Month: April 2024

Inventor Adventure: A Self-Watering Journey / Selma Benkiran

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
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

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment

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

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
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)

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
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

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment

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.