Inventor Adventure: A Self-Watering Journey / Selma Benkiran

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Inventor Adventure
By: Selma Benkiran
Genre: Children’s, Science 
Number of Pages: 36
Published: January 19, 2024
Publisher: Mi Camino Publishing
Dates Read: April 24, 2024
Format: eBook

When Lilo realizes his beloved plants won’t be watered while he’s on vacation, he decides to simply invent a machine that will water them for him. The job is easier said than done and Lilo gets discouraged by the setbacks, but his family has his back and teaches him valuable lessons with each one.

As a plant lover who struggles to remember which plant needs watering and when – even when I see my plants everyday! – I empathize with Lilo, especially when you’ve kept certain plants alive for a long time.

His determination to find a solution, even when there were setbacks, were encouraging, even to this adult.

This book is filled with a lot of trial and errors and Selma Benkiran explains all the steps and thought processes through it all. One of my favorites was:

“Forget perfect. Start with good enough. An easy solution that you can have fun inventing. Then make it better and better.”

That’s just something I feel like adults need reminding of too.

Overall, this book is engaging and informative for all ages. Parents will have fun reading to their littles.

*Thank you for the author for reaching out with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store / James McBride

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I promise I’m still around y’all! I ended up doing a 3:1 book read this time around because I realized I really need to get through my book for judging. I’ve got quite a few left to read still, so you may not hear from me again for a few more weeks. May 15 is when all of my comments are due, so you’ll probably see me shortly after that. And of course, once the winner(s) are announced, I’ll talk a bit more about them and stuff.

Until then, here’s what I listened to as an Audiobook on 2x speed on Saturday while I cleared out over 200+ books from my bookshelves because I had officially ran out of room for books.

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store
By: James McBride
Genre: Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 380
Published: August 8, 2023
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Dates Read: April 20, 2024
Format: Library Book / Audiobook

In 1972, workers were digging a new foundation in Pottstown, Pennsylvania when they found a skeleton at the bottom of a well. To figure out who it is, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store goes back 40 years to the secrets of the neighborhood of Chicken Hill, a dilapidated neighborhood where immigrant Jews and African Americans lived side by side.

This book was ultimately about the community of Chicken Hill, rallying together in order to protect a young deaf boy they’ve named Dodo, from being taken by the state to an institution. It starts off with a murder mystery, but to be honest, that wasn’t at all the most interesting part of the story.

This is one of those books where I kind of wish I did ½ star ratings and not rounding up, because I don’t really think this is a 4 star book, but I don’t think it’s a 3 star one either. I listened to this on 2x speed on a Saturday while I did some deep cleaning of my book shelves and yes, I totally missed some things here and there, but a lot of it was repeated stuff. I know the author was showing how all the characters were connected, but the characters all already knew this, and we, the reader, mostly knew that stuff too.

We meet a lot of characters in this book, but I really enjoyed Chuna, the outspoken wife who runs the grocery store. And of course Dodo.

Was this book of the year for me – no. It actually left me a bit disappointed to be completely honest. It’s rich and full of characters, but it also went on and on in places it could have been edited out and also broke away from the story to give us background information that wasn’t always necessary to keep the book going. Maybe I’ll sit down and physically read it one day, and not as an audiobook, but as of right now, this is where I stand with it.

We Were the Lucky Ones / Georgia Hunter

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We Were the Lucky Ones
By: Georgia Hunter
Genre: Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 416
Published: January 2, 2018 (1st Published February 14, 2017)
Publisher: Penguin Books
Dates Read: April 6, 2024 - April 7, 2024
Format: Paperback

Trigger Warnings: Holocaust, war, death, starvation

In Radom, Poland, in March of 1939, the Kurc family’s talk around the Seder table is of new babies and budding romance – not really much of the shadows of the war just around the corner, or the hardships threatening Jews, but the empty set where middle son, Addy should be, is a heavy reminder. Nothing changes overnight, but new rules, regulations, and laws go into effect and then suddenly, Europe is inescapable.

