Reviews, Etc.

REVIEW: Life in the Wild by Nicholas Oldland

REVIEW: Life in the Wild by Nicholas Oldland

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Kids Can Press in exchange for an honest review. (I also read 5 of the stories in single-story form from the library.) All opinions are my own.]

Summary and Review

Six stories from the Life in the Wild series are collected here in one volume. You can read my reviews of two of them at the links provided.

Big Bear Hug (♥♥♥♥)

Make the Moose Out of Life – A reserved moose learns to embrace adventure and try new things when he gets shipwrecked. This was cute. I liked that Moose was driven by his own desires to change rather than being cajoled or shamed into being someone he is not. He recognizes his nervousness but also tries things until he finds activities he likes. (♥♥♥♥)

The Busy Beaver (♥♥♥♥½)

Up the Creek  – Three best friends who disagree a lot try to go on a canoe trip together. This is another fun and funny tale of these three friends. This includes some great examples of ways to learn to get along for the good of the outing. (♥♥♥♥)

Walk on the Wild Side – Three friends climbing a mountain discover it can be more fun to enjoy the journey rather than race to be the first one done. This is another cute story with a nice lesson. I love that none of these stories include shaming. There are just experiences and learning from them along with friends who decide to work at being better friends. (♥♥♥♥)

Hockey in the Wild – This is the one story I only read because I received the ARC of the collection. And for me, this was the weakest story in the set. It just didn’t click for me.

REVIEW: The Body in the Backyard by Lucy Score

REVIEW: The Body in the Backyard by Lucy Score

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Riley and Nick are working their most obnoxious case yet. Riley’s horrible ex-husband thinks someone is out to kill him. Nick thinks he’s faking – and Griffin IS a total narcissist. But evidence starts to pile up that he really is on someone’s hit list.

The problem is that Griffin is so awful, there’s no shortage of people who want to see him dead. How can Nick and Riley weed through so many suspects to find the most dangerous one before someone actually succeeds at killing their client before they can get paid?

Review

What a hoot! Once again, Lucy Score delivers a laugh-riot of a paranormal mystery/romance. I’m noticing  how other stories billed as “rom-coms” are suffering in comparison to this series which makes me laugh out loud all the time. I need more Lucy Score books in my life!

Griffin has been “the worst” from the start of this series, but this book puts all of his worst on full display. And wow. This is the sort of character who can tank an otherwise terrific story because he is just so awful. But the author deftly shows all of Griffin’s deplorable choices while keeping the reader on Nick and Riley’s side, hoping they’ll get their fee in the end. I think Griffin is such a narcissistic buffoon that he’s almost too “cartoonish” to be believed.  And that makes him awful AND funny. I was thrilled with how it all worked out in the end. The sheer number of suspects here kept me from having any shot at figuring things out for myself. And I was fine with that. I loved the “not another one” ploy here.

All of the series regulars, including Nick and Riley’s families, are back for this book which is part of the series’ charm. Nieces’ Night is one of my favorite parts of this book. I hope future books include more of the girls because they are a total delight. Nick’s competition with Gabe over their affection is also hilarious and adorable.

This is another fantastic addition to this series which anchored my summer 2024 reading. Series fans should not miss this one. You can read the rest of my series reviews here – I recommend reading these in order for the development of the cast, but I think the stories stand well on their own. (Language, sex, psychic visions)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

BOOK NEWS: September 10, 2024

BOOK NEWS: September 10, 2024

Posted on by Jaymie

Here are some of the new books out this week:

Books for Older Kids/ Teens/Young Adults

Library Girl – A girl found as a baby in the library and raised in secret by the four librarians who found her ventures out from her mothers’ love and her home of books where she meets a boy who looks enough like her to maybe be an actual relative. This. Sounds. Amazing!
Not Another Banned Book (Older Middle Grade) – A girl in danger of losing her beloved Book Club and her favorite teacher tries to find a way to fight for the things at school that have meant so much to her and her friends. This is on my list, too!

 

Books for Adults

Casket Case (Trade Paperback) – A casket sales person discovers the new, interesting guy in her life is a logistics manager – for Death.
The Royals Upstairs (Trade Paperback) – A prince’s bodyguard has to work with the woman whose heart he broke as she is the nanny to the prince’s children. This plot reminds me a bit of Codename Charming which is another bodyguard/royal staffer romance which I adored.
Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Hardcover, LGBTQ+) – Sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea. Arthur is hoping to become the adoptive father to the magical orphans on the island, but his dream is in danger from a new addition to the island – and from his own past. I have book one on my TBR and can’t wait to dive into both of these.
Reconnected: How 7 Screen-Free Weeks with Monks and Amish Farmers Helped Me Recover the Lost Art of Being Human (Hardcover, Nonfiction) – A memoir from Carlos Whittaker.
The Widening of God’s Mercy: Sexuality Within the Biblical Story (Hardcover, Nonfiction) – Father and son, both biblical scholars, take a look at sexuality in the Bible.

