrialsKate Messner’s History Smashers look at the Salem Witch Trials.
Sports Superheroes: Stephen Curry (Graphic Novel) – First in a new nonfiction series.

 

Books for Adults


Big Witch Energy (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in the Starfall Point series after Witches Get Stuff Done. Caroline’s family curse keeps her on Starfall which cost her the love of her life. Now he’s back on the island. But she’s not sure he’s ready to accept the work she and her friends do with ghosts. I checked out the first book recently, and loved it. Looking forward to reading this one!
The Break-Up Pact (Trade Paperback) – Two ex friends are both humiliated in breakups that go viral. When folks see the two of them together and think they are a copule, they decide to lean into the rumor and fake date in order to help each of them out. Yes, please!
Can’t Buy Me Love (Trade Paperback, LGBTQ+) – A journalist travels to St Kitts with a media mogul for a story. The mogul’s ex notices the journalist, but she thinks the two are traveling together because they are a couple.
Companion to the Count (ebook, August 16) – Book one in the Seductive Sleuths series. When she sees her presumed-dead brother in a piece of artwork, a young woman who has lost everything is determined to find the artist – and the truth.
Haunted Ever After (Trade Paperback) – First in a new Boneyard Key series from Jen DeLuca. Cassie buys a cottage in Boneyard Key that seems to be haunted. I’m curious to check out this new series.
Miranda in Retrograde (Trade Paperback) – A young physics professor who is denied tenure decides to let her horoscope lead her life and decisions for the next year. Sounds fascinating!
Phoenix Keeper (Trade Paperback) – A new “cozy fantasy” about a phoenix keeper at a zoo for magical creatures who has to brave her archrival, the griffin keeper, to ask for help to save a phoenix breeding program.
What’s Next: A Backstage Pass to  the West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service (Hardcover) – A look back at the hit TV show, West Wing.

 

REVIEW: Cat on the Run: Cucumber Madness by Aaron Blabey

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

Summary


Princess Beautiful is still on the run from a frenzied public insisting that she tried to start a nuclear war. A new friend who understands her predicament breaks her out of jail. While she trains to survive on the run, she tells her new friend the full story of how she became known for silly videos which made it so no one now takes her seriously.

While Beautiful and her new friend are searching for answers, they stumble onto a conspiracy no one is ready for.

Review


I didn’t love the pacing of this one. It starts with a commentary on sensationalized news, then goes into a long bit about “scapegoating.” The big reveal was an unexpected surprise, but it felt like I really had to work hard to get through the rest to get there. I think this just isn’t the right fit for me.

I think kids will get a kick out of the “cucumber madness” bits here, but I am still wondering if the book’s content exceeds the experience/exposure of the target age group. Fans of book 1 will absolutely want to pick this one up. And the big reveal will drive them to book 3 when it releases. But I don’t think I will be sticking with the series.

Rating: ♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥ – Solid, fine