Recent Reads: The Leaf Detective by Heather Lang

Source: From Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review. 

The Leaf Detective by Heather Lang

Publisher: Astra Publishing House
Publication Date:  February 9th, 2021

 

Format: Ebook

Rating:

Synopsis: 

Meg Lowman was determined to investigate the marvelous, undiscovered world of the rainforest treetops. Meg's perseverance and creativity allowed her to achieve this goal, but when this fantastic ecosystem started to disappear, Meg needed to act quickly.

Meg Lowman was always fascinated by the natural world above her head. The colors, the branches, and, most of all, the leaves and mysterious organisms living there. As a scientist, Meg set out to climb up and investigate the rain forest tree canopies-- and to be the first scientist to do so. But she encountered challenge after challenge. Male teachers would not let her into their classrooms, the high canopy was difficult to get to, and worst of all, people were logging and clearing the forests. Meg never gave up or gave in. She studied, invented, and persevered, not only creating a future for herself as a scientist, but making sure that the rainforests had a future as well. Working closely with Meg Lowman, author Heather Lang and artist Jana Christy beautifully capture Meg's world in the treetops.

Review: 

Whenever I pick up a book geared for younger, youngest audiences, I am always looking for something that either is educational or that has images that really will pull a reader in - this book is both of those things. 

Full disclaimer - I don't have kids, I have younger siblings and my family members have kids, so I have some idea of what both the parents and kids might like but am FAR from an expert. 

All that said, I really enjoyed this book. The Leaf Detective is about Meg Lowman, a real woman, who paved the way for a number of things - female scientists, rainforest ecosystem understanding and conservation efforts. She really is a remarkable woman. The book is about her finding her way and trying different things in order to learn as much as she could about the rainforest and the different ecosystems throughout. 

While this is essentially a picture book, it is a book of non-fiction and it includes so much more than just beautiful images. There are leaf facts and ecosystem notes throughout the pages and the page layouts vary and are interactive and so full of interesting facts. 

In addition to telling Meg's story, the book also includes a wonderful Authors note and a diagram of the rainforest canopy levels and notes about them, along with a search and find for some leaf types. 

Building the Book Pile #339

Welcome to Building the Book Pile!  A Weekly meme inspired by Stacking the Shelves

Hello Readers, Bloggers, and Awesome people! 

Happy Sunday Everyone! 

And we are in March!? Wow this year is flying by... and can you believe that so of us have been working from home for a year now? That is so weird to me still. It feels like forever honestly. 

This week I got a bunch of reviews prepped which felt good. We also prepped the space more for my veggie garden - it is almost done. Need top soil for the boxes the I can put my plant babies in. I am enjoying this Florida weather for that ... warm means more garden time.

If you enjoy the blog and want to share some love and caffeine, you can buy me a coffee via Ko-fi

 

Coming up on the Blog

Recent Reads: The Leaf Detective by Heather Lang (Youth)

Early Reader Review: Delicates (Sheets#2) by Brenna Thummler (MG, GN)

Recent Reads: Agnes's Place by Marit Larsen (Youth)

Recent Reads: The Liar's Dictionary by Eley Williams (Adult)

Recent Reads: 168 Hours by Laura Vanderkam (Adult)

Books Received Recently...

The Reckoning (Unadjusteds #3) by Marisa Noelle - from the Author in exchange for review.

 

Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey by Erin Entrada Kelly

Luna Howls at the Moon by Kristen O'Donnell Tubb

Paletero Man by Lucky Diaz and Illustrated by Micah Player

It's Raining Tacos! by Perry Gripp and Illustrated by Peter Emmerich

Chunky by Yehudi Mercado

All from Publicists for review consideration.

Have you missed anything lately?

Early Reader Review: Curious about Insects by Cathryn Sill (Youth)-5 stars

Recent Reads: Inside Jobs: Tales from a Time of Quarantine by Ben Winters (Adult)-3 stars

Early Reader Review: Stanley's Toy Box by William Bee (Youth)-4 stars

Recent Reads: A Murder of Manatees (Tom Stranger, Interdimensional Insurance Agent #2) by Larry Correia (Adult) -2 Star

Comment or leave me a link and I will see you online again soon.