One sibling is forced into exile, another gets shuffled between refugee boats halfway across the world, others struggle to escape certain death; rather that’s working grueling hours on empty stomachs in the ghetto or hiding as gentiles in plain sight. We Are the Lucky Ones is inspired by the incredible true story of one Jewish family separated at the start of the war and their determination to not only survive, but to reunite. 

Right, so I have enough titles on my plate right now to last me through to forever, but I started watching the adaptation of this when it dropped on Hulu a few weeks ago, thinking I’d cheat a little and watch the show first (yea, yea, I know, you don’t do that!). But then, it left me on a cliffhanger I did not care to endure for an entire week while I waited for the next episode – so, I went out and bought the book (yes, I even bit the bullet and bought the one with the stupid Hulu advertisement on it because I couldn’t find any older versions). I then read from Saturday late afternoon up until 3:00 am, slept for a bit, then woke up and read the remaining 75 pages or so I couldn’t stay awake for.

Starting off – obviously the tv adaptation took a few more liberties in a few of the characters’ storylines. I loved the book ones more because to me, they’re sweeter, but I’ve still got two more episodes left of the series, so maybe it’ll change.

I did appreciate the changing around of all Kurc family members for each chapter. And the little tidbits of history that was happening at the time, because sometimes we would jump a few months and it was nice to know what had been going on or happening.

This is a difficult book about survival in one of the worst times in human history, not everyone will be able to read it, but I just had to when you learn about so many members of one immediate family, their stories, and that it’s based on the author’s family history. This is absolutely added to my recommendation list for historical fiction. Always.

Shubeik Lubeik / Deena Mohamed, Anjali Singh (Translator)

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Shubeik Lubeik
By: Deena Mohamed, Anjali Singh (Translator)
Genre: Graphic Novel, Magical Realism
Number of Pages: 528
Published: January 10, 2023 (1st Published October 1, 2022)
Publisher: Pantheon
Dates Read: March 31, 2024 - April 1, 2024
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

In a world where wishes can be bought and the more expensive the wish, the more powerful it is, three individuals, Aziza, Nour, and Shokry, try to figure out what to do with their first class wishes.

The title translates to “Your wish is my command” and this graphic novel really dives into the age old question, “If you had one wish, what would you wish for?”. I really enjoyed the interludes between the stories where it dumped the information about the wishes with what they were and how they worked. It really helped me understand the world the characters were living in.

Aziza’s story is what starts everything off and goes into what a lot of women and lower class citizens go through – especially when it comes to something high price.

Nour’s section was the most intense in my opinion as it dealt with depression. As someone who has battled with depression for years, the questions Nour would ask about it and the best way to ask his question is all stuff that I felt like I would ask as well; especially since you had to be precise on your wishes or they’ll grant you not exactly what you wanted.

Shokry and Hagga’s story(ies) broke my heart with their tale of family. I knew Hagga had her reasons for doing what she was, but I didn’t think it would be that.

The art style of this was drawn the same throughout but would go from color while Shokry and Hagga would talk about the selling of the three wishes to black and white when it would go into each individual story.

Overall, this was an amazing graphic novel. It’s hefty, at 528 pages, which I think is what kept me off of it for as long as I did, but I devoured it as quickly as I could once I started it. In the end, it will really make you think about what your level one wish could be.

Stoked for This: April 2024

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I had a bit to deal with over the weekend and Monday so the first Tuesday of the month kind of snuck up on me – ALMOST!!

I really wanted to make sure to get this posted because as a reminder, I’m judging a few awards right now (I’ve got two categories in one Award alone). Because of this, I unfortunately won’t be posting as much because I can’t post my reviews of those books. I am giving myself a 2:1 ratio though. Two award books, one book of my choosing – mostly to mix it up but to also make sure I don’t poorly score a book simply because I want to get it over with to read another one.

