October Round-Up

The Secret, Book & Scone Society by Ellery Adams. I’d heard of this series but the cover seemed pretty bland to me so I never picked it up. However, I needed a new ebook to read and this was available, so I gave it a try. I’m so glad I did! I love the depth and diversity of the characters and how their friendship began to form. I liked the mystery as well, and though I don’t typically like books that end on a blatant cliffhanger, I’ll allow it this time because I’m definitely going to keep reading it.

The Stillwater Girls by Minka Kent. This was a Kindle Unlimited read that kept me turning pages and had an interesting premise, but overall, it felt too… happy and light for a thriller. Everything was going well until the “twist” - I guess it’s possible for a woman to have such a traumatic birth that she forgets about it, and forgets her baby was kidnapped? I was rolling my eyes reading it but if it happened to someone, I won’t invalidate them. It was just too convenient in this book though, and completely glossed over. You’d think that would open up even more trauma, but Nicollette totally rallied and it was only an issue for like… three pages? Also the two isolated teens that she took in totally adjusted and there was no struggle with integrating them into her house, etc. I just didn’t buy it once those storylines converged. I think there was potential to make it interesting and thrilling but this didn’t deliver.

The Whispered Word by Ellery Adams. I’m loving this series! Each mystery is so interesting and has great twists that I don’t think of but don’t seem hokey or manufactured.

Things We Never Say by Caitlin Weaver. This book was interesting and well-written. Each POV felt different to me, and I feel like I got to know the characters. The ending seemed pretty rushed though.

Graphic Rage by Aubrey Hirsch. I was so excited to read this book! It’s like doomscrolling but fact-based, and it’s a book instead of a screen! So while it did make me angry because of the subject matter of feminism and politics, I love the illustrations and how everything has a source.

Such a Good Family by Caitlin Weaver. After reading the author’s other book, I was expecting an interesting story and good writing. But a lot of these sentences seemed grammatically incorrect (in the ebook anyway, hopefully it was a transcription/formatting issue??) and the story was pretty bland. It was too similar to her other book so I kept getting the characters mixed up. As with the other book, the ending here was really rushed and glossed over.

Sandwich by Catherine Newman. This book made me laugh out loud in some places, so I appreciate that. But it felt like it meandered on way too long. I was sick of Rocky about ¾ of the way through. Everything was also a bit too cutesy, quippy, and easily resolved. Then the ending dropped one bomb that was just totally glossed over in a way I feel Rocky wouldn’t, so I finished the book feeling really unsettled and unsatisfied.

Also was NOT a fan of all the flashbacks because of how it seemed crucial to know when they came in Rocky’s life, but never quite added up for me since most happened during their week at the beach (with a few fall situations to flesh it out, I suppose). Some summers Jamie is 4 and Rocky is pregnant. But another summer Jamie is four and Willa is a baby. And then there’s a fall when Jamie is five and Willa is not yet two. I guess technically Willa being not quite two could mean she was also not yet a year? But later there’s yet another summer when Jamie was four and Willa was not quite one. I kept highlighting them, determined to put together the timeline, but it’s so convoluted. The thing is, just hinting at the time period would have been enough because Rocky later tells Willa when these things happened - and that’s crystal clear. But having random sections start with the specific timing totally pulled me out of the book and made me try to calculate it myself.

Here are some of the wordings:

• When Jamie was three and I was very pregnant with Willa

• “...Jamie when he was four. I was pregnant…”

• “...a memory of Jamie at four, Willa a baby in the sling…”

• The summer Jamie was four and Willa was not yet one

• The summer Jamie was five and Willa was not yet two

• The summer Jamie was six and Willa was not yet three

As I said, I guess some of them could be possible, depending on the birthdates, but it was just so specific that I felt like I NEEDED to pay attention to it, so I did, and it didn’t really add up, pulled me out of the story, and just seemed like too much. Call me nitpicky but it is what it is.

The Book of Candlelight by Ellery Adams. Absolutely love the new characters introduced here, but the mystery felt a bit disjointed. Still felt cozy, though, and made me eager to read the next to ensure some of the new additions stuck around.

Ink and Shadows by Ellery Adams. This has been my least favorite installment in the series. The mystery wasn’t compelling to me and I felt like the women speaking out against “witchcraft” and banned books went silent way too easily compared to how things would have escalated in real life.