Happy Reading!

Recent Reads: A Murder of Manatees by Larry Correia

A Murder of Manatees by Larry Correia
Series: Tom Stranger, Interdimensional Insurance Agent #2
Publisher: Audible Studios
Publication Date:  January 2018

 

Format: Audible Audiobook
Source: From Audible Freebies (before they went away and become whatever new thing they are doing now.)

Rating:


Goodreads Synopsis: 

The Further Adventures of Tom Stranger, Interdimensional Insurance Agent

When half your galaxy is unexpectedly sucked into a black hole - when a hitherto-unknown species of space aliens lays waste to your home planet - when disaster rears its ugly head (or heads) - who can you call for faster-than-light appraisals and best-in-the-multiverse customer service? Just one man - Tom Stranger, Interdimensional Insurance Agent.

In this latest chapter of his interstellar exploits, Tom is about to deliver a crushing performance evaluation to Jimmy the Intern, when the unimaginable happens: the beloved Wendell the Manatee has been kidnapped! Armed with his battle mechs and his elite corps of Junior Associates, can Tom find Wendell before he's canned in oil? And can Jimmy, at long last, channel his inner Agent?

A Murder of Manatees will make you quiver with fear, laugh uncontrollably, and wonder whether your deductibles are too high. 

Review: 

Before Audible got rid of their choose your freebies monthly incentive for subscribers, I picked this one up. The title was interesting, but I had no idea what I was in for and no idea that it was a sequel. 

I will disclaimer by also noting that I still...really have no clue what I just listened to...

It was science fiction, it was political, it was weird, it was funny sometimes but also not really. I guess it was ok, but just ok. I listened to it because it was in my Audible Library and it was shorter. I like to listen to audiobooks while doing chores or the puzzle that is always on my dining room table and this one fit into that category. I started listening and was SO confused. 

Tom Stranger is an insurance agent but covers people, animals, aliens alike across dimensions and in this book there is a missing manatee and the other manatees are very upset about the whole thing. As their insurance agent, Tom must jump into action and save the day, which includes shooting up other animals, a leprechaun that grants wishes, and obviously some manatees. The former president makes a few appearances as well.

It really kind of threw me, the first chapter was a full length rant about how the first books ratings were not all great and why people were dumb for leaving them....way to alienate your audience from the very beginning. It was also not relevant to the story at all and such a waste of time.

I gave it 2 stars because there were some laughable moments, still not sure if those moments were actually funny or I was laughing out of discomfort - it was hard to tell. 

Early Reader Review: Stanley's Toy Box by William Bee

Source: From the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.

Stanley's Toy Box by William Bee 
Series: Stanley Series
Publisher: Peachtree
Publication Date:  March 4, 2021 (TODAY!)

 

Format:  Board Book


Rating:


Goodreads Synopsis: 

Here comes Stanley with his toy box! A simple introduction to toys, play and sharing.

Today Stanley, Little Woo, Sophie and Benjamin are at the park and Stanley has brought his toy box! What toys will they choose play with on the grass? And what about on the hill? And how about at the pond?

Join Sophie, Benjamin and Little Woo as they learn and play with toys in this simple, engaging new board book in the Stanley series.

Don't miss out on these other charming Stanley board books:

Stanley's Lunch Box

Stanley's Toolbox

Stanley's Paintbox

Stanley's Colours

Stanley's Numbers

Stanley's Opposites

Stanley's Shapes 

Review: 

Stanley's Toy Box is a bright and vibrant board book for young readers. It is about a hamster named Stanley and fun things that he and his friends do, in this installment they are on their way to the part and Stanley has brought his toy box. 

This is a cute book about different toys that you can play with in the park and it is also about sharing and playing nicely together. It also has a few pages about cleaning up together at the end of play time. 

