A big thanks to the publisher for providing me with this ARC! One look at this cover—and the title—and I knew I had to read this cute little book filled with adorable dogs romping around a Brooklyn park. This is a very cute little book that delivers feel-good dog stories without the tears and tissues at the end.
I enjoyed following the stories of the dogs and their families, who are all going through life’s challenges. Even though this is a fun and fluffy book of dog stories, we’re dealing with some weighty issues—from dealing with a mom in rehab, to living with anxiety amidst major life changes, to losing a best friend.
I can see a lot of youngsters finding at least one relatable character in this ensemble cast of dog lovers. My only gripe is that it’s too short, and I want more dog park fun! I highly, highly recommend this one for parents who like to read to their kiddos. The illustrations are super cute, and I’m sure this will be a gorgeous hardback once it hits the shelves on November 5.
Wowza—it’s been a minute since my last post. I’ve had a rough go of it lately with the whole job-loss thing and equally depressing job-search thing. Life sure can throw some curveballs, eh? Either way, we’re here to have fun, so let’s talk five-star reads! Here are some highlights from my spring 2024 reading list:
Nimbus by Jan Eldredge
Cat lovers, you’re in for a treat! This is such a cute book with magical felines, a kind-hearted witch, and the cutest little sweater-wearing, Shakespeare-quoting rat sidekick! I thoroughly enjoyed this story and was completely invested in little Nimbus’s homeward-bound journey. Fantasies aren’t really my cup of tea, but I made an exception for this one. The cover alone sold me. I mean, how could I turn away from those adorable little faces? The evil dream demons were terrible, but the worst characters were the cruel humans dumping their pets. Nimbus’s newfound friends have tragic backstories involving human cruelty, which can be hard to read, but the kind-hearted witch, Agatha, renewed my faith in humanity, reminding me that there’s a lot of good in this world. I loved getting to know each of the resident cats–even the grumpy ones–through Nimbus’ magical dream-walking escapades. They’re all quite fascinating, and I’m rather fond of the tubby calico, Fern, and her stuffed squirrel toy. This story is just too cute and the ending was the cat’s meow!
Bless Your Heart by Lindy Ryan
This book was a fun—and much-needed—surprise that arrived at my doorstep, thanks to my sister! She even sent me a Disney cats throw blanket so I could cozy up with a good book during my dark days of sudden unemployment. Isn’t that the nicest thing? Anyhoo, this book proved to be the perfect distraction with its cast of vampire-slaying Southern women. Judging by the cover, I was expecting more of a light paranormal romance, but this book was SCARY!!! Yo! I was not expecting grisly scenes of vampires/zombies (a hybrid, I guess?) tearing people apart. This is NOT a cozy little Southern romantasy, people! Lucky for me, I absolutely love gross horror stories with feral, non-sparkling vampires terrorizing the town. I also loved that this story centered around four generations of vampire-slaying women. One of whom has a dark secret that comes out later in the book…when things get real. Whilst protecting the town from the newly-turned vampire/zombies, they sort out their family drama issues, and boy does it get messy. Think Steel Magnolias meets 30 Days of Night meets Six Feet Under. Loved it!!!
Peril in Paris by Rhys Bowman
Once again, I’ve realized I can never go wrong with a Royal Spyness mystery. I only “read” these books via Audible because the narrator cracks me up with the characters’ voices. Since watching “Emily in Paris” (please don’t judge me!), I’ve been drawn to books that transport me to this fascinating city with streetside cafes, dazzling cityscapes, and croissants galore. Naturally, this story surrounds a fashion show by none other than Cocoa Chanel! Hijinks ensue when Lady Georgianna stumbles upon a dead body at a VIP runway show and soon becomes suspect number one! Seriously, the detectives in these books are always so clueless. I mean really…why would a pregnant British woman come to Paris to kill a complete stranger? Is it terrible that I was happy the murder victim turned out to be a pushy, entitled, “new money” woman who thought she could buy her way into everything? Ugh…Americans! Anyways…I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy historical whodunnits that are heavy on comedy and light on mystery.
Dead Eleven by Jimmy Juliano
I love, love, love a slow-burn horror story, but only if it’s done well. It could be ruined with an underwhelming ending or turn into a convoluted, confusing mess. Lucky for me, this book delivered a dark, creepy ending that left me wanting more. The premise alone gives me the willies! Imagine going to a sparsely populated island with secretive townsfolk who are all living in a time warp. There are just SO MANY QUESTIONS! Why don’t the townsfolk ever leave the island? Why did an outsider’s dead son scribble “Clifford Island” on the floorboards of his bedroom right before he died? Why do the islanders participate in strange daily rituals? And why is it so scary for them to deviate from their routines? What’s out there in the woods peeking inside of windows??? All these questions had me glued to the pages—and boy was I creeped out. We’re dealing with different narrators throughout the book: Willow, the interloping woman trying to solve the puzzle of her dead son’s cryptic note; and Harper, Willow’s brother searching for his missing sister—a quest that gets darker and stranger by the day. Slow-burns aren’t for everyone, but I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it to readers who enjoy psychological thrillers with creepy, ghostly stalkers lurking in the woods.
