Wall-E
Disney Manga by Shiro Shirai ★★★★★ What’s a robot to do? Is there more to life than shoveling garbage? Disney Manga: Pixar – Wall-E tells the story of WALL-E, the last robot on Earth. He’s been cleaning up the Earth … Continue reading →
Bookwyrm
Charlie and Frog
by Karen Kane ★★★★★ Can Charlie and Frog find Aggie before it’s too late? Where – and what – is the missing treasure? Charlie and Frog: A-Castle-on-the-Hudson Mystery is a whimsical middle-school book reminiscent of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory … Continue reading →
Temple Grandin: The Stories I Tell My Friends
by Anita Lesko and Temple Grandin ★★★★★ Awesome book that speaks to the tremendous work that Temple has done. Temple Grandin: The Stories I Tell My Friends is a must-read for anyone interested in Temple or autism. However, this is … Continue reading →
Ramadan
by Ausma Zehanat Khan ★★★★★ Comprehensive eye-opening insider’s view of Ramadan The month of Ramadan is a time of fasting and celebration for Muslims around the world. Ramadan: The Holy Month of Fasting gives comprehensive coverage to many aspects of this important … Continue reading →
Imani Earns Her Cape
by Bokerah Brumley ★★★★★ What if almost everything you knew about your life wasn’t true? What if you were hiding in plain sight in a human world and human school, but you were really fae? What if your mom’s favorite … Continue reading →
Jericho Jaxon: Alien Hunter
by Karen M. Bryson ★★★☆☆ Short fast read, cliffhanger I didn’t realize before I started this book, that it’s more of an installment. While it’s got some interesting concepts and decent character-building so far, it ends on a cliffhanger. Overall, … Continue reading →
Torn
by Rowenna Miller ★★★★★ Torn made me wonder how far I would go to protect my brother. Torn (The Unraveled Kingdom) is about a seamstress torn between her brother and her lover, her ancestry and her adopted culture, her class … Continue reading →
Fell Beasts and Fair
by C.J. Brightley ★★★★★ Wonderfully original tales, amazing world-building, strong writing This is an absolutely brilliant collection of noblebright stories by the same editor who coordinated the Luminous: A Noblebright Fantasy Boxed Set and the Still Waters: A Noblebright Fantasy … Continue reading →
Jerky
by Taylor Boetticher and Toponia Miller ★★★★★ Fascinating collection of jerky recipes with clear instructions I grabbed Jerky: The Fatted Calf’s Guide to Preserving and Cooking Dried Meaty Goods because my family makes a LOT of jerky, but usually just … Continue reading →
Servant of the Crown
by Melissa McShane ★★★★★ He’s no Prince Charming, but then again, she’s not a brainless beauty… Servant of the Crown turns a trope on its ears. What happens when the beautiful girl knows she’s beautiful (let’s face it, she’s got a … Continue reading →
Adulting 101
By Josh Burnette and Pete Hardesty ★★★★★ Can you ever have too much good advice? NOPE!! I wish someone had told me… …some of these things before I left for college. I would have had less financial trouble in front … Continue reading →
Hero at the Fall
by Alwyn Hamilton ★★★★★ What a ride! Be careful what you wish for… a Djinni may grant it. What an epic conclusion! Alwyn Hamilton is an incredible writer who weaves intense action with personal peril, overarching themes of what it … Continue reading →
Joan the Made
by Kristen Pham ★★★★★ Joan was made, can she make a difference? Joan Fasces has been raised as an Evolved (natural) human. On her 18th birthday, her Status meeting blood test reveals that she’s actually a Throwback, a clone of … Continue reading →
True Fiction
by Lee Goldberg ★★★★★ I almost DNF’d, then I realized right before my brain broke that … True Fiction is a spoof. I thought you should know that right off the bat, since I was a little slow catching on … Continue reading →
Last Dragon Standing
by Rachel Aaron ★★★★★ Do nice dragons always finish last? Will Julius be the last dragon standing? Wow, what a brilliant ride! Last Dragon Standing starts out showing us why Bob has been plotting for all these centuries, and it … Continue reading →
Staff and Crown
by W.R. Gingell ★★★★★ Being the queen heir isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, but neither is finishing school… Accompanied by some old friends and a crafty new friend, Annabel faces one of the hardest challenges of her life: … Continue reading →
Food: What the Heck Should I Eat?
