Month: August 2026

The Skeleton and the Cat / Brandon James Scott

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
The Skeleton and the Cat
By: Brandon James Scott
Genre: Children’s, Picture Book
Number of Pages: 64
Published: July 7, 2026
Publisher: HarperCollins
Dates Read: July 8, 2026
Format: Hardcover		ISBN: 9780063455887

Skeleton lives a simple, peaceful, lonesome life. She reads books, drinks tea, and tends her garden all by herself. Until one day, a cat knocks on Skeleton’s door asking to come in. At first, Skeleton says no, but Cat can tell some good jokes, so maybe they aren’t so bad to have around…

I’ve been following Brandon James Scott on Instagram for ages now and was counting down the days until I could grab this book when it came out.

This is such a sweet and wholesome book about a Skeleton Lady who basically gets adopted by Cat. Together they “eat” meals, read books, go on walks, and tend to the garden.

The artwork will give you all the feels, especially if you’re a fan of skeletons and cats. I’ve got various pages from the book as both my phone background and my apple watch’s background.

Overall, an all around enjoyable book for those of all ages – I dare you to try and read this and not smile at at least one of the pages!

Vampurr / Justin Colón, Lenny Wen (Illustrator)

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
Vampurr
By: Justin Colón, Lenny Wen (Illustrator)
Genre: Children's, Picture Book
Number of Pages: 40
Published: July 7, 2026
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Dates Read: July 8, 2026
Format: Hardcover		ISBN: 9780374392802

Born in a cemetery under the blood moon, Vampurr’s fur is shiny black, her eyes glow bright green, and she has long, needle-sharp fangs. All her siblings were adopted right away, but because of her appearance and her abilities sent visitors running. Until one night when fog rolls in and an unexpected visitor comes with it.

This is a book that I saw in the publisher’s preview email and I didn’t even know what it was about to know I needed my own copy of it as soon as it came out.

This was adorable and I’m pretty sure I actually read it twice when I first opened it because of how cute the artwork was. But how could nobody want Vampurr?! This is a lie.

Overall, a delightful, sweet mix of spooky, beautiful picture book about finding the right family.

Titan of the Stars (Titan of the Stars #1) / E.K. Johnston

/ Alisha Helms / 1 Comment 
Titan of the Stars (Titan of the Stars #1)
By: E.K. Johnston
Genre: YA, Science Fiction
Number of Pages: 304
Published: May 27, 2025
Publisher: Tundra Books
Dates Read: July 1, 2026 - July 7, 2026
Format: Hardcover          ISBN: 9781774884089

Celeste knows every inch of the Titan, she’s proud of her work as an apprentice engineer, and as the space ship’s maiden voyage launches, she’s optimistic for the new journey from Earth to Mars.

Dominic is already anxious inside his dad’s precious ship – once it’s launched into space, he’s trapped, both inside the ship and inside the life his father has chosen for him, a life without art school, which is what he’s always dreamed of.

Ancient aliens discovered under melted ice caps have also been brought on to the Titan and stored in display cases for the passengers to view… until an event releases them onto the ship.

So I got this as a read for LibraryThing, and then life got in the way, a separation happened, and a move, so I got really behind. But, I finally got around to reading it when I had a week off from all the things and I loved it (and kind of excited that I did wait so long, because now I don’t have to wait so long for the sequel that’s coming out here the first week of September)!

The pacing is fast and the text quite subversive while reading – I could really see the ins and outs of the ship through Celese’s eyes. I’m not the biggest horror fan and though this has a few bloody scenes, I didn’t find anything too crazy that would stop me from reading.

Overall, if you like the movie Aliens mixed with the setting of Titanic (the ship itself, not with the iceberg), I believe you’ll find great interest in this read. This is a fast paced, space, sci-fi horror with queer inclusion included. You may just want to pick up both books when you grab this one!

*Thank you LibraryThing and Tundra Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Berry Pickers / Amanda Peters

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The Berry Pickers
By: Amanda Peters
Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 307
Published: October 31, 2023 (1st Published April 4, 2023)
Publisher: Catapuly
Dates Read: May 25, 2026 - May 27, 2026
Format: Library Book / Paperback	ISBN: 9781646221950

In 1960’s Maine, six-year-old Joe watches his four-year-old sister Ruthie while their family, Mi’kmaq people from Nova Scotia, picks blueberries in the field. He turns away for only a moment and Ruthie vanishes without a trace. Joe is forever tormented with the guilt of being the last person to see Ruthie.

In a suburb nearby, Norma grows up as an only child of two unhappy parents. She is smart and bursting with questions, but most of the time she’s not allowed to ask. Like, where her baby photos are, her dark skin, the vivid dreams of warm embraces and campfires she has frequently. There are things her parents aren’t telling her but it will take decades for her to unravel the buried secrets.

This story is told through dual perspectives that alternate between chapters. Though it’s not told in linear order, it’s not hard to follow at all as it allows us to see how one event impacts two different individuals.

This was definitely a character driven story and was a little slower paced than I would have liked, but I still appreciated it as it kind of made you, the reader, go through the events with them. It’s not really a mystery in the usual sense, more of a sleuthing of finding out exactly what happened but I would also say Amanda Peters did an excellent job at portraying a realistic response to trauma and how it affects everyone differently.

I read this with my book group, and I’m by far the youngest in the group, so it was interesting to both read about family secrets and how things were over fifty years ago and hearing my book group members talk about their own family “secrets” that they had growing up.

Overall, a thought provoking story with themes of family, identity, loss, hope, and grief spanning over fifty years, perfect for those who like historical fiction with a bit of mystery.