How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
Kakaweeeeeee! Oh my goodness, y’all, this book was a hoot! With his mix of comedy and horror, Grady Hendrix is an acquired taste. For the most part, I avoid horror satire, but Grady Hendrix is an exception because his characters and storylines are just so entertaining. This one revolves around a divorced single mom who’s summoned back to her dreaded family home to take care of her dead parents’ affairs. To make matters worse, she must deal with her deadbeat brother who is a real piece of work. He carries some deep-seated disdain for his sister, and we soon learn why as the memories of their bizarre childhood start to unfold. Something is VERY WRONG with that house, and it all boils back to their eccentric mother’s love of puppets. One puppet in particular is Pupkin, a demonic toy that tends to take control of its handlers! Think Slappy from Goodbumps meets the Exorcist. Things escalate very quickly—power tools are involved. Seriously, this book would make one heck of a movie. Despite the comedy aspect, this book has some very creepy parts, especially the childhood flashback of Pupkin whispering in ears and forcing people to do some bad things. Trust me, it’s intense!
Note: I received and ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The book hits the shelves this July!
The Gist: Two girls, Natasha and Della, forge an unlikely friendship whilst searching for Natasha’s lost sister. More girls go missing in the cursed river bend, and a bloodthirsty shapeshifting madwoman is afoot! It’s up to Della and Natasha to vanquish the monsters of the bend before it’s too late!
What worked: I enjoyed the spooky atmosphere surrounding the bend and all of its enchanted winged creatures. The mystery of the missing sister was well spun, leaving me with so many questions the moment they found her abandoned car out in the woods. I do enjoy a good whodunnit—especially one with magic and shape-shifting monsters lurking in the woods. There’s also another mystery within the mystery involving Della’s mother, her dead aunt and some woo woo magic—such fun!
What irked me: Female empowerment is great, and I love that it’s becoming more of a trend in pop culture. That said, the “we don’t need men in this world” message in the final chapter of this book didn’t sit well with me. I like to think of myself as a left-leaning feminist, but I’m not down with misandry.
Overall: Needless to say, I have mixed feelings about this one. If this becomes a trilogy, I may give it another chance since there’s so much more to Natasha’s story nowt that she knows a bit more about herself and what’s fueling her deep-seated rage. Also, I’m interested to see what else is lurking in the cursed bend!
I don’t normally read fantasy books, but my dad randomly gifted me with this gorgeous paperback, and he usually knows what he’s doing when it comes to book selections. We tend to read the same things, especially Texas noir and anything from BookPeople’s horror aisle, so this was somewhat of a surprise coming from him! In all honesty, I think it was the cover that did it.
At first, I was intimidated by the size of this thing. A 470-page tome is a commitment, y’all! Turns out, this was a super-fast read that I was able to knock out in a weekend. I was hooked right from the beginning when the kidnapped Harper landed in Emberfall, a fantastical land of lush forests, evil sorcerers and enchanted castles. It’s basically Fantasyland…only with lots of bloodshed and a man-eating beast.
This really is a creative spin on the Beauty and the Beast cannon. The main character is a departure from the book-toting, ball-dancing Belle. She has cerebral palsy and lacks the ballerina-esque grace and ethereal beauty that all the Disney princesses posses. She’s scrappy, street-smart and impermeable to the prince’s charms. I must gives the author snaps for keeping up with the times and giving the readers what they want: a tough-as-nails anti-princess protagonist! Move over, Prince Rhen, and leave it to the women to save the land of Emberfall! Ya Ya!
I also love how the author deviates from the Disney tale while also keeping with some of the themes. The prince is in a race against time (sans the falling rose petals) to save himself and his kingdom from doom. The trapped “Beauty” must rescue the kingdom and her family back at home. Inanimate objects take on a life of their own–only instead of singing teapots and candelabras, there’s wind instruments that relentlessly play the same songs day after day after day, and so on. If that’s not enough to throw myself off the highest castle turret, I don’t know what is!
Either way, this is a fantastic reimagining of and old tale that so many of us just can’t get enough of–myself included! I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve watched the animated classic. Only in this newest iteration, the beast is a tad more frightening than that fluffy, overgrown Chow dog looking thing in the movie.
Needless to say, I’m excited to dive into the next installment of this series. This is the perfect break from reality that I need these days. I couldn’t’ think of a better way to spend a Sunday than in Emberfall, where I can sword-fight with hot guardsmen and ride through the forest on a magnificent steed. Such fun!
