Merry Christmas to those who celebrate! We’ll see you back on Friday with a new review.
Reviews, Etc.
BOOK NEWS: December 24, 2024
Here are some of the books releasing this week.
Books for Older Kids/ Teens/Young Adults
Wings of Fire: Escaping Peril (Graphic Novel) – Book 8 in the graphic novel adaptations of the Wings of Fire series.
Who Was Shirley Chisholm? – Read the story of the first Black woman elected to Congress.
Books for Adults
The Matter of the Secret Bride (Hardcover) – Rosalind and Adam are investigating on behalf of the woman rumored to be secretly married to King George IV.
Stuck in the Country With You (Trade Paperback) – Genesis’ big romantic regret becomes her sexy neighbor when she inherits a farm she doesn’t know how to run.
REVIEW: Let It Glow by Marissa Meyer and Joanne Levy
[I received a free, electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Feiwel & Friends in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
Aviva and Holly have grown up knowing they were adopted. For Aviva, sometimes that makes her feel like she’s not really Jewish, like her grandmother. But with Bubbe’s encouragement, she agrees to perform a Hanukkah song at a holiday pageant at the Senior Center. Performing is like breathing to her!
Holly isn’t a performer like Aviva – her creativity is in her writing. It’s something she and her grandfather have in common. Her family is checking out the Senior Center for her grandfather who has had a few scary falls at home lately. But when Holly and Aviva come face to face at the center, it’s like looking into a mirror.
Could they be twins?!
Review
“I barely know you, but that expression on your face looks like trouble.”
Who doesn’t love a twin-swapping story? And this is a fun one! I enjoyed every bit of this. The two girls are great – separately and together. Their families are lovely, too.
There’s a fascinating piece of this story were Aviva wrestles with her identity as an adoptee in a Jewish family, wondering if she is “Jewish enough” while also realizing how much she doesn’t know about the Jewish faith, holidays, and traditions. Both girls get to explore this in the book while Aviva also gets to check out some pieces of Christmas while she lives with Holly’s family for a few days.
The swap is a lot of fun for the reader. And it opens up some other places where the girls get to think about identity and family and what they hope their discovery of each other can mean for the future.
This is exactly the right mix of holiday cozy and middle grade fun, and I highly recommend it. It would make for a great classroom read aloud around the holidays.
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*
*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!
REVIEW: The State of Old Testament Studies by HH Hardy II and M. Daniel Carroll
[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Baker Academic in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary and Review
The editors of this book assert that an earlier exploration of Old Testament scholarship, The Face of Old Testament Studies, published 25 years ago, while still valuable, is missing some of the more recent developments in Old Testament studies – new questions being asked, new topics and new research agendas, even new sub-disciplines that didn’t exist at the start of the millennium! So a new resource was necessary. And this one also offers suggestions of still more future research that could be done.
There are three sections of the book, and, honestly, section one was completely out of my lane. This section explores archaeological finds and other contexts outside my experience. Section two, which dives into questions of cannon and the actual texts from the Old Testament, was a much better fit, and I really enjoyed it. Section three tackles topics like ecotheology, OT ethics, the Ten Commandments, gender and sexuality, etc., which was also fascinating.
This felt harder to connect with than the Pauline Studies book in this series that I reviewed earlier this year. The content was still fascinating! But it felt over my head more times than not. While I am by no means giving up on squeezing everything I can learn out of this, I would recommend it highly for seminaries, professors, researchers, and students. Casual readers of Biblical scholarship (like me) might veer toward deep dive commentaries on the texts themselves instead if this feels like too much. But for a broad consideration of the field, including new and developing research, this feels like an excellent resource. I have recommended this to my colleagues at the seminary where I work.
Rating: ♥♥♥♥*
*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.
BOOK NEWS: December 17, 2024
Here are some of the books releasing this week.
Books for Kids
Bigfoot’s Big Heart – Bigfoot likes writing to his cryptid friends because they all understand what it’s like to prefer a quiet life – even though that life can also be solitary and lonely.
Disney Frozen (Graphic Novel) – A graphic novel adaptation of both of the Frozen movies.
Books for Adults
Something Extraordinary (ebook, LGBTQ+) – Book 3 in the Something Fabulous series. Sir Comewithers recognizes the need to submit to a proper wedding even though he’s gay. So his bestfriend abducts him before he can go through with the sham wedding.
Batgirl and Beyond: The Dynamic History of the Heroines of Gotham City (Hardcover) – Explore the history of Batgirl, one of my favorite heroes from the DC Universe.
REVIEW: Teen Titans: Starfire by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo
Summary
While Raven, Gar, Max, Damian, and Dick drive toward California to find the other person on the HIVE list, Kori Anders is home from college and working at a beach club for the summer with her sister Kira. Kira’s boyfriend – and his uncle – have invited Kori to be part of an experiment at a lab to learn more about her EDS (Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome type 1). While her time at Edge Pharmaceuticals brings her a new friend, Vic, Kori doesn’t feel any better about Tate and his uncle. And when they take Kira to HIVE after she starts displaying powers, Kori and Vic start looking at what HIVE is up to.
Review
The emphasis in the 5th book of Kami Garcia’s Teen Titans series is on Kori and Kira as they discover their powers and get drawn into HIVE. We get Victor for the team who is also a great partner for Kori as she tries to take her stand against HIVE. When the rest of the Teen Titans show up, she has a full team on her side. But that also sets her in conflict with her sister.