The images are full spreads across the 2 pages and are very bright colors and pretty basic shapes, great for the ages the book is written for (2-6). The images reflect what the text is about, which is always appreciated too. It is  a very sturdy little book and I think that parents and kids alike will have a good time with this book. 

This sill be a great book to pick up as we gear up for spring and warmer, play-outside, weather and also give kids and parents some ideas of things they could bring to park playtime.

Recent Reads: Inside Jobs: Tales from a Time of Quarantine by Ben H. Winters

Inside Jobs: Tales from a Time of Quarantine by Ben H. Winters 
Publisher: Audible Original
Publication Date:  April 30th 2020

 

Format: Audible Audiobook
Source: Audible Monthly Freebies (from before they changed it to whatever it is now)

Rating:

Goodreads Synopsis:  

Three offbeat stories of crime and conundrum, set in the present moment, from The New York Times best-selling, Edgar Award-winning author of Underground Airlines and The Last Policeman.

Inside Jobs: Tales from a Time of Quarantine includes:

The Crimson Parrot

It's not easy masterminding the crime of the century when your whole gang is working from home. A high-stakes tale of larceny, deception, and teleconferencing.

The Cape House

As the world shifts around them, two estranged brothers end up in their childhood home. But it's the memories they unearth that will change them forever.

Stop Motion

With endless time on her hands, an apartment-bound young woman gets to all the hobbies she's neglected—martial arts, playing the sax, photography...and solving a murder?

©2020 Ben H. Winters (P)2020 Audible Originals, LLC 

Review: 

It looks like since I picked this up, it is no longer in the Audible options but coming out in April as an Audiobook on CD (if you are interested). 

Inside Jobs was an Audible Original that was offered up, about a year ago, as a monthly freebie option, back when they did that. It was one of the first books that I saw that was specifically about quarantine life and it is a compilation of three short, crime novellas. As they synopsis notes, the three include The Crimson Parrot, The Cape House, and  Stop Motion. All three are crime-related but in different ways which was appreciated. 

The first story seemed to be the most complete and the most funny. It was about what career criminal, mobsters do when everyone is in quarantine but they want to steal something. I found this story to have some really funny and realistic parts -Zoom issues, kids barging in etc, but also found it to be a very interesting take on a different job and how things changed because of the pandemic for them. It was entertaining and I really liked this one. 

The second tale was about two brothers coming together after the death of their father. This one really wasn't too much about quarantine, but about their weird relationship and both of them wanted to live in the house now that dad is gone. I found this one to be a little off the wall for me, it was weird and the brother's relationship isn't one that I related to very well so it was hard to grasp.

The final story was about a your woman that is doing her bucket list since she can't do much else. While she is experimenting with stop motion photography she catches a glimpse of what might be a body part in a box and her mind goes spinning. This was a good story, the build up was very good, but the ending was a bit lack-luster. She was very relatable though and I appreciated that.

Overall, I liked this audiobook, it kept my attention fairly well but I was not jumping at the chance to listen to it either. Luckily it was short and also short stories so it was a quick listen. 

Early Reader Review: Curious About Insects by Cathryn Sill

Source: From the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.

Curious About Insects by Cathryn Sill, illustrated by John Sill
Publisher: Peachtree
Publication Date:  March 1, 2021 (TODAY!)

 

Format: Board Book

Rating:


Goodreads Synopsis: 

Perfect for the littlest bug buffs, this board book offers a first glimpse into the natural world of insects. From the esteemed author and illustrator team of Cathryn and John Sill, it is sure to delight the earliest learners and their parents.

Award-winning educator and author Cathryn Sill introduces very young children to basic facts about insects with the help of beautifully detailed and realistic illustrations from noted wildlife illustrator John Sill.

Simple and clear descriptions of how insects look, where they live, what they eat, and how they move around make this third title in the Discovering Nature series a dependable and informative beginning resource for learning about insects and the wonders of the natural world.