The Vanishing Type by Ellery Adams. I liked this a bit more than the last installment in the series but it still wasn’t my favorite. I do love McCabe and Bobbie being more active characters though.

Paper Cuts by Ellery Adams. I was glad to see some of Nora’s past coming after her in this book. After sharing the secret, then Bobbie coming into play, I thought something more would have to happen. This was a really good one, it felt a bit more dramatic and realistic than cozy, in a good way though. A series staying on the same level would get boring, so I appreciate how this mixed things up.

The Little Lost Library by Ellery Adams. This mystery was fun and made me wish I could see the little books Nora found! I also really liked the “A Rose for Emily” vibes with a twist.

That's Not My Name by Megan Lally. For being a suspense novel with a ticking bomb, this book was really slow to me. I didn’t care about either of the characters and thought the final twist, while not completely expected, didn’t really have much of an impact on the overall story for me.

The Body in the Bookstore by Ellie Alexander. I loved this one! The cute town pulled me in and the mystery festival had me hooked. I love the idea of solving her best friend’s death as a thread tying the books in the series together - definitely makes me want to read more.

The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney. I read this whole series as a kid and was obsessed. Re-reading it was… not the same experience. I think part of it was that the ebook was formatted strangely, but the story jumped around a lot and focused way too much on random ideas (Denim and Lace anyone?) while glossing over really major emotional moments. I can see how it would be compelling for a younger reader (since it worked for me!) but the writing isn’t up to par compared to how it was in my memory.

Secondhand Spirits by Juliet Blackwell. Read for the Cozy Mystery Book Club. It took me a bit to get into this book because the character seemed a little flat at first, but by the last third of the book, I was hooked! Definitely interested in reading more. Read more here.

Boom Town by Nic Stone. I love that Stone is writing for adults, and this is so well done. A lot of YA authors try for adult books but it’s just YA with a 27-year-old protagonist who acts 17… (Looking at you Holly Jackson, sorry). But Stone’s characters feel adult and the story was really compelling. Unfortunately, I feel like it’s a lot of build-up (excellent suspense) just to totally gloss over the critical action and the emotional beat that should have ended the book. I think even 10 extra pages - 5 for the climax and 5 for the emotional ending - would have completely elevated this book. Read more here.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick. I wanted to read this one based on the title alone, and went in blind otherwise. I like some historical fiction, and this era is one of my sweet spots. The characters made me think of my grandmother so I could really get into the story (and get outraged by a lot of the constraints that are becoming all too real once more). Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech. I read this book a lot as a kid and still have my (aging, brittle) copy. My kid is reading it for school and while I remember the end, I wanted to revisit it. It always made me cry and this time was no exception. It’s still oh-so-good.

Secondhand Spirits by Juliet Blackwell

Secondhand Spirits by Juliet Blackwell

I read this for the October Cozy Mystery Book Club - check out the discussion HERE! 

It took me a bit to get into this book because the main character seemed a little flat at first. I could hardly remember her name, and she seemed pretty rigid and bland initially before showing more personality about halfway through. I also felt like a lot of characters were introduced really quickly and it was hard to remember who they all were until I saw more scenes with them. They were introduced as names and developed into characters later, instead of seeming fully-formed from the start, so that put me off a bit. But I was determined to make it through, and I was glad I stuck with it. 

By the last third of the book, I was hooked! I liked the learning the history of La Llorona and seeing her as a "character" in a way. I also didn't see the twist coming, but I think the clues were there if I had picked up on them. I think paying more attention to the characters from the start and being able to keep them separate in my mind might have helped me figure out the villain... but maybe not! I thought that part of the story was really well done.

The romance seemed a bit forced to me. While the female characters were all introduced quickly, by name only, and then became more developed, the males were all presented more as characters/by their roles... but they were flat. It seemed like several guys were interested in Lily and she didn't really react to any of them initially, so I wasn't sure how the romance would go. Then, whoosh, it all seemed to happen at once. I wish the romance hadn't really developed until later in the series, but overall I'm curious enough to want to read the second book.