As always, this was over too soon, and I now have to wait a year for the next installment. I can’t wait. I have loved this series from the start, and it holds up each time I re-read it for a new release. I wanted more of the team in this as those group dynamics are my favorite part of the series. But the next book should deliver more team interactions.
While most of this book is about Kori and Kira, and therefore newcomers could probably start here, the earlier books are so great, I think it’s better to dive in from the start of the series.
Rating: ♥♥♥½*
*♥♥♥½ = Good+
REVIEW: Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson
Summary
Ernest Cunningham lays out the tropes and expectations of the “holiday special” mystery and then takes readers through his own “holiday special” which he compares to an Advent Calendar – “23 clues and a killer.”
Ernest’s ex wife has been arrested for the brutal murder of her romantic partner, a wealthy philanthropist. And she asks Ern to solve the mystery.
Ernest starts working through Lyle’s business associates from his foundation as well as the recovering addicts working at the theatre with magician Rylan Blaze. Before Ernest gets very far in his investigation, another body drops, and he has to determine who killed both of the victims – before Christmas.
Review
Wow, was this twisty! Once I started, I didn’t want to put it down. [One of the features of Ernest’s latest story is it can be read like an advent calendar, one chapter a day for each day of December until Christmas. But I know I wouldn’t have been able to stop at one chapter a day!]
Fans of earlier books in the series will be happy to know there are a few new rules this time around for the “holiday special.” I thought the insertions of Ern’s post-story reflections as he writes were less intrusive this time around – or maybe I’m just more accustomed to the unusual storytelling now that we are three books in. I’m still reeling over the big reveals at the end – this was SO cleverly put together. And it’s actually a holiday mystery with holiday elements – not just a full mystery that happens to take place in December.
Series fans should NOT miss this one! It’s so good. I think newcomers could start here as there aren’t many references to Ernest’s past or insider knowledge necessary. But I think Ern’s style – of storytelling and of mystery solving – makes more sense in the context of the series read in order. (Some language)
Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*
*♥♥♥♥½ = I loved it! Would re-read.
BOOK NEWS: December 10, 2024
Here are some of the books releasing this week.
Books for Older Kids/ Teens/Young Adults
The Royal Throne (e-book) – Book 3 in the Davis‘ League of Rulers series. I’m wondering if this has been pushed back to a later release date – but keep an eye out for it!
The Rules of Royalty (LGBTQ+) – A young man who didn’t know he was royalty gets tutored in his new role by a young prince from another country, and the two start to fall in love.
Books for Adults
Assume Nothing (Trade Paperback) – A young woman gets the chance to work with the famous detective who solved her mother’s murder when she was a child. They even work with the famous author who writes stories based on the detective. But then the case starts to spin out of control.
How to Get a Life in Ten Dates (Trade Paperback) – Tired of the dating scene, Haleigh agrees to let her family set her up on some blind dates, thinking when they all bomb, she will be able to get them off her back about dating. This one is on my Christmas list.
I’m Getting Married to Mothman (Trade Paperback, December 7) – Book 3 in this quirky romance series. Before Heather and Mothman can get married, she gets kidnapped.
The Mistletoe Mix-Up (Trade Paperback) – Book 3 in the Falling in Mistletoe series. High school exes take a chance on love again.
Monsoon Rising (Hardcover) – Sequel to The Hurricane Wars.
Not in My Book (Trade Paperback) – Rival writers have to team up and write something together – or their writing instructor, fed up with their constant feuding, will kick them out of her class. This book is on my Christmas list, too.
REVIEW: Molly and the Bear: An Unlikely Pair by Bob Scott
Summary and Review
Molly’s parents leave her home alone for the first time, and a bear crawls into the house. At first he’s scared, but Molly’s nice – and there’s yummy food in the house, so Bear decides to stay! He’s afraid of nearly everything which really starts to complicate Molly’s life.
This is darling! Bear is smart and sweet, and Molly is determined and compassionate. There are sweet moments and laugh-out-loud moments. Bear’s fear and anxiety is on display for most of the book. But it never overwhelms the optimistic friendship story.
Graphic novel fans and fans of animal books should absolutely check this one out. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and would happily read more stories with these characters!
Rating: ♥♥♥♥*
*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.
REVIEW: A Merry Little Murder Plot by Jenn McKinlay
Summary
Helen Monroe is the “writer in residence” in Briar Creek this winter. After completing her long-running thriller series (by killing off her main character), Helen is working on a new, secret project.
Helen’s “biggest fan,” Jackie Lewis, has also shown up in Briar Creek. And her presence has alarm bells going off in Lindsey’s head. Lindsey has dealt with a stalker before, and this feels all too familiar. And when Jackie crashes a community event trying to paint Helen as a plagiarist who stole Jackie’s book ideas, Lindsey’s fear is confirmed.
But Jackie isn’t the only person with a grudge or vendetta against Helen. Helen’s novels based on true crimes have angered the families involved. And a new member of the library board has a vendetta against Helen as well.
So when Lindsey discovers a dead body, she has some investigating to do.
Review
This was great! A few holiday activities give this a Christmas-y feel, but the story is a solid mystery for readers to enjoy at any time of the year.
I loved the writing-based mystery, and the many twists kept me guessing to the end. I loved getting to spend some time with Lindsey and Sully and their friends while watching the mystery unfold.
Newcomers could easily start this series here. The mystery is terrific and doesn’t rely too much on series history. But the Library Lover series has been a favorite for me for awhile – so be sure to check out the whole series. And once you are hooked, you can check out Jenn McKinlay’s other mysteries and romance books. You won’t be disappointed.
Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*
*♥♥♥♥½ = I loved it! Would re-read.