It’s been a long time since I’ve said this, but this book is close to perfect. This right here is why young adult–even middle grade–books can be more illuminating than your typical mainstream adult novels. This is some powerful stuff—especially for those of us who went through adolescence feeling alone and unwanted. Even if you don’t have any childhood battle scars, this book will bring back some nostalgia from those long summer days chasing fireflies and camping out in the backyard. As for young readers, I hope this story will draw some empathy for the “weird kids” who often sit alone on the school bus.
Little 12-year-old Riley is one of those kids who always gets picked on for being just a little different. I really felt for the poor guy as he desperately tracked down the magical illuminated “Whispers” floating around in the woods—hoping they would lead him to his missing mother, the only person on earth who loved and accepted him and all of his “conditions.” But of course, he wasn’t totally alone because his faithful best friend Tucker stayed right by his side throughout his journey, as dogs do.
While reading this book, I got to thinking about my own four-legged BFF CeeCee Honeycutt, and how she has always, without fail, been my rock. I could totally relate to Riley when he would reach for his dog during tense moments. I mean, this kid is going through a lot—the mystery of his missing mom, bullying, an emotionally-detached dad, homophobic bible-beating townsfolk and even unrequited love! Oh to be a preteen again…no thanks.
Admittedly, I saw what was coming, so I had to put the book aside for a few days. The last few chapters tore me up, but I needed a good cry because as Riley says, sometimes you just need to cry out your entire soul. Again, this is some heavy stuff, but there are some comforting themes that can really stick with you, like the power of unconditional love, self-acceptance and healing.
At that, I’ll leave you with my favorite passage from this book. It’s clear this author truly loves and understands these magnificent creatures we call dogs. And that’s why CeeCee chose this as her book of the month!
P.S. Kudos to the author for helping to bring LGBTQ into the mainstream! This is a brave, yet risky move in a society that still seems to be living in the dark ages, so I applaud him for it.
Until I read the premise of this book, I’m embarrassed to say that I didn’t know about the New London school explosion—the worst school disaster in American history. It’s absolutely devastating just thinking about all the little lives that were eviscerated in an instant when the all-white school was blasted into smithereens on that fateful day in 1937. Could you imagine the media hype if this happened today? Three hundred lives lost. A brand new school blown to pieces. Neighborhood churches backed up with systematic funeral processions. The horror, the pain, the suffering—all of the agony that ravaged that small East Texas town is simply unimaginable.
I can tell you right now, my dear readers, this is not a light read. This is one of those stories that will sit with you long after you finish the last chapter. In the book blogosphere, this is what we call a “reading hangover.” That, in my opinion, is the mark of a good book. My biggest take away (no spoilers, I promise!) is that no matter how grim your situation may be, it does not have to be a dead end. Though that tunnel is dark and closing in around you, there’s always a way to claw out tooth and nail. And even if you don’t make your way out, at least you put up a good fight. That’s what I got out of this story, and I hope more readers will pick up on this positive message.
This is also a story about true love. The blossoming romance between Naomi and Wash was so pure and sweet—a stark contrast from the cruelty and hate that overshadowed the hardscrabble oil-drilling town. Like Romeo and Juliet the interracial couple had to hide their star-crossed love affair deep within the piney wood forest. Some of my favorite scenes took place in their favorite tree—a safe haven reserved only for them and Naomi’s precocious twin siblings. But, alas, in the wise words of Robert Frost, nothing gold can stay.
With the threat of the gas explosion intensifying with each chapter, I knew that things were going to come to a head—and fast! When it all hits the fan, it’s impossible to stop reading. From beginning to end, this is a rough, bumpy ride. It’s not for the faint of heart, but well worth your while.
So when you feel like escapitng the world—including that addictive chirping device in your back pocket—why not transport yourself to another time and place for a while? I may not have a special tree to climb into when life gets to be a little too much, but I’ll always have my books!
Oh wow…I don’t know where to even begin with this review. Okay, let’s start out by enumerating the most important elements of a good book. First and foremost a good read must have likeable, well-developed characters. Then, of course, there needs to be a plot. And let’s not forget that with every story, there needs to be believability. Even fantasy books have to be rooted in some semblance of reality, otherwise how are the readers ever going to relate to the story, the characters, the meaning of it all?!?
Now let’s dissect the many ways John Green ignored these key elements in this hot mess of YA fiction.
Likeable Characters
In this high school melodrama, I’m stuck with a whiny high school kid and his snarky clique of boarding school chums, all of whom are way too cool for school. Gee, does this sound vaguely familiar? Oh probably because the same annoying characters from Paper Towns were plopped into this book!