Boom Town by Nic Stone

Boom Town by Nic Stone

I love that Stone is writing for adults, and this is so well done. A lot of YA authors try for adult books but it’s just YA with a 27-year-old protagonist who acts 17… (Looking at you Holly Jackson, sorry). But Stone’s characters feel adult and the story was really compelling. Unfortunately, I feel like it’s a lot of build-up (excellent suspense) just to totally gloss over the critical action and the emotional beat that should have ended the book. I think even 10 extra pages - 5 for the climax and 5 for the emotional ending - would have completely elevated this book.

With that said... I do have a lot of thoughts, but there are spoilers, so click at your own risk:

The Westing Quest

My son read The Westing Game for school, and I read it too. It was recommended to me, plus I like reading some of the same things as him so we can talk about them. And, most importantly for this book at least, so we could play a game together!

For extra credit, he could choose from several different project options. He chose to make a game. Initially, he wanted to create a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, which I think would work really well with this story! But with the deadline looming, he decided to make a board game instead.

It's a combination of chess (with the board and the moves), Clue (with the murder and clues) and Monopoly (with the money and stocks). It also has a hint of D&D in that Barney Northrup is the game runner. He picks what character the murderer is (whether it's a person playing the game or not) and pulls out those clues to use in the game. 

Players start with $5,000 - their share of the check from Sam Westing. They move two spots per turn and can head toward Clue ? spaces or Stock $ spaces. Clues cost $500 and stocks can increase or decrease your funds. Once you have three clues, you can try to guess the killer - but if you're wrong, you're fined $1,000.

Even after someone correctly guesses the killer, the game continues because everyone is trying to make it to the end of the board - the Westing Mansion. That's after starting at Sunset Towers, of course.

He designed campaigns for eight of the sixteen heirs with the goal of completing the rest for we can keep playing! We did two test runs before he turned it in, and it was so much fun!

There's more to it, but it's hard to explain in a post - maybe you should just come over for game night and play it with us!

The Sweet Hereafter Book and Movie

This book has become one of my favorites. I think of it often and, before I looked up the dates of my review, I thought I'd re-read it every two or three years. It's just that strong of a story that it really stuck with me.

I knew there was a movie but, not being a major movie person, I didn't feel inclined to watch it. However, I came across it during a random library database search and, given my recent "book to movie" posts, I decided to give it a try.

But since the book is always better than the movie, let's start off with my book reviews.

I first read it in 2011. I rated it four stars with this review: This is the story of a school bus crash in a small town. It's also told from multiple points of view, including the bus driver, the father of a dead child, one of the injured children, and an ambulance-chasing lawyer. Obviously this meant each character had an entirely different spin to put on the story. I really enjoyed this book because it was an interesting concept and was well-written, but my favorite part was the emotional factor. There wasn't really one. In most cases that would be something to complain about, but here it was imperative. How easy would it be to get swept up in the tragedy of losing so many school-aged children? The book could have been a big sob-fest, forcing sentimental mush on the reader. While the tragedy isn't glossed over, Banks gently turns our focus to how the town is coping.

Then I re-read it in 2021. That time, I kept it at four stars but added: I read this years ago, before I was a parent. It was still heart wrenching then, but reading it now, with lockdowns and school shootings and so much that can possibly impact your kid no matter how safe you keep them, it hits differently. I still love how Banks shows several distinct points of view and gives you no real resolution, just as would happen in the real world.

The movie... I always feel the need for a disclaimer. I'm not a movie person. I can't focus on movies. Part of the reason I love reading is because I can envision everything myself, and if I miss something, I can read back over the passage instead of rewinding and reorienting myself. And I can see all the praise for this movie on the cover and when I looked it up online. But it just wasn't for me. I felt such an emotional connection with the book, but the movie just felt scattered and distant. I watched the first twenty minutes half-convinced that the library had given me the wrong disc, despite one of the opening scenes being on both the cover of the movie AND my book! It just felt so random that I was disoriented and had to start the movie over again, forcing myself to pay attention.

I will also say that I haven't read the book in four years. I usually like to re-read a book before seeing the movie, but this one was a bit spur of the moment. So maybe if I'd recently read the book, the movie would have resonated more with me. Or maybe not! Maybe it's just me. But I still love the book and plan to re-read it again soon, especially with the weather getting cold.

Halloween Round-Up

I used to LOVE reading Halloween picture books and sharing them here and in storytimes and in videos, but that was almost a decade ago (what?!) and I was a completely different person. Now I'm the type of person to share a round-up post of Halloween books, so here we are! 

