Tag: book review

— book review, children's, nonfiction —

The Maine Coon’s Haiku by Michael J. Rosen & Lee Anthony White (Review)

January 1, 2020

Some cats have names that suggest far-off lands, like the Turkish Angora and the Norwegian forest cat. Others allude to places closer to home, such as California’s ragdoll and the Maine coon. Set against Lee White’s graceful illustrations, with intriguing facts about each of twenty breeds at the end, this charming haiku collection for lovers of America’s most popular house pet provides the purr-fect book to curl up with… Read More The Maine Coon’s Haiku by Michael J. Rosen & Lee Anthony White (Review)

— monthly wrap-up —

Monthly Wrap-Up (December 2019)

January 1, 2020

Welcome to my monthly wrap-up post for December 2019! I still haven’t come to terms with how quickly 2019 passed me by. What were your favourite December reads and which books are you looking forward to in 2020? If you missed my past updates/other monthly wrap-up posts, you can find them all here. 

— Adult, book review —

Not the Girl You Marry by Andie J. Christopher (Review)

December 31, 2019

Jack Nolan is a gentleman, a journalist, and unlucky in love. His viral success has pigeon-holed him as the how-to guy for a buzzy, internet media company instead of covering hard-hitting politics. Fed up with his fluffy articles and the app-based dating scene as well, he strikes a deal with his boss to write a final piece de resistance: How to Lose a Girl. Easier said than done when the girl he meets is Hannah Mayfield, and he’s not sure he wants her to dump him… Read More Not the Girl You Marry by Andie J. Christopher (Review)

— book review, indigo book box, young adult —

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black (Review)

December 21, 2019

He will be destruction of the crown and the ruination of the throne. Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold onto. Jude learned this lesson when she released her control over the wicked king, Cardan, in exchange for immeasurable power. Now as the exiled mortal Queen of Faerie, Jude is powerless and left reeling from Cardan’s betrayal. She bides her time determined to reclaim everything he took from her. Opportunity arrives in the form of her deceptive twin sister, Taryn, whose mortal life is in peril… Read More The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black (Review)

— ARC review, book review, young adult —

The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones (ARC Review)

December 1, 2019

Seventeen-year-old Aderyn (“Ryn”) only cares about two things: her family, and her family’s graveyard. And right now, both are in dire straits. Since the death of their parents, Ryn and her siblings have been scraping together a meager existence as gravediggers in the remote village of Colbren, which sits at the foot of a harsh and deadly mountain range that was once home to the fae. The problem with being a gravedigger in Colbren, though, is that the dead don’t always stay dead… Read More The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones (ARC Review)

— Adult, book review —

Deathless by Catherine M. Valente (Review)

November 28, 2019

Koschei the Deathless is to Russian folklore what devils or wicked witches are to European culture: a menacing, evil figure; the villain of countless stories which have been passed on through story and text for generations. But Koschei has never before been seen through the eyes of Catherynne Valente, whose modernized and transformed take on the legend brings the action to modern times, spanning many of the great developments of Russian history in the twentieth century… Read More Deathless by Catherine M. Valente (Review)

— book review, nonfiction —

The Illustrated Bestiary by Maia Toll (Review)

November 26, 2019

Author and spiritual wellness guide Maia Toll turns the insight and wisdom that birthed The Illustrated Crystallary and The Illustrated Herbiary — her best-selling volume on the mystical power of plants — to the mysteries of the animal kingdom. She profiles the mystical, meaningful traits of 36 powerful animals and explores how those traits can guide our intentions, inform our actions, and offer wisdom and insight… Read More The Illustrated Bestiary by Maia Toll (Review)

— Adult, book review —

The Unkindest Tide by Seanan McGuire (Review)

November 25, 2019

Hundreds of years ago, the Selkies made a deal with the sea witch: they would have the sea for as long as she allowed it, and when the time came, she would call in all their debts at once. Many people assumed that day would never come. Those people were wrong. When the Luidaeg—October “Toby” Daye’s oldest and most dangerous ally—tells her the time has come for the Selkies to fulfill their side of the bargain, and that Toby must be a part of the process, Toby can’t refuse. Literally… Read More The Unkindest Tide by Seanan McGuire (Review)