by Mark Hyman ★★★★★ Gives me hope! A doable guide to what we should be eating Great intro to Hyman’s “Pegan” diet, and you’ve got to love a reasonable middle ground. The Pegan diet seems logical, scientific, and doable. Let’s … Continue reading →
Tess of the Road
by Rachel Hartman ★★★★★ Almost DNF’d, but I read on to discover what can happen when a girl takes to the Road!! This is a hard book to review, and I almost DNF’d more than once as the beginning is … Continue reading →
Penric’s Fox
by Lois McMaster Bujold ★★★★★ Who dares kill a demon? In the sequel to Penric and the Shaman, Penric and Desdemona team up with Inglis and Oswyl to figure out why a sorceress has been struck down in the depths … Continue reading →
The Princess and the Frog
Disney Manga by Nao Kodaka ★★★★★ What’s hopping in New Orleans? What’s cooking with Tiana and Naveen? The Shadow Man’s curse has Tiana and Naveen a little green and totally amphibian. The prince and the waitress must break the curse … Continue reading →
The Glass Mountain
by Alethea Kontis ★★★★★ Can you survive in a mountain of glass? The Glass Mountain instantly became my favorite Alethea Kontis story. It’s a fast read, but written so well that you are instantly transported into this seemingly effortless fairytale. … Continue reading →
The Book of Secrets
by Melissa McShane ★★★★★ Ever thought that your new job was a killer? Try working at THIS bookstore!! Helena just took a job at a quaint bookstore, and her first day’s a doozy. She quickly discovers that Abernathy’s is everything … Continue reading →
Soul Catchers
by Carrie Pulkinen ★★★★★ What happens when Red Riding Hood IS the wolf?!! Soul Catchers paints a dystopian world where people are huddled in cities behind walls, frightened of monstrous wolves and anyone endowed with supernatural powers. The only problem … Continue reading →
The Great Alone
by Kristin Hannah ★★★★★ Can they survive the dark and danger they bring to the wilderness? Ernt Allbright can’t run far enough to escape his demons. Going off-grid in Alaska, Ernt drags his wife, Cora, and his daughter, Leni, into a … Continue reading →
Henry and Mudge: The First Book
by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Suçie Stevenson ★★★★★ Cute story, talked us into a dog When our daughter, who is an only child, brought this book home from school, we had no idea it would change our lives. It’s a … Continue reading →
GO: A Coming of Age Novel
by Kazuki Kaneshiro, translated by Takami Nieda ★★★★★ Will you pretend to be one of them? Do you care? Can you hide in plain sight behind a name you were asked to assume? But perhaps you don’t care about passing; … Continue reading →
The Husband Mission
by Regina Scot ★★★★★ What could go wrong when you find perfect husband for your stepsister? The Husband Mission is a sweet, fun read. Great characters, some simply adorable scenes (“Places!”), and several quirky, endearing characters. Katherine (“the Colonel”) picks … Continue reading →
The Heiress Objective
by Regina Scott ★★★★★ What’s a man to do for a little ready cash? Okay, maybe it was more than a little money he needed. Make that two thousand pounds. Owed to a bounder who engineered the death of his … Continue reading →
Harvey’s Hideout
by Russell Hoban ★★★★★ When a brother and sister fight, can they overcome their differences? Harvey Muskrat and his sister Mildred don’t always get along. In fact, Harvey thinks Mildred is a bossy loudmouth, and she thinks he’s selfish and … Continue reading →
Charlie the Tramp
by Russell Hoban ★★★★★ Charlie HATES chores!!! He refuses to be his dad and grandpa and build dams, but does Charlie have what it takes to be a tramp? Charlie is tired of chores and doesn’t want to grow up … Continue reading →
Rewired
by S.R. Johannes ★★★★★ Ada’s the Dark Angel, hacktivist, and life just went offline. Can she get wired and hack the real killers? Rewired is a fast-paced YA thriller that will appeal to a large audience. There’s enough hacking, espionage, … Continue reading →
Points of Impact
by Marko Kloos ★★★★★ If the human race was to come to an end, where would you choose to be? Andrew and Halley choose to be on the furthest spearhead, defending humanity alongside old comrades and new allies. If they’re … Continue reading →
Twist of Faith