So, thanks to those that stick around. Especially those who stuck around and read all of that ◡̈

Without further ado, my April’s Stoked for This!! There’s quite a few that come out this first Tuesday and there’s a ton of new books by some of my favorite authors. April will be a busy month, but I’m excited!!

Release Date: April 2

The Book of Thorns

By: Hester Fox

Why am I stoked for this release?

I’ll be honest with you here to let you know I really love Hester Fox, so I’ll read everything by her. One of my favorite gothic, dark writers.

But, besides that: sisters separated at birth, bound together by a secret language of flowers!!

And it’s set in the midst of the Napoleonic Wars?! A new historical time I can check off my list.

The Cemetery of Untold Stories

By: Julia Alvarez

Why am I stoked for this release?

Oh, just another literary icon that I absolutely love.

This one is about a writer, Alma who creates a graveyard for all of her untold stories. A legit graveyard for the manuscripts and drafts of stories she never finished. Alma wants her characters to rest in peace, but they have other plans.

As a writer who hasn’t written a fictional stories in years (I know, I know – I have a Fiction Writing Degree and I sure use it huh??), I’ve got A BOX FILLED with unfinished stories – not to mention the unfinished stories on my college external hard drive.

This just gives me hope that maybe one day, I can finish their stories too ◡̈

All We Were Promised

By: Ashton Lattimore

Why am I stoked for this release?

A historical fiction set in Philadelphia, 1837 – another time in history I haven’t read much in.

A housemaid who escaped White Oaks plantation down South conspires with a wealthy young abolitionist to help an enslaved girl escape.

I’ve watched a lot of movies about this time period, but not a lot of books. I’m hoping this one will be interesting and page turning for me.

Lightningborn (Storm Dragons Saga #1)

By: Julie Kagawa

Why am I stoked for this release?

Okay, first off – do you see this adorable dragon on the cover?? Because that’s the first thing that caught my eye. Then the fact it was by Julie Kagawa, I was asking for copy of this quickly.

You know how some girls were horse girlies? I was more of a fairies and dragons type (mostly fairies, but still loved dragons!).

Anywho, in a world where only the rich own dragons, a poor boy finds a wild dragon and becomes the focus of an evil pirate! And, by the looks of the cover, it’ll be sky pirates!!

Release Date: April 9, 2024

The Secret Language of Birds

By: Lynne Kelly

Why am I stoked for this release?

Ah, Song of Whales is a beautiful middle grade story that I love recommending for Middle Grade with a Deaf main character, so when the author’s newest book was announced, I got excited.

This is about a little girl who is obsessed with birds who finds a pair of whooping cranes nesting in the marsh of her summer camp. It’s kind of impossible because all of her resources say they haven’t nested in Texas in over 100 years. But, once wildlife officials are notified, more questions arise about the bird pairing.

Release Date: April 16, 2024

Butter: A Novel of Food and Murder

By: Asako Yuzuki, Polly Barton (Translator)

Why am I stoked for this release?

Okay, please just read the title of this! “Butter: A Novel of Food and Murder”! Tell me that doesn’t piqued your interest?!

No?

What about this: There are two things that I can simply not tolerate: feminists and margarine.

This is inspired by the real case of the convicted con woman and serial killer “The Konkatsu Killer”.

Just – I can’t explain in words my excitement for this, okay?

Release Date: April 23, 2024

Bad Habit

By: Alana S. Portero, Mara Faye Lethem (Translator)

Why am I stoked for this release?

This is about a coming-of -age novel about a trans woman growing up in Madrid in the last decades of the twentieth century.

After finally finding community and kinship in downtown Madrid after growing up in a blue collar suburb where she didn’t belong, the unnamed character finds that each step forward she must confront a violence she does not know yet how to counter.

Trans experiences are getting more and more voices nowadays and I’m all for it.

Release Date: April 30, 2024

Not Like Other Girls

By: Meredith Adamo

Why am I stoked for this release?