Review: 

Curious about Insects is a board book for young readers about insects and different things about them. it is a simple book with short simple writing that is concise and to the point on each beautifully illustrated page. Each page has its own watercolor-esq drawing of an insect that is wonderfully detailed and so pretty. They also match what the text is saying, i.e. insects have six legs shows insects with six legs and so on. Each page also tells you what kind of bug is there in fine print which I very much appreciated. 

What I really liked about this book is that it takes something kinda icky and makes it both interesting but also very easy to understand for the youth that will be using these board books. It also begins them on a road to not being so scared of bugs as they age, which is always appreciated. Honestly, as an adult, I tend to feel the same way; the more I learn about something, the less frightened I am of it. 

Overall, regardless if you kid likes bugs or not, this is a great little book. It in the end talks about protecting the insects and I liked that message, but it was information and very beautifully illustrated either way. 

Building the Book Pile #338

Welcome to Building the Book Pile!  A Weekly meme inspired by Stacking the Shelves

Hello Readers, Bloggers, and Awesome people! 

Happy Sunday Everyone! 

I hope you had a nice week. Mine was busy with work. Luckily, it is only the 1st week (of my 2nd to last class!), so that was not too much yet and I didn't have too much homework yet. But I am tired. 

Today I am having another planner fun -time zoom with some friends. We chat about things and them plan out our weeks in planners with stickers and notes and checklists - loads of checklists. It is a lot of fun. Are you doing anything fun today?

I cannot believe it is already March! Aside from the fact that this year is flying by, pretty soon it will be at a whole year of working from home. It feels like I/we have been doing it for a lifetime now. It is weird. I like working from home, it give me a chance to read more at lunch, and throw some laundry in on short breaks, but I miss the short breaks of just chatting about random things too. I suspect we are all feeling this way in some respects. So hi, I hope you are well. I miss you all. 

Anywho... It was a good review week and there are more reviews to come this upcoming week. Excited to be really reading again and trying to keep it up. What great things have you been reading?

If you enjoy the blog and want to share some love and caffeine, you can buy me a coffee via Ko-fi

 

Coming up on the Blog

Early Reader Review: Curious about Insects by Cathryn Sill (Youth)

Recent Reads: Inside Jobs: Tales from a Time of Quarantine by Ben Winters (Adult)

Early Reader Review: Stanley's Toy Box by William Bee (Youth)

Recent Reads: A Murder of Manatees (Tom Stranger, Interdimensional Insurance Agent #2) by Larry Correia (Adult)

Books Received Recently...

 

Vicious by V.E. Schwab (Villains #1) - bought, I need to stop going to the bookstore...

Have you missed anything lately?

Recent Reads: Six of Crows (#1) by Leigh Bardugo (NA/Adult) -5 stars 

Early Reader Review: Aster and the Mixed-Up Magic by Thom Pico (Aster #2) (MG, GN) - 3 stars

Recent Reads: A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1)by V.E. Schwab (YA)- 5 stars

Early Reader Review: When Sharks Attack With Kindness by Andrés J. Colmenares (MG/ GN) - 5 stars

Comment or leave me a link and I will see you online again soon.

Happy Reading!

Recent Reads: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab 

Series: Shades of Magic #1
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Publication Date:  April 21, 2015

 

Format: Audible Audiobook
Source: Bought (Audible membership credits)

Rating:


Goodreads Synopsis: 

Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black.

Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.

Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive. 

Review: 

I have heard so many good things about this book and this series, and as with most hyped books, it has taken me FOREVER to finally jump in. I was not disappointed. Full transparency, I listened to this book on Audible and now I have to go by the paperback for my shelf. I was not sure I was going to get into it as much as I did and in the end I was fully invested in Kell and these worlds. 

The audiobook was wonderful, the reader was so good and the story was painted so well by him and I really appreciate that. Sometimes it is hard to get into an audiobook because the reader is just off but you aren't sure how, that was NOT the case here. 

Anywho, enough about the way I read the book... I loved this world SO much. It is so interested the layered Londons and the magic system, or lack thereof. Kell's coat is life for me, the way it transitions to what he needs it to be and he isn't even sure how many layers or options there are... that he loses things in it, I giggled and loved this aspect of the book so much and want more of it.