Remember that old MTV cartoon Darea? You know, the one about the emo monotone girl who mocked everything around her? Well if you enjoyed that, I suppose you might relate to these yahoos. I, on the other hand, got tired of the irony of it all. They were all so enveloped in their own little narcissistic worlds, save for the ringleader of the bunch, ironically named “The Colonel” who did have a few redeeming qualities. Come to think of it, this book might actually have been worthwhile if he was the lead character. But nope, we’re stuck in Pudge’s one-track mind throughout this sluggish journey of self-discovery. He’s that friend (we’ve all had one) who drones on and on about an unattainable crush, constantly ruminating about her mysterious ways. Who is the real Alaska? What’s driving her crazy mood swings? Why is she so self-destructive? WHO CARES?!? The girl in question—poetically named Alaska—is not in any way interesting, enigmatic or likeable. She knows poor Pudge has it bad, so she plays him like a fiddle, flirting, teasing and stringing him along just for fun. Playful and chummy one minute, downright evil the next (someone get this girl an exorcist!), Alaska is clearly surfing the extreme end of the bipolar spectrum. But, alas, this mysterious goddess rocks Pudge’s world, so he must make it his quest figure her out and ultimately get in her pants. And there, my dear readers, is your plot.
That’s your cue to split, Pudge.
The Plot
Halfway through the book I started to question when the plot would take shape. Come to think of it, that’s probably the point when you should call it a loss and toss it in the DNF pile. But like a good soldier, or idiot, I continued on. Like Alaska’s shameless teasing, the provocative chapter headings that counted down the “days before” kept me reading. What catastrophic even awaited this group of sardonic teenagers? Who’s gonna bite the big one? Please tell me it will be Alaska. Until we reach the aftermath chapters, the story slogs along at a snail’s pace. Here’s what we’ve got: Bored little rich boy demands to go to boarding school so he can find “the great perhaps.” He immediately joins the cool misfit clique (think Perks of Being a Wallflower). Then it’s nothing but chain-smoking, esoteric musings of “escaping the labyrinth” and pranks against the rich kids. When the catastrophic event finally hits, I’m already over it.
Believability
I’m sure Green has met a teenager at some point in his adult life, but it sure doesn’t show in this book. Though they were all absorbed in their narcissistic worlds (an intrinsic quality of this particular age demographic), these poetically minded kids were WAAAAY beyond their years. Apparently they are all child prodigies that can speak and think at a level that would put a 50-year-old philosophy professor to shame. That, my friends, is unfathomable. The sad reality is that kids express themselves in 60 characters or less, or whatever threshold it is that Twitter allows. I’m sorry, John Green, but the young Jack Kerouacs of the world are few and far between. I have no doubt that Mr. Green was one of those gifted kids who spent his Friday nights memorizing the famous last words of great American presidents (one of Pudge’s shticks). But the chances of finding a group of millennials who all have impressive academic hobbies such as this are slim to none. There’s this golden rule in writing called “write what you know.” Green clearly does not know teenagers. It would behoove him to spend a day studying them in their natural environment –a One Direction concert perhaps—and really listen to their dialect.
Could that be the vast wasteland of Alaska’s inner arctic tundra? How very poetic.
On a happier note, I must admit that Green is a highly talented wordsmith. It’s easy to get lost in his lyrical prose and esoteric musings. But just like a movie can’t solely rely on all A-list actors, he can’t get by just on pretty writing. I know that YA is clearly a marketable genre for him, especially after his smashing success with The Fault in the Stars. But if he insists on creating these mythical teenage geniuses—who all seems to be cut from the same mold—these books are always going to miss the mark.
A fellow chick lit lover -and auidobook aficionado- over at Lip Gloss and Literature recently posted a guest blog by yours truly! Here is a taste of my review on The Girl Who Chased the Moon.
The Girl Who Chased the Moon is the literary equivalent of a gorgeous pink-frosted cupcake – rainbow sprinkles and all! It’s light and sweet and so much fun to gobble up in one sitting. The only hitch with cupcakes is that they leave me wanting more. That’s how I felt after I devoured the last chapter of this book.
The story begins when Emily sets foot in Mullaby, a wooded patch of a sparsely populated southern hamlet that her mother left behind. Left in the care of her eccentric 8-foot-tall grandfather, the orphaned teen is lost and alone in a town that seems to resent her. As Emily struggles to adjust to her new – and very peculiar – surroundings, she uncovers some startling secrets about her mother’s past.
Things really get strange when Emily spots the elusive “Mullaby lights” floating in the woods outside her bedroom balcony. And when she falls for a boy who can only be seen during daylight hours, she begins to wonder what kind of world she’s living in.
Just what did her mother do to upset the entire town? And why does her grandfather forbid her to chase after the Mullaby lights? Emily is determined to find out.
BUBBLE BUBBLE BOOKS & TROUBLE 