I don’t want to get too much into this novel, but based on the description of it, it reminds me a bit of Sadie by Courtney Summers.

But this is said to take a hard look at how we treat young women and their trauma as a teen girl tries to find her former best friend after goes missing and all the secrets that come to light.

Roaming / Jillian Tamaki, Mariko Tamaki

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Roaming
By: Jillian Tamaki, Mariko Tamaki
Genre: Graphic Novel, New Adult
Number of Pages: 444
Published: September 1, 2023
Publisher: Drawn and Quarterly
Dates Read: March 25, 2024
Format: Library Book / Paperback

It’s Spring Break 2009 and three friends have five days in New York City. Over the course of their time there a fling blossoms between two of them, which causes the long-term friendship to be thrown off-balance. 

Don’t know why I’ve found myself in books running around New York City with young adults, but I’m okay with it. It was actually kind of nice reading the graphic novel since it had a few places that were mentioned in my first book so I got to see them that way.

Everybody knows a Fiona – who is literally the worst and sucks the fun out of everything. Which is what drove me nuts about her and Dani’s fling. But, I will give the authors the credit in truly capturing the annoyance of Fiona as a whole.

On top of hating Fiona, I did find the ending just as unsatisfying. I was expecting maybe Fiona acknowledging how shitty she was – or at least giving a thank you for Dani and Zoe helping her out, or more of the group separating at the airport and going their separate ways. I get the symbolism of the ending – but I just wish there had been more.

Overall, it’s a good story about a group of friends on a trip one of them always dreamed of and it is not going exactly as planned. Wonderful depiction of that difference you have with your high school friends after going away to different colleges/universities.

Osmo Unknown and the Eightpenny Woods / Catherynne M. Valente

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Osmo Unknown and the Eightpenny Woods
By: Catherynne M. Valente
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Number of Pages: 416
Published: April 26, 2022
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Dates Read: March 20, 2024 - March 24, 2024
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

All Osmo Unknown wants is to venture out beyond his small town of Littlebridge – and to be known as something other than a turnip. One day, his mother accidentally kills a Quidnunk, a fearsome and intelligent creature that lives deep in the woods. This shouldn’t have anything to do with Osmo, except there was a treaty between the Quidnunx and the people of Littlebridge that was forged hundreds of years ago.

Accompanied by a half-badger/half-wombat named Bonk and an antisocial pangolin girl named Never, Omsmo must embark on a quest to find the Eightpenny Woods – the kingdom where all the forest creatures go when they die – to make amends.

This took me a little bit to get into it. I knew it was going to be good, but my attention for it didn’t truly catch on until a little over 100 pages in, once all the group had been assembled. 

As much as Bonk initially annoyed me, the more and more I got to know him, the more I understood and liked him. I even started writing down my favorite insult names he used: ornery wee fork, ya dropped egg, absolute doorknob, trashcake supreme. I loved Never off the bat and loved every inch of her antisocial self.

There’s a narrator you see only in the beginning and towards the end, that breaks the fourth wall between the narrator and the reader – otherwise it’s told in third person through Osmo’s POV.

I can see middle grade readers really enjoying this and walking away from the last few pages feeling like they themselves went on an adventure. Even as an adult, I felt that I was just told the most fabulous story sitting around a campfire. Give it a few more pages when you’re getting into it than you probably usually do – but you won’t regret it!

Cross My Heart and Never Lie / Nora Dåsnes, Matt Bagguley (Translator)

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Cross My Heart and Never Lie
By: Nora Dåsnes, Matt Bagguley (Translator)
Genre: Graphic Novel, Middle Grade
Number of Pages: 248
Published: September 19, 2023 (1st Published May 5, 2021)
Publisher: Hippo Park
Dates Read: March 20, 2024
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Twelve-year-old Tuva has questions about what it means to become a mature and a teenager. She’s starting seventh grade and has a few goals; write (or draw) a whole diary, get a cool look, build the best base in the bog with Bao and Linnéa, go to a sleepover birthday party, and fall in love. She’s got it all planned out. But when school starts, nothing is how she hoped.