by Ellen Green ★★★★★ At first, I thought it was a train wreck & almost DNF’d. The ONLY thing I can say is – it isn’t what you think it is!!! It’s not often that mysteries take me by surprise … Continue reading →
The Century Cube
by Bo Boswell ★★★★★ Exciting middle-school adventure into the future The Century Cube by Bo Boswell is a fun, fast read with enough cultural references, cool future gadgets, and excitement to appeal to kids and adults. I think this book … Continue reading →
Abounding Might
by Melissa McShane ★★★★★ Another strong heroine, great story. Melissa McShane’s Extraordinaries series has its third amazing heroine. Written as a near-history with believable world-building, McShane’s novels evoke colonial Britain. Abounding Might takes a foray to India with Lady Daphne … Continue reading →
Still Waters
by C. J. Brightley ★★★★★ Hits it out of the park with original concepts and amazing world-building Still Waters: A Noblebright Fantasy Anthology is a quirky collection of noblebright stories by the same editor who coordinated Luminous: A Noblebright Fantasy … Continue reading →
A Beautiful Work In Progress
by Mirna Valerio ★★★★★ Simply inspirational; life is a marathon I’m simply staggered by Mirna Valerio’s story; it’s amazing and inspirational beyond what I can describe. Simply an amazing person. There are passages that left me uplifted and ones that … Continue reading →
Luminous
by C. J. Brightley ★★★★★ Wonderful collection of fantasies! Almost every one of the books included is worth the price of Luminous: A Noblebright Fantasy Boxed Set all by itself. So many of these collections just aren’t that great, but … Continue reading →
All the Little Children
by Jo Furniss ★★★★★ Gritty tale of survival Overall, the characters were realistic and the story compelling. All the Little Children is definitely a story that defies you to put it down. Painful and wrenching to read at times, but … Continue reading →
A Dragon of a Different Color
by Rachel Aaron ★★★★★ More of our favorite nice dragon… and Bob. Rachel Aaron hits it out of the ballpark again with our favorite nice dragon. If you’ve enjoyed the previous books, you’ll love this continuation. (If you haven’t read … Continue reading →
Buried Heart
by Kate Elliott ★★★★★ Dark, complex, compelling Wow! If you liked the first two books in the Court of Five series, you’re going to love Buried Heart. Gritty and heart-wrenching in many ways. Buried Heart is a great continuation of … Continue reading →
The Better Than Takeout Thai Cookbook
by Danette St. Onge ★★★★★ Wonderful cookbook for Thai food lovers! We love Thai food, absolutely adore it. It’s one of our weaknesses when it comes to eating out. 90% of the time, we are going to eat Thai. We … Continue reading →
Spirit’s Oath
by Rachel Aaron ★★★★★ Awesome insight into Miranda Spirit’s Oath is an enjoyable novella with Miranda at the helm. If you enjoyed the Eli Monpress books, you’ll love this Miranda story. If you haven’t read the Eli Monpress books, go … Continue reading →
Thick as Thieves
by Megan Whalen Turner ★★★★★ It takes a thief to set a captive free. Kamet is happy to be a powerful slave to a powerful man. His master, Nahuseresh, may have fallen in favor a bit over that small disaster … Continue reading →
North Haven
by Sarah Moriarty ★☆☆☆☆ Reads like a creative writing assignment This novel is chock full of beautiful language and imagery, but there’s also so much angst and unhappiness that it feels forced. It feels as if a college student with … Continue reading →
Naheli’s Sacrifice
by Rabea Scholz ★★★★★ Brilliant, beautifully-written, engrossing, and heartbreaking. Wow! This is a book that you won’t want to put down until you reach that last sentence. I decided to take a risk and grab four free random fantasy books … Continue reading →
The Smoke-Scented Girl
by Melissa McShane ★★★★★ Enjoyable, original, great characters I love how real Melissa McShane makes her magic system. And I love that Kerensa is so incredibly strong and endures so much while remaining so human. I love it when authors … Continue reading →
Hemingway Didn’t Say That
by O’Toole, Garson ★★★★★ Fascinating history of quotes and misquotes If you’ve ever googled a quote to see if it were misquoted or even true, you’ll find Hemingway Didn’t Say That: The Truth Behind Familiar Quotations fascinating. O’Toole gives a … Continue reading →