REVIEW: The Busy Beaver by Nicholas Oldland

REVIEW: The Busy Beaver by Nicholas Oldland

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary and Review

A careless beaver finally sees the path of destruction he’s left in his wake and decides to make things right.

As I mentioned last week, I picked several of the Life is Wild books up at the library, including this one, before discovering they were going to be released in a single volume. My review for that will post next week, but for now I wanted to post about this story on its own because it is my favorite in the collection. The message here is fantastic! The illustrations are excellent and really help tell the story so there’s minimal text for young readers. This was delightful!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥♥½ = I loved it! Would re-read

REVIEW: Witches Get Stuff Done by Molly Harper

REVIEW: Witches Get Stuff Done by Molly Harper

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Riley Everett has arrived in Starfall Point, MI to meet the aunt she hadn’t known existed before her mother died and Aunt Nora reached out. In fact, Riley had been going through such a string of bad luck, she wrote the woman off as a scammer at first. And now that Riley has finally arrived, she gets word that Aunt Nora has died.

Edison Hold is the head of the library at Starfall Point. And he’s been eager to get a look at Nora’s home, Shadow House. But Nora’s death – and an unfortunate first encounter with Riley – will not help his quest to get in the door.

Once in Starfall, Riley discovers the family legacy her mother never mentioned. They have been the keepers of a house full of ghosts and haunted objects. And Riley is now the new “keeper.”

Riley begins to settle into a routine – with the house, with the ghosts, with some friends who can help her with her magical responsibilities – and even with Edison. But there’s someone who wants the house’s secrets for themselves – and they don’t care what happens to anyone who gets in their way.

Review

This was captivating! I loved the premise and the characters. The magic system is more instinctual than learned, so I’m not as clear on what all Riley and her friends can do as I would like. But watching them do their thing – together – was highly entertaining.

This is funny, with an enjoyable found family core that really touched me. I’m eager to see how things develop for Riley and Edison as well as for the “coven,” although that term seems too formal and witchy for this fun, breezy, ghost-filled paranormal story.

Fans of this author as well as fans of humorous paranormal romance should absolutely check this out. It was a hoot! Book 2 is Big Witch Energy, and it’s on my library list! (Language, sex, paranormal elements include ghosts and magical powers)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ – Great!

BOOK NEWS: September 3, 2024

BOOK NEWS: September 3, 2024

Posted on by Jaymie

Happy Labor Day! Here are some of the new books out this week.

Books for Kids

The 13 Days of Swiftness: A Christmas Celebration for Fans – A Taylor Swift-focused count down to Christmas.
Is This a Tiger? – Follow up to the delightful Have You Seen an Elephant?  I’ll be reviewing this one soon.
Life in the Wild – A collection of stories including Big Bear Hug which I reviewed last week. I’ll have a review of this soon, too.
The Princess in Black and the Kitty Catastrophe – Every time Princess Magnolia goes on a mission, her new kitten destroys something.

Books for Older Kids/ Teens/Young Adults

The Festival of Lights (September 5) – This collection of Hanukkah stories includes something from my friend Gini Koch, so you know I want to check this one out!
Out of My Dreams – Melody gets to go to an international symposium in England as a spokesperson for kids with different abilities.
Fairy Godmother – Something new from Jen Calonita. A young governess has the chance to become a fairy godmother.

Books for Adults

The Games Gods Play (Hardcover) – For the first time, Hades enters the gods’ contest for a chance to take the throne, but they use mortals to fight their battles. I am so interested in this one!
Hot Hex Boyfriend (Trade Paperback) – Delia breaks a hex that has bound her family’s magic for years. Now her neighbor, Max, has to keep them from outing witches everywhere.
No One Does It Like You (Trade Paperback) – Thinking he’s about to die, an actor reaches out to his ex to say he still loves her and he wishes he could make things right. When he survives his dramatic rescue, his ex challenges him to make good on his promise to make things right by helping her fix up her family B&B.
Prime Time Romance (Trade Paperback) – Brynn and her post-divorce roommate, Josh, find themselves in her favorite teen soap opera after Brynn makes a birthday wish for a happily-ever-after.
Lovely One (Hardcover, Nonfiction) – A memoir from Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

 

REVIEW: Big Bear Hug by Nicholas Oldland

REVIEW: Big Bear Hug by Nicholas Oldland

Posted on by Jaymie

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

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

Posted on by Jaymie

[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

BOOK NEWS: August 27, 2024

Posted on by Jaymie

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

REVIEW: We Are Definitely Human by X. Fang

Posted on by Jaymie

[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+