Schwab does such a great job with her character development and growth in this book, I cannot wait to read more of the series to learn more. There is just enough to keep you interested, but also enough mystery that you need to dive deeper. Kell is mysterious from the very beginning, even as the main character and I love that he keeps that mystery through the novel. Lila is so stubborn and sure of herself that I wanted to be her. She is strong and determined, but still honest that sometimes she is scared but needs change in her life. Everything about these characters was so good.

The plot started out slow, but the build-up was perfectly timed though each chapter and I cannot wait to dive into the next book (that is already on my shelf). 

As I am writing this review, fawning over this book, I need to up my rating...5 stars all the way for this one! Great magic system, interesting worlds, mysterious and broody characters - all for it. 

Early Reader Review: When Sharks Attack with Kindness by Andres Colmenares

Source: From Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review. 

When Sharks Attack with Kindness by Andres Colmenares
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Pblishing
Publication Date: March 2, 2021  

 

Format: Ebook

Rating:

Goodreads Synopsis: 

Cute, clever, and comically ingenious, Andrés Colmenares’ popular shark comics are a sweet, sincere tonic for these anxious, troubled times.

This hardcover collection features the cute, uplifting and ingenious aquatic cartoons of Andrés Colmenares, the creator of Wawawiwa Comics, followed by millions of fans around the globe. While sharks are one of the ocean’s deadliest predators, these sharks can smell insecurity, doubt, and gloom, and are quick to strike  — with kindness, cuteness, and positivity!

Review: 

If you are looking for a comic series about love, kindness, friendship, and positivity, look no further than this one. This adorably bright and happy book follows sea creatures and a "sea human" in their day to day and the kindness and love they share with each other. It is so cute and inspiring and I loved every single strip and spread. Some pages were interactive and there were pages to introduce all the animals that would be throughout the book.

It will hit you right in the feels with every page turn. I won't give specifics because I really don't want to spoil anyone's experience with this book. It is worth a look, a flip through, and a read and a few times when you need some happy in your life. This was a good time for this book to be released and I hop that everyone enjoys it as much as I did.

Early Reader Review: Aster and the Mixed-Up Magic by Thom Pico

Source:  From Netgalley and Random House Graphic in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review. 

Aster and the Mixed-Up Magic by Thom Pico
Series: Aster #2
Publisher: Random House Graphic
Publication Date: March 2, 2021

 

Format: Ebook


Rating: 

Goodreads Synopsis: 

Aster is charming, resourceful, and fun." - Dana Simpson, author of Phoebe and Her Unicorn

Magic turned Aster's life upside-down -- and it's not over! Get ready for more family, more fun, and even more magic in this graphic novel adventure.

Moving to the middle of nowhere has been less of a disaster than Aster expected. Her mom's science experiments are actually pretty cool; her dad's cooking has gotten much better; her new dog is possibly the best canine companion anyone could ask for.

And she's gotten to save the day -- and her family -- and the whole valley she lives in -- from various magical calamities in what even she has to admit were extremely fun adventures. So now she can have a break, right?

Guess what?

Oh no; things get even more interesting.

Review: 

Often I am on Netgalley looking for books to read and review and do not realize that they are the 2nd+ in a series and that was the case with this one. Aster and the Mixed-Up Magic is number two in the series and is a few stories in one book. The compellation is easy to follow even though I had not read book one, there were enough clues throughout to allow readers to understand what was going on. 

This installment was fun and funny, there is adventure and magic and talking animals as well as some drama. It is geared toward a middle grade audience. Aster is magical but only half of her family knows. She has a talking dog and a fox that can also talk to her and help her along the way but often is sarcastic and choses not to. She is faced with defeating and evil sheep and other magic creatures that want to take over the human realm for themselves. 

This was a cute book. While it was easy to figure out the premise from book one, I didn't feel as tied to the characters as I might have been if I had read book one. Overall, it was a fun and interesting take on magic in a middle grade graphic novel and I believe that younger audience will really enjoy it.