3.5 Stars. I read and truly enjoyed Witchmark, the first book in this series, back in 2018 but that was during my blogging/reviewing break. I read this one and couldn’t remember much at all about events from the earlier book so I was pretty lost. There weren’t many contextual clues to help me fill in the blanks either. I do […]
3 Stars. One of my go-to guilty pleasures for years was The Pink Carnation series by Lauren Willig. I’m really not a romance reader, and they are most definitely romances, but the witty dialog, fantastic characters, Napoleonic setting, and light action/suspense kept me going back for all twelve books. I knew they were influenced […]
5 Stars. Oh my goodness! I loved this book! I love the way the illustrations subvert the text. If I were only reading the words, I would expect a stereotypical princess playing tea with her dolls (I love those little girls but that doesn’t reflect every girl’s interests). For example […]
4 Stars. The framework for this graphic novel seems a bit odd at first. An artificial intelligence guides the girls through important times and places, beginning with Sumer in 3000 BCE. That framework does serve to tie everything together though. The “story” basically consists of brief biographical sketches of women from all over […]
4 Stars. First of all, who can resist that cover? I just love it! This was a fun, quick read. It definitely starts off pretty dark. Morrigan’s father makes it clear that he finds her and her curse to be nuisances at best. Her stepmother couldn’t be less interested in Morrigan. Everyone else is happy to have a scapegoat for their […]
3 Stars. I can see the reason that this book is rated so highly on GoodReads. I understand why the author included some events, but my own history of grief led me to interpret them in a different way than intended. To explain further would give away some major plot points so I’ll have to leave it there. Part of me admires […]
4 Stars. This was a short, accessible classic but it packed a punch. I would love to discuss it with a book group. I looked around to find out if it’s ever been banned (references to “sexual intercourse” in a book published in the 1960s seems like a recipe for a challenge) but if it has, I can’t find evidence of it. The group of
4.5 Stars. If you look at all six of the genres I’ve placed this book in, you can tell that it defies description. The title sounds boring to me. I had to take a plant taxonomy class in college. While I enjoyed learning the names of things, I didn’t like learning about the plants themselves. Photosynthesis, xylem and phloem, or […]
4.5 Stars. Oh my goodness. This was so much fun! But it also had a lot of depth. And just look at that gorgeous cover!I loved Amari. She’s a fighter. Life is hard and unfair for her, largely because of things completely outside her control, but she keeps hanging in there. Cruel adults or mean girls, she meets each challenge the […]
3 Stars. The title and the official synopsis led me to believe that I was going to read a book centered on Queen Lakshmi of Jhansi, “India’s Joan of Arc.” Imagine my surprise when I started reading chapter after chapter describing Sita’s life in a small village. It was interesting enough but I honestly chose the book to meet the […]
4 Stars. What a cute little book! I read it in about an hour but I enjoyed myself immensely. Nathaniel is a fairly complex character. He’s a timid little thing but Aunt Phil pushes him to face his fears. He has a kind heart that leads him to befriend creatures that Aunt Phil dismisses as pests. Most living things will respond […]