(I'm sure there are awesome Halloween picture books that have come out in the last few years so please share some recs in the comments!)

Trick Arrr Treat: a Pirate Halloween. 2015. Leslie Kimmelman, pictures by Jorge Monlongo. I’ve heard some people say that pirates are a trend in children’s literature that’s gone on a little too long, but they haven’t worn out their welcome with me! This book is especially enjoyable because it’s a realistic depiction of children going trick or treating on Halloween night. Picture books have the freedom of being far-fetched and imaginative, but that makes it all the more interesting to read a realistic Halloween book for kids. The rhymes in this book make it great to read aloud, and the illustrations are gorgeous.

It’s Raining Bats and Frogs. 2015. Written by Rebecca Colby, illustrated by Steven Henry. A young witch is trying to make sure the Halloween parade runs smoothly by casting spells to change the raindrops into other things. This is a silly story that you can make more engaging by letting the kids guess and identify the different items that start raining down on the parade.

Hedgehug’s Halloween. 2013. Created and illustrated by Dan Pinto, written by Benn Sutton. Hedgehug and his friends are going to a Halloween party, but Hedgehug can’t find a costume that fits his quills! This is a cute story of costume trials and errors. It’s fun to let your kids identify what costume Hedgehug tried and ruined, as well as ask them to guess what costumes would work well for a hedgehog!

Welcome to Monster Town. 2010. By Ryan Heshka. This book is better for older readers who can compare Monster Town’s “day” (which is night) to how we live. It’s also good for parents, with some clever jokes that might be over little kids’ heads. The illustrations are gorgeous, colorful, and enjoyable for all ages! It’s not too spooky, because though various ghouls, goblins, and monsters are depicted, they’re inviting and friendly, not gory or creepy.

The Spooky Wheels on the Bus by J. Elizabeth Mills, illustrated by Ben Mantle. This book is pretty simple because everyone knows "The Wheels on the Bus", but the spooky twist is really fun. Make sure your kids sing along with this new version! There's also a counting element to the song that makes it enjoyable as a book - you can point out and count spooky things in the illustrations.

Shivery Shades of Halloween: a Spooky Book of Colors by Mary McKenna Siddals, illustrated by Jimmy Pickering. Reviewed in this Halloween video.

Monster Trucks by Anika Denise, illustrated by Nate Wragg. This is a re-read for us, but it's been a favorite the past few weeks. This one will be reviewed in my Halloween spotlight post!

Hedgehog's Halloween by Benn Sutton and Dan Pinto. Cute book about Hedgehug's trouble finding the perfect costume. This book will be reviewed in more detail on my Halloween spotlight post!

Trick or Treat, Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen, illustrated by Dan Hanna. We always look forward to Pout-Pout Fish books, but this one was a bit disappointing. The story was very short, and Pout-Pout was a minor character, so there wasn't too much recognition for younger kids. Kids who have loved all of Pout-Pout's books might like the inside jokes of finding hints of Pout-Pout in the pages, but there's not enough to really carry the story.

 The Good, the Bad, and the Spooky by Jory John and Pete Oswald. Who doesn't love the Bad Seed and his friends? In this book, he's grumpy that no costume seems to suit him. It's Halloween night and everyone else looks amazing, so he decides that he has to cancel the holiday. Everyone is so disappointed, but with a little help, the Bad Seed realizes that Halloween is a chance to have fun. Once he lets go of his bad mood, he's able to find the perfect costume. Can you guess what it is?

Pick a Pumpkin by Patricia Toht, illustrated by Jarvis. This fun picture book tells the story of Halloween traditions like visiting a pumpkin patch, carving a Jack-o-lantern, and trick-or-treating. The rhymes make the story nice to read aloud, and there are natural pauses built in where your kids can guess what comes next. The illustrations are gorgeous and depict diverse children.

Goodnight Goon by Michael Rex. This is a parody of Goodnight Moon, with a little monster boy saying goodnight to various creepy things around his tomb. I'm not a big fan of the original Goodnight Moon (I know, gasp! What kind of mother am I, etc) but I do like this version with monsters and creepy crawlies added in. I really like that Michael Rex has made the illustrations look classic, like they could have been the original illustrations.