Her two best friends are not split into rival teams. TEAM LINNÉA are the girls who fall in love. TEAM BAO are the girls who will never fall in love. Linnéa got a boyfriend over the summer and Bao hates everything there is to do with love. And now, they’re expecting Tuva to pick sides! Then Miriam shows up and suddenly Tuva feels like she’s met her soulmate.

How’s a girl to survive?

This was so cute! First sapphic love written in the diary form of a young artist is adorable (especially when she’s making the connections that yea – she does like Miriam like that!). It’s also one of the best coming of age stories I’ve read in a minute. Tuva’s on that teetering edge of playing around in the mud during breaks and wearing a bra and mascara for the first time (I don’t wear makeup anymore, but I did when I was younger and trying to figure out your “look” is hard!).

Tuva’s dad is also a single parent and it’s heartwarming to see him trying while Tuva’s going through everything. He even admits he doesn’t have all the answers, but it’s always so very supportive.

This book is set in Norway and is translated from Norwegian – it’s fascinating to see how universal growing up can be.

Overall, I’ll be thrusting this book into the hands of many who would like a warm hug on a chilly day. Also those that love queer middle grade stories. The subjects in the story are never too heavy and can be enjoyed by all ages!

Secrets of the Octopus / Sy Montgomery

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Secrets of the Octopus
By: Sy Montgomery
Genre: Nonfiction, Science
Number of Pages: 192
Published: March 19, 2024
Publisher: National Geographic
Dates Read: March 15, 2024 - March 16, 2024
Format: ARC / eBook

Filled with beautiful National Geographic photography, Secrets of the Octopus explores the underwater world of the octopus and brings to light new information that affirms the underwater, alien-like creatures are one of the world’s most intelligent and complex creatures.

Y’all – this is my first nonfiction book that’s not a memoir and/or wasn’t assigned to me in school (which, I’ve been out of school for 9 years, if that tells you anything…). I asked for an advance copy of this off NetGalley because that always gives me a little more pressure on myself to actually read the book and not just say I will. Plus, once I found out this was a companion novel for the newest special coming out, I wanted it even more. Oh man, am I glad I did.

Obviously being my first nonfiction novel, I haven’t read anything by Sy Montgomery before, but I really like her writing. It was informative but I never felt like I was just being thrown the science. It was written in a way that was easy to follow and understand. I was constantly screenshotting and highlighting things all the time. I read this in two days and then proceeded to chat my partner’s ear off about it over lunch the following day.

I learned so many things and am proud to say octopuses are my new favorite marine animal.

Overall, I believe anyone who picks up this book will be walking away a little bit more of a lover of these eight-legged saltwater creatures with this easy to digest novel. This will also get one excited for the miniseries coming out here soon.

*Thank you National Geographic and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Cat + Gamer (Volume 4) / Wataru Nadatani

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Cat + Gamer (Volume 4)
By: Wataru Nadatani
Genre: Manga
Number of Pages: 168
Published: February 24, 2024 (1st Published July 17, 2020)
Publisher: Dark Horse Manga
Dates Read: March 13, 2024
Format: Library Book / Paperback

In this volume, Riko adopts a new kitten to add to the family, to keep Musubi company. In comes Soboro, a munchkin calico. Double the cuteness.

I always loved when people take the time to introduce new pets to their current ones. Each time I got a new pet, we just introduced them to my cat, Mushi, the day we brought them home.

I still don’t care as much for Riko’s gaming analogies but I stay for the cats. I do want to say I love how she interacts with the felines while she is gaming and that though she gets upset if they mess her up, it’s never anything super crazy.

Overall, this manga is filled with the cuteness of owning a cat(s) for the first time; especially for someone who is introverted and used to being on their own.