The Runaway Mummy by Michael Rex. This is by far my favorite out of these parodies. I love The Runaway Bunny in its original form, so I was really looking forward to the spooky adaptation. A boy mummy is trying to leave his mummy behind by changing into a sea serpent, gargoyle, and more, but his mummy always changes into something else to be near him. This one has a really great twist ending that made me chuckle, making it my favorite of the parodies.

Mother Ghost: Nursery Rhymes for Little Monsters by Rachel Kolar, illustrated by Roland Garrigue. I love creepy rhymes, and twists on Mother Goose rhymes are always engaging because most kids know what the original rhyme is, so they can appreciate the satire. My son and I read this all the way through, then talked about our favorites and went back to re-read them. I could see using these as quick breaks for use in the school library, though. They're fun to read aloud and can be shared without having all of the students sit and listen to an entire story. It'd be fun to recite them before and after books during the week leading up to Halloween.

Here are some Halloween storytime ideas. And check out more reviews in these videos:

Don't forget to share some recs in the comments!

Against the Currant by Olivia Matthews

 

Against the Currant by Olivia Matthews

I read this book for the September Cozy Mystery Book Club and really appreciated the conversation we had about it, which you can view here.

I love culinary cozies and have a secret dream of opening a bakery despite not being an amazing baker myself, so I loved Lyndsay’s character. Her family was also really supportive and interesting. They were introduced really quickly without me being able to discern them, and even later on I kept forgetting which uncle was married to which aunt, etc. But I also understand they were established to give plenty of potential storylines for later in the series.

However, I don't think I'll be reading the rest. One reason is that the library doesn't have any later books, but also, this one was probably 100 pages too long due to repetition. A lot of things were repeated: the bakery smells, the support and closeness of the family, the suspects and their motives. I don’t think things need to be spelled out that much. 

Overall, the book pulled me in and gave me the clues I needed to solve the case along with Lyndsay, so I liked it for a book club read. And I liked the author's mystery and how she pulled it off, so I'm going to give another of her series a try to see if it's less repetitive.

Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself by Judy Blume

 

Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself by Judy Blume

Along with Margaret, this is one of Blume’s books that I re-read most in childhood. I loved Sally because I also imagined stories and acted them out while playing, and I hadn’t seen that represented in a book until I read this one. This edition included a note from Blume explaining how this is her most autobiographical book, and I believe that explains why I'm drawn to this author's work overall, and keep re-reading this book in particular.

Something made me think of it recently and I wanted to re-read it. I often used to randomly think of the hibiscus flower Sally put behind her ear on the first day of her new school in Florida. I remember thinking how glamorous it would be to live in Florida for a year. At the end of middle school and the first year or two of high school, my family would go spend a week or so in Florida at the end of summer. Coming back home and going to school always felt like such a letdown, and I often thought of this book, wondering who I'd be if I had the chance to go to school in Florida for a year. Of course, that daydream involved me turning into a complete beach bum and laid-back popular kid, which never would have happened, but isn't that the point of daydreams and living many lives through books?

Overall, this book still held up and was really engaging to me. I definitely remembered the feelings of childhood due to situations in the book, and also loved how it's historical fiction in a way as well. Reading it now, I did identify a bit more with the mother worrying about her children, and I didn't see the move as glamorous as I thought as a kid - more fraught and necessary. It was actually really interesting to read it as an adult and identify with the mother while still feeling transported back to childhood and reliving my memories of reading this decades ago.

Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week snuck up on me this year, in the light of *gestures around*. While I don't have anything fun or interesting planned, it's always a good time to share resources:

American Library Association's Banned Books Hub

Want to be (more) depressed? Look at the numbers:

Years ago, I read some of the most commonly banned books and reviewed them, which you can check out below:

100 most frequently challenged books: 1990–1999

100 most frequently challenged books: 2000-2009

Frequently Challenged Classics

Frequently Challenged Authors

Banned Book: The Stupids

Banned Book: Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You

Banned Books: Harriet the Spy

Banned Book: The Sissy Duckling

Banned Book: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

Banned Book: The Giving Tree

Banned Book: If I Ran the Zoo

Banned Book: Charlotte's Web

Banned Book: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

Banned Books: The Witches

Banned Book: Where the Wild Things Are

Banned Book: The Hunger Games

Banned Book: Who's In My Family?

Banned Books